How ru-propaganda creates new fakes about events in the Kursk region
Russian propaganda continues to invent new stories about the so-called “atrocities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces” in the Kursk region. Let’s break down the methods used to create such fakes using a specific example.
A Telegram channel published a message in which propagandists, on behalf of a supposed resident of the village of Korenevo named Dmitry, claimed that the Ukrainian military had allegedly shot at the feet of pensioners and evacuees. They also alleged that the Ukrainian military had robbed the informant’s apartment.
The hallmark of such fakes is that the witness always speaks about someone else’s experiences. In this case, the witness is a neighbor of a pensioner who was allegedly shot at. He also describes an incident involving an elderly woman in another village who allegedly died of a heart attack after a similar event. The evacuee said to be a friend of the storyteller. Why didn’t the propagandists find these supposed victims themselves?
The post includes two videos presented as “evidence.” The first shows individuals in military uniforms removing a Russian flag from a building, but no shooting is depicted. The second shows a vandalized apartment, yet there is no mention of the Ukrainian military’s involvement. The propagandists took unrelated videos that lacked context and fabricated their own narrative around them.
Ukrainian troops were present in the village of Korenevo only during the initial weeks of the operation in the Kursk region. Meanwhile, Russian propagandists have been caught outright lying about alleged “crimes committed by the Ukrainian army” in settlements within the Kursk region where Ukrainian forces have never even set foot.
With these baseless accusations, propagandists aim to discredit the Ukrainian military. By evoking strong emotions in their audience, Kremlin fake news makers attempt to create a terrifying image of Ukraine as an enemy in the eyes of the public.
