Propagandists doctored footage allegedly showing Soviet soldier portraits on LED screens in the German capital
Russian state-controlled media, Telegram channels, and bots on social media platform X are circulating a video claiming to show LED billboards in various well-known locations across Berlin displaying portraits of Soviet soldiers who fought in World War II, along with the caption in Russian and German: “80 years later, they are back in Berlin.”
This is a fabrication. The video originated from the Russian propaganda outlet Russia Today, and Russian bots are disseminating a version bearing the outlet’s logo across social media.
Ströer, a German marketing company that owns one of the LED billboards featured in the video, has denied airing any such content. In a statement to Ukrinform’s Berlin correspondent, the company’s Director of Corporate Communications, Marc Sausen, confirmed the footage had been digitally altered using graphic editing tools.
“We can state with confidence that this video is not being played on our screens,” Sausen said.
He also noted discrepancies in the vegetation visible near the billboard, which does not match the current conditions in Berlin — further proof the video was manipulated for propaganda purposes.
Uber Arena, another venue featured in the fake video and falsely claimed to have displayed the “Immortal Regiment” content, also confirmed the footage is fake.
“After an immediate internal check of our content management system, we can confirm the obvious: this is a fabricated and fake post. This content was never displayed on our screens,” a spokesperson for Uber Arena said.
Such an event would not have been permitted in Berlin, as all Soviet and Russian symbols were banned during commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 8 and 9.
Ukrinform fact-checkers have previously debunked similar Russian disinformation campaigns involving fake public service announcements in central Berlin.
This latest effort is part of a broader attempt by Russian propagandists to promote the narrative that Kremlin policies enjoy support in Germany.
Russian propaganda had earlier circulated a series of similar fakes ahead of May 9 in Ukraine.
Andriy Olenin, Olha Tanasiichuk
Source: Russian propaganda fabricates video of 'Immortal Regiment' broadcast on Berlin billboards
