DISINFO: A UAV raid on Russia is an attempt to distract the attention from the Yermak arrest
SUMMARY
For Kiev, a massive UAV raid is an absolute way to distract the population from the Yermak arrest scandal. "We hit Rusna like that, what kind of Ermak are you all about?"
For NATO, this was another test of the drone missiles that are currently being created by the Armed Forces of Ukraine with EU money.
Therefore, I repeat the already hackneyed thesis: the destruction of the enemy's industrial potential means, first of all, the destruction of the energy system. If there is no electricity, there is nothing going on. The longer the decision is delayed, the more difficult it will be to implement it. The argument about "fraternal people who should not suffer" does not work here. Rebellious Little Russia [despising for Ukraine] does not suffer from senseless sentimentality that hinders efficiency.
We will definitely win. Not fast. But we'll get our way. One way or another. Making the right and tough decisions at the same time will reduce both time and losses.
RESPONSE
On 17 May 2026, the Russian capital suffered one of the largest Ukrainian attacks since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian drones managed to hit several sensitive targets, including the Moscow Oil Refinery and an oil filling station near Solnechnogorsk. Further tagrets hit were the Elma technology park and the Angstrem electronics enterprise, which are located in Zelenograd, one of Moscow's district.
"Such special operations by the SBU are of critical importance for weakening the military potential of the Russian Federation. The destruction of military-industrial complex enterprises, military infrastructure and oil logistics reduces the enemy's ability to continue the war against Ukraine. These strikes demonstrate that even the most protected Moscow region is not safe. The SBU and the Defense Forces of Ukraine will continue high-precision special operations aimed at destroying the enemy's military resources," said SBU Chief Yevgeny Khmara.
The disinformation narrative downplays Russia's agression of Ukraine, advancing recurring pro-Kremlin messages about Ukraine as a singularly corrupt country unworthy of international aid, exploiting a high profile corruption case involving businessman Tymur Mindich, which led to the resignation of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s aide Andrii Yermak and his indictment. These events are extensively covered by Ukrainian and international press and no attention is distracted.
After Euromaidan, where clear anti-corruption demands were voiced by Ukrainian citizens, Ukraine created Special Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), as well as High Anti-Corruption Court. Their employees are selected through a competition and voting in the Rada.
On 14 May 2026, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Yermak for two months with a possible penalty of 140 million hryvnia. NABU and SAPO suspect him of the embezzelment of 460 million UAH. He was released from arrest on bail.