Russian fake news: Military commandant of Kursk region Eduard Moskaliov 'fled' to France

Russian Telegram channels are circulating photos taken at the French restaurant Bocca Mar, situated on the Mediterranean coast in Nice. Among the restaurant's guests is a man who allegedly resembles Ukrainian Major General Eduard Moskaliov, who was appointed on August 15, 2024, as the head of the military commandant's office established in Ukrainian-controlled areas of Russia's Kursk region.

Propagandists claim that following the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from certain positions in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian general supposedly fled to France.

This claim is false. The photo was mirrored and edited using graphic software. Russian sources doctored the image by pasting the Ukrainian general's face onto one of the guests at Bocca Mar.

The original image can be found among the photos on Google Maps. It was uploaded by user Rhi Walsh in May 2025. Both the fake and original images show the same woman in a gray sweater, umbrellas with plastic and metal poles, and blue dishware. However, in the original photo, the man has a completely different face.

This fake news is aimed at discrediting Ukraine's military leadership and undermining the morale of Ukrainian troops.

Earlier, Russian propaganda fabricated a story claiming that employees of military enlistment offices were allegedly part of university examination boards in Ukraine.

Andriy Olenin