Russian-language Facebook users (1, 2, 3) have been disseminating a photo they claim depicts the December 30 cover of the Indian publication Rodip Reb. On one side of the circulated photo, we see Ukrainian refugees and rodents on the other. The photo is accompanied by an English inscription: “BATTLE FOR EUROPE.” Rats and refugees: the situation in Europe is becoming increasingly tense.”
On January 5, 2024, Olesya Loseva, a journalist and TV anchor of Channel One of Russia, published an identical photo on her Telegram channel.
The authors of the post disseminate a photofabrication. An Indian publication under the name Rodip Reb does not exist and is made up.
The Indian publication Rodip Reb cannot be searched by any search engine, including Google, Yandex, and Bing. The photo shared on the social network also shows the website address of the publication: www.rodipreb.in, although it is not possible to access the specified site.
The photo of the cover of the publication with the same name was circulated in the past and it was verified by “Myth Detector”. Even then, the cover had anti-Ukrainian content.
After the cover of the same non-existent publication was first published, “Myth Detector” verified its authenticity with the Indian fact-checking organization, FACTLY MEDIA & RESEARCH. The organization denied the existence of an Indian publication bearing the name of Rodip Reb.
The photo itself can also not be found on the Internet. It is spread only on social networks, mainly by Russian-language accounts, and it is believed that the primary source is the Russian journalist Olesya Loseva, the anchor of the program “Время пакежет” (Time Will Tell) on the Channel One of Russia. She is a supporter and propagandist of the Russian government and has published fake photos on her Telegram channel in the past, including ones aimed to discredit Ukraine.
Fabricated covers of anti-Ukrainian content have been spread many times in the name of different media. For more details, see “Myth Detector” articles:
- FABRICATED CARICATURE OF VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY SPREAD IN THE NAME OF FRENCH NEWSPAPER
- THE NATION DID NOT PUBLISH A CARICATURE OF ZELENSKYY AND THE LEOPARDS
- A FABRICATED CARICATURE ABOUT A UKRAINIAN FENCER CIRCULATED UNDER THE NAME OF “CHARLIE HEBDO”
- FABRICATED CARICATURES OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE IN THE NAME OF WESTERN PUBLICATIONS DISSEMINATED AFTER THE NATO SUMMIT
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
