Independent Russian media outlet Meduza and a German PR agency both apologized on Feb. 2 for a promotional campaign that featured photos of Ukrainian war victims.
The campaign used a photo of Yaroslav Bazylevych whose entire family was killed when a Russian missile hit their apartment building on Sept. 4 in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
His 7-year-old daughter Emilia, 18-year-old Daryna and 21-year-old Yaryna were killed together with his wife Yevhenia, 43, as they were making their way to a bomb shelter
Meduza used a photo from his family's funeral, as well as other pictures of Ukrainian war victims in a promotional video as part of the campaign, which has now been pulled.
Bazylevych told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 1 that the images were used without his permission.
In its apology, Meduza claimed "the video was selected with care and in full compliance with legal requirements."
"Nevertheless, it included images of Ukrainians who had not given permission for their use. This was a mistake, and we deeply regret it," it added.
Bazylevych told the Kyiv Independent he considered the use of his photo "unacceptable."
Berlin-based Lure PR agency, which worked on the campaign with Meduza, also issued a public apology on Feb. 2, specifically mentioning the footage of Bazylevych in its campaign which provoked outrage from Ukrainians.
The PR agency claimed that their intention was to "stand in solidarity with Ukraine and support independent journalism that challenges Russian propaganda."
The ad campaign has been removed from the agency's website.
"We deeply regret that our approach caused distress, particularly regarding the inclusion of Yaroslav Bazylevych," Lure said in a statement released on their official Instagram.
"We have listened to concerns raised and, together with Meduza, have taken the campaign down. We remain committed to supporting those fighting for truth and justice against Russia's brutal war and propaganda machine."
Meduza says the ad campaign was developed pro-bono by Lure but has not otherwise disclosed who financed the launch of the campaign or where the funds originated from. When asked by the Kyiv Independent about the campaign’s funding, a Meduza spokesperson referred to the outlet’s public statement without further comment.
Meduza initially announced plans to expand the campaign across digital platforms, print media, and offline spaces in major cities, including events in Berlin, London, Paris, and New York.
The campaign was met with swift criticism in Ukraine, by both officials and the public.
"Exploiting our tragedy to evoke sympathy for Russians is a complete disgrace," said Ukraine's Foreign Ministry in a statement.
"We demand that all such promo content exploiting Ukrainian suffering caused by Russian terror be removed immediately from all media platforms where it has appeared," said Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi.
Founded in 2014, Meduza, an independent Russian news outlet headquartered in Latvia, was designated a "foreign agent" by Moscow in 2021.
The ad campaign was supposed to expand its reach among English-speaking audiences.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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