Russia’s Special Services accused of sending threatening messages to Ukrainian soldiers

SPECIAL Services from Russia are said to be trying to intimidate Ukrainian soldiers by sending threatening messages to their personal telephones, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Messages calling for Ukrainian soldiers to take an oath, lay down their arms, surrender, or side with Russia are increasing according to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, which has accused Russia’s Special Services of encouraging the actions.

“Threats of personal data (surname and name of the person, taxpayer code, place of registration and, sometimes, data on the number and composition of the family) are intensifying,” the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said.

“Messages are being distributed via SMS, as well as via mobile messengers ‘Telegram’, ‘Viber’, ‘Signal’ and ‘WhatsApp’.

“The text of the threats refers to the alleged exact location of the person who received the message; it is noted that, in case of continuation of service, accurate missile strikes will be fired at the places of residence of the phone owner and his family.”

It added: “The threats of this type are aimed primarily at destabilising the moral and psychological climate in the units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine, sow doubt and reduce morale.”

“Usually these personal data of persons are outdated (the person has long changed the place of registration, moved to another area, changed the unit in which he served in the military, stopped military service in general and so on).

“Thus, there is no doubt that the threats sent are ordinary manipulations of the human psyche,” the Armed Forces said.

It added: “Such actions of the enemy are one of the types of psychological attack, which is not supported by any specific actions – ‘accurate rocket fire’ or ‘we will find you.’

“Trust only verified sources.”

Recently, Russia’s Special Services were said to be behind “websites [that] regularly justified the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and glorified its participants.”

At least 20 online media outlets were created in Ukraine by a ‘Russian agent’ based in Kyiv, allegedly at the instruction of Russia’s Special Services.

However, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) tracked the ‘agent’ down and made the arrest.