The fabricated letters from Ukraine's Consulate General in Dusseldorf invite German citizens to join the International Legion in Ukraine for a financial award, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko reported on Dec. 9. He said that the Ukrainian diplomatic mission never sent such messages.
The International Legion is a military formation created for foreign fighters dedicated to defending Ukraine in its fight against Russia's full-scale invasion.
Nikolenko called the fake letters "part of the enemy's disinformation campaign, which aims to discredit Ukrainian diplomacy, undermine support for Ukraine from Germany and its citizens."
Consuls have reported the incidents to the German police, according to Nikolenko.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Dec. 7 that 31 Ukrainian diplomatic missions in multiple countries had recently received threats.
According to Kuleba, "this campaign is aimed at sowing fear and intimidating Ukrainian diplomats." He said that Russia was either directly responsible or that it was someone "who sympathizes (with) the Russian cause and tries to spread fear."