Kremlin is lying about its offensive on the front in Ukraine to convince the West that Kiev is collapsing

Russia continues to conduct a campaign of “cognitive warfare“, the essence of which is to carry out small attacks across the border in inactive sections of the front in northern Ukraine. The main goal of this is to try to convince the West that the front line is supposedly collapsing. This is stated in a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), writes Focus.

Analysts recall that on February 8, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Russians had allegedly captured Sidorovka in the Sumy region. Russian “military correspondents“ wrote that the capture of the settlement would supposedly become part of the so-called "buffer zone" in the region.

ISW emphasizes that there is no visual evidence that the Russians have actually captured Sidorovka. Analysts note that this settlement is located east of Komarivka, also an inactive section of the front, where the Russians launched cross-border attacks in December 2025.

Analysts also draw attention to statements by Russian "military correspondents" that the Russian command plans to create over 20 assault groups from elements of the Russian 2nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Strategic Missile Forces (RPF). It is alleged that such groups are planned to be included in an offensive deep into the Sumy region from the side of Belaya Bereza and Komarivka.

It is noted that the Russian command is abusing the specialized personnel of the RVS as assault troops in the Sumy direction.

Furthermore, analysts recall that the Russians began carrying out cross-border attacks in the northern part of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions at the end of December 2025. They believe that in this way they want to create an information effect and influence the course of the ongoing peace negotiations.

In order to convince the West that the front in Ukraine is supposedly "falling apart", the Russians publicly announced the capture of Grabovsko, Komarivka, Belaya Bereza and Popovka. Analysts also do not rule out that the advance on Sotnytskyi Kozachek northwest of Kharkiv is likely part of this effort.

The analysts emphasize that they have found no evidence that Russia has made significant progress in achieving any operationally significant objective since the alleged capture of these small border villages.

“The Kremlin is likely seeking to present these limited cross-border attacks as a new, broad Russian offensive that reinforces the Kremlin's narrative of the inevitability of Russia's military victory in Ukraine, in order to push the West and Ukraine to capitulate to Russia's demands now for fear of increased Russian offensive operations in the future,“ the report says.