Russian propaganda is used to justify the invasion of Ukraine, painting Russia as a victim of NATO aggression, simply trying to defend itself and “liberate” Ukrainians. All the while, Russia launches missiles at our cities, killing hundreds of civilians. In occupied territories, Russia kills, tortures, and conscripts Ukrainians, restricts their rights or forces them to get Russian passports. Thousands of children are separated from their families and sent to Russia. Russia then uses disinformation to deny these war crimes, often pinning the blame on Ukraine. Russia tried to convince the world that Ukraine was bombing its own citizens. It pushed the narrative that images of civilians massacred in the streets of Bucha in 2022 were fake, or a British operation, or the work of Ukraine's own forces, depending on which outlet you read that week. Russia said its aircraft had struck no ground targets at all in Mariupol, when in fact they had bombed a drama theater where hundreds of civilians were sheltering and the word "children" was written outside in letters large enough to read from space. In July 2025, Russia's disinformation came for us directly. Fake videos and posts began circulating with the Kyiv Independent's logo, claiming that President Volodymyr Zelensky had sanctioned a list of American public figures — Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr., and Marjorie Taylor Greene among them. We never published anything of the kind, as it never happened. "It appears our logo and name are being used as part of a coordinated Russian disinformation effort," our deputy chief editor Oleksiy Sorokin said at the time. The same operation impersonated more than 50 outlets, including the BBC. Russian disinformation is not actually designed to make you believe one particular story. It is designed to leave you with a feeling of skepticism and mistrust, that you cannot trust anything you read or see. That’s why accurate, independent reporting is so important. | 
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