Russian propaganda spreads fake claims about killing of military recruitment officer, mobilization of Ukrainians with autism

Russian media outlets, Telegram channels, and bots on X have been circulating false information, allegedly from the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, claiming that a military recruitment officer was killed. The reports suggest that a suspect in the crime is a man whose son was "forcibly mobilized" despite having severe asthma.

This is false. The original photo used by propagandists was published by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office on January 19, 2024, in connection with a completely unrelated incident.

The image actually depicts a civilian victim of a domestic conflict, whose death was initially disguised as a "suicide" on railway tracks. Neither party involved had any connection to the recruitment center or the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Notably, Russian propaganda has manipulated this same event before. In January 2024, similar fake claims were already spread.

In addition, Russian Telegram channels circulated a video bearing the logo of the international organization Autism-Europe, which advocates for the rights of people with autism. The clip falsely claims that people with autism are being mass-mobilized in Ukraine and that their relatives are "sounding the alarm."

This is also fake. The video does not exist on the official website or social media channels of Autism-Europe. Propagandists assembled the clip from publicly available images and videos and added their own text.

In contrast, Autism-Europe's X page has pinned, since March 2022, a post calling for the protection and support of people with autism in Ukraine affected by Russian aggression.

Russia has repeatedly spread similar fake stories about "mobilizing disabled" Ukrainian citizens, many of which were created using artificial intelligence tools.

The aim of these fakes is to discredit territorial recruitment centers, disrupt Ukraine's mobilization efforts, and provoke conflict between civilians and the military.

Previously, Ukrinform reported that Russian propaganda circulated a fake story about "abuse" in the Ukrainian army related to alcohol use.

Andriy Olenin