Since December 1, a new information campaign has been spreading in the Russian social networks, blogs, and media to intimidate the population of the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine.

Interestingly, the fake is being primarily spread personally by Vladislav Berdichevsky, “Head of the international information department of the political department of the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) Ministry of Defense, deputy chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy and International Relations”.

Both personally and through a wide-spread system of media outlets, as well as through pages in social networks under his control, he spreads fakes that the Ukrainian Army has been firing shells towards civilian population filled with propaganda leaflets, which show a Wehrmacht soldier with Ukrainian symbols and the text in Russian in the background:

“We do not need people! We need territory!.. We will slaughter your wives and children soon, and you will meet the new year in the ground or in prisons! “

The reverse side of the leaflets depicts bloodied bodies of women and children. Archives: https://archive.fo/0OS04, https://archive.fo/TeWM6.

The posts are accompanied by a staged photo with the shell with folded leaflets inside.

In general, the fake distribution scheme is standard: first, it is actively spread on social networks, then second-rate blogs and websites pick up the posts, and, in the end, top Russian media make up the third wave of misinformation. Thus, the Russian Federation coordinates the dissemination of this misinformation and actively participates in it.

Gazeta.ru, Vzglyad.ru, referring to Interfax and RIA Novosti, have already picked up this wave: http://archive.is/z6Mz4, http://archive.is/iXd3T

Lets consider this fake in more detail. It is more dangerous, but no less absurd than a “crucified boy in underwear” or “killing and eating bullfinches.” Its purpose is to cause terror and hatred among the population of the occupied territories and, by controlling these emotions, to force it to cooperate with militants or to recruit new soldiers into the 1st Russian occupation corps of “DPR”.

(Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0)

Translated by Evgeniy Kalashnik, edited by Max Alginin

Click repost and share with friends.

For notifications about InformNapalm investigations follow us on 

Facebook / Twitter / Telegram.