Russian Telegram channels are actively spreading information claiming that police allegedly detained a serviceman of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade in Kharkiv for robbery. According to the posts, a 36-year-old serviceman supposedly stole gold earrings from a 74-year-old woman in the Saltivskyi district of the city.

The spread of this fake was recorded by VoxCheck experts. The original article does not state that the detainee is a serviceman, and the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade is not mentioned at all in the reports.

How the fake is being spread

The fake is based on an article from the outlet Dumka describing a robbery. The time, date of publication, and the author match the original. However, the media text, citing the Kharkiv Regional Police, only reports the detention of a 36-year-old man, with no mention of any affiliation with the Defense Forces or any specific brigade. The issue of choosing a preventive measure is currently being decided.

Official-source refutation

The statement from the Kharkiv Regional Police also contains no mention of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade or of the suspect belonging to the Defense Forces. The offender approached the 74-year-old victim and snatched gold jewelry from her ears. Police detained the man and served him with a notice of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 186 (robbery) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Through such fabrications, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit fighters of Ukraine’s Defense Forces. This is not the first case of manipulating real news to spread fake narratives.