Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov has sent an appeal to the acting head of the SBU, Oleksandr Poklad, demanding an investigation into a group of individuals he believes are involved in spreading Russian disinformation and conducting information attacks on the city. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a post by the mayor on Facebook. The appeal was prompted by an information dump on November 12, when reports circulated online alleging that a criminal case for high treason had been opened against Filatov.
Original source and chain of distribution
According to the mayor, the original source of the publication was the Russian website London Insider, after which the news was picked up by Ukrainian media. Filatov stated that some of the outlets that disseminated the false information are, in his view, linked to Ihor Kolomoisky's pool. He also recalled an earlier investigation by the British publication The Guardian, in which he says journalists found that London Insider spreads false information about Western companies in Ukraine and that the resource's materials may have Russian origins. The mayor viewed the November 12 publication as a continuation of a campaign to discredit Dnipro's authorities, which he assesses has been ongoing for the past few months.
Whom the mayor asks to investigate
Filatov pointed to the possible coordination of attacks by local politician Zhyd Krasnov, his son Ruslan Krasnov, and blogger Ihor Lachenkov. He claims these individuals "act as part of an organized group," synchronously spreading identical posts and providing information support to one another. The mayor also drew attention to Zhyd Krasnov's ties with Russian political figures, namely Oleh Tsarov and Viktor Medvedchuk, and stated that Ruslan Krasnov positions himself as a partisan movement instructor and figures in the structure of the Special Operations Forces (SOF). Previously, according to Filatov, information attacks were initiated by Russian propagandists Tetyana Montyan and Diana Panchenko, and later joined by Anatoliy Shariy, who, the mayor alleges, spread disinformation about a NABU investigation and rumors about Filatov leaving the country.
Demands to the SBU and appeal to the SOF
In his appeal to Oleksandr Poklad, Filatov asks to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, verify those involved in disseminating materials aimed at information cooperation with Russia, and recognize him as a victim in the case. "I claim that these disinformation attacks on Dnipro should be considered part of Russian aggression," the mayor emphasized. Separately, he addressed the commander of the SOF of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Trepak, regarding Ruslan Krasnov's activities, stating that he had already sent him an official appeal but received no response. On November 13, the mayor plans to submit the appeal with all links and materials to the central SBU office for legal decision-making.
Status of statements
These allegations represent the personal position of the Dnipro mayor and require verification by law enforcement authorities. In the provided sources, the facts regarding the involvement of specific individuals in the spread of disinformation are not confirmed by independent investigations; they are presented as Filatov's claims. Previously, the mayor also called on the government for honest communication following shelling in Dnipro.
