Information attacks target the most vulnerable groups, turning human tragedies into an instrument of social division and distrust.
The forced displacement of millions of citizens remains one of the most complex humanitarian challenges. According to experts, the process of adapting internally displaced persons (IDPs) in new communities is accompanied by significant psychological and social strain on both the displaced individuals and the host cities. The loss of a home, a familiar social circle, and livelihoods creates deep trauma that takes time to heal. On the other hand, residents of host communities also experience stress due to economic instability and the strain on local infrastructure. It is this natural social tension that becomes a target for Russian psychological operations. The enemy's goal is not only to create informational chaos but also to destroy the solidarity that allows the country to overcome the consequences of the humanitarian crisis.
An analysis of the information space shows that propaganda works systematically, focusing on everyday, emotionally sensitive topics. In local groups, city public pages, apartment building chats, and news comments, messages regularly appear that construct a stereotypical image of an "ungrateful displaced person" or a "local resident cynically profiting from someone else's misfortune." These narratives are spread through anonymous channels and artificially created social media profiles that carefully imitate the pages of real people. They manipulate topics such as the fair distribution of social benefits, access to housing, competition in the labor market, and lines for humanitarian aid. The main task of such manipulations is to shift the focus of public outrage from the real culprit of the crisis—the aggressor state—to internal domestic misunderstandings.
The specific nature of such information plants lies in their emphasized hyperlocality. Instead of abstract fakes that are hard to believe, propagandists create detailed stories strictly tied to a specific city or even neighborhood. They use the real names of local supermarkets, hospitals, and administrative institutions. This creates an illusion of authenticity and forces local residents to react emotionally to fabricated conflicts, perceiving them as a threat to their own familiar way of life. As a result, artificial hostility gradually poisons trust within communities, complicating the processes of social integration and joint recovery.
Local online communities have proven extremely vulnerable to such attacks due to the lack of professional moderation and users' tendency to trust their neighbors. When disinformation is disguised as a "warning from our own," the critical barrier of perception drops sharply. Citizens often share emotional posts driven by a sincere desire to warn their community, unaware that they are becoming a tool for broadcasting hostile narratives.
Anatomy of an Information Operation
Emotional Triggering and Initial Plant
At the first stage, an emotionally charged post is constructed about an allegedly outrageous situation involving internally displaced persons. Most often, this is a long text without any evidence, or it uses old photos taken out of context from events years ago. The story is published in the most popular local groups from accounts that look like the profiles of ordinary residents. The main task at this stage is to cause instant outrage and provoke the first wave of comments.
Scaling Through Bot Networks
As soon as the publication gathers its first organic reactions, a coordinated network of bots instantly joins in its promotion. They leave dozens of identical comments, confirming the fabricated story with their own experience (for example, mass-posting phrases like "the same thing happened in our yard yesterday"). Social media algorithms react to this sudden activity and begin to force-show the post to a wider audience, pushing it into the trends of the local segment.
Legitimization and Transition Offline
In the final stage, the artificial conflict is picked up by real, active community users who, without checking the facts, begin to discuss the problem as a proven reality. The information moves from the virtual space into offline conversations: it is discussed in lines, at workplaces, and in public transport. Thus, a persistent prejudice against displaced persons is formed at the level of everyday communication. The fake achieves its ultimate goal—dividing people physically.
Countering such multi-layered information campaigns requires comprehensive work not only at the level of pinpoint refutation of individual fakes but also in the systemic development of media literacy among the population. Information hygiene in conditions of prolonged tension becomes a basic safety skill. When emotions prevail over facts, society loses its capacity for constructive dialogue, which is critically necessary to support the most vulnerable groups of the population.
The psychological fatigue of society acts as a catalyst in the spread of disinformation. People who have been in a state of chronic stress for a long time tend to seek simple explanations for complex processes and find a convenient target for blame nearby. Information operations specialists perfectly understand this vulnerability of the human psyche, so their messages always have a clear vector for directing aggression. Instead of analyzing the root causes of problems in the community, users are offered to shift the responsibility onto internally displaced persons.
It is extremely important to realize that behind every message about the "excessive demands" or "improper behavior" of displaced persons, there may be the purposeful work of hostile structures, and not just the subjective view of an annoyed neighbor. Therefore, the first reaction to any post that incites hostility based on origin or status must be accompanied by a conscious pause. This pause is necessary for a critical analysis of the information source, a search for confirmation in official local media, and a rational assessment of the message's tone. The ability to recognize hate speech in time is the main guarantee of preserving unity and humanity in communities that have become a new home for thousands of fellow citizens.
The information resilience program of the Yellow-Blue Foundation systematically tracks hostile narratives aimed at inciting internal conflicts. Within the framework of humanitarian initiatives, the foundation conducts regular campaigns to counter disinformation regarding internally displaced persons, working directly with host communities. Our goal is to help local residents and displaced persons maintain a space of trust and mutual understanding, protecting them from the destructive impact of manipulations.