By Işıkgün Akfırat
The documents from the Ukrainian Security Service reveal the extent of intelligence operations against the Crimean Tatar National Assembly. The Kiev regime not only infiltrated the movement with spies to divide it, but also conducted a campaign of defamation on social media.
Ukraine’s intelligence agency has labeled the Crimean Tatars as a “threat to national security” and attempted to divide them by placing agents. Before, A classified intelligence report obtained by UWI had revealed that the Kiev regime was engaged in an extensive espionage operation.
Three new documents we obtained from Ukrainian sources show the Zelensky government’s use of “psychological warfare” on the Internet and media to undermine the influence of this movement among the Crimean Tatars. According to the report, the National Security and Defense Council directly order these activities under the authority of the Volodymyr Zelensky government.
“Threat to state’s sovereignty within Muslim community”
According to an official report stamped and signed by the Ukrainian Federal Security Service, the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People are “threats to Ukraine’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “within the Muslim community aiming to incite extremism and ethnic conflicts.”
The final digit of the dates in the documents obtained by UWI is redacted. However, given that they are all dated to the 2020s, they were all prepared during the Zelensky era.
The first report, with reference number 71/15/473-141 dated April 23, 202[…], is with the signatures of Basarab Ivan, Senior Operational Officer of the FSB National State Protection Department of Kherson Region, Sector 3 of the OVS, and Lieutenant Colonel Kirilo Rudskiy, Head of the Kherson FSB National State Protection Department.
The report indicates that a provocation on the border between Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea could potentially lead to Russia’s armed intervention and the organization of “mass uprisings.” It is written that the planned event by the leadership of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People titled “World Pride March Against Violence and Occupation”, a “so-called international peaceful action”, could escalate tensions in the region.
Diminishing the authority of Tatar leader
The Ukrainian intelligence emphasizes the need to prepare psychological warfare materials with the aim of diminishing the personal authority of the individuals in question (leaders of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People) among both the members of the Crimean Tatar community and socio-political representatives.
The objective of this psychological warfare is described as follows: “To reduce the authority of the leaders of the Crimean Tatar National Movement, individuals under their control, and the Crimean Tatar population in general, and to diminish their overall impact on the situation in the region. This is expected to result in minimizing the number of participants of the march and preventing provocative actions.”
At the very fore of the march was Mustafa Dzhemilev (also known as Kırımoğlu), who was awarded the Republic Medal by the Turkish government and has been hosted by the AK Party government at the highest level. Dzhemilev is wanted and has been convicted of various crimes in the Russian Federation.
Unofficial preventive measure
The report suggests an “unofficial preventive measure in the form of publishing targeted materials in the media and on the internet”. It explicitly states that these materials are “planned to be published in regional media outlets and social rating institutions with the aim of ensuring the highest level of public distribution and increasing the number of readers”.
The legal basis for the operation is also included in the report: Article 24, paragraph 8 of the Law on the Security Service of Ukraine, Article 7, paragraph 1 of the Law on Operational Intelligence Activities, Clause 2.2 of the Decision No. 680/DSK of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated October 21, 2014, and the instructions of the management of the National State Protection Department of the National Security and Defense Council (dated 31/01/202[…], No. 15/468-165).
Besides, the report mentions “the control over the distribution of the material and the removal of reactions from internet users will be carried out by “E.A.E”, an authorized person.
Covert activities in the media
Another report is again with the signature of Captain Basarab Ivan. This provides details of a meeting held with the aforementioned authorized person “E.A.E.” and psychological warfare activities on the Internet. The report gives the Facebook links of the prepared posts titled “Ukraine is our common homeland” and “What is the crime of the Ukrainian state in the eyes of the Crimean Tatar people?” It is analyzed that these posts have attracted a significant public attention and have contributed to the diminishing the influence of the leaders of the Crimean Tatar National Movement. Moreover, it is predicted that these contents will likely decrease the number of participants in the march and prevent provocative actions during that. It is also noted that the “covert activities” will continue and be reported on.
Ordered by the highest officials
The third report includes the evaluations of the success of the psychological warfare through the internet and media, as ordered by the Ukraine Security Council’s National State Protection Department. The report bears the signatures of Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Lisenko, Head of OVS 3rd Sector Herson Region FSB National State Protection Department, Lieutenant Colonel Kirilo Rudskiy, Head of Herson FSB National State Protection Department, and Basarab Ivan, Senior Operations Officer.
The report explicitly states that the destructive activities are carried out by Deputy Department Head Colonel Gavrichenko and I.I. Basarab, the senior operations officer in the OVS 3rd Sector Department. It is reported that the mentioned individuals have prepared and published information on the internet to diminish the personal authority of the leaders of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People among both representatives of the ethnic community and public and political figures (including foreigners).
Defamatory materials
The report has some quite frank statements regarding the content of the psychological warfare materials: “This publication contains defamatory materials aimed at diminishing the personal authority of the aforementioned individuals among both members of the Crimean Tatar community and socio-political representatives.”
Lastly, the success of this activity is put as follows: “I believe that this activity has fully achieved its objectives in countering threats to state security, which include the intelligence and destructive activities of foreign intelligence services, organizations, groups, and individuals aiming to violate the territorial integrity of the country, and had positive effects on the operational situation in the region.”