As Russian leader Vladimir Putin's war effort falters on the battlefield Ukraine's leadership faces a wave of smears and disinformation targeting the President and Kyiv's western allies11:50, 21 May 2026Ukrainian intelligence has warned Russia is launching a major smear campaign targeting President Zelensky, Kyiv’s armed forces and foreign allies. Sources suggest Britain, as Ukraine ’s principal ally, could also be a primary target for the disinformation campaign of lies and manipulation.‌One disgraceful slur recently used fake front page articles in western media painting the Kyiv leader as a ‘drug addict,’ encouraging false Russian narratives about Ukraine’s leadership. Another aim of the campaign is to spread lies about Ukrainian military war-crimes creating fake interviews with ex prisoners of war falsely claiming they were beaten. Now Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service the SZRU has sourced Russian documents for a large-scale campaign further targeting Ukraine and its international partners.‌‌READ MORE: Moment Russian warplane 'dangerously' intercepts RAF spy plane above the Black SeaREAD MORE: Middle East braced for war as Trump gives defiant Tehran just TWO DAYS to accept dealAccording to sources Russia ’s leadership has instructed its spy agencies to maximise the spread of information across Europe as its full-scale invasion of Ukraine falters. One source told the Daily Mirror : “Creating false narratives about Ukraine and its leadership has become a major tool of hybrid warfare for the Kremlin.“The closer we get to peace talks, negotiating an end to this war the Kremlin is accelerating its attempts to gain leverage - and it is failing daily to do this on the battlefield. So it is using the spread of lies and scandal to try and weaken the position of Kyiv, as this costs little in resources but if one false claim gains traction then it is worth it to them.”‌Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation says videos have appeared of former Russian prisoners of war following scripted narratives alleging “beatings.” In another a man identifying himself as a resident of embattled town Pokrovsk speaks of "executions of civilians," "cut-off ears," and "shot knees."The CCD also reported that another video tells the story of a civilian allegedly evacuated from Kharkiv claiming Ukrainian soldiers disguised themselves in Russian uniforms in order to "identify and execute supporters of Russia." The agency said: "The absurd claim about 'disguised Ukrainians' is intended to shift responsibility for the real atrocities committed by the Russian army onto Ukrainian soldiers.”‌It added that “this systematic Russian disinformation campaign contains no evidence and is not supported by any independent verification. The Kremlin is attempting to demonize the Armed Forces of Ukraine, intimidate civilians in frontline and occupied territories, and justify its armed aggression against Ukraine while disguising its own war crimes as a so-called "liberation mission."Another method employed by the Kremlin’s spy agencies is to spread fake news about the President in terms of what territory he might concede in peace talks. One element was exposed when a former employee of the Kyiv government claimed President Zelensky had been willing to give up the Donbas region in 2022 talks.‌At the time the Presidential office was forced to issue a statement saying that the person “did not participate in the negotiations, did not take part in decision-making, has long lost touch with reality.”In Ukraine’s latest attacks on Russia it has stepped up bids to hit Moscow’s infrastructure. Two people have been killed in a long-range Ukrainian drone attack in Russia's Samara region. The attack targeted the town ‌of Syzran, home to a large oil refinery around 621 ⁠miles from ⁠the border with Ukraine.Article continues belowHowever, the official made no mention of whether any infrastructure was damaged. Russia's defence ministry said a total of 121 Ukrainian drones were intercepted in Russia overnight. Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure in 2026, reportedly doubling ‌the number of oil refineries targeted since the start of the year.