Russian information resources, allegedly citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), are spreading fake information about the "fall of 304 Ukrainian UAVs" in the Baltic countries and Finland in three months.
Points of attention
- Russian information resources are spreading fake news claiming that 304 Ukrainian drones were downed in the Baltic countries, a disinformation tactic to undermine Ukraine and its allies.
- The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has exposed the use of fake stories with international media logos by Russian propagandists.
Russian propagandists spread fake news about Ukrainian drones in the Baltic countries
This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
As noted, such posts are accompanied by a video stylized as a story from one of the well-known European media outlets, which claims that the authorities of these countries are allegedly keeping quiet about numerous incidents involving the downing of Ukrainian drones, destruction, and casualties.
In fact, there is no such video on the official resources of the publication whose logo was used to create the fake. It is completely fabricated. ISW also did not make such statements or publish relevant research.
The center states that the use of fake stories with logos of international media and institutions is a typical tool of the Russian disinformation network "Matryoshka", which systematically creates fakes to discredit Ukraine and its partners. Such insinuations are aimed at shifting responsibility for the failures of Russian air defense onto other states and justifying Russia's hybrid attacks and aggressive rhetoric against the states of Northern Europe.
The CPD also recalled that earlier the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces officially denied the claims of Russian propaganda that Poland allegedly provided its airspace for drone attacks on Russian territory.
According to Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, Ukraine has intelligence that Russia is purposefully diverting drones towards the Baltic countries and Finland in order to use such incidents for informational provocations.
Two drones crashed in southeastern Finland on March 29. The origin of one of the drones has not been determined, but authorities have confirmed that the other is Ukrainian.
Later, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that the Ukrainian drones were in no way directed towards Finland, Ukraine had already provided the Finnish side with all the necessary information to clarify the circumstances of the UAV crash and apologized for the incident.
