Russia spreads new fake to fuel tensions between Ukrainians and Poles
Photo: Russia spreads new fake to fuel hostility between Ukraine and Poland (Getty Images)
Russia is attempting to inflame the issue of "Ukrainian-Polish hostility" by using staged videos, according to Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.
Ukraine debunks new Russian fake
The latest information provocation by Russian intelligence services is aimed at artificially fueling hostility between Ukrainians and Poles.
"Pro-Russian Telegram channels are circulating staged videos in which alleged 'Ukrainian patriots' trample the Polish flag. The main goal of this fake is to create the false impression that anti-Polish sentiment is growing in Ukraine," the Center for Countering Disinformation said.
According to the experts, the video displays all the hallmarks of a poorly staged production:
- The actors behave extremely cautiously and hide in unpopulated areas.
- The "flag" they use is just a small piece of white and red cloth or paper.
A typical Russian intelligence tactic
The Center for Countering Disinformation says the videos align with the standard tactics used by Russian handlers recruiting Ukrainians.
"New agents are first given simple trial tasks, such as filming the desecration of a flag, to involve them in more complex operations gradually," the statement said.
The Center also noted that the videos have gained virtually no traction in the Ukrainian segment of social media, spreading exclusively via Russian sources.
"Because there is no real basis for such claims in Ukraine, the enemy is forced to fabricate 'evidence' by hand, and even that looks absurd," the experts said.
The Center for Countering Disinformation has identified Russian psychological operations aimed at destabilizing Ukraine's frontline regions by promoting false claims of a catastrophic fuel shortage.
In addition, Russian propaganda recently spread a fake claim alleging the destruction of Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces units in the Lyman direction. The center dismissed the claim as another Russian disinformation operation.
