By accusing Ukraine of allegedly "shooting down" an IL-76 plane with prisoners of war near Belgorod, the Russians are pursuing several goals at once. This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
"Russian players in the information space used the crash of the Il-76 to sow internal discontent in Ukraine and undermine the West's desire to continue to provide military support to Ukraine," the report says.
The report also points to a number of statements by representatives of the Russian political environment that, according to analysts, could create discontent in Ukraine and increase distrust of the country's government.
"(This - ed.) is consistent with some other Russian information efforts aimed at weakening Ukraine domestically," the report clarifies.
According to experts at the Institute for War Studies, Russian officials also make false claims that Ukraine somehow shot down the IL-76 with missile systems provided by the United States or Germany. This is probably an attempt to convince Ukraine's Western partners to stop providing critical air defense systems for the country's permanent defense.
