Russian fake news claims drugs were being 'distributed' inside brigade in Sumy region

Russian propaganda media and Telegram channels are circulating a screenshot allegedly showing a news item from a Ukrainian outlet. It claims that a servicemember of the 101st Territorial Defense Brigade was detained in the Sumy region for "distributing" drugs.

This is false. Using graphic editors, Russian propagandists altered the headline and text of the original news story. They inserted a claim that the suspect was a servicemember involved in drug dealing within the brigade.

They also added a reference in the body of the text stating that the suspect was supposedly a fighter of the 101st Brigade – a detail that does not appear in the original report. Official sources have not stated that the detained man has any connection to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

This fake news is intended to discredit Ukrainian troops and undermine public trust in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

As reported earlier, Russian propaganda has already circulated false claims about "serious crimes" allegedly committed by Ukrainian soldiers in the Sumy and Chernivtsi regions.

Andriy Olenin