Ahead of Victory Day, Russia distributes propaganda leaflets by drone in Ukraine's border areas
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Ahead of Victory Day, Russia has used drones to distribute propaganda materials in areas of Ukraine bordering Russia and Russian-occupied territory, Ukraine's government-run Center for Countering Disinformation reported on May 7.
According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, Russian forces have been distributing "propaganda" leaflets that resemble hryvnia banknotes, Ukraine's national currency.
"The leaflets contain suspicious QR codes and messages aimed at discrediting Ukraine's military and political leadership and speculating on the topic of World War II with calls for a joint celebration of Victory Day," the center wrote.
It also urged residents of the border areas not to scan the QR codes or touch the "propaganda materials," and report such findings to the police or the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The report added that similar tactics involving money had previously been observed in border areas of Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.
The center did not specify the areas where the leaflets were distributed, but Suspilne Donbas reported on May 7 that local residents of Ukraine's front-line cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast had seen the leaflets.
Every year on May 9, Russia stages large-scale military parades in Moscow and other cities across Russia and occupied Ukraine to commemorate the end of World War II in Europe.
The celebrations emphasize the Soviet Union's role in the victory, and the Kremlin uses the event to showcase its military might and reinforce official propaganda narratives around the war in Ukraine.
But projecting military might will be particularly tricky for the Kremlin this year — the Moscow parade will not feature its traditional column of military vehicles "due to the current operational situation," Russia's Defense Ministry said April 28.
