Ukrainian forces choose targets to sow fear, panic, but Russia shall win — expert

TASS · 🇷🇺 public Russia · Aug 11, 2026 · 295 words

Existential Threat Moral Superiority Psychological Warfare

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What to know about Existential Threat

Yevgeny Poddubny, a Russian war reporter and politician, claims in an interview that Ukrainian forces target Russian areas to incite panic and fear. Poddubny asserts that Russia maintains a moral advantage by targeting only military facilities and argues that the conflict is an existential struggle for the survival of the Russian state.

Propaganda risk 70%

Claims checked 5

Techniques found 4

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The Ukrainian armed forces are seeking to spread panic and fear among Russians by selecting appropriate targets for their strikes, Hero of Russia Yevgeny Poddubny, leader on the United Russia party’s election list, war reporter and deputy director general of…

Why it matters

They strike targets that will provoke us, anger us, wear us down, and sow panic and fear.

Common ground

At the same time, Poddubny added, the Russian army is targeting military and energy facilities of the Ukrainian armed forces that are involved in the conflict.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Existential Threat story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The Ukrainian armed forces are seeking to spread panic and fear among Russians by selecting appropriate targets for their strikes?
How does this story connect Existential Threat with Moral Superiority over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/defense/2171411

analyticsAnalysis

70%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Significant concerns. Multiple propaganda techniques detected.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 90% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 80% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 5 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 1

info

Claim 1: “The Ukrainian armed forces are seeking to spread panic and fear among Russians by selecting appropriate targets for their strikes”

SINGLE SOURCE

This claim appears only in the TASS report. While other sources discuss the general conflict, none independently corroborate the specific claim that Ukrainian forces are selecting targets specifically to 'spread panic and fear among Russians'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, during the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting the current phase of the war, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. By Apri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukrai…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “the Russian army is targeting military and energy facilities of the Ukrainian armed forces that are involved in the conflict”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm that Russia targets Ukrainian military and energy infrastructure. Wikipedia (Russo-Ukrainian war 2022-present) notes Russia 'struck Ukraine's energy grid', and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports the Russian objective is to 'Target Ukrainian military and civilian infrastructure'.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Yevgeny Poddubny is a war reporter and deputy director general of the VGTRK broadcaster”

CORROBORATED

The claim is corroborated by TASS (which lists him as a war reporter and deputy director general of VGTRK) and a TASS photo caption explicitly identifying him as 'VGTRK Deputy General Director, war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — RUSSIA, MOSCOW REGION - JULY 29, 2026: Russian Federation Council member Igor Kastyukevich and VGTRK Deputy General Director, war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny (L-R) during a plenary meeting titled "…
https://www.tassphoto.com/en/feature/576591/n-a/page/1

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web search NEUTRAL — Poddubny's reporting has consistently aligned with the position of the Kremlin - he calls the invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine a "special operation" and spreads propaganda narratives about Ukrain…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Poddubny

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This archive documents the Russian war against Ukraine and contains: •Graphic imagery of violence, casualties, and warfare.
https://v2.osintukraine.com/messages/8764976

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Claim 4: “Yevgeny Poddubny is a leader on the United Russia party’s election list”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm this: TASS reports him as a leader on the United Russia party's election list, and another web search result explicitly identifies him as one of the top five candidates on United Russia's list for the State Duma elections.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Legislative elections are scheduled be held in Russia in 18–20 September 2026. At stake are 450 seats in the State Duma of the 9th convocation, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Going into the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Russian_legislative_elect…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The All-Russian Political Party "United Russia" is the ruling political party of Russia since 2001. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 315 (or 70%) of the 450 seats in the State …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Russia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Poddubny (Russian: Евгений Евгеньевич Поддубный; born August 22, 1983) is a Russian war correspondent, and special correspondent for the Russia-24 and Russia-1 television channel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Poddubny

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Yevgeny Poddubny is a Hero of Russia”

CORROBORATED

The claim is reported by TASS and corroborated by a web search result from OSINTukraine referring to him as 'Hero of Russia'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yevgeni (Russian: Евгений), also transliterated as Yevgeny, Yevgenii, Yevgeniy, Evgeni, Evgeny, Evgenii, Evgeniy, Evgenyi or Evgenij, is the Russian form of the masculine given name Eugene. The short …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russian census identified that there were more than 5,864,000 Ukrainians and Ukrainian citizens living in Russia in 2015, representing over 4.01% of the total population of the Russian Federation…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainians_in_Russia

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.