Russian propaganda spreading fakes about military mobilized from colony

Russian media outlets and z-Telegram channels are spreading information that military service persons who were voluntarily mobilized from penal colonies are allegedly committing numerous crimes in the Sumy region. In particular, the propagandists shared the image of a burnt police car and footage of confiscated drugs.

The publications allege that these crimes were committed by convicts mobilized to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Both are fake.

The images used by the propagandists to illustrate the incident with the distribution of drugs in the Sumy region were actually taken in Kramatorsk of the Donetsk region. As part of a joint operation of military law enforcers, a canine unit and National Police officers, a search of a local Nova Poshta branch yielded illicit substances.

As for the burned car, it is typical of the Russians to attempt to accuse Ukraine of crimes that they themselves have committed. The original photos can be found on the official website of the Main Department of the National Police in the Sumy region.

The police car was not burned by former Ukrainian prisoners, but by the Russians themselves. The news report, from which the propagandists obtained the photo for the fake story, stated that on June 29, a law enforcement vehicle was destroyed by a Russian FPV drone strike in the Shostka district of the Sumy region. A local civilian was injured.

This is not the first instance of a Russian fake related to mobilized prisoners. In particular, Ukrinform, citing the Land Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has refuted the fake news story about the escape of six former prisoners with weapons from a military unit.

As of the beginning of July 2024, more than 3,000 prisoners from Ukrainian colonies had been mobilized into the AFU. According to Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska, their number may increase to 27,000.

It is the Russian society that really suffers from the mobilization of former convicts. Almost every day, there are news stories in the Russian media about serious crimes committed by the so-called "heroes of the SVO [special military operation]". In 2023, about 20% of all crimes in the Russian Federation were committed by Russian military personnel.

Earlier, Russian propaganda spread a photo fake about queues at exchange offices in Ukraine.

Andriy Olenin