Russian propaganda media fabricate a fake ‘anti-fascist underground’
Russian state media and pro-war Telegram channels are spreading reports claiming that the families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers — whose bodies were returned from Russia during exchanges — are being denied compensation. According to the propaganda outlets, the Ukrainian government has allegedly labeled the deceased as deserters.
This is false. All media reports reference an article published by the Russian outlet RIA Novosti on July 13, 2025. The journalists at RIA Novosti themselves cite a so-called “anti-fascist underground.” However, the article provides no information about who represents this organization or where it allegedly operates.
This “anti-fascist underground” was fabricated by Russian propagandists to construct and promote a fake anti-Ukrainian narrative. It is not the first time such efforts have been made in the information space to legitimize the idea of a so-called pro-Russian underground in Ukraine. In every instance, these organizations have turned out to be fictitious.
For example, Ukrinform previously debunked a fake story about an alleged sabotage operation by local pro-Russian partisans who supposedly blew up a train in the Odesa region. In reality, the photos used in that report were taken from a railway accident in Russia’s Bryansk region.
This demonstrates how Russia continues to exploit humanitarian agreements reached in Istanbul to advance its propaganda. Kremlin propagandists are trying to weaponize the sensitive topic of returning the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers in order to divide Ukrainian society and sow distrust in the central government.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently signed a law granting one-time financial assistance to the families of soldiers who died in captivity.
Previously, Ukrinform also refuted fake claims about the alleged presence of 40,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers on Russian territory and the narrative that only the remains of soldiers whose families declined compensation were returned.
Andriy Olenin
Source: Russian fake: Ukraine refuses to pay compensation to families of fallen soldiers
