Photo fake: in Sumy Oblast, a soldier allegedly killed a drinking companion
Russian propagandist Telegram channels are spreading a fake screenshot allegedly referencing a Ukrainian media outlet. The post claims that a serviceman of the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade killed a homeless man with whom he had been drinking alcohol in Sumy Oblast. This information is disinformation aimed at discrediting Ukrainian soldiers, as established by fact-checkers from VoxCheck.
Debunking the fake
- Forged screenshot: The original article published on September 5, 2025, on the website MistoSumy.ua reports on an 8.5-year prison sentence for a man convicted of murder. The text does not mention that the accused was a serviceman, let alone connected to the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. The screenshot circulated by propagandists was manipulatively edited using photo-editing software to add a reference to a soldier.
- Chronological inconsistency: The crime in question occurred in 2021, as confirmed by a Facebook post from the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office. At that time, the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade did not yet exist, as it was formed only in 2022 after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Therefore, no serviceman from this brigade could have been involved in the incident.
- Details of the original case: According to the prosecutor’s office, the man who committed the crime had been drinking alcohol with a homeless person and, during an argument, inflicted fatal injuries. However, no official source states that the accused was a member of the military.
The spread of such fakes is part of Russian propaganda efforts aimed at attributing fabricated crimes to Ukrainian soldiers. This manipulation is intended to create a false impression of immoral behavior by Ukraine’s defenders.