Russian propaganda spreads fake news about 'mass disappearance' of 17-year-old boys in Sumy region

Kremlin-run media outlets, Telegram channels, and YouTube bots are circulating reports claiming that 17-year-old boys have been "disappearing en masse" in the Sumy region during January. As "evidence," these propagandists present screenshots of announcements allegedly posted on regional Ukrainian news sites regarding missing children. They also imply law enforcement inaction.

However, this claim is entirely false. Upon analyzing the screenshots, Ukrinform's fact-checking team found that none of the seven cited cases involved the Sumy region. The alleged disappearances of teenagers mentioned by the propagandists occurred in other regions of Ukraine and at various times between 2023 and 2025. Furthermore, most of the boys mentioned were under 17 years old, and police successfully located all the missing individuals.

One example involves Ivan Antonenko, whose disappearance was falsely linked to the Sumy region. Ivan resides in the Kamianske district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, not the Sumy region, as claimed. He left home on January 19, 2025, and was found two days later, as confirmed by the Kamianske district police.

Another fabricated case involves Vitalii Tabakar, who is not 17 years old but 14. He lives in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in the Odesa region and disappeared on January 20, 2025. The Odesa region police reported finding him within 24 hours.

Three other alleged disappearances in Novoselytsia, Sumy region, actually involved 14-year-old Maksym Osaulenko, 12-year-old Danylo Prykhodchenko, and 11-year-old Artem Stoianov. These boys escaped from a rehabilitation center in Odesa on December 9, 2024, but were found by police within a day.

Similarly, another boy, Illia Shcherbyna, was misrepresented in the propaganda. He is actually 14 years old, not 17, and resides in the Mykolaiv region. His disappearance, reported on January 8, 2025, was resolved within 24 hours by Mykolaiv police.

A fabricated report about a missing teenager in the Myropillia community of the Sumy region was, in reality, a case involving 14-year-old Yevhen Holovchenko from the Odesa region, who disappeared in August 2024 and was quickly located.

Among the propagandists' claims, only one case involved a 17-year-old boy. This was a student from the Rivne region, not the Sumy region as alleged. In November 2024, Rivne police responded to a report from a college about the disappearance of Illia Afanasiev, who skipped classes. He was found soon after and was reportedly "working part-time."

Another fake case involved the alleged disappearance of a 17-year-old in the Sumy region. This incident actually occurred in the Odesa region in August 2023 and involved Dmytro Yanchii, who was 15 at the time. Local police located him.

To create these fake stories, Russian propagandists manipulated genuine news articles published by Ukrainian media, distorting them to spread disinformation and promote their narratives. This propaganda aims to foster the belief that Ukrainian parents are "hiding" teenage children to avoid military registration.

Russian propaganda has previously spread other falsehoods, such as the claim that 62% of Britons believe a 100-year partnership agreement with Ukraine "threatens" London's interests.

Andriy Olenin