Reports of Russian pullback in Ukraine: a skirmish in the information war

By JIM HEINTZ
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The reports from Russian state news agencies that Moscow’s troops were relocating from the Dnieper River in Ukraine appeared to be a major development Monday — for about 10 minutes until the usually authoritative media withdrew the news. The next hours saw a flurry of claims from both Russia and Ukraine that each opposing side had faked the reports. The incident was a striking skirmish in the information war that hovers around the actual battlefields. Throughout the nearly 21-month war, both Russia and Ukraine have misrepresented events, with claims of attacks that didn’t occur, denials of actual attacks and ominous allegations of planned operations that never materialize.