Russian foreign intelligence has accused Ukraine of attempting to buy pro-war Russian Telegram channels in what Moscow described as an effort to spread disinformation and destabilize the country.
In a Friday statement, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that since late April, individuals allegedly linked to Kyiv had used fake accounts registered under the names of public opinion leaders to approach owners of pro-war channels with purchase offers.
According to the SVR, the goal was to replace the content of those channels and spread “disinformation and discreditation of the political leadership and the Armed Forces of Russia.”
“By doing this, the ‘buyers’ expect to involve owners of information resources in unlawful activity that harms the national interests of the Russian Federation,” the SVR said.
The agency did not provide evidence for its claims and did not identify any specific Telegram channels that had allegedly received purchase offers or had been “bought.”
The statement came amid broader tensions inside Russia, including criticism from some pro-war bloggers over internet restrictions and the course of the war in Ukraine.
In March, pro-Kremlin blogger Ilya Remeslo publicly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him an “illegitimate president” and demanding he be tried as a “war criminal and thief.”
Remeslo also described the war against Ukraine as “completely deadlocked” and criticized growing censorship online and in the media. He was later hospitalized in a psychiatric facility in St. Petersburg, according to reports cited in Russian media.
Another pro-war milblogger, Yegor Guzenko, known by the alias “Thirteenth,” also criticized Putin over restrictions on mobile internet access.
Guzenko said he had lost trust in Putin because he “failed to ensure the safety of our relatives deep in the rear.” Administrators of his Telegram channel later claimed that his phone had been confiscated and that he had been sent into a “meat storm” assault despite an unhealed leg fracture.
Russia has ramped up efforts to limit internet access in recent months to the displeasure of local residents.
In March, Russia began shutting down internet access in what it called an attempt to thwart Ukrainian drone strikes.
A St. Petersburg-based psychologist had called the shutdowns a “step backwards” and a “regression,” while a taxi driver in Moscow had complained of unusable navigation.