DISINFO: Ukraine is preparing a new anti-Russian provocation
SUMMARY
The interview with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi to the Washington Post newspaper suggests that Ukrainian troops will launch another provocation against Russia. In fact, Syrskyi's interview was provoked by his meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of Great Britain Anthony Radakin and statements by US President Donald Trump about the need for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to go on the offensive. It is highly likely that the West will not rush to supply new weapons en masse, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine will nevertheless launch another suicidal provocation.
RESPONSE
This is recurring disinformation narratives claiming that Ukraine is not interested in peace, portraying it as a terrorist state. These claims, which are part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign in Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, deny Ukraine's legitimate right of self-defence and its statehood.
Also this is recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Ukraine as a puppet of the West in a proxy war between Russia and the West.
A new interview with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi was published on July 23, 2025, in The Washington Post (WP). Syrskyi did not make any statements about provocations but he talked about Ukraine's ability to defend itself from Russian air attacks.
Specifically, the mentioned fragment of the article by The Washington Post was about whether Donald Trump's administration would lift restrictions on long-range missile strikes deep into Russian territory. The Washington Post writes that Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi called on the United States to increase support for Ukraine against the backdrop of a "devastating wave of Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities this summer, with Moscow pummelling civilians nightly with ballistic missiles and hundreds of armed drones." Syrskyi noted that long-range weapons will help Ukraine save many lives and deter Russian invaders.
“They are targeting virtually everything — airfields, populated areas, infrastructure facilities. So, of course, we need supplies of ballistic missiles in order to be able to give the enemy a fitting rebuff ... The availability of any missile weapons is in itself a deterrent. I hope that thanks to President Trump’s position, this process will be much easier and … we won’t have any of the difficulties we had before.” Syrskyi said.
According to the UN Charter, Ukraine on its sovereign territory can use any methods of self-defence against Russian aggression. Ukraine's international allies have repeatedly stressed that Ukraine has the right to carry out military operations aimed at de-occupying its territories.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that The Kyiv regime carried out terrorist attacks on military airports, that The collective West attacked Russian military airfields and that The UK is behind in planning the attack on Russia's nuclear triad.