Hennadiy Sikalov and Vladyslav Smirnov: how “The Last Bastion” in Poltava became a tool of Kremlin information-psychological operations against Ukraine
Bastion – a defensive structure used by Peter I’s army in the battle of 1709. Thanks to a coincidental victory over the Swedes, imperial propaganda included the spiritual capital of Ukraine among the "cities of Russian glory."
This is written by Ihor Havrylenko in his column on "UP".
Today, "The Last Bastion" operates in Poltava. A website almost unknown to locals – there are more popular and authoritative ones – is valued by Moscow. And retransmitted. Through the news aggregator "InoSMI.ru", created for translating foreign media publications into Russian.
Examples of OB publications on the pages of InoSMI
InoSMI is part of the information agency "Rossiya Segodnya," managed by Dmitry Kiselev. It is funded through the federal "Rospechat."
The aggregator has repeatedly been exposed for spreading disinformation. In particular, by creating one-day websites outside Russia to supply the platform with texts of the desired narrative. It was among the first to promote fakes about American biolabs in Ukraine.
To ensure that Russian residents visit the "right" resources, traffic is manipulated in favor of Kremlin propaganda mouthpieces through traffic substitution.
"Bastion" as a priority
For the first time, the Kiselev media holding reprinted materials from the Poltava website last year. To date, about 60 publications have been reproduced. At times, up to ten per month and two per day.
One text was even repeated. Less than a week later. Supplemented with comments from representatives of, I quote in the original language, "ordinary Ukrainian people."
The most useful articles for the Russian audience garnered 40.5 thousand views.
The speed of borrowing is impressive. Sometimes, from the appearance of a specific post on OB to its translation and placement on InoSMI, only about 3 hours passed. The record – 99 minutes!
Moreover, alongside the works of a marginal media outlet, the portal "mirrors" articles from the influential German newspaper Die Welt or the world’s largest broadcasting company – the British BBC.
According to the aggregator, its database includes over 2,800 global publications, starting with giant corporations. No search engine would prioritize the works of amateur journalists from the Ukrainian hinterland in its results. Thus, finding the needed text in the global information flow is likely impossible – without communication with a contact on the other end of the "wire."
InoSMI tracks 49 media outlets somehow connected to our country (the count in the table starts from the date of OB’s Moscow debut).
The "catalog" of sources was arbitrarily compiled by disinformation agents from the "white-stone" capital. Gaps among the top outlets by user count or traffic are evident. As are omissions from the IMI White List, which includes transparent and responsible platforms.
Instead, at the top position, we see the resource Strana.ua, blocked since 2021 for pro-Russian propaganda. Among the group of outlets that have or had a Russian-language version, a third are reprints of its publications.
"The Last Bastion" – is the absolute leader among websites labeled as Ukrainian-language (with a share of 45%) and ranks 6th among all domestic media listed in InoSMI’s annals.
In the selection of Moscow "newsmen," the output of this "partner" has significant advantages.
Publications from outlets like UP or related projects must be dissected. "Excess" content is removed. Trends or processes dangerous for Ukraine are presented as tragic realities that have already occurred. The expressiveness of language and the categorical nature of conclusions are amplified.
In the provided excerpt, underlined phrases are hidden during "translation"
Evropravda published an investigation by a Polish historian. Lukasz Adamski relied on sociology, pointing out reasons for changes in Poles’ attitudes toward Ukrainians.
InoSMI removed fragments about Poles’ rejection of the Russian language, the likely involvement of Kremlin agents in anti-Ukrainian disinformation, and so on. It also discarded arguments about risks to Poland itself from "a decline in the mobilization level of the entire nation and state against the threat from the Moscow Federation."
When reprinting posts from "Bastion," such modifications are unnecessary. The "primary source" has usually already done the dirty work.
Typical OB manipulation techniques: shifting focus through the title and lead (subtitle) that do not match the original publication (headline reframing) + (not always) omitting important facts, data, or quotes crucial for understanding the topic (selective reporting). The result – a fundamental distortion of the content framework (selective framing).
A military communications specialist, "reassigned" by the website to aerial reconnaissance, warned in a series of tweets against attributing one’s own logic to the enemy.
With an alarmist headline and dramatic introduction, OB in the fall of 2024 turned a mental "trap" into an operational-tactical one. In it, "the enemy has cornered the Ukrainian Armed Forces" in Donbas. And is "capable of breaking through to the Dnipro."
InoSMI only had to come up with an even catchier external title – for the portal’s main page and an introductory note to the translated, processed text by their "colleagues."
Here, the annotation clarified: the advantage of "Russia’s military contingent" was acknowledged, "showering the enemy with curses," by a "Ukrainian Armed Forces fighter in material for Bastion.tv."
Another example.
The head of the "Come Back Alive" foundation, Taras Chmut, wrote about the arrival of a batch of combat aircraft from European partners. The main message: modernization has turned even older F-16s into "much more powerful equipment" than Russian MiG-29s and Su-27s. Their capabilities are insufficient to counter the newer Su-35s, but this undoubtedly elevates our fighter aviation to a qualitatively new level.
OB attributed the publication to a mythical Ivan Pravdin as a co-author, and in the title highlighted a secondary thesis: "Modernized European F-16s are not ready to fight Russian Su-35s."
The parasitic invasion fully satisfied InoSMI.
Authors, topics
The Kremlin’s assets are not limited to stealing intellectual property from well-known figures – for the sake of distorting meanings.
They persistently search social media for "opinions" from outright odious characters and complete unknowns, labeling them as: expert, public figure, specialist in ..., digital content creator (never mind that their audience is 3,000 subscribers). As long as the pseudo-authority’s dissatisfaction with the war, current state of affairs, government, or their absence in it fits the urgent needs of Putin’s rhetoric.
Space on the pages is also allocated to sanctioned individuals: former MP Ihor Mosiychuk, potential leader of the "draft dodgers’ party" Myroslav Oleshko, deputy editor-in-chief of Strana.ua Svitlana Kryukova.
The most in-demand by the Kremlin – a certain Vladislav Smirnov. His debut piece in September 2025 concerned Zelenskyy’s visit to Vienna. The analyst-publicist sounded the alarm: "The European perspective is under threat." The reason – "the president demonstratively rides in convoys of dozens of cars" provided by ... the Austrian authorities. The lamentations were complemented by an artificial opposition: the country "pays with blood for its survival" | "wasteful tours ... at someone else’s expense."
In another Facebook post selected by Moscow, Smirnov expressed outrage: "Why is Ukraine’s fate decided by ’tourists’ with American passports?" Calling Rustem Umerov not the Secretary of the NSDC, but the Minister of Defence. OB had to correct this. Otherwise, the expert is on the level of "God"!
The "creative" team of "Bastion" itself consists of the editor-in-chief (more on him later) and a copywriter, possibly a few. Usually, they hide their materials behind pseudonyms like Ivan Sirko, Orysa Yakasuka.
InoSMI eagerly picks up the speculations of the Poltava website about the failures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front and problems in the army, "surrendered" settlements to the enemy, and a "rotten corrupt regime" for which "bussified" soldiers are not willing to die.
About the hyperbolized incompetence of the authorities and the lack of trust in them from the people and foreign partners (weapons are "not given to the president simply because he disgusts everyone").
About the incredible luxuries in which the Zelenskyy family allegedly indulges during the war.
About the total crisis in school education and the legalization of same-sex partnerships – how could "traditional values" media do without this topic?
Examples of publications not used by InoSMI
Almost daily, OB brands the authorities (from TCC employees or local government to MPs, ministers, the president) as an "internal enemy."
One "betrayal" outpaces another. From the West’s side as well:
"Having handed over Ukraine’s strategic mineral reserves to Zionists, Zelenskyy and company deceived Ukrainians like rabbits";
"Zelenskyy’s team defended the continuation of the war in their interests";
Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov "is still at large," and "he is exactly the same."
The thesis of the president’s illegitimacy is constantly reiterated by OB: "usurper," "expired," "lost subjectivity on the international stage."
The consistent anti-state framework is sometimes reinforced by verbatim retellings of statements by Russian leadership, including Sergey Lavrov, direct links to TASS reports, and so on. Without reservations. On the contrary, with their own elaborations – in support.
Another recurring idea: a global conspiracy of Zionists against the Ukrainian people.
Of course, cheap conspiracy theories are practically impossible to substantiate meaningfully.
Text Comparison
The position of Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the necessity of giving security guarantees to Ukraine the form of international agreements ratified by the parliaments of allied countries was portrayed as ignorance. The emotional impact of Hnap Nerushyma fueled mockery with derisive phrases.
The pitiful "bastion" jabs were consumed by InoSMI. The spelling was corrected.
BBC Standards? No, OB!
The site intersperses low-grade sneering with posts that quite skillfully and extremely tendentiously interpret statistical data, sociology, legislative changes, and distort the meanings of articles published in various languages by Western media.
The impression is persistent: these materials are supplied from outside. Ready for publication. For further reproduction by the client – in Russian. With a link to bastion.tv.
For instance, the piece "Ukrainians Continue to Flee from ’Zelenskyy’s Dream Country’" manipulates Eurostat calculations on the number of refugees who received temporary shelter in EU countries. Ivan Pravdin presents this as a result of mass disillusionment with the president’s policies, rather than RF aggression.
Accurate figures are used to promote a demoralizing message aligned with the subversive narratives of the RF.
Here’s how OB retold the BBC article "Nord Stream Suspect Accuses Italy of Pressure to Obtain Confession."
Its author made it clear why it is important for Ukraine to deny any involvement. She highlighted the differences in the positions of various countries’ authorities when the Warsaw court refused the extradition of Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, the second suspect named by Germany – emphasizing that if Ukrainians are involved, their actions constitute legitimate self-defence in a "bloody genocidal war."
The journalist noted an attempt by a relative of Serhiy Kuznetsov to deliver familiar food to the prison, the efforts of the Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets to improve the detainee’s conditions.
"Bastion" spun the story of a brave soldier who deeply loves Ukraine (these words were highlighted in the headline), but fights for his rights alone – due to the state’s indifference.
The forefront was given to the feelings of the Italian lawyer: the government "abandoned" Kuznetsov "like an old boot."
On the day the fake story appeared, it became known that Italy guaranteed the observance of Serhiy’s rights, and he ended his hunger strike. OB’s insinuations took on excessive cynicism. Yet, for the Kremlin’s purposes, they proved more suitable than the English-language original.
InoSMI boosts the feigned influence of the little-known site by including it in thematic reviews alongside real media outlets.
Recently, the aggregator published scenarios for Ukraine’s future. Sources included the daily German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, the major Beijing media platform Sohu, an integral part of daily life for millions of Chinese, "Gazeta po-ukrainsky"... and "Bastion."
The latter "pontificates": Ukraine, "fed up" with everyone—Zelenskyy, Poroshenko, Tymoshenko—is ready to trust Zaluzhny. But he will become a hostage to the unchanging "guard." And that guard will "abandon old masters and rush for new positions at the new throne."
In the presentation of the Poltava resource, InoSMI also cites materials from other Ukrainian publications, such as Texty.org.ua.
It’s reasonable to ask: why elevate the dwarf bastion.tv?
Kiselev’s holding gains a steady source of desired content. It fully aligns with the informational agenda pushed by the "Kremlin crowd."
An average Russian will perceive such information as more reliable than publications from their own media. This allows feeding the Russian population the illusion: here are the real sentiments of Ukrainians, exhausted by "Zelenskyy’s dictatorship." Thus, victory over the "remnants of militants and Nazis" is near. Even the most stubborn now admit failures on all fronts of the war and politics.
Thus, the Poltava site works to amplify the rhetoric of the ideologues of Putin’s regime.
Using "Bastion" as an intermediary, InoSMI can take "hot" topics – dissected by it. And avoid direct references to the originals of publications in media whose true opinions the "deep people" are "not supposed to know."
A Bakery for Aryans and the "Action" Party
The real owner of "Last Bastion" is Hennadiy Sikalov. He also serves as the head of a public union with the same name and as an editor, though not of the site, but of the similarly named LLC.
The founder, owner, and director of the LLC, focused on publishing and digital communications, is listed as a citizen, who is also registered as the head of the agricultural PJSC "Poltavske."
The main owner of the PJSC is Svitlana Manzhos, allegedly Sikalov’s former wife.
The public union was created by Manzhos and her LLC "Scientific and Production Enterprise ’Yatsynovo-Slobidsky Sand Quarry’," named more impressively than the fictitious "Horns and Hooves," "Geoatomexpert" (this pretentiously named LLC belongs to Sikalov), and another man, likely also a "front".
The convoluted structure allows deflecting lawsuits.
In the domestic right-wing field, the site deliberately does not position itself. The .tv domain suggests a television focus for the online media. In reality, the tiny Polynesian state of Tuvalu leases it out. The fee is moderate.
According to the "publishing" LLC’s statement in spring 2024, the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting registered a print media. Can you guess the name? The weekly newspaper is supposed to be distributed free of charge in the Poltava region.
Not a single copy has been published to date. The function of the paper "Bastion" is a cover. To pin on a "journalist" badge, make inquiries, and, if necessary, cry out about persecution of opposition media by the authorities.
Thus, in Ukraine, Bastion’s opuses are accessible only with a VPN. But will everyone bother with it? From "beyond the curb," tracking the media activities of a Poltava figure is not difficult.
Excerpts from the "Manifesto"
The editor writes clumsily. Not an intellectual. Rather a mediocre entrepreneur. Whose goal, by definition, is profit.
Low profitability is also shown by the rest of the family businesses. Besides those mentioned, there are also registered under Manzhos: PE "Fifth Bastion," LLC "Firm ’Atoll’" and "Collegium ’Dominion’."
According to the analytical system YouControl, in 2024, the family structures combined earned only 985,900 UAH in net profit.
Despite this, OB’s entry into InoSMI’s sphere of interest was accompanied by a series of costly acquisitions. The not/ex-spouses invested in future entrepreneurial endeavors. And not only that.
Manzhos gained control over a party, named imitatively. Created in 2021, "Action" initially belonged to a fitness club owner from Horishni Plavni.
Congress Led by Political Council Member Sikalov, Manzhos Nearby
still frame from YouTube
There exists a shadow market for "turnkey" parties. In a couple of weeks, without much hassle, one can buy a ready-made one for future elections. The price is approximately 60,000 USD.
Manzhos invested 50,000 USD in a plot of land in central Poltava, where Sikalov promised to create an institution of "relevant education." However, as it turned out, the construction of a multifunctional business center threatens to destroy a historical building of the local history museum.
In an auction to purchase the premises of the land management institute, the scientific "sand quarry" participated. It did not win but offered 14 million UAH, six times the starting price.
The readiness to throw money around during wartime is strange not only due to the general decline of businesses unrelated to defence.
For over a decade, the couple has been building a café-bakery on one of Poltava’s main streets.
The still unfinished establishment managed to gain notoriety. Two years before the full-scale invasion, its facades were "adorned" with an inverted swastika.
Family "Reichstag"
photo by the author
Sikalov claimed he was bringing "traditional symbols" back to the design of our cities. However, in mirror selfies of Russian tourists, the crosses looked like copies of the symbol of Hitler’s Nazism.
Even after the intervention of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, the owner resisted dismantling the provocative decor.
Useful Idiot or "Sleeper Agent"?
To answer this, one must know the past of the "hero."
Besides serving time for racketeering, the turbulent 90s for Sikalov were marked by a suspicion of murder of another criminal. In a shootout committed in broad daylight in the city. And then – fleeing to the RF. Treating his own wounds in a Rostov hospital.
Returning a few years later from Moscow, rumor has it – with money, he closed criminal cases. And in 2006, he was taken on as an assistant by MP Mykola Lisin, a business partner of Mykola Zlochevsky (before the Party of Regions, both were in the ranks of the SDPU(o)).
Soon, a powerful regional current propelled Sikalov to the positions of advisor to the minister in Azarov’s government and general director of "Poltavanaftogazgeology." For the subsidiary of NJSC "Nadra Ukraine," this would later result in bankruptcy and multimillion debts.
It resembles the career rise of another convict. Yanukovych, likely from a young age, was controlled by the KGB, then the FSB.
Sikalov mimicked a Ukrainian patriot and enlisted himself among public figures and journalists after the victory of the Revolution of Dignity. However, this did not prevent him from appearing on air on the pro-Russian TV channel NewsOne of MP Yevheniy Murayev.
Sikalov still uses public appearances for provocations. Claiming in a segment from August 17, 2023 that "Moscow is being hit by drones in the private sector," he asked: "Do we want to embark on the path of a terrorist state that shells civilians?"
I have repeatedly tried to draw the attention of the Ministry of Justice (authorized to terminate the activities of a public organization) and the National Council on Television (which can cancel media registration) to the Poltava site’s incitement of anti-Semitism.
The SSU as well.
OB’s posts fully align with Russian propaganda narratives, exemplify and amplify them, discredit our military, spread panic about the frontline situation, undermine trust in state institutions and Ukraine’s strategic partners, sow discord in society, demotivate citizens from resisting, volunteering, or supporting the army. They correspond to the goals of hostile IPSO even without directly justifying the aggression.
Some fake reports about AFU defeats come close to glorifying the enemy’s military achievements.
I am ready to provide the necessary testimonies and evidence. The publications mentioned in the text are archived, as the figure has previously resorted to cleaning up traces.
While pre-trial investigations, examinations, etc., continue, the NSDC should urgently apply sanction mechanisms to all structures of Sikalov/Manzhos.
A state unable to protect its information space is doomed to lose.
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