Ukraine war: Viral conspiracy theories falsely claim the war is fake

The archetypal day of Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine has led to a spike successful mendacious claims astir the warfare connected societal media, with immoderate posts gaining millions of engagements.

A fig of US right-wing accounts with ample followings posted a bid of baseless claims that suggested the full Ukraine warfare mightiness beryllium a hoax perpetrated by Western media and governments.

Those spreading the astir viral claims included immoderate who had antecedently been suspended from Twitter and allowed backmost onto the level pursuing Elon Musk's takeover.

One mendacious assertion that has been gaining traction connected Twitter and elsewhere suggested that the full warfare has someway been faked.

As evidence, immoderate salient right-wing accounts successful the US cited the expected deficiency of footage from the beforehand line.

A commentator complained astir "the deficiency of warfare footage" successful a viral post, saying it "smacks of a scam".

Another Twitter influencer with 1.4 cardinal followers claimed determination was "no footage" and "no elaborate updates" of the war.

That station was aboriginal shared by erstwhile US nationalist information advisor Michael Flynn, who added: "I treble situation anyone to accidental helium is wrong."

However, the warfare successful Ukraine has been well-documented.

From its outset, societal media has been afloat of videos of the war, galore of which person been verified arsenic genuine by journalists.

In the past fewer days, images of the block, which has since been repaired and partially reconstructed, went viral again connected societal media.

The representation led to claims that either the artifact had ne'er been hit, oregon that the full warfare is simply a hoax, due to the fact that - the statement went - it would beryllium intolerable to reconstruct a gathering during an ongoing conflict.

A right-wing podcaster and anti-vaccine activist, whose antecedently banned relationship was precocious reinstated by Twitter, was among those that shared the claim.

However, isolated from regular Russian rocket attacks, Kyiv has not been connected the frontline of the warfare since precocious March 2022, erstwhile Russian forces withdrew from the metropolis and its surroundings to absorption connected eastbound Ukraine.

The process of the block's repair and reconstruction began successful May of past year, and has been reported successful item by Ukrainian outlets, coupled with images of the artifact nether operation passim the summertime and autumn.

A video claiming to amusement a quality newsman successful Ukraine lasting successful beforehand of rows of corpses successful assemblage bags, with 1 of the bodies "moving" has been viewed millions of times successful the past fewer days.

It led to claims that it was "proof" of actors being hired to play dormant bodies to enactment the Western communicative connected the Ukraine war.

"Stop moving - you're expected to beryllium dead! Psyop?" claimed a wide shared tweet by a right-wing account.

The video was shared with akin claims by respective different right-wing influencers connected Facebook and TikTok.

The video is taken from a study by Austrian paper Osterreich of a clime protestation successful Vienna successful aboriginal February past year, earlier the Russian penetration had adjacent begun, successful which activists aimed to item the information of c emissions to quality life.

This video is not lone false, it's a repetition offender. It had antecedently been shared arsenic "evidence" that Covid deaths had been faked. Then, arsenic now, it is not what it claims to be.

Viral photos and a video shared online assertion to amusement the "accidental" uncover of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's assemblage double.

One claim, viewed by millions, is that the Ukrainian president has a "secret assemblage double" who appeared by mistake successful footage aired by Polish television, seemingly wearing the aforesaid outfit arsenic the president.

Other posts amusement the aforesaid antheral successful the inheritance during US President Joe Biden's sojourn to Kyiv past week.

However, the antheral successful question is easy identifiable arsenic Maksym Donets, Mr Zelensky's idiosyncratic bodyguard. According to Reuters, Mr Donets has been the caput of the president's information squad since May 2019.

Images of him pursuing the Ukrainian president astir successful nationalist successful antithetic attire tin beryllium easy recovered online.