Russia arming drones with propaganda, cyber threats, Ukraine's drone commander warns

Ukrainian soldiers have shot down Russian drones carrying propaganda materials aimed at Kyiv, Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi reported on Nov. 4.

The news follows an aggressive clash between Ukraine's National Guard and civilians in Kyiv Oblast on Nov. 2, which has renewed questions about disinformation and the possibility of Russian involvement in domestic provocations.  

Russia is now arming the drones it launches against Ukraine with "psychological manipulation" in addition to explosives, Brovdi said.

Ukrainian soldiers shot down a Russian Shahed-type drone the evening of Nov. 4, Brovdi reported. There was something unusual about this UAV.

"(A)long with its combat payload, it was carrying a bundle of propaganda leaflets from the enemy," Brovdi said.

The intercepted Russian drone "was carrying inflammatory propaganda material intended for Kyiv, along with a cyber-phishing trap activated when scanning a QR code."

Brovdi shared photos of the pamphlets, which are printed in Ukrainian. One asks for respondents to vote on a name for a Ukrainian volunteer brigade within the Russian Armed Forces, while another denounces military recruitment policies. Both contain QR codes.

Brovdi warned residents not to scan any codes if they find flyers such as these.

"It is highly likely that this is an enemy trap designed to steal your data or infect your smartphone with a virus," he said.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the reports at the time of publication.

Following the civil unrest outside Kyiv on Nov. 2, Presidential Office Head Kyrylo Budanov said that the incident was "not without outside influence." He also acknowledged that the incident was not only a provocation, but a reflection of real social tensions.

Ukrainian law enforcement on Nov. 4 arrested two suspects accused of spreading disinformation and provoking the recent unrest in Kyiv Oblast. One of the individuals, Tetiana Kiriieva have been charged with spreading false information on social media about alleged illegal detention, torture, and murder of people on the grounds of a military facility..

"It's just the right time for (Russia)s to destabilize Ukraine with information and psychological operations, at a moment when society is being bombarded with disinformation, a mixture of truth and lies," Brovdi said.