A russian Fake About a “Shooting in Mykolaiv” Spread in Poland
A fake story is spreading in Poland claiming that a “70-year-old resident of Mykolaiv region shot seven employees of a military enlistment office while defending his grandson from mobilization.” This was reported by Demagog, a Polish fact-checking organization.
The fabricated story was first pushed by russia-linked social media accounts, after which it was picked up by local profiles that routinely spread anti-Ukrainian narratives. The posts are accompanied by a photo supposedly taken “at the arrest scene” and emotional claims that Ukrainian law enforcement allegedly later killed both the man and his grandson.
Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation has previously debunked this fake. The entire story is made up, and the photo used by propagandists was actually taken in May 2024 in Sumy during the arrest of a drunk driver. It has nothing to do with mobilization.
This is a typical russian information operation. Enemy propaganda creates such fabrications to undermine mobilization processes in Ukraine, while targeting foreign audiences to discredit the country.
