The detention of SBU Major General Serhii Duka as part of Operation "Carthage" became a new information opportunity for Russian propagandists. Without waiting for a court verdict, pro-Kremlin media used the investigation as confirmation of an open struggle for power in Ukraine, the corruption of the security services, and Western interference in the country's domestic politics. How Russia uses high-profile detentions and allegations not yet proven in court for information warfare was examined by UNN.
On November 4, NABU and SAPO announced that they had exposed an alleged criminal organization whose members are suspected of facilitating the operation of fraudulent call centers, drug trafficking, and other illegal businesses with the assistance of high-ranking law enforcement officials. One of the figures in the investigation was SBU Major General Serhii Duka, who is accused of participating in a criminal organization. Duka himself rejects the accusations and insists that his actions should be assessed on the basis of evidence, rather than public statements by investigators.
Russian media immediately picked up the story and continue to cover it actively today. Over the past nine days, pro-Kremlin outlets have repeatedly returned to Operation "Carthage," finding new reasons each time for speculation, political manipulation, and discrediting the Ukrainian authorities.
On the day of Serhii Duka's detention, propagandists spoke about the restoration of "purges" in Ukraine's security agencies and a struggle for the presidential seat. NABU's investigative actions were presented as another blow to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team.
A few days later, the rhetoric became even sharper. Pro-Kremlin journalists began claiming that NABU was allegedly acting in the interests of Western political forces seeking to destroy Ukraine's law enforcement system.
Personnel decisions in the SBU following the release of new details of the investigation were called by the Russians a "forced concession to the West." They also linked the "Carthage" case to a possible redistribution of influence over Ukraine's security agencies and financial flows.
A separate information wave was launched around the bail for the major general. On November 9, Russian outlets, citing anonymous sources in their own security agencies, reported that SBU employees were allegedly being forced to contribute UAH 50,000–150,000 each. At the same time, they launched a fake claim that the actual source of the bail would be cryptocurrency obtained from drug sales. No evidence for these claims was provided.
Russian propagandists also did not overlook the court hearing in Duka's case. In particular, they picked up the general's words, "I'm not going to die," which he said to journalists after the preventive measure was chosen. In pro-Kremlin publications, this statement was turned into a pretext for speculation about the possible mysterious death of a high-ranking official in a pretrial detention center.
Thus, over the course of several days, Russian media consistently shifted the focus: from the general's detention to the alleged loss of power by Zelenskyy, Western interference, and the criminalization of Ukraine's security services.
Why is the "Carthage" case of particular interest to Russian propaganda?
Russia traditionally uses any high-profile events in Ukraine for information attacks. However, in the case of Operation "Carthage," the situation is distinctive: this time, the enemy gained an opportunity to discredit not merely a Ukrainian high-ranking official, but a person who had worked against the Russian Federation itself for years. Why this creates additional risks for Ukraine was explained in an exclusive comment to UNN by Andrii Shapovalov, former acting head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council and an expert on hybrid threats.
"For many years of the war, Serhii Duka was involved in organizing and carrying out special operations directly on the territory of Russia and participated in measures aimed against Russian interests. In other words, he was a representative of Ukrainian military counterintelligence whose activities were directly related to countering Russian aggression. Russian propaganda may also exploit this aspect for manipulation. In particular, it may attempt to present his activities in a distorted context, call into question the results of Ukrainian special operations, or even use the current scandal to discredit the operations in which he was involved," Shapovalov explained.
However, discrediting individual senior officials is only part of the Kremlin's much broader information strategy. According to Shapovalov, Russia seeks to exploit scandals of this kind to undermine trust in the Ukrainian state not only within the country but also among its international partners.
"We understand that Russia's strategic goal is to call into question Ukraine's control over Western military aid and create political arguments for our partners to limit arms deliveries," Shapovalov emphasized.
The expert sees a particular danger in excessive media coverage of criminal proceedings. Images of searches, recordings of conversations, and sensational accusations can create the impression that guilt has been proven even before the trial has concluded. At the same time, these materials also become available to Russian propagandists.
"We live in a state governed by the rule of law, where the very fact of a person's detention or the publication of certain materials does not yet mean that the person's guilt has been proven. And when we see the publication of striking photographs, videos, audio recordings, and other materials, our enemies certainly take advantage of this as well," the expert noted.
Shapovalov emphasizes that society should be aware of the work of law enforcement agencies; however, the fight against crime must not turn into a media spectacle in which public condemnation precedes a court verdict.