Amid uncertainty over whether or not Russia will sign the 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said that the Kremlin was preparing to intensify a "false narrative" that Ukrainian forces engaged in war crimes in Kursk Oblast.
This is aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian military, eroding Western support for Ukraine and disrupting or delaying the discussions on the 30-day ceasefire, according to the ISW report.
Not just Russian President Vladimir Putin, other facets of the Russian government, Russian state media, and pro-Kremlin mouthpieces too are highlighting the claims that Ukraine engaged in war crimes in Kursk during the seven months they occupied the border oblast.
Russia's attempt to build a narrative is also reflected in the way Putin questioning in his March 13 speech whether Russia should allow Ukrainian troops to leave Kursk "after they committed a lot of crimes against civilians." He repeated his statement the next day, accusing Ukrainian forces of engaging in "terrorism" in the region. The Russian Investigative Committee too announced it was opening investigations into alleged Ukrainian war crimes in areas of Kursk Oblast. It said two Ukrainian soldiers were convicted for alleged "terrorism" and "war crimes" in Kursk Oblast.
Russian ultranationalist voices, including Acting Kursk Oblast Governor Alexander Khinshtein, have been repeating Putin's claim more frequently in recent days since February 2025. The ISW claims these reports are unsubstantiated.
The report added that Putin "likely intends to use this narrative falsely portraying Ukrainian forces as brutal war criminals - as the Kremlin did in late 2021 and 2022 to justify Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine - to spoil or delay discussions about a 30-day ceasefire, especially when contrasted with Putin's efforts to portray himself as a merciful leader."
Sumy after Kursk?
There are reports that Russian forces are advancing into Sumy region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian military is accumulating forces along Ukraine's eastern border of Sumy to get within artillery range of Sumy City. Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation Head Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko stated that Russian forces are preparing for more "active actions" in the Sumy Oblast border area and to "strike" Sumy Oblast but not conduct an offensive operation against Sumy City.