Russian propaganda spreads fake claim about opening of ski resort in Kyiv during war

Polish-speaking bots on social media platforms have spread disinformation, falsely claiming the opening of an indoor ski resort in Kyiv. The video, circulated on X and TikTok, is captioned: "No, this is not Dubai. A ski lift has opened in Kyiv - Protasiv Yar. Meanwhile, in Poland, electricity and food prices are rising, so they could have fun in Kyiv."

This is a fake. The video actually shows Wintastar Shanghai, the world's largest indoor ski resort, which opened in Shanghai this September.

Photos and videos from international media and social networks show the same building near one of the slopes and a red safety fence, identical to those seen in the propagandists' video.

While there is a ski resort in Kyiv's Protasiv Yar, it has been in operation since 1998 and is much smaller in scale compared to the Wintastar Shanghai resort.

It is important to note that the source of this fake is a bot on X named Andrew Stapel, who spreads disinformation to Polish-speaking audiences. The photo used in the bot's avatar was previously associated with another account spreading similar Russian narratives in Polish.

The fake about the "ski resort" in Kyiv is aimed at Polish citizens, coinciding with a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The objective of this Russian disinformation is to foster a negative perception of Ukrainians in Polish society, potentially reducing future support for Ukraine from its ally.

Previously, Poland refuted another fake claiming that Ukrainian schoolchildren in Poland were prohibited from speaking their native language.

Andriy Olenin