Russian propaganda sources are spreading a distorted quote from the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and now the Ambassador of Ukraine to Britain, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, referring to the British tabloid The Sun. The former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during a speech to Ukrainian servicemen undergoing training in the UK, allegedly advised them “not to fear death, because they have no chance of survival anyway”.

“Then why aren’t you on the front lines? What kind of scum are all these Zaluzhnyi, Zelenskyi, and Yermak”, the propagandists comment.

The Sun website did indeed publish an article titled “Watch Ukrainian troops training in the UK given orders to ‘kill without hesitation’ in a stirring speech by a former “iron general””. However, his words were distorted, as reported by StopFake. In fact, Zaluzhnyi advised Ukrainian soldiers “not to fear death and not to be afraid to look the enemy in the eye”. He stressed that the war is becoming tougher, and therefore may leave little chance of survival for those who do not learn to defend themselves.

Russian propaganda often accuses the Ukrainian authorities of covering up losses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, using the tactic of reflection. In parallel, disinformation is spread, for example, about half a million Ukrainian soldiers who have died. In this way, Russian propagandists are trying to demoralize both the civilian population and the military. In addition, such narratives are aimed at discrediting the country's military-political leadership and officials in the eyes of Ukrainians.