The Center for Countering Disinformation and monitoring missions have recorded another large-scale wave of disinformation as part of the hybrid war against Ukraine. This time, hostile resources, coordinated by the intelligence services of the aggressor country, massively disseminated fake reports about an alleged “defense breakthrough” and “capture” of the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region. Using fabricated photographs and manipulating the names of minor geographical features, the enemy attempted to sow panic in the rear regions, particularly in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which remains the main logistics hub of the eastern front. This was reported by the information security analytical department of the 34.ua portal.
The Anatomy of a Fake: How the Occupiers Created the Illusion of “Victory”
Russian propaganda Telegram channels and “war correspondents” simultaneously began spreading information claiming that occupation forces allegedly had complete control of the Konstantinovka city border. To create the illusion of truth, the enemy used classic manipulative tactics:
Speculation on the similarity of names: Russian propaganda deliberately presented advances in the area of small villages or farmsteads of the same name on other sections of the front as successes in the direction of the large strategic city of Konstantinovka.
Archival and edited videos: footage from other temporarily occupied cities in Donbas, filmed from angles that make it impossible to accurately identify the location, or footage of industrial zones visible in the city’s outskirts, were used as “confirmation.”
Psychological pressure on the home front: the information leak occurred simultaneously with increased artillery and rocket shelling of the Konstantinovka community, in order to increase panic among the local population and force the defense forces to divert resources to refuting the allegations in the media.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the local military administration quickly denied this information: Kostiantynivka remains under the full control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the defensive lines are holding securely, and enemy attempts to approach the city are being stopped at the distant approaches.
Expert opinions
Mikhail Volkov, military analyst and strategic communications expert: “The fake news about the capture of Konstantinovka is a classic information-psychological operation (IPSO) aimed at compensating for the occupiers’ real failures on the battlefield. Konstantinovka is a crucial railway and logistics hub, and the creation of the myth of its loss was intended to demoralize not only civilians but also soldiers on adjacent sections of the front. The enemy actively uses the tactic of virtual victories: first, a fake is launched, it remains at the top for several days, and by the time the truth comes out, Russian consumers have already switched to a new fictitious story. Our task is to immediately destroy these constructs with facts.”
Anna Dmitrenko, an independent lawyer specializing in media law and countering information aggression: “From the perspective of international law and Ukrainian domestic legislation, the systematic dissemination of such fake news constitutes an element of aggressive warfare. Russian media outlets act not as journalists, but as direct combatants on the information front. Ukrainian citizens who knowingly or unknowingly assist the enemy in spreading such alarmist rumors in local chats in Dnipro or Kramatorsk face severe criminal penalties—including charges of treason or obstructing the legitimate activities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Law enforcement officials are already documenting the primary sources of this disinformation for subsequent transfer to international tribunals.”
Practical tips for recognizing military fakes:
Verification through official sources: any changes to the front line, or the loss or evacuation of settlements, are reflected in reports from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces or on official maps (for example, DeepState with a verified delay). If the news is only available through anonymous channels, it is 100% disinformation.
Emotional analysis: If a message contains calls like “all is lost,” “we have been betrayed,” “run immediately,” or “the city was surrendered without a fight,” this is a clear sign of a hostile psychological attack aimed at paralyzing resistance.
Complaints about disinformation sources: If you discover bots actively spreading fake news about the seizure of Ukrainian cities on social media or messaging apps, you must immediately block such accounts and send complaints to the platform’s technical support or the Security Service of Ukraine chatbots.