Fake video bearing "Suspilne Kharkiv" logo appears online. Suspilne suspects Russian involvement

The fake video bearing the Suspilne Kharkiv logo. Photo – corp.suspilne.media

Suspilne Broadcasting says that a fake video bearing the "Suspilne Kharkiv" logo has appeared online. The broadcaster considers this provocation to be an element of the Russia's hybrid war, the company's website reports.

The video in question was uploaded online on May 5. It is about an Orthodox Church of Ukraine abbot in Tsyrkuny, Kharkiv oblast, who allegedly gambled away the money donated by his parishioners' for the restoration of the church in an online casino.

Suspilne declares they did not film the video and have no relation to its distribution.

The company has learned that the video was first uploaded by pro-Russian media and was edited together from old photos taken from the Facebook page of the Tsyrkuny parish.

The channel notes that the Russian involvement can be traced in the incorrect pronunciation of Ukrainian words, and the graphic elements in the video do not align with the style used by "Suspilne Kharkiv".

Vyacheslav Mavrychev, the Suspilne branch's chief editor, says that the graphic elements used in the clip only imitate the design used by the team.

"We can see that the typefaces are different and the logos are placed differently on the screen. Furthermore, the very pronunciation of the name 'Tsirkuni' betrays the 'Moscow jaw' of the authors of this fake. People who live and work in Kharkiv would never make such a mistake," he said.

On May 9, 2024, Russian hackers targeted Suspilne Broadcasting, jamming the signal and trying to replace the content with the stream of the Moscow parade.