ISW Analysts Have Exposed The Kremlin's "tricks"
- 16.08.2026, 10:25
Russia is using AI to paint a picture of "victories" on the front lines.
The Kremlin is trying to create the impression of a large-scale advance by its troops and is using questionable video footage to substantiate its claims of success.
This is reported by Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Russian Ministry of Defense and Russian military bloggers continue to exaggerate the results of the occupying forces’ operations. Analysts attribute this to a systematic Kremlin information campaign aimed at creating the impression of significant successes by the Russian army.
What Russia Claims
On August 15, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov conducted a public inspection of the Eastern Military District. Following this, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the military had allegedly captured Rybalskoye, southwest of Aleksandrovka, and had taken control of a total of 19 settlements during the summer campaign.
At the same time, the Russian military blogger “Warrior of the Far East,” who regularly publishes material from the Eastern Military District’s area of responsibility, released a large number of videos on August 14 and 15.
According to him, the footage was shot between August 12 and 14. It allegedly shows Russian servicemen carrying flags in a number of settlements near Oleksandrivka and Huliaipole.
The blogger also stated that this footage was a response to recent footage showing the raising of the Ukrainian flag. In all likelihood, he was referring to Ukraine’s August 12 announcement regarding the liberation of 26 villages in the direction of Oleksandrivka as a result of counteroffensive operations conducted between January and August 2026.
What does AI have to do with this?
The ISW has raised questions about the authenticity of the videos released by the Russian side. Analysts have reason to believe that a significant portion of the “Warrior of the Far East” footage is not authentic.
In particular, some clips were likely created or altered using artificial intelligence. Other videos may contain old footage presented as recent.
Thus, the video footage cannot serve as reliable confirmation of the alleged Russian advance.
At the same time, on August 15, “Warrior DV” claimed that Russian troops had allegedly captured Ukrainian positions west of the Oleksandrivka–Khrystoforivka line. He also claimed that Russian forces had broken through Ukrainian defenses in the Rivne and Kopaniv area and were advancing west of Novoselivka.
On the same day, another Russian military blogger reported that the occupying forces were advancing near Novoselivka, Dolinka, and Libitsky, as well as toward Velyka Mykhailivka.
Why Is the Kremlin Making Such Claims
According to the ISW, the actions of the Russian Ministry of Defense and military bloggers are part of a broader Kremlin campaign aimed at creating the desired informational effect.
This involves spreading claims of tactical successes by the Russian army even in areas where the occupiers do not hold stable positions. In this way, Moscow seeks to create a false impression of a supposedly large-scale advance of its troops and a possible collapse of Ukrainian defenses.
In other words, the Russian side is attempting to influence not only the perception of the situation within the Russian Federation, but also the assessment of the war’s progress outside of Russia.