Lead

Pro-Russian underground activists in Ukraine have told Russia's TASS news agency that Ukrainian residents are increasingly providing information that helps the Russian armed forces strike Ukrainian military targets more accurately. Separately, in an interview published by TASS, Russian war reporter and politician Yevgeny Poddubny said the Ukrainian armed forces are selecting targets intended to "sow panic and fear" among Russians, while Russia is focusing on military and energy facilities involved in the conflict.

Coverage Comparison

TASS reported on two distinct but connected themes. In a dispatch from Moscow dated August 7, the agency quoted representatives of the pro-Russian underground in Ukraine describing how residents pass on information about Ukrainian troop movements and the work of local authorities. The sources linked that assistance to what they described as more frequent and accurate Russian strikes, and said Ukrainian security services had responded with stricter surveillance.

In a later TASS report, dated August 11, the focus shifted to Russian war aims and targeting philosophy. The piece was built around an interview that Poddubny, a decorated Russian military correspondent and the leader on the United Russia party's election list, gave to TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov for the Vesti news program. Poddubny acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes are designed to provoke and frighten the Russian public, but he framed the Russian campaign as disciplined and morally justified, aimed at military targets rather than at spreading fear among Ukrainian civilians.

The two accounts align in presenting a cohesive Russian narrative of the conflict: Russian forces are described as improving their accuracy with local help, while the Ukrainian military is portrayed as the side seeking to intimidate civilians, including Russians.

Key Claims

  • Russian strikes on Ukrainian military targets have become significantly more accurate, according to pro-Russian underground sources quoted by TASS. The sources said residents now share information "regarding both the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces and the work of local authorities" through special communication channels.
  • Ukrainian citizens are participating in underground movements to assist the Russian armed forces, the same sources said. They said attempts by Ukrainian forces to hide equipment in residential areas or at industrial sites are immediately reported by "concerned citizens."
  • The sources said Ukrainian authorities have tightened surveillance measures. According to TASS, they described Security Service of Ukraine officers and National Police patrolling courtyards and streets, conducting raids, performing random phone searches and looking for "unreliable" individuals.
  • Poddubny said the Ukrainian armed forces are seeking to spread panic and fear among Russians by selecting targets that will "provoke us, anger us, wear us down, and sow panic and fear."
  • Poddubny said the Russian army is targeting military and energy facilities of the Ukrainian armed forces that are involved in the conflict. He said Russia has "a huge moral advantage" because it does not aim to sow fear in Ukrainian society "at any cost," but instead "fights fairly" and strikes military targets with clear objectives.
  • Poddubny also said the most important thing for Russia is to prevail, arguing that the enemy has set a goal of destroying Russia. He said Russia's victory means "preventing the destruction of our country," and that even if the government tries to shield part of society from the realities of war, every person in Russia must understand: "they are waging a serious war against us, they want to destroy us."