Kremlin-controlled media and propaganda outlets are once again attempting to destabilize the situation in Ukraine by spreading false claims about an alleged threat to overthrow the government. As reported by the fact-checking project StopFake, Robert Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, did not threaten President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russian sources, including the propaganda project Drugaya Ukraina, claim that Robert “Madyar” Brovdi threatened to “turn the army against” Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to these sources, he allegedly made the statement while commenting on discussions surrounding the current draft peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. As supposed evidence, they circulated a video clip featuring Brovdi’s remarks.

StopFake established that the video being shared online is actually an edited fragment from a livestream on Madyar’s YouTube channel, originally published on 2 September 2022.

Brovdi’s remarks were made in the context of discussing the theoretical possibility of negotiations with Russia at a time when, in his view, the war had reached a “turning point” in favor of the Ukrainian army. Shortly thereafter, Ukraine launched its successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region and liberated Kherson.

In the clip, Madyar warned “everyone” against entering into negotiations that would not serve the interests of the Ukrainian people:

“…By the New Year, the nature of the war will change. We will consolidate the turning point that is happening right now. In any case, those devils (Russia – ed.) will be forced to talk to us, and we are most likely not ready to talk. And if the authorities intend to negotiate against the interests of the Ukrainian people, they will get a blow to the head from us…”

The video therefore has no connection either to current peace initiatives or to any specific politicians.

By spreading the fake, propagandists deliberately omitted Brovdi’s full statement. Just a few seconds after the quoted passage, he explicitly clarified that he was not referring to any “specific individuals”. In this way, the agitprop apparatus used an outdated statement taken out of context to fabricate a story about an alleged internal conflict and to create the impression of political instability in Ukraine.