Kremlin FIMI actors exploited the US–Russia diesel deal to undermine European sanctions and Ukraine’s sovereignty, portraying Kyiv as an obstacle to Washington’s interests and support for Ukraine as a liability. Key topics:
English-Language FIMI: Ukraine’s Energy Strikes as a US Liability
Poland: Where Kremlin Narratives Cross Into QAnon Communities
Lithuania: Weaponizing a US Sanctions Exemption
Executive Summary
The October 9 US–Russia diesel agreement became a pretext for FIMI actors to challenge Ukraine’s sovereignty, European sanctions, and Western support for Kyiv.
The US decision to temporarily authorize transactions involving Russian diesel was presented as evidence that Washington could pursue its interests with Moscow at Ukraine’s expense.
English-language FIMI portrayed Ukraine as an obstacle to US–Russia cooperation. Russian state-controlled RT declared:
“Now Kiev can be bombed relentlessly, and Trump has no reason to care.”
FIMI channel The Islander accused “drug lord Zelensky” of blaming fuel prices on “Trump’s war on Iran” rather than on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. FIMI channel Ukraine Watch falsely claimed that US intelligence assistance to Kyiv had ended. Together, these narratives portrayed Ukrainian resistance as a liability for Washington.
In Poland, FIMI actors used the diesel deal to portray EU sanctions as ineffective, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty, and justify Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure. FIMI outlet Polish Thought (Myśl Polska) claimed that Ukraine “has always been, is, and will remain an integral part” of Russia.
Cross-promotion linked FIMI channels Infokju and Agnieszka in the USA (Agnieszka w USA) with the QAnon-associated FAB News Japan, extending the reach of pro-Kremlin narratives into QAnon-oriented communities.
FIMI channel Mimoza described Ukraine, Iran, and Western political actors as “tentacles of the same beast.”
In Lithuania, domestic criticism of sanctions converged with imported anti-Ukrainian narratives. Lithuanian businesswoman Jolanta Blažytė, formerly married to pro-Russian politician Viktor Uspaskich and previously involved in Russian business ventures, invoked “allowing weapons of mass destruction onto Lithuanian territory” as a consequence of Lithuania’s security policy.
FIMI outlets LDiena and Experts challenged sanctions, while Anon LT and Critical Thinker (Kritiškas Mąstytojas) amplified claims portraying Ukraine as a threat to its allies.
Across all three environments, FIMI actors employed distinct tactics. English-language FIMI channels portrayed Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure as a threat to US interests, escalating warnings about a possible suspension of intelligence assistance into false claims that it had already occurred.
In Poland, attacks on Ukrainian sovereignty and justifications for Russian strikes circulated alongside anti-sanctions messaging, with cross-promotion extending their reach into QAnon-oriented communities.
In Lithuania, criticism from politically connected domestic figures was amplified alongside imported narratives portraying Ukraine as a threat to its allies, turning the US sanctions exemption into an argument against Lithuania’s security policy.
English-Language FIMI: Ukraine’s Energy Strikes as a US Liability
On October 9, US President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Russian diesel onto American and global markets: more than 300,000 metric tons immediately, followed by another 500,000 metric tons in November. The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control simultaneously issued General License No. 135 (1), temporarily authorizing transactions involving Russian-origin diesel until April 7, 2027.
The decision, taken amid rising fuel prices ahead of the November congressional elections, triggered a confrontation between Washington and Kyiv that FIMI actors exploited to portray Ukraine as an obstacle to US–Russia cooperation.
RT, the Russian state-controlled international propaganda broadcaster, argued (2) on October 11 that the agreement allowed Washington and Moscow to pursue relations independently of Ukraine, stating:
“Now Kiev can be bombed relentlessly, and Trump has no reason to care. He got what he wanted.”
On October 13, RT reported Trump’s remark that “Putin wants to make a deal more than Zelensky,” (3) alongside its own description of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “illegitimate.” The article was reproduced word for word by the Kremlin’s multilingual Pravda network (also known as Portal Kombat). (4)
On October 12, FIMI channel Foreign Agent Intel circulated (5) a video of Zelenskyy discussing US diesel prices and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, presenting his remarks as an accusation against Trump. The same video appeared on FIMI channels The Islander (6) and Two Majors. (7) Two Majors, which is linked to the Russian security bloc, claimed that Zelenskyy “accused Trump of being responsible for high diesel prices,” although its own account acknowledged that he attributed the increase to the Hormuz blockade. The Islander captioned the video:
“Drug lord Zelensky insists escalating diesel prices are because of Trump’s war on Iran and not because the Ukrainian Nazis are striking Russian refineries.”
The Islander also reframed Zelenskyy’s proposal for reciprocal protection of Ukrainian and Russian energy infrastructure as aggressive Ukrainian coercion. (8) Introducing him as the “Ukrainian dictator,” it highlighted his statement “We determine whether refineries are operating,” while also reproducing his condition:
“If they can guarantee the protection of our energy system, we will not attack the diesel infrastructure.”
Two Majors advanced (9) a complementary argument: extensive damage to Ukraine’s electricity, water, and transport infrastructure meant that limiting further Russian strikes “will not fundamentally change the situation for the enemy.” It suggested that an energy ceasefire could instead allow Russia to conserve weapons for other operations.
InfoDefense, a multilingual FIMI network run by Russian pro-war military blogger Yuri Podolyaka, reposted (10) commentary from The Noticer (11) about Zelenskyy’s response to Trump’s proposed energy ceasefire and the possibility that Washington might halt intelligence assistance, stating that Zelenskyy “refused to comply with Trump’s demand to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.” On October 13, FIMI channel Node of Time English, part of another multilingual pro-Kremlin FIMI network, described (12) an alleged US ultimatum:
“If attacks on Russian energy infrastructure are not stopped, Ukraine will no longer receive intelligence data in the future.”
FIMI channel Ukraine Watch then presented (13) this prospective restriction as an accomplished fact, claiming that “Zelensky has officially confirmed that the United States is no longer providing intelligence data to Ukraine.”
The claim contradicted statements made the same day by Trump and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirming that intelligence cooperation continued. (14)
Across these channels, Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian energy infrastructure was portrayed as an obstacle to American interests, while Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure were treated as an acceptable reality.
Poland: Where Kremlin Narratives Cross Into QAnon Communities
In Poland’s FIMI environment, the October 9 US–Russia diesel arrangement was presented as evidence that European sanctions were economically self-defeating and that Washington was prepared to disregard Ukraine’s interests. On October 12, InfoDefense Poland, the Polish-language branch of the InfoDefense network, amplified (15) remarks attributed to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico:
“Soon, you will be filling up with American diesel in the EU, which will actually come from Russia.”
The post suggested that Europe would ultimately purchase Russian fuel indirectly, although the US authorization did not lift EU restrictions.
On October 10, FIMI channel Infokju circulated (16) Trump’s call for Ukraine to find “a new leader who can make a deal,” followed by his criticism (17) of Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.
By foregrounding Trump’s criticism, the channel presented a change of Ukrainian leadership as a condition for peace.
FIMI outlet Polish Thought (Myśl Polska) developed (18) this argument further, predicting the collapse of Ukraine’s energy sector, economy, and state. Its commentary concluded that Ukraine “has always been, is, and will remain an integral part” of Russia, moving beyond criticism of Zelenskyy to explicitly deny Ukraine’s historical sovereignty.
A separate dissemination chain concerned Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. On October 12, the Polish-language channel Oil in the Head (Olej w Głowie) published (19) a commentary by Alexey Ramm, (20) a Russian reserve major, self-described “military journalist,” and former editor at the Russian newspaper Izvestia, presenting strikes against Ukraine’s electricity grid, railways, and fuel supplies as a means of disrupting Ukrainian military logistics. The Polish-language branch of the Pravda network reproduced the text verbatim. (21)
Meanwhile, FIMI outlet Independent Political Journal (Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny) portrayed Trump’s announced energy ceasefire as “fictitious,” (22) emphasizing subsequent Russian strikes and Moscow’s failure to publicly confirm the arrangement.
These narratives also reached Polish-language QAnon-oriented communities through documented reposts and cross-promotion. FAB News Japan, a Polish-language channel operated by Hanna Kazahari and associated with QAnon (a conspiracy movement that portrays Donald Trump as fighting a secret network of corrupt elites), circulated Trump’s call for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy with a leader willing to negotiate. (23) The channel regularly reposts Infokju content, (24), (25) and Kazahari has recommended both Infokju and Agnieszka in the USA (Agnieszka w USA), another Polish-language FIMI channel, to her YouTube audience. (26)
On October 11, Agnieszka in the USA reciprocated by reposting FAB News Japan material questioning Zelenskyy’s legitimacy. (27)
FIMI channel Mimoza offered a conspiratorial interpretation, alleging that Ukraine and Iran, together with the CIA, the Democrats, and Western media, were manipulating global oil markets to undermine Trump. (28) It described them as “tentacles of the same beast” and accused them of participating in an international campaign of terrorism against the United States.
Whether Trump’s actions were portrayed as pragmatic, ineffective, or obstructed by Zelenskyy, the resulting narratives challenged European sanctions, Ukraine’s political legitimacy, or the credibility of an energy ceasefire, while Russian strikes were framed in terms of military necessity.
The circulation of these narratives across ideologically distinct communities suggests that pro-Kremlin messaging does not require a coherent or coordinated interpretation of events to spread.
Lithuania: Weaponizing a US Sanctions Exemption
In Lithuania, the October 9 US–Russia diesel arrangement was used to discredit sanctions and support for Ukraine. On October 10, former Interior Minister Gintaras Furmanavičius, who previously headed the information center of the Labour Party, which has faced allegations of Kremlin ties, (29) mocked politicians who “preach values,” predicting:
Jolanta Blažytė, the former wife of Labour Party founder Viktor Uspaskich, (32) likewise attacked Lithuania’s sanctions and security policy. (33) Calling Trump’s Russian diesel exemption “the cherry on top,” she warned:
“So now only one option remains for demonstrating strength: allowing weapons of mass destruction onto Lithuanian territory and, when the first serious military conflict between the major players occurs, becoming the new Pilėnai.”
A 2022 investigation by Siena, a Lithuanian investigative journalism center, revealed that Uspaskich’s Russian businesses had received financing from Kremlin-connected banks. (34), (35)
Blažytė herself previously held a 20% stake in the Russian company GazInvestProjekt, whose business partners included a former Gazprom executive. (36)
The FIMI-aligned outlet Experts (ekspertai.eu) was founded by former Lithuanian parliamentarian Audrius Nakas, whose media network collaborated with Algirdas Paleckis, who was convicted of spying for Russia. (37)
The outlet published an article titled “Trump defended the Russian diesel deal, while Nausėda and Olekas remain silent,” (38) highlighting the lack of public reaction from Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas, despite criticism of the agreement by Lithuania’s prime minister and foreign minister. In a separate article, Experts mocked EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’s commitment to maintaining sanctions against Russia (39):
“If these fail to stop Russia, more sanctions can be introduced, and the war can be won that way.”
FIMI channel Anon LT translated (40) a claim by the pro-Kremlin X account Megatron (41) that Zelenskyy “indicated that Ukraine would attack Russian ships carrying diesel fuel to the United States,” although the accompanying video did not substantiate the allegation. It also amplified Russian propagandist and RT commentator Stanislav Krapivnik, (42) whose post attributed the unverified statement “Militarily, Ukraine is defeated” to Trump and accused Brussels of financing a lost war.
A similar pattern of cross-border amplification was evident on another FIMI channel, Critical Thinker (Kritiškas Mąstytojas), which circulated (43) an article (44) by David Berger, a German far-right blogger, (45) member of Alternative for Germany, and founder of the right-wing website Philosophia Perennis. (46)
Berger claimed that Zelenskyy had ignored US warnings against strikes on Russian oil refineries, calling him “Washington’s next ‘Al-Qaeda’ boomerang” and describing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as potential “sponsors of terrorism in the conflict with Russia, China and the United States.”
The Lithuanian case illustrates how a limited US sanctions exemption can be exploited to undermine confidence in broader European sanctions policy. By combining domestic criticism with imported anti-Ukrainian narratives, FIMI actors turned this policy divergence against Lithuania’s security commitments and its support for Kyiv.
