Russian propagandists fabricate story about British soldier allegedly killed by “friendly fire” in Ukraine

Russian propagandists doctored French media covers to discredit Ukraine’s Armed Forces

Russian Telegram channels are circulating fabricated covers of the French newspaper Nice-Matin and the magazine Marianne. They claim that a British serviceman, Paul Wilks, was allegedly killed in Ukraine by “friendly fire” after a Ukrainian soldier mishandled a grenade.

This is fake. Neither Nice-Matin nor Marianne published such reports or covers.

In fact, the original covers were edited: propagandists replaced the main photographs, headlines and teaser text for the lead stories. This becomes evident when the fabricated covers are compared with the original issues.

For example, the current cover of the September 17 issue of Nice-Matin features Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi. The story concerns an investigation into his activities and allegations of embezzlement of public funds. As a regional publication, Nice-Matin devotes a substantial portion of its coverage to local issues.

The genuine cover of issue No. 1540 of the weekly magazine Marianne, dated September 17, focuses on an investigation into pressure, conformism and an atmosphere of self-censorship in the French media. It contains no mention of Paul Wilks or Ukraine.

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that a British serviceman was killed in Ukraine in a road accident on September 12, 2026. British media later clarified that Major Paul Wilks served in the British Army’s Intelligence Corps and that his death occurred far from the front line and was not related to combat operations.

The fake is intended to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine by portraying Ukrainian troops as allegedly unprofessional. At the same time, it promotes the narrative that foreign soldiers are supposedly participating in the war against Russia and may be aimed at audiences abroad in an attempt to undermine support for Ukraine.

As reported by Ukrinform, Russian Telegram channels previously spread fake claims that French media had allegedly “blamed” Ukraine for deaths caused by abnormal heat.

By Andrii Olenin