On October 22, 2026, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reported a Russian information operation codenamed “Telemost”. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the aggressor state is preparing an international provocation to conceal its own war crimes in temporarily occupied territories, particularly in Oleshky, and discredit Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
According to the DIU, the Russian side scheduled a so-called international video conference for October 22 at 3:00 p.m., under the title “Crimes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces against the civilian population of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.” The event is to take place as a group video call on Zoom.
The organizers claim that representatives from 80 countries will take part. The target audience includes diplomats from countries represented in the UN, OSCE, BRICS and CIS, as well as representatives of international humanitarian organizations. The plan calls for simultaneous interpretation into English, Spanish and French.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Moscow has selected sanctioned collaborator Rodion Miroshnik as the keynote speaker. Other planned participants include Yevhen Balytskyi, the Russian-installed head of the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Mykola Pukhov, the so-called “head” of the Russian occupation administration in Enerhodar. The DIU reports that the event will also feature staged appearances by fake “witnesses” and “victims of Ukrainian Armed Forces crimes.”
According to intelligence, the campaign involves Russia Today propagandists, Russian embassy staff, and representatives of “Russian Houses” and Rossotrudnichestvo branches controlled by Russian intelligence services. The countries named include Zambia, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Mongolia and Malaysia.
The DIU says one of the main reasons behind this information campaign is the Kremlin’s desire to divert the international community’s attention from Russia’s war crimes and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in occupied Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, which intelligence links to the actions of Russian occupiers.
Another factor, according to Ukrainian intelligence, is the growing support for Ukraine from its European partners. The statement mentions the Council of the European Union’s approval of a €90 billion loan and the establishment of an EU–Ukraine drone alliance.
According to the DIU, by running a campaign to discredit Ukraine’s Armed Forces and the governments of EU countries, the Russian authorities are trying to weaken international support for Ukraine.
The situation in Oleshky remains one of the key humanitarian issues against which this information campaign is unfolding. The DIU statement describes the city’s catastrophic humanitarian situation, but provides no current specific figures on how many people remain there, how many have been affected, or whether humanitarian aid is accessible.
We previously reported:
- Diplomat compares situation in Oleshky to the Holodomor: Russians are taking food away
- Hunger strike for Oleshky: Pina Picierno calls for a humanitarian ceasefire
- Around 23 kilometers on foot: family with a child escapes occupied Oleshky
- Hunger drives people from their homes, while roads are mined: Oleshky residents make their way out without an evacuation
- Grass instead of food: people are going hungry in occupied Oleshky
