Russian propaganda spreads new fakes about Ukrainian skeleton racer during Olympics
Russian propaganda has continued its campaign to discredit Ukraine during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Most of the false stories circulated during the Olympics have concerned skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych who had planned to compete in a helmet featuring portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russian forces.
Source: Center for Countering Disinformation
Details: A new fake story, styled as a Reuters report, has recently been circulated by Russian media outlets. It claims that Ukrainian authorities intend to pressure members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding Heraskevych's disqualification by releasing their personal data.
The claims are false. Russian propagandists manipulated original footage from the reputable agency, adding misleading commentary and inserts – a common tactic used by Moscow that repurposes global media reports.
Russian outlets have circulated a fake cover of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, portraying the Ukrainian athlete as a Nazi. The magazine has published no such issue.
The centre reported a surge in Russian propaganda activities targeting Ukraine since the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics, aimed at undermining the reputation of the country and its athletes.
Background: This is not the first fake circulated by Russian propagandists. Earlier, an image appeared online showing Hungarian skier Ádám Kónya holding a sign reading "We're all fed up with U (Ukraine)", supposedly reacting to the situation around Heraskevych. The original photo, however, was published earlier and included no such text.
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