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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Are Russia and Ukraine both employing war propaganda?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

Both Russia and Ukraine are employing propaganda as part of their military strategies.

In Ukraine, legends of heroic figures and acts are disseminated to boost morale. Examples include a mysterious fighter pilot downing Russian aircraft called the "Ghost of Kyiv," cats that spot Russian sniper dots and footage of a supposed Ukrainian Air Force success that was taken from a video game.

In Russia, claims about the need to "denazify" Ukraine and protect Russians in eastern Ukraine from "genocide" are used to maintain support for the invasion. Russia has also been caught blaming its own attacks on the Ukrainian military or "crisis actors."

While Ukraine recently outlawed the sharing of military-related images, Russia's censorship is farther reaching, banning all forms of non-state media. The 2021 World Press Freedom Index ranks Russia considerably lower than Ukraine.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Military Times How Ukraine is winning the propaganda war
New York Times Ukraine acknowledges that the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ is a myth.
USA Today Fact check: Claim about using cats to detect Russian snipers was fabricated
USA Today Fact check: Fighter jet clip from video game, not Russian invasion of Ukraine
FactCheck.org The Facts on ‘De-Nazifying’ Ukraine
PolitiFact Vladimir Putin repeats false claim of genocide in Ukraine
New York Times 4 Falsehoods Russians Are Told About the War
Reporters Without Borders 2021 World Press Freedom Index
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.