Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

General Staff: Russia to stage military propaganda video in Kherson Oblast to boost morale

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 16, 2023 2:29 PM 1 min read
A Russian soldier amid the wreckage of the Mariupol Drama Theater, which Russian forces indiscriminately bombed in March 2022, in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast. *EDITOR'S NOTE: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.* (Photo credit: Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia is preparing to shoot a propaganda video about an alleged defeat of so-called "Ukrainian saboteurs" in Kherson Oblast to boost flagging morale, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Aug. 16.

"Amid the decline of the combat spirit of Russian occupation forces, the enemy command succeeds more often in staging their successes," the General Staff said.

The shooting is reportedly to take place in the occupied town of Kozachi Laheri, portraying how Russian forces supposedly defeated 150 Ukrainian fighters based in a local center of culture.

According to the General Staff, the center of culture in fact serves to accommodate around 25 Russian soldiers.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Aug. 13 that Russian pro-war bloggers complain of poor Russian morale due to Ukraine's gains in the Urozhaine direction.

One author claimed that Russian soldiers "prematurely withdrew" because "the unit's personnel were drunk," the ISW reported.  The village has been confirmed as liberated on Aug. 16.

Pro-Russian sympathies make life harder for soldiers, cops in Kupiansk district
Editor’s note: Some soldiers, local police officers and residents of Kupiansk district, Kharkiv Oblast, are not identified by name due to security concerns. KUPIANSK, Kharkiv Oblast – How do you defend a town where some civilians are out to get you? Ukrainian forces in Kupiansk district are wrestl…

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

6:57 PM

With Ukraine’s Peaky Blinders chasing Russian soldiers near Pokrovsk.

The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with one of Ukraine's most effective drone units, "Peaky Blinders." As Russian forces continue to push across the front line, Peaky Blinders are tasked with stopping Russian assaults near the embattled city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast.
12:04 PM

NATO set to agree on 5% GDP defense spending, Rubio says.

"We are headed for a summit in six weeks in which virtually every member of NATO will be at or above 2%, but more importantly, many of them will be over 4% and all will have agreed on a goal of reaching 5% over the next decade," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.