ISW: Putting Ukrainian leaders on wanted list part of Russia’s Maidan-3 psyop

The recent move by Russia to put President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Commander of the Ground Forces Oleksandr Pavlyuk, and former President Petro Poroshenko on wanted list is an attempt to impose its jurisdiction on sovereign countries and part of the ongoing Maidan-3 psyop.

That’s according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.

Analysts recalled that on May 4, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs declared Zelensky, Pavlyuk, and other Ukrainian officials wanted, having launched criminal cases against them.

The report notes that Russia did not specify the charges, as well as the "crimes" allegedly committed by former officials wanted by Russia, in particular those pressed against the top defense intelligence official, Kyrylo Budanov, and head of the Security Service Vasyl Maliuk.

"The Kremlin’s decision to place Zelensky, Pavlyuk, and Poroshenko on Russia’s wanted list is likely part of Russia‘s “Maidan 3” information operation and of the Kremlin’s wider efforts to discredit the current and previous pro-Western Ukrainian governments that followed Ukraine’s Euromaidan Revolution in 2014 as well as to isolate Ukraine diplomatically," the report emphasizes.

Analysts also cite warnings from Ukrainian officials that the Kremlin is intensifying the Maidan 3 information operation aimed at sowing doubts among Ukrainians about the legitimacy of Zelensky's presidency, and that the Maidan 3 operation is likely to climax in late May 2024.

"The Kremlin’s decision to place Ukrainian officials on Russia’s wanted list is also an aspect of its continued efforts to assert the jurisdiction of Russian federal laws in sovereign European and post-Soviet countries where Russia has no legal jurisdiction," analysts say.

In particular, the think tank recalled that earlier the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia put on their wanted list several officials from NATO member states, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, for allegedly violating a number of Russian federal laws on the territory of NATO member states.

"ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin’s efforts to assert the jurisdiction of Russia's efforts to set informational conditions justifying possible future Russian aggression against NATO states," the report concluded.

As Ukrinform reported reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky was declared wanted in the Russian Federation. The corresponding file appeared in the database of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.