Russia is accused of creating fake body-cam videos of Ukrainian troops dying in the trenches as part of cynical social media propaganda war

• The egregious social media propaganda campaign has been torn to shreds
• Analysts pointed out a series of markers revealing the soldiers’ crude fakery 

Internet sleuths are calling out what they believe to be one of Russia’s most egregious social media propaganda campaigns, labelling a clip purporting to show bodycam footage of a Ukrainian soldier dying in a trench as fake.

The clip in question, posted by pro-war Russian account Rudenko, allegedly shows a Ukrainian soldier stumbling in a trench having just been shot. 

The owner of the bodycam drops to his knees and what appears to be a spurt of blood gouts from underneath the camera, and the clip concludes with the soldier making pained grunts as bullets slam into the wall of the trench beside him.

Upon first viewing, it looks like a grisly scene. 

But the clip has been pulled apart, with analysts pointing out a series of markers to show how the video is in fact a work of fiction created to demoralise Ukraine’s supporters. 

The clip in question, posted by pro-war Russian account Rudenko, allegedly shows a Ukrainian soldier stumbling in a trench having just been shot

The owner of the bodycam drops to his knees and what appears to be a spurt of blood gouts from underneath the camera

The clip concludes with the soldier making pained grunts as bullets slam into the wall of the trench beside him

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The bulk of the analysis was performed by Twitter account @jabuttee, a pro-Ukrainian profile which has tracked several other examples of Russian disinformation campaigns and shares regular updates on the conflict.

The opening of the clip shows the camera’s owner staggering along the foot of a trench with the sound of bullets popping around him. He is clutching his gun and making strained noises, before turning towards the wall and falling to his knees.

A considerable amount of blood appears from his abdomen, but analysts highlighted that the blood did not spurt or spray from the man, but instead almost fell out of him in a clump, indicating the presence of a blood pack. 

As the blood hits the floor, the man immediately adjusts the camera – his hand covers the lens for a moment and then appears to pull the device up, as if to hide his mistake. 

Following this, the soldier tumbles to his side in the throes of death, groaning and grimacing as another round of bullets – purportedly fired by oncoming Russian soldiers – slam into the side of the trench mere feet away from him, kicking up dust.   

But the makers of the video made yet another simple error.

As the bullets burrow into the trench wall in the left of the picture, gases can be seen escaping on the right-hand side of the screen, suggesting that the gun was being fired just out of shot. 

Rather than a desperate Ukrainian soldier meeting a tragic end, the scene instead is evidence of a poorly-directed reconstruction in which Russian soldiers blasted their weapons directly into the trench in a crude attempt to create an effect of danger.

Analysts highlighted that the blood did not spurt or spray from the man, but instead almost fell out of him in a clump, indicating the presence of a blood pack

As the bullets burrow into the trench wall in the left of the picture, gases can be seen escaping on the right-hand side of the screen, suggesting that the gun was being fired just out of shot

Citing further evidence of the video’s inauthenticity, Jabuttee offered several other examples of clearly staged scenes by the Rudenko channel.

These included bodycam footage of close-quarter combat in a stairwell in which a soldier appears to enter the battle using an M4-style NATO-issue rifle without any sights, while another dramatically drops his gun and slides down the wall in a Hollywood blockbuster-style simulation of being shot. 

Another outrageous clip claims to show a soldier stumbling upon a field medical tent in which surgeons are harvesting organs from wounded troops.  

The surgeon looks up at the new arrival and begins shouting gibberish in a German accent, flailing his hands to usher the cameraman away from the scene with almost videogame-like exaggerated movements. 

In the age of social media, the conflict in Ukraine has given rise to armies of keyboard warriors on both sides eager to promote the narratives of their chosen allies. 

But Russia’s ruthless propaganda drive pervades every aspect of its media, both in traditional broadcast formats across social media platforms. 

Vladimir Putin himself is engaged in such propaganda stunts, using actors to appear alongside him in a variety of locations, such as visits to veterans’ hospitals, award ceremonies and meetings with family members of troops deployed in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has been accused of hiring actors to pose as soldiers and wearing body armour underneath his suit for his annual televised New Year address. Pictured left: A blonde woman, said to be a ‘medic’, has been spotted at other public appearances by Putin

Social media users compared photos of past appearances to match several people seen around Putin on more than one occasion, suggesting they are actors or even members of his security detail

Putin is seen awarding the mystery blonde woman with a medal prior to his New Year TV address

For example, the Russian president, 70, delivered a New Year’s address flanked by dozens of servicemen who were presented as having fought in Ukraine. 

But eagle-eyed viewers spotted that several of the supposed soldiers have appeared in previous Kremlin videos in different guises. 

One of the actors in the New Year’s address clip is a blonde woman seen standing over Putin’s right shoulder. Like the others, she is seen in military clothing having been given a medal earlier by the Russian despot, and continually shifts her gaze between him and the camera.

But this is not the first time she has been seen with Putin – the mysterious woman was once nicknamed Agent Cornetto, after she was spotted selling ice cream to Putin when he visited an air show.

She has also been photographed on a lake in the Novgorod region along with fishermen receiving a visit from the president, and was seen at a Russian Orthodox service attended by Putin. 

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