Key facts
- Russia plans a disinformation campaign in Oleshky, Ukraine, involving staged interviews to blame Ukrainian forces and portray Russian troops positively.
- Russia's draft federal budget for 2027-2029 includes over 865 billion rubles ($10 billion) for occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
- Ukrainian forces conducted strikes on Russian military infrastructure in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts between Oct. 4 and Oct. 8.
- At least 64 people over the age of 60 have been subjected to political persecution in Russian-occupied Crimea.
- Occupation authorities in Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, have set deadlines for residents to vacate apartments in buildings slated for demolition.
Russia is preparing a disinformation campaign in the occupied front-line town of Oleshky, Ukraine, aiming to shift blame for air attacks and discredit Ukrainian leadership, according to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU).
The SBU stated on Oct. 7 that Russian forces ordered a unit to produce videos featuring Oleshky residents, planned for October and early November. These interviews are intended to accuse Ukrainian forces of blockading the town, undermine Ukraine's leadership, and present Russian troops favorably.
"Russia is failing on the battlefield and is therefore attempting by any means possible to undermine the psychological and emotional well-being of Ukrainians and destabilize the situation within our country," the SBU said.
Oleshky, in occupied Kherson Oblast, has been under Russian occupation since the start of the full-scale invasion. Approximately 2,000 people, including nearly 50 children, remain in the town, facing severe shortages of food, water, and electricity. Evacuation is made difficult by mined roads and frequent interrogations by Russian troops.
Meanwhile, Russia's draft federal budget for 2027-2029 allocates over 865 billion rubles ($10 billion) to a state program for occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. The funding is intended for infrastructure restoration and socioeconomic development, which the Institute for the Study of War suggests indicates Russia's view of investment in occupied territories as a federal priority for integration.
Between Oct. 4 and Oct. 8, Ukrainian forces conducted strikes on Russian drone launch sites, command posts, communications infrastructure, and supply depots across occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
Separately, a report published on Oct. 8 by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center documented at least 64 individuals over the age of 60 subjected to political persecution in Russian-occupied Crimea. Charges include alleged treason, espionage, and financing Ukraine's military.
In Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, Russian occupation authorities have issued deadlines for residents of two apartment buildings to vacate their homes before demolition, with residents at 30 Soviet Avenue needing to leave by Oct. 15 and those at 17 Budivelnykiv Highway by Oct. 20, 2026.