Russian propaganda is spreading disinformation claiming that the International Legion of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense is allegedly recruiting German citizens using leaflets calling for “revenge against Russians”. The leaflets, which appeared in one of Berlin’s districts, are accompanied by a provocative image of emaciated German prisoners of war from World War II and a QR code leading to the Legion’s website. Propagandist outlets interpret this as an attempt by Ukraine to appeal to Nazi sentiments in German society. This fake was debunked by StopFake experts.

In September 2025, residents of Berlin’s Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district began finding leaflets that allegedly called on people to join the International Legion. The Berliner Zeitung was the first outlet to report this. The publication noted that recruiting foreign citizens into the armed forces of other states is a criminal offense in Germany, but its authors did not contact the International Legion to verify any involvement in the campaign.

German journalist Markus Heinz, citing a witness who saw a young man posting the leaflets, filed a complaint with the Berlin prosecutor’s office. He described the use of images of prisoners of war as “cynical and contemptuous”.

Notably, similar leaflets appeared only in a single district of Berlin and were accompanied by an overtly propagandistic narrative – an appeal to “feelings of revenge”. All of this points to a deliberate provocation aimed at discrediting Ukraine and the International Legion.

This fake is intended to discredit Ukraine and the International Legion by portraying them as organizations that resort to illegal and immoral recruitment methods. The appeal to “revenge” and the use of historical imagery are designed to fuel anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Germany and to create a false impression of a link between Ukraine and Nazi ideas.