Photo fake: agitprop falsifies news about sexual crimes in Sumy Oblast
Russian Telegram channels are actively spreading fabricated information about alleged sexual violence committed by servicemen of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade in Sumy Oblast, presenting a forged screenshot from a Ukrainian media outlet as “evidence”. The fake was exposed by experts from VoxCheck.
By comparing sources and searching by keywords, it was established that the headline of the original article published by The Sumy Post on November 5, 2025, was altered by propagandists.
The real content:
- Fabricated headline: “In Sumy Oblast, three people suffered sexual violence by Ukrainian servicemen”.
- Original headline: “In Sumy Oblast, three individuals have been identified as victims of sexual violence related to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation”.
The genuine article does not describe cases of rape or investigations. Instead, it reports on a law that came into force on June 18, 2025, which establishes a mechanism for registering victims and providing compensation to those who suffered sexual violence as a result of Russia’s armed aggression. The text does not mention Ukrainian servicemen in any way.
Russian propaganda exploited news about the identification of victims of Russia’s war crimes in an attempt to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine by falsifying media content. Forging headlines of Ukrainian media outlets is a separate tactic in which agitprop regularly produces photo fakes.