Anonymous propaganda telegram channels are spreading a statement by a former Ukrainian MP that the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have allegedly already exceeded half a million people. This figure is confirmed by the state of cemeteries in large cities. However, such claims are unfounded.

This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Its experts emphasize that this former MP has long been known for his provocative and false statements, regularly used by pro-Russian propagandists. In particular, in September 2024, the man spread lies that “the Ukrainian authorities are allegedly downplaying the number of victims” after a missile strike on a military school in Poltava. In July, he claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi was allegedly preparing a bloody provocation to save US President Joe Biden. In April, the former MP spread a fake about Russian missiles allegedly hitting a military unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was allegedly located in a hotel in Chernihiv.

Propagandists try to use such information, especially inflated figures of Ukrainian Armed Forces casualties, to demoralize Ukrainian society and create disillusionment about the army’s ability to defend the country. This fake news also aims to accuse the Ukrainian leadership of hiding real losses and failing to effectively manage the army. Russian propaganda uses such statements to strengthen support for the war among Russians, claiming that the Ukrainian army is allegedly suffering catastrophic losses.