Russian propaganda spreading fake video of alleged “abuse” of military recruitment officer

On April 28–29, Russian actors and Ukrainian collaborators circulated on Telegram and the social network X a video allegedly showing a man taking “revenge” for his brother, who was supposedly mobilized by a Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC). In the clip, a person in military uniform is tied to a car with a rope and dragged across a field.

This is fake. The video is being distributed with the logo of the Russian Telegram channel “Na samom dele v Odesse,” which poses as a Ukrainian source. The post also includes prompts to subscribe to Russian platforms such as Max and Zen.

The video first appeared on April 26 in another little-known pro-war Telegram channel called “Arkticheskie volki.” The caption claimed the incident allegedly took place in the Kirovohrad region.

Major Polina Kravchenko, head of the communications group of the Kirovohrad Regional TRC, denied the information in a comment to Ukrinform and pointed to clear signs that the video was staged.

“No unlawful actions against our servicemen have been recorded. The information distributed along with the video is not true. Analysis of the footage indicates obvious signs of staging: no identifiable location, no confirmation from any official sources. It has been established that this content has no connection to our region and is being deliberately spread via unknown Telegram resources,” she said.

Kravchenko also stressed that such disinformation is part of Russian information and psychological operations (IPSO). Their goal is to discredit TRC personnel, disrupt mobilization efforts, sow panic and distrust, and provoke citizens into unlawful actions.

It is noted that generative artificial intelligence was used to create the video. According to DeepFake-O-Meter, there is a 99% probability that AI was used in processing the footage.

Such fakes are part of a systematic Russian disinformation campaign aimed at undermining Ukrainians’ trust in state institutions, destabilizing society, and legitimizing physical aggression against servicemen. This case demonstrates how fabricated content can be used to artificially fuel public sentiment and create internal conflict.

As reported earlier, Russian propaganda had also spread false claims about the alleged preparation for mass mobilization of women.

By Andrii Olenin