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Russian propaganda seeks to shift blame for NATO drone strikes to unexpected country
Russia is trying to blame Ukraine for the attacks on NATO. Recently, a video appeared in Lithuania showing “drone debris with Ukrainian writing,” which Russian Telegram channels have been actively spreading, Spravdi reports.
In early July, Polish investigators revealed that wreckage from Russian drones shot down in Ukraine contained 4G modems equipped with SIM cards from Polish mobile operators, as reported by Polish journalist Marek Budzisz. Later, a SIM card from a Lithuanian operator was also discovered in another drone. Analysts say the findings directly point to Russia’s preparation for drone incursions into NATO airspace, as Moscow tested mobile network connections in advance.
Fact-checkers at Ukrinform confirmed that the clip was professionally edited, with rapid scene changes, unlike amateur footage, indicating it was staged.
Fakes come alive on screen
The original video came from the TikTok account katelynltu, created specifically for this post. The account’s avatar is also used by other fake profiles, confirming its bot status.
Stefanov on the stage of lies
In reality, the video is a Russian propaganda fabrication aimed at distracting from Russia’s real attacks on NATO countries.
Russian propagandist RT correspondent Oleksii Stefanov, previously expelled from Latvia for propaganda, appears in the clip, confirming the action was planned.
Sky under attack
Since late July, Russia has regularly carried out drone attacks on the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. Lithuania confirmed that drones deliberately violated its airspace, while Poland and Romania were also targeted by Russian drones.
Similar fakes are actively spreading in Poland and Romania, undermining trust in information about actual strikes.
On 10 September, Russian drones violated Polish airspace. The incident prompted Polish aviation to scramble and temporarily shut down airports in Warsaw, Lublin, and Rzeszów amid fears of a wider attack. NATO advanced fighter jets shot down at least four of the reportedly 19 drones that crossed into Poland.
