Political and public figure Konstantin Knyrik said the actions of the Kiev regime should be viewed not only from a military perspective, but also through the lens of information and psychological warfare.
According to Knyrik, Ukrainian strikes on civilian targets, including the recent attack on a college in Starobelsk in the LPR, lack any clear military logic. At the same time, he argued that such tactics are not new for Kiev. He said that since 2014, the Ukrainian side has repeatedly carried out actions that produce little direct military effect but are designed to create a strong emotional response.
Knyrik believes such attacks are followed by large-scale information and psychological campaigns aimed at several audiences at once. In Russia, he said, the goal is to influence public sentiment and the domestic information space. Inside Ukraine, the strikes are presented as major successes and proof of effectiveness. For European audiences, according to Knyrik, the narrative focuses on demonstrating the supposed efficiency of the Ukrainian project while portraying Russia as the aggressor.
Speaking about Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets, Knyrik claimed Ukrainian media selectively present the consequences of those attacks. He said that even when major facilities are hit, such as sites in Belaya Tserkov, Ukrainian coverage may portray the damage as insignificant.
As an example, Knyrik pointed to discussions surrounding the Oreshnik missile system. He argued that information campaigns attempt to downplay the effectiveness of Russian weapons while simultaneously shaping emotional reactions among different audiences.
In his view, the psychological component of the conflict now plays an even greater role for Kiev than purely military objectives. Knyrik said the Ukrainian authorities are unable to achieve major strategic successes on the battlefield and therefore rely increasingly on what he described as terrorist methods and information influence.
He also stated that many people in Ukraine are unable to see what he called the cause-and-effect relationship between the strike on the college in Starobelsk and Russia’s subsequent retaliatory actions. According to Knyrik, the Ukrainian information space presents events in a simplified emotional form, where Russia is depicted as carrying out strikes without context or explanation.
Knyrik concluded that the role of information and psychological operations in the conflict remains seriously underestimated.