“Putin’s death” hoax aims to monitor reactions in Russia - Ukraine’s defense intelligence

The opinion was voiced to NV Radio by Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s defense intelligence.

"This is sweet music for Ukrainian listeners, and this indeed would be good news. But this is only a message spun by Russia’s anonymous Telegram channels. This is an internal issue, designed for the domestic audience in Russia. Of course, it doesn’t help Putin personally because there are plenty of conspiracy theorists in Russia," he said.

According to the intelligence spokesman, internal squabbles in Russia are developing in various forms, including similar media campaigns tailored for domestic audiences.

Yusov noted that the basic objective of the plan is to look at public reactions in terms of numbers, dynamics, as well as the reactions of certain figures, elites, and the media.

"In this way, the empire, which is built around its security apparatus, is learning how to further manage things. It is also a tool for influencing Putin himself or his doppelganger. He is forced to react, and (spokesman Dnimtry – ed.) Peskov is forced to react and prove that the report is false. That is, he is guided along certain corridor. It is obvious that this is not a full stop, but part of a certain scenario," Yusov said.

As reported, a number of Telegram channels recently claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin had died and that his powers were allegedly entrusted to his doppelganger.