Fabrication of facts and an appeal to authority: how Russian propaganda covered events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka
Kyiv • UNN
Russian propaganda used the altercation in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka to spread fake claims about “torture chambers” in Ukraine. Propagandists disseminated 1,370 publications on the subject.
Russian propagandists used the clash in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka as evidence allegedly proving the existence in Ukraine of a system of secret "torture chambers" and "meat rooms." The report was made by the Center for Strategic Communications, according to UNN.
Details
In particular, the Center recorded around 1,370 publications on this topic on FIMI resources. Thus, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that "there are many of them in Ukraine," while Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the scandal had acquired "global resonance."
Similar claims were circulated by leaders of European right-wing movements, such as Alice Weidel, head of Germany’s Alternative for Germany party, and Florian Philippot, leader of France’s Patriots party.
The manipulation is based on extrapolating a single case, fabricating facts, and appealing to authority. The unclear circumstances of the incident are presented as confirmation of an allegedly large-scale system of unlawful detention, with comparisons to the Gestapo and Nazi Germany added. The claim that "the West knows everything but remains silent" is circulated without evidence. Politicians’ statements are used as alleged international confirmation, although they do not constitute evidence of the accusations described
Additionally
The State Bureau of Investigation launched criminal proceedings over the events that occurred on November 2, 2026, in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, Kyiv region. The proceedings were opened under Part 5 of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (exceeding authority or official powers by a military official).
It was also reported that in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, young men who were forcibly dispersing the crowd attacked a UNN photographer.
Recall
Law enforcement officers are considering the incident in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka as a scheme involving the unlawful removal of military personnel, while the pseudo-medic actually wanted to take away a serviceman who was absent without leave and was staying there. She allegedly received money for this.