The Ukrainian government is attributing reports of a pending attack on Kyiv to Russian psychological warfare after a slew of foreign embassies shuttered and warned civilians to take shelter.
Ukrainian officials are now dismissing these concerns, urging the public to remain vigilant but not give too much thought to what they believe is information warfare.
The Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence said in a public announcement that messages propagated through online channels and social media about a “particularly massive” airstrike on urban areas are “fake.”
The directorate pointed out that the flurry of warnings, which originated from an unknown source, contained “grammatical errors” often seen in Russian psychological operations. It is asserted that the panic caused by the threats is part of a larger attempt by the Kremlin to destabilize Ukrainian cities.
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine had earlier published a public alert warning of “a potential significant air attack,” saying it received “specific information” on the threat.
Similar precautions were taken by other foreign embassies in the country, including those operated by Italy, Greece, and Spain.
Ukrainian authorities are urging civilians to stay aware and adhere to air sirens or other warnings from official channels but not to overreact to what is likely a form of information warfare.
“On this 1,001st day of the full-scale invasion, the threat of Russian strikes remains just as relevant as it has been for the past thousand days,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi, according to Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.
He continued, “We believe it would be appropriate for our partners to respond on the 1,001st day in the same way as they did during the previous thousand days, without any additional information overreaction.”
The confusing situation at the U.S. Embassy comes amid boiling tensions between the United States and Russia after President Joe Biden authorized the Ukrainian military to strike targets deep inside Russian territory and implement antipersonnel land mines for defense.
The former has generated threats of retaliation from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, while the latter has outraged some humanitarian organizations that worry about the long-lasting threat to bystanders posed by indiscriminate land mines.
Land mines planted during war often lie dormant in the ground for years, outliving their defensive necessity and instead becoming a threat to civilians in times of peace.
More than 150 countries have previously signed international treaties banning the use of antipersonnel land mines, including Ukraine, but major powers, including Russia, the U.S., and China, maintain no such ban.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the BBC on Wednesday that he understands the “moral ramifications for human rights defenders” posed by antipersonnel land mines.
“But we’re fighting a war against a vicious enemy, and we must have the right to use everything we need within the realm of international law to defend ourselves,” he said.