In the lead-up to the meeting of Ukrainian and the US Presidents on September 1, the pro-Kremlin forces have intensified the promotion of the “external governance” narrative, in particular, its version portraying that Ukraine is under total control by Washington. They push the message that the US does not consider Ukraine as a partner but rather a pawn in its political games. Such efforts are aimed at discrediting Ukraine as an independent state and undermining the US-Ukraine relations.
The Ukrainian special forces conducted a successful operation in Kabul to rescue local citizens working for Canada from Afghanistan this week. Two previous efforts planned by the Canadian military and the US forces had failed, but thanks to deploying the special forces troops into the city on foot to conduct the rescue, the Ukrainian operation succeeded. The pro-Kremlin forces launched an information attack to discredit the evacuation operation, amongst other things – by portraying Ukrainians as exploited by Canada in risky operations. The evacuation’s success works great to contribute to the positive image of Ukraine, and this is what the Kremlin cannot accept.
The US announced fresh military aid to Ukraine of up to $60 million in the light of a “major increase in Russian military activity along its border”, as well as increased violations of ceasefire by the Russian hybrid forces. The pro-Russian forces targeted this by pushing messages as if Ukraine is about to escalate the hostilities thanks to the aid from the US. Once again, they attempt to shift the focus from Russian aggression forgetting that Ukraine is leading a defensive war for its territorial integrity.