Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels are distributing a video that allegedly shows the Ukrainian military abusing captured Russian soldiers in the Kursk region. The footage shows several tied-up men in Russian military uniforms. The video also shows a Ukrainian soldier torturing one of the men, who is tied to a metal chair, with electric shocks.

The Center for Countering Disinformation conducted a study on the distribution of this video and found out that a number of Russian “war correspondents” received an offer to publish it from anonymous users in private messages. However, due to the obviously staged nature of the video, even the most dedicated propagandists refused to post this fake on their resources and ridiculed it, the Center adds. As a result, only low-rated resources published the video of the “torture of Russian prisoners”.

With this fake video material, the Russians are trying to accuse the Ukrainian Armed Forces of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law during the Kursk operation. Russian propaganda also creates similar staged videos to intimidate their own military so that they do not surrender.

We have already documented Russian video fakes involving Ukrainian soldiers on numerous occasions. We previously analyzed a similar video fake in which Ukrainian soldiers allegedly shot Russians who wanted to surrender.