Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed that Russian forces captured the village of Shcherbakivka in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, but the settlement was officially liquidated nearly three decades ago and no longer exists.

According to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), Russian propaganda outlets have widely circulated the Defense Ministry’s statement, presenting the alleged capture as another battlefield advance by Russian forces.

CCD said Russian propaganda outlets have widely circulated the Defense Ministry’s statement, portraying the alleged capture as another battlefield advance by Russian forces. However, the claim is false: Shcherbakivka was officially removed from Ukraine’s list of populated places in 1997 after the settlement was left without residents.

The CCD described the Russian Defense Ministry’s statement as a typical example of disinformation aimed at creating the impression that Russian forces are making continuous advances along multiple fronts.

  • einkorn@feddit.org
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    20 days ago

    Well, being generous I guess Russia might have captured the place where the village once was.

    But that would be a lot like someone claiming to have captured the airfield a couple villages further down my place which hasn’t been used since WW2 and is mostly an overgrown field by now.