New russian fakes about “atrocities committed by AFU in the kursk region”
ru-propaganda continues to push a disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian Defense Forces by spreading fakes about alleged “atrocities by the AFU in the Kursk region.” Propagandists are churning out content accusing Ukrainian soldiers, without any evidence, of killings and cruelty toward civilians.
▫️ The largest group of fakes includes videos with so-called “testimonies” from residents of the kursk region. These often stretch the imagination to the point of absurdity. For instance, one circulating video features a local priest claiming that Ukrainian soldiers allegedly organized “looting tours” to the kursk region for residents of the Sumy region in exchange for money.
▫️ In another example, men are shown claiming to have buried the bodies of “civilians killed by the AFU.” However, in the same video, they admit that most of the deceased were elderly people who died of natural causes.
This campaign is aimed at discrediting Ukrainian servicemen and Ukraine as a state in the eyes of the international community. At the same time, the propaganda targets domestic russian audiences with the goal of cultivating hatred toward Ukrainians and reinforcing the image of Ukraine as the enemy in the minds of russian citizens.
