Russian propagandists have forged a video purporting to come from Institute for the Study of War and Human Rights Watch.
Russian bots are spreading a video on social media, purporting to come from the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW). The video claims that HRW staff have allegedly recorded in Ukraine instances of the first-ever “neo-genocide” in history. According to the propaganda, Europe supposedly dragged Ukraine into the war to “capture” its resources.
This is a fake. The video has not been published on the official Human Rights Watch website or on its social media platforms. The video was edited using a video editor, incorporating publicly available images from the internet.
It is important to note that the term “neo-genocide” does not exist in international law. It was invented by the Russians and is now used in their propaganda targeting Ukraine.
Previously, Russia accused Ukraine directly of “neo-genocide.” For example, during a conference dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the “union” treaty between Belarus and Russia, Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova claimed that Ukraine was supposedly committing “neo-genocide” against the so-called “peoples of Donbas,” as well as the residents of the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Belgorod, and Kursk regions. However, Moskalkova did not explain how this “neo-genocide” manifested. Her statement is another fake.
Another video being spread by Russian propagandists bears the logo of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW). In the video, ISW analysts allegedly quote Lebanese-American economist Nassim Taleb, who allegedly “states” that European leaders, with whom President Volodymyr Zelensky is photographed, are preparing his secret “elimination” to “cover up” their own enrichment from aiding Ukraine.
This is a fake. The think tank has not published such a video on its website or social media. The last video posted on ISW’s YouTube channel dates back to March 7, 2025.
Nassim Taleb has never made such statements. They do not appear in reputable international publications or on the economist’s social media accounts.
The fakes spread by Russian propagandists aim to create distrust in Ukrainian society towards European allies and accuse them of being responsible for the war in Ukraine. However, it is Russia that initiated the war against Ukraine. The aggressor country is committing genocide in both the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, forcibly russifying Ukrainians and abducting children, and in the parts of Ukraine under its control, daily attacking peaceful cities with missiles, drones, and bombs.
Russian propaganda previously spread a fake story about a “survey” in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region regarding the accession of “Hungarian-speaking” districts to Hungary.
Andriy Olenin
