Russia spreads false claims about U.S F-16 pilot killed in Ukraine

Serhii Tiurin, the head of the administration, stated, "There were rocket attacks on infrastructure in the region. Fortunately, there were no injuries or damage. Ukrainian air defense forces also shot down two Shahed drones. The only damage reported was to an outbuilding on a private property." 

Ukrainian authorities did not report any major destruction, and even Russian authorities, known for claims about dozens of downed American planes, did not mention anything about F-16s in Ukraine.

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Immediately after the attack, Russian propaganda outlets began reporting the destruction of four American F-16s at the Starokonstiantyniv airfield, citing a pro-Russian blogger, Anatoliy Shariy, who is suspected of treason in Ukraine. He provided no evidence to support these claims. It’s worth noting that last year, new details surfaced about Shariy's work for Russian intelligence.

The falsehood about the destroyed F-16s was followed by further disinformation. A Telegram channel Military Columnist shared a screenshot from Facebook, allegedly showing the wife of an American pilot claiming her husband was killed in the Starokostiantyniv attack. However, her profile does not exist on social media, suggesting that the image was photoshopped.

The so-called "pilot's wife" also mentioned that there are other foreign fighters in Ukraine, a common Russian narrative about mercenaries in Ukraine.

• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new sanctions against Russian propaganda for attempts to undermine and polarize free and open societies.