A video styled as official Microsoft content has begun circulating through a network of pro-Russian Telegram channels and on X. The clip claims that Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, allegedly released shocking statistics revealing the most common online searches made by Ukrainian soldiers while using Starlink satellite internet services. Fact-checkers from Gwara Media explained why such videos are false and manipulative.

“And what did you expect? SpaceX has published a list of the most popular search queries made by Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers while using Starlink in 2025. The TOP 5 included: ‘Putin speeches’, ‘methods of suicide’, ‘how to surrender, some radio frequency’, ‘online casinos’, and ‘pornography’,” anonymous Telegram channels claim in posts accompanying the video.

However, no reputable international media outlet, nor the official websites of SpaceX or Microsoft, has published any such report. The use of the Microsoft logo in a video allegedly presenting SpaceX data is a classic “appeal to authority” tactic: viewers are expected to believe an absurd claim simply because it is presented under the branding of a well-known technology company.

From a technical perspective, the claims made in the fake are manipulative. Through its Starlink terminals, SpaceX acts as an internet service provider. This means that it merely supplies the technical connection. Internet providers do not have access to the specific content of users’ search queries entered into web browsers, as such data is encrypted and belongs exclusively to search engines such as Google or Bing. According to StatCounter, a service that analyses browser and search engine usage based on web traffic, Microsoft Edge (the browser that integrates Bing) held a market share of only around 3% in 2025.

No search engine has either the technical capability or the legal right to segment search statistics according to the type of internet connection used or the professional affiliation of users. For example, Google Trends provides anonymized data on general search trends by country or region, but it cannot isolate “searches made by soldiers through Starlink” from among millions of other queries. Moreover, actual search trends in Ukraine in 2025 showed that Ukrainians were primarily interested in electricity outage schedules, new film releases, and sporting events – a picture that differs dramatically from the fabricated list promoted by propagandists.

The purpose of this disinformation campaign is to create a false image of the Ukrainian soldier as demoralized and prone to suicide and other destructive behavior. The inclusion of themes such as “Putin’s speeches” and “how to surrender” is intended to sow despair and create the impression of an alleged collapse in morale within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Any “search rankings” that link specific groups of people to a particular internet provider are entirely fabricated and represent a sophisticated manipulation designed to exert psychological pressure in the context of information warfare.