Discrediting the Ukrainian army is one of the main narratives Russian propaganda promotes. They do it daily. This time, we came across a fake story about the soldier of the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who, during vacation, supposedly beat his father to death. It’s fake news. Let’s see how it was constructed.
What happened?
On January 19, the pro-Russian Telegram channel Ukropskyi Fresh released (archive) a post saying that the soldier from the 22nd brigade, while being on vacation in Lozova, Kharkiv Oblast, beat his father to death. Telegram channels EurAsia Daily (archive), Newsfeed Kursk (“Лента новостей Курска,” archive), «zmaps» (archive), and so on also posted this information.
“22 brigade combatant with PTSD returned from the Kursk direction and beat up his own father with a chair. He drank too much and perhaps was caught up in a flashback, grabbed a chair, and hit his father 20 times. The 75-year-old father of the combatant couldn’t survive such a beating and died. The soldier is to spend up to 8,6 years in prison,” the message says.
Analysis
We analyzed the screenshot attached to the supposed news and found an article mentioned on it.
The article about a man from Lozova was published on the website of the Kharkiv media Dumka on January 17, and it cited the Prosecutor’s Office as a source.
We’ve found the differences between the text on the screenshot shared on Telegram and the original article. The original doesn’t have information about the man being on vacation from Kursk Oblast, his service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, or his PTSD, which the “accused” used to explain his actions.
To exclude the probability that the text was edited after the screenshot was taken, we wrote to the author of the article, Daria Krychunk. According to her, the text wasn’t edited.
“The information on the screenshot you’ve sent me is not true. It’s a fake, which we connect to the attempt of the Russian Federation to discredit the Armed Forces and, sadly, this is not a singular case,” Krychuk wrote.
The original message of the Prosecutor’s Office talked about two men, father and son, who lived in Lozova. 29-years-old accused had problems with the law earlier, was found guilty of robbery and got administrative charges regarding his own father. During the trial he admitted to his guilt developed because of the past grievances. He got his sentence from the Lozova district judge in Kharkiv Oblast.
To make sure that this man wasn’t connected to the military service, we wrote to the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade and asked to comment on news, shared by Russian Telegram. They denied the information, saying that the man didn’t serve in their brigade and noted that the 22nd draws the focus of Russian propaganda quite often.
“Because we recently arrived in Kursk Oblast, the enemy’s propagandists seem to be very preoccupied with our brigade. That’s why they always publish some kind of fakes on this platform [Telegram channel Ukropskyi Fresh – ed.],” the 22nd said.
So, the information about a soldier from the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade returning home for vacation and beating up his father to death because of PTSD is another Russian fake.
Conclusion: Fake
Author: Vasylyna Haviak
Our Kharkiv-based newsroom has been doing fact-checking for almost three years: through Russia’s all-out war, it’s been vital to provide our audience with insights into how Russian propaganda (and propaganda, period) works. Thank you for keeping an eye on our debunking pieces. If you can, please consider supporting our fact-checkers on Patreon, BMC, or PayPal.
Read other Russian fakes about Ukraine’s Armed Forces
- No, this Ukrainian brigade doesn’t “exploit drivers with disabilities.”
- No, Ukrainian soldiers aren’t offered to buy grave sites in cemeteries while they are alive
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