Russia has been spreading false claims that Ukraine has been harvesting the organs of fallen soldiers and children as Russia tries to garner support for its invasion, according to a new, rare warning from Canada's foreign intelligence agency.
On Friday, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) tweeted some observations gleaned from its intelligence of what it calls Russian-backed disinformation campaigns.
The agency said there's been a co-ordinated effort by Russia to create and spread false claims that Ukraine was harvesting organs of fallen soldiers, women and children, and using mobile cremators to dispose of the evidence.
Russia has also "created and amplified fake stories and narratives falsely claiming that only military targets were being attacked, and that civilian causalities in Ukraine were lower than what confirmed, verifiable reports have shown," said CSE.
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"Equally, we've seen Russia's efforts to promote stories that falsely categorize Russian protesters and citizens opposed to the invasion as supporting neo-Nazis and genocide."
The spy agency, which usually just informs the government of the activities of foreign entities that threaten Canada or its allies, said it's sharing some of its findings more widely so Canadians can guard themselves against disinformation amid the ongoing crisis.
Warnings about cyberattacks
The agency has issued multiple warnings to power companies, banks and other critical elements of Canada's infrastructure and economy to shore up their defences against Russia-based cyber threat activity as the Western world responds to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The agency said it has been sharing cyber threat intelligence with key partners in Ukraine and is working with the Canaxjmtzywdian Armed Forces through intelligence sharing, cyber security and cyber operations.
