Russian propaganda attempts to discredit Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunner's heroic feat

Russian propagandists have attempted to undermine the achievement of Nataliia Hrabarchuk, a Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunner who successfully shot down an enemy cruise missile using an Igla MANPADS during a large-scale air attack on Ukraine in the early hours of November 17. This act of valor, praised by the Ukrainian Air Force Command and widely shared online, highlights the courage of Ukrainian defenders amid ongoing Russian aggression.

In civilian life, Hrabarchuk was a preschool teacher. Since 2021, she has served as an anti-aircraft gunner with the Galicia-Volyn Radio Engineering Brigade under the Air Command West. However, her heroic feat has drawn the ire of Russian propaganda, which habitually seeks to discredit Ukrainian defenders by portraying them as "Nazis," "drug addicts," or conscripts not willing to resist Russian aggression and supposedly coerced into service.

Initially, Russian media and Telegram channels claimed that the video of Hrabarchuk's shootdown was staged at Kyiv's Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studio. Later, Russian bots on X amplified a post by a user with the nickname "@KirriloUA," featuring a Taras Shevchenko portrait as an avatar. The post falsely alleged that Hrabarchuk's missile hit a house belonging to the user's relatives, forcing them to spend the night with neighbors. To support this, a photo of bags purportedly packed by the displaced family was included.

However, this claim is entirely fabricated. The photo of the bags originates from Russia and was first published over a decade ago. It depicts belongings of "refugees" from Russian-occupied Donbas who were resettled in Shmakovo, Kurgan region, Russia. Propagandists mirrored an old image using graphic editing software to fit their narrative.

The source of this fake claim is a Russian bot masquerading as a Ukrainian. Created in April 2024, this bot has a history of spreading disinformation, including a previous fake about a Russian man complaining of receiving a Ukrainian passport. At the time, the bot's avatar featured a photo of a dog named "Patron." Its posts consistently promote Russian propaganda themes in Russian.

The broader goal of such disinformation campaigns is to discredit the achievements of the Ukrainian military and propagate the idea that civilian damage is caused by Ukrainian air defense systems, not Russian missile strikes. This tactic aims to absolve Russia of responsibility for its numerous war crimes against the Ukrainian people.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russian propaganda has also fabricated claims that Ukrainian soldiers are being issued the uniforms of deceased foreign "mercenaries."

Andriy Olenin