Russian resources are disseminating information that allegedly during his last visit to Russia, the current commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, “confessed to his mother, that he is with the Ukrainians in the same headquarters and cannot stand them, because they are cunning and unpleasant”. As proof, Russian propaganda is distributing a video in which a neighbor of Syrskyi’s parents allegedly recalls how the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told his relatives about hatred of Ukrainians.

This information is fake, and the video is staged. This is reported by VoxCheck. Statements from Russian media contradict each other. Syrskyi said that he hated Ukrainians during his last visit to his relatives, but now he continues to communicate with them. At the same time, the “neighbor” in the video does not remember when the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that he hates Ukrainians and, accordingly, it was the last time he visited his relatives. One Russian resource reports that this happened between 2008 and 2010. Another propaganda resource, citing the words of his brother, the head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, claims that Syrskyi does not keep in touch with his relatives. Independent media do not indicate when the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces last saw or communicated with relatives. This information cannot be verified on the basis of open data, so the allegations about Syrskyi’s “Ukrainophobia” are unfounded.

A significant part of his life and military career is connected with Ukraine and the confrontation with Russia. After the start of a full-scale invasion, the current commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine became one of the key persons in the country's defense. In addition, he considers Kharkiv to be his hometown, where he graduated from school.

This fake appeared as part of a large-scale campaign aimed at discrediting the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, the purpose of such lies is to sow discord among Ukrainians, undermine confidence in the country’s top leadership and make them despair of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Previously, in the Newspeak section, we wrote about how and why the word “virus” was again remembered in Russia after the appointment of Oleksandr Syrskyi to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.