Separatists in Ukraine Try to Combat Disinfo Claims, Create Meme Format by Mistake

Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine has escalated and, along with it, so has the information war. On Telegram channels, the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), a pro-Russian separatist movement in East Ukraine is sharing images and videos of destruction it says was wrought by Ukrainian soldiers. 

In an attempt to disrupt the idea that it’s sharing disinformation, the LPR is sending out its representatives with pieces of paper that show the date the footage was taken. In doing so, they’ve accidentally created the perfect meme format.

This man is Sergey Molokanov. He’s a representative for the Russian-backed separatist movement in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. He’s wearing the blue colors as a representative of the Joint Centre of Control and Coordination, a mix of Ukrainian and Russian military officials tasked with upholding a 2014 ceasefire agreement.

This video is watermarked by LPR military and was shared in an official LPR Telegram channel. It purports to show the destruction of a residential building shelled by the armed forces of Ukraine. Russia and the separatists in East Ukraine have been sharing mountains of easily debunked disinformation about the conflict so Molokanov is holding up a piece of paper with the date written on it to prove the footage wasn’t pre-recorded.

Typically, newspapers are used to provide a proof of date, but the LPR decided to go with a different tactic, one that can be both easily faked and easily modified. The problem is that Molokanov is holding a white piece of paper in front of a dark background. It’s an easily edited image. The black background, the strange green armor with stark blue sash, the white paper, and Molokanov’s pained features practically beg the viewer to transform the image. Anyone can put anything on the white piece of paper or cut Molokanov out of the image and transplant him anywhere else with ease. It’s the perfect meme format. 

The internet ran with it.

The image of a man in green armor holding a piece of paper with the date on it has become a staple of LPR propaganda videos. Every few hours, the LPR publishes another video on its Telegram channel announcing another attack against civilians in Luhansk. 

The Defense Ministry of Ukraine has denied it’s attacking the breakaway regions of East Ukraine and the metadata in this particular Telegram video shows it was recorded on February 22, 2022. However, several other videos and pictures shared by the LPR on Telegram have had their metadata stripped out entirely.