President Zelensky, creative commons public domain, courtesy of Wikipedia

CNN reports that US intelligence sees Russia step up disinformation campaign against Ukraine’s Zelensky.  Excerpt:

Russia has stepped up its disinformation efforts to discredit Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and raise questions about his legitimacy in recent months, US intelligence agencies have observed.

A recently downgraded intelligence assessment shared with CNN says that Russia has seized on various recent events to fuel criticism about Zelensky’s abilities and place as Ukraine’s leader, a senior Biden administration official said in an interview.

Russia has spread disinformation about Zelensky since before the war started but recent intelligence shows “it’s definitely increasing,” the official said.

The escalation of Moscow’s efforts comes as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold the line against a spike in Russian attacks in northeastern Ukraine, but the trend had been growing for months prior and is a reflection of Zelensky’s general “formidability” as a wartime president for over two years, the official argued.

“I would actually connect this disinformation effort to President Zelensky’s effectiveness across this conflict in remaining a stable, dedicated and critically important leader of his country,” said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss the intelligence.

Glory to Ukraine!