UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Aug. 13 — The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian troops captured Shcherbakivka in the Kharkiv oblast, a nonexistent village, said the Center for Countering Disinformation.

According to the center, the village of Shcherbakivka, mentioned above, was dissolved in 1997 because it had no residents. As of 2026,no settlement by this name in Ukraine.

Pro-Russian sources actively spread information about the occupation of the village.

“This is another typical example of Russian disinformation, which their propaganda uses to create the illusion of a continuous, successful advance by Russian troops on all fronts,” the center added.

The General Staff and the Russian Ministry of Defense have previously officially reported that they had captured various Ukrainian settlements, which was not true. Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian General Staff, has repeatedly claimed that Kupiansk and Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi in the Kharkiv region had been fully captured, but the Russians do not currently control these areas, the center said.

Read more

  • Ukraine returns 261 bodies that Russia claims to be those Ukrainian soldiers

This summer, Russia bombs Kharkiv as much as it can, and our newsroom keeps working despite it all. If you want to support us amidst it all, please consider buying us a $5 coffee or subscribing to our community long-term.