Center for Countering Disinformation reports new russian fakes

Hostile Telegram channels publish “radio intercepts” where a Ukrainian soldier is allegedly ordered to shoot at his own soldiers who are “retreating” from positions near Kupiyansk, the Center for Countering Disinformation reports.

In fact, this is another fabrication of russian propaganda. The Ukrainian army does not have and has never had barrier units, the center emphasizes. And the so-called radio interception was mounted by the russians to discredit the Defense Forces of Ukraine and demoralize society. At the same time, such methods are typical of the russian army, where such units and coercion are widespread.

Another fake – about a “70-year-old resident of the Mykolayiv Region who shot seven military recruitment center employees while protecting his grandson from mobilization” – is spreading in Poland. This is reported by the Demagog Association, which is engaged in fact-checking in Poland.

This fabricated story was posted on social media by russian-related resources. It was later picked up by local accounts that systematically spread anti-Ukrainian narratives. The posts are accompanied by a photo “from the place of detention” and emotional statements that Ukrainian security forces allegedly later killed both the man himself and his grandson.

The Center for Countering Disinformation previously refuted this fake. This story is completely fabricated, and the photo used by propagandists was taken in May 2024 in Sumy during the detention of a drunk driver. This photo has no relation to mobilization.

This is a typical information operation of the russian federation. Hostile propaganda generates such fabrications, trying to disrupt mobilization processes in Ukraine. Such fakes are promoted to a foreign audience with the aim of discrediting Ukraine.