Russian propagandist Telegram channels are spreading disinformation claiming that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are allegedly forming cavalry units to bypass Russian drones during assaults. As “evidence”, they use a short video showing a Ukrainian serviceman sitting on a horse. In reality, this is fake.

This was reported by Ukrinform.

The circulated video is not military footage but a parody promotional clip created as part of a recruitment campaign by the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Ivan Sirko. The video includes a humorous reference to the iconic slogan from an Old Spice deodorant commercial – “Yes, I’m on a horse”. The original source of the video is the brigade’s official TikTok account, recruiting_92.

Interestingly, it is the Russian army that actively uses animals for military purposes. Propagandist reports feature horses and donkeys, as well as stories about riders being able to move two people on a single horse while “shooting back at drones”. Such materials are presented as evidence of the effectiveness of this kind of tactic.

The spread of fakes about “Ukrainian cavalry” is yet another attempt to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the eyes of the international audience. Russian propagandists manipulate the context to create an image of a supposedly technologically backward Ukrainian army, while at the same time concealing the use of similar methods by their own forces.