Demoralization of society: in ISW told how the Russian Federation uses the situation in Israel against Ukraine
Analysts express the view that the Russian authorities have already used, and may continue to use Hamas attack on Israel as part of information operations aimed at reducing support and attention provided by the United States and the West of Ukraine. After the attacks that occurred in Israel on October 7, the Kremlin intensified several information operations, first of all accusing the West of ignoring conflicts in the Middle East in favor of Ukraine's support.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, expressed that the United States and their allies should pay more attention to the settlement of the conflict between Palestine and Israel, and not to interfere with Russia's affairs and provide military assistance to Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the event of blocking the efforts of the necessary "quartet" within Russia, the USA, the European Union and the United Nations, which led to the escalation of violence, putting responsibility for the current fighting to the West. Russian propagandist Sergei Martan said that Russia wins from escalation, since the world "will be distracted from Ukraine for a while and will again be extinguishing the eternal fire in the Middle East.
" Experts say that such narratives, distributed by the Kremlin, aimed at influencing the Western audience in order to weaken Ukraine's support in military conflict. These efforts are aimed at demoralization of Ukrainian society, emphasizing the possible loss of international support. In addition, they are intended to convince the Russian internal audience that the international community does not pay due attention to Ukraine's military efforts.
The report also noted that several key sources in the Russian information space have shifted the focus of their daily coverage on the situation in Israel on October 7, which can affect the information environment around the war in Ukraine in the coming days or weeks. Many Russian "military" focused mainly on Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, and some contributed to the Kremlin's information operations, claiming that the event was switched from Ukraine to Israel.
Such attention to Israel even prompted one Russian "militaryman" to urge others not to "forget" about the war in Ukraine. "Now ISW cannot predict how the source environment will change due to the deployment of Hamas attacks in Israel," experts add. It should be reminded that the Israeli Defense Army had previously struck two heights in the Gaza sector, where Hamas militants could be. Residents of buildings were asked to evacuate.