In the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, the Russian segment of Facebook, TikTok and the social network VKontakte banned in Ukraine, anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating an alleged BBC News report about the head of the Wagner group. The video with footage from the crash site and photographs of Pryhozhyn contains the following text: “An Air Force source refutes the information about the death of the owner of the Wagner group. According to the information, the plane crash was staged by the Russian authorities, and Yevhenii Pryhozhyn is alive”. It's fake.

The case was studied by Reuters fact-checkers. Such a video was not distributed on the official pages of the BBC in the social network X, in the accounts of the broadcaster in English on Instagram and Facebook. In a comment to Reuters fact-checkers, a BBC spokesman said: “We are aware of this fake video and our lawyers are urgently investigating. In a world where disinformation is on the rise, we encourage everyone to check links and URLs to make sure they're getting news from a trusted source”.

Russian propaganda is trying to fuel the conspiracy theory that Pryhozhyn is actually alive and that his death was staged. The Russians need such mythologization in order to glorify the leader of the Wagner group, to raise the morale of the Russians and to absolve themselves of responsibility for the likely downing of the plane. Detector Media talked about messages spread by Russian propagandists, authors of anonymous telegram channels and pro-Kremlin media after the death of Wagner leader Yevhenii Pryhozhyn.