UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 593 - OCTOBER 7, 2023

The Kremlin is already using the Hamas attacks in Israel and is likely to continue doing so in order to conduct multiple information operations aimed at diminishing U.S. and Western support and attention for Ukraine.

Following the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, the Kremlin intensified several information operations, primarily accusing the West of neglecting conflicts in the Middle East in favor of supporting Ukraine. It claimed that the international community would no longer pay attention to Ukraine by drawing a zero-sum comparison between attention for the Middle East or alternatively for Ukraine. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitri Medvedev said the U.S. and its allies should focus on the "Palestinian-Israeli solution" instead of "interfering" in Russia and providing military aid to Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the West of obstructing the efforts of a necessary "Quartet" consisting of Russia, the U.S., the European Union, and the United Nations, leading to an escalation of violence. Prominent Russian propagandist Sergei Mardan directly stated that Russia would benefit from the escalation, as the world would be distracted from Ukraine for a while and busy trying to extinguish the eternal fire in the Middle East. These Kremlin narratives target the Western public to drive a wedge in military support for Ukraine and attempt to demoralize Ukrainian society by claiming that Ukraine is being drawn into a "war on terror."

The full Russian Offensive Update 593 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR