Russians are spreading fake messages among Kharkiv residents, allegedly from the State Emergency Service, about the possible encirclement of the city with a call to leave the region in the near future. This is reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, UNN reports.
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"Russian propaganda is spreading fake messages among Kharkiv residents, allegedly from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, about the possible encirclement of Kharkiv in the near future with recommendations to leave the city. This information is not true! The enemy does not currently have the resources to surround or capture Kharkiv," the statement reads.
According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Public Affairs, such messages are part of the enemy's information and communication campaign to stir up panic among Kharkiv residents. According to him, the enemy wants to intimidate Kharkiv residents with an offensive on the city, which is currently impossible. The main goal of the Russians is to make more people leave.
The Center predicts that the enemy will continue to throw in such fakes in the future, including in relation to other Ukrainian cities - Kherson, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Chernihiv and even Kyiv, Kovalenko summed up.
As Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov previously reported, there is no panic in Kharkiv . The city currently has 1.3 million residents.
"So far, neither we nor the military see any reason to evacuate Kharkiv," Terekhov said.