Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has warned of an active Russian disinformation campaign aimed at undermining Ukraine's role in the Middle East, according to a statement he posted on social media.
Sybiha tied the campaign directly to Ukraine's expanding ties with Gulf states, saying Moscow is reacting to what he described as the rapid deepening of those relationships amid what he called "Iranian aerial terror."
"Moscow is extremely upset by the rapid strengthening of Ukraine's ties with Gulf countries against the backdrop of Iranian aerial terror," Sybiha wrote. "They understand that Ukraine's unique experience has fundamentally changed its role in the region."
According to the minister, the disinformation effort includes spreading false claims that Ukrainian experts were harmed and that Ukraine is not fulfilling its commitments in the region. "They are spreading fakes that Ukrainian experts were harmed, that Ukraine is not fulfilling its obligations, and so on," he wrote. "We expect more of this nonsense in the coming weeks."
Sybiha indicated that the propaganda campaign is unlikely to gain traction. "Our partners in the Gulf know perfectly well how Ukraine supports the development of modern, high-tech and cost-effective defense," he wrote, adding that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the region "laid a solid foundation for years of mutually beneficial cooperation."
The minister framed Moscow's disinformation push as an admission of defeat. "We see this Russian disinformation campaign as evidence that Moscow acknowledges Ukraine's success and its own failure," Sybiha wrote.
