Russian propaganda spreads fake news about Ukrainian soldiers surrendering en masse after U.S. election

To amplify their disinformation, propagandists employed a 'pocket' foreign pseudo-journalist and fabricated a video purportedly linked to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Russian media outlets and Telegram channels falsely claimed that after Republican Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, Ukrainian soldiers began surrendering eight times more frequently. The sources for this disinformation included a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Irish "journalist" Chay Bowes, a doctored video attributed to the U.S. think tank ISW, and alleged "data" from Euronews.

This claim is entirely false. Chay Bowes, portrayed as a journalist from Ireland, is in fact a Kremlin propagandist employed by the state-run Russia Today channel. He frequently poses as a "Western journalist" who admires Russia's so-called achievements and its dictator, Vladimir Putin.

The photo Bowes used in his post, supposedly showing Ukrainian soldiers surrendering, actually depicts captured Russian soldiers who surrendered to Ukrainian Azov special operations forces in August 2022.

Bowes has a history of spreading anti-Ukrainian propaganda. He has accused Ukrainians of "Nazism" and the "extermination" of ethnic Russians and has claimed that the Maidan protests were orchestrated by American agents. Ukrinform has previously debunked fakes promoted by Bowes, including his role in a disinformation campaign alleging Ukraine's intent to blow up the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The video circulated by propagandists, allegedly from the ISW, is also a fake. It was cobbled together from unrelated videos and photos readily available online. The opening frame, often used by Russian outlets, is from 2022. Another part of the video shows Ukrainian prisoners of war captured by Russian forces in the Kyiv region in the first month of the war, but the footage was initially published in March 2022 during the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion. Russian media outlets frequently use it in their publications.

In another part of the video, Claus Strunz, appointed CEO of Euronews in October, appears to discuss an alleged rise in captured Ukrainian defenders. However, his comments have no connection to the war in Ukraine.

Strunz, a longtime political commentator for Bild, appears in a clip from January 12, 2022, which propagandists repurposed. In the original video, Strunz was expressing his views on a COVID-19-related entry ban to the Bundestag for unvaccinated deputies.

The Euronews "data" referenced by Russian propagandists is also fabricated. The anonymous Telegram channel spreading this claim provides no link to any official Euronews material, and Euronews has published no information on its website or social media regarding a "mass surrender of Ukrainian military personnel."

This fake is circulating amid media reports speculating on potential plans by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to quickly end the war in Ukraine. Russia's disinformation campaign aims to undermine Ukrainian morale and erode confidence in continued support from key allies like the U.S.

Previously, Russian propaganda also promoted false claims about U.S. aid to Ukraine being terminated following Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election.

Andriy Olenin