The Russian command is ramping up its campaign of so-called “cognitive warfare” by conducting minor attacks in less engaged areas of the northern front in Ukraine. The main goal of these actions is to create an impression of instability along the front line and to convince Western nations of the supposed inevitability of a breakthrough in Ukraine’s defenses.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Russian Troop Maneuvers and Information Pressure
According to statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense, on February 8, Russian troops allegedly occupied Sidorivka, located northwest of Sumy. Similar claims are made by Russian war correspondents, who describe these actions as part of creating a “buffer zone” in the Sumy region. However, experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have not found any visual evidence to support these claims. It is known that Sidorivka is located east of Komarivka, and there has been almost no combat in this area of the front since December 2025. It was here that Russian forces began conducting cross-border attacks at the end of last year.
Russia’s Strategy: Information Pressure and Use of Various Units
ISW cites a statement from one of the Russian war correspondents, who is likely collaborating with the Northern Group of Forces of the Russian Federation. According to him, the Russian command is forming over 20 assault groups based on the 2nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Strategic Missile Forces. These units are expected to be involved in an offensive deeper into the Sumy region from the directions of Bila Berizka, which borders the international border, and Komarivka.
ISW has repeatedly noted that the Russian command is increasingly using specialized units of the Strategic Missile Forces for assault actions in Sumy, indicating a shortage of qualified assault units.
“ISW has not seen visual evidence to support the statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense. Sidorivka is located east of Komarivka, a previously inactive area of the front where Russian troops began cross-border attacks in December 2025,” the text states.
The Institute emphasizes that since the end of December 2025, the Kremlin has initiated an active information campaign, conducting cross-border attacks in the northern regions of Sumy and Kharkiv. The aim of these actions is to create an effect of information pressure on Western countries and influence the negotiation process regarding the end of the war.
Russian propaganda actively utilizes statements about the capture of settlements such as Hrabovske, Komarivka, Bila Berizka, and Popivka. Additionally, advances in the area of Sotnytsky Kozachok near Kharkiv are also viewed as part of this information strategy.
Currently, ISW has found no evidence that Russian troops have achieved significant operational successes or prepared for a major offensive against Ukraine from the north. Experts believe that Russia is attempting to present local attacks as the beginning of a large-scale offensive to increase pressure on Ukraine and the West and to force them to concede to Russia’s demands amid fears of potential new offensive operations in the future.
ISW also notes that the plans of the Russian military leadership to conduct a major offensive in the summer, despite numerous difficulties, indicate the Kremlin’s unwillingness to seek a resolution to the war through negotiations in the coming months.