Russia has intensified large-scale information attacks following the principle of a total wave.

The fake video of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in which he calls for the removal of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from power, is a massive information attack following the principle of a"total wave."

Political analyst Petro Oleshchuk discussed this onthe "We – Ukraine" channel.

According to the expert, Russians have recently begun to aggressively use a new technology at the informational level. They create fake European and American websites or clone websites with content similar to Western media. Then, the analyst continues, russians refer to these portals and distribute information supposedly on behalf of the original Western media. In this way, the aggressor hopes that somewhere it will break through and be able to impose favorable narratives on the Ukrainian people.

In particular, the analyst recalled one of the recent fakes – a report that the Foundation of President's Spouse, Olena Zelenska, was supposedly involved in child trafficking schemes to Western countries.

"Sometimes the aggressor launches something neutral, not so relevant and important. The other day, many on Facebook were discussing a fake quote from Taras Shevchenko about someone stealing from someone's cabinets. This is complete nonsense because Shevchenko never wrote anything like that. Essentially, it's probing the informational space to see if a fake can belaunched, what the reaction will be, when there will be a refutation, and how all of this will spread," the expert said.

Petro Oleshchuk believes that the primary purpose of these information injections is to attempt to influence the state of society, emotionally manipulate people, and stir up the situation. Create an atmosphere of anxiety, uncertainty, and misunderstanding about what is happening, as many people are psychologically inclined to such thinking.

"All of this needs to be considered and constantly remembered that the enemy is working, including constantly on this front. It is necessary to be prepared for this, and citizens should be concerned about their information hygiene. This isvery important in the current conditions because in the near future, Russian propaganda will only intensify," the political analyst concluded.

Russian deepfake with the Commander-in-Chief ofthe Armed Forces of Ukraine, 

Valerii Zaluzhnyi

On November 7th, a Russian fake video started spreading in Telegram channels in the form of an address from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Created using digital technology, the "general" claimed that President Volodymyr Zelensky had eliminated his assistant the day before and now plans to eliminate him as well.

The "Commander-in-Chief" further accused the president of a failed counter offensive, where the army "lost half a million sons and daughters," and called on people to gather in the squares of Ukrainian cities, with defenders entering Kyiv "armed." In the style of the Chekists, the fake Zaluzhnyi also added that anyone who remains silent and supports Zelensky will be severely punished after the military takes power.

Social media users responded to this with humorous deep fakes of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.