On May 24-25, 2023, Russian-language Facebook accounts (1, 2) started disseminating a caricature depicting the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Ukrainian soldiers. The caricature bears the logo of the French publication Courrier International. In the caricature, Zaluzhnyi and Ukrainian soldiers are sitting in a boat and sailing over the river “Styx” (the river, according to Greek mythology, leads to the underworld).
“Ukrainian Counter-offensive on the River Styx”, “The counter-offensive promised by Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in danger. How will the loss of Bakhmut affect the course of the conflict?” – we read on the cover.
The caricature disseminated in the name of Courrier International is fabricated. A similar caricature cannot be found on any covers of the May issues, including the special editions.
A comprehensive search of recent and previous Courrier International covers revealed that the publication does not have a cover containing the above-mentioned caricature. On May 25, a cover with serial number N°1699 was published, which has completely different content. It should be noted that the fake cover number is N°1700, while the serial number of the latest Courrier International magazine cover is N°1699.
In addition, the fabricated caricature claims to be a May special issue, although no such caricature can be found in the special issues section of Courrier International’s website.
Disseminating visual manipulations in the name of prominent Western outlets is a common propaganda method of Russian information warfare. Notably, Myth Detector has fact-checked another fabricated cover disseminated in the name of Courrier International amid the Russia-Ukraine war. For more details, see:
Miranda Mtchedlishvili
Myth Detector Laboratory
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