Molfar Intelligence Institute's 2026 study details Russia's multi-billion dollar information-psychological operations against Ukraine employing coordinated media, bots, and AI to discredit Ukrainians, sow division, and deter Western support, with escalating cyber and physical attacks.

Molfar Intelligence Institute analyzed 10 key Russian information-psychological operations (IPSO) targeting Ukraine from 2022 to 2026. These operations employed media, anonymous Telegram channels, and bot networks to spread emotional narratives aiming to discredit the Ukrainian military, provoke societal division, and deter Western support. Key campaigns include attacks against Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCC), the Azov Regiment, mobilization of youth, nuclear blackmail, and disinformation linked to the 2026 Winter Olympics. Russia invested billions of dollars, with estimates exceeding $4.6 billion annually on global IPSO efforts, including $1.9 billion on state media. Russian military intelligence and FSB units have expanded their IPSO capabilities. Bot networks have grown from hundreds to thousands of automated accounts, generating tens of millions of negative comments targeting Ukrainian authorities and Western allies. Four main disinformation mechanisms used are synchronized chaos, parasitizing on real vulnerabilities, cognitive-emotional overload, and technological asymmetry leveraging AI-generated content. The strategic goal is to break Ukrainian societal cohesion, erode public will to resist, and influence elections in Ukraine, the US, and EU. Physical attacks on recruitment centers have increased alongside IPSO campaigns, legitimating criminal acts and deepening societal rifts. International experience shows rapid and effective counter-ISPO measures exist in Finland, Taiwan and Ukraine itself.