The point to see through the Ukraine invasion "fake video" was in such a place

Here's the key to spotting the flood of "fake videos" surrounding Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.

In the course of the "hybrid warfare" that led to the military invasion of Ukraine, various "fake videos" that seemed to be used as pretexts were circulated.

On February 26, the Dutch investigative media "Bellingcat" and the US news media "Newzee" published the verification results of the main "fake videos" that were circulated prior to the military invasion on YouTube for less than 7 minutes. Released as a video.

"Sabotage of sewage treatment plant by Ukrainian operatives", "Ukrainian military incursion into Russian border", "Civilian injured in leg amputation in attack by Ukrainian military" - all spread through social and Russian media It's a "fake video".

What they have in common is the allegation that the Ukrainian government led the armed attack. However, both videos have been verified and shown to be fictitious.

On February 27, the European Union (EU), which saw the impact of fake news in Russia's "hybrid warfare", announced restrictions on the Russian media. Major platforms have also come up with measures such as strengthening verification.

And each user's ability to assess information is also being questioned.

● "Action camera footage"

On February 18, the "Official Channel for Public Relations of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) People's Army" of the Russian-originating message app "Telegram" posted "DNR Public Relations Officer "Emergency statement of the person", along with such an explanation, posted a video of less than one and a half minutes.

The video shows what appears to be a battle scene from within the forest, and has been viewed more than 30,000 times on "Telegram."

Gorlovka is a city in eastern Ukraine, within the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic, on the border with the Ukrainian government-controlled area. Here, there was a battle between the Ukrainian side and the pro-Russian side, and this video was released as an action camera footage of the killed Ukrainian fighters.

The post claims that Polish mercenaries were involved in the Ukrainian military because they were able to intercept communications in Polish prior to the engagement.

Pro-Russian factions have long claimed that mercenaries from neighboring Poland, a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), have joined the Ukrainian government forces, and the Ukrainian government has denied this. there is

Furthermore, when an Internet user who downloaded this video file examined the attached "metadata", it was found that the fighting took place around 4:00 am on February 18th, although the post states that the battle took place. He discovers that the creation date of the video file is February 8, 10 days before, and the folder creation date of the computer where the file was saved is February 4, 4 days before.

Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, introduces this. He also points out that the metadata shows that the original video file has the gunshot sound synthesized from another video file.

From the results of searching for the file name that remained in the metadata, it turned out that the original video was filmed during a military exercise held in Finland in 2010.

It is also clear from internet users that this video is being broadcast as a news video by the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK). This pattern is also reported by TASS.

February 18th is the day when the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic released a video of an "evacuation order" for their residents, citing the tension in the situation. The "fake video" would have been prepared at least two weeks in advance.

And the "evacuation order" video on the 18th was also revealed to have been filmed two days before, by verifying the metadata by net users.

*See also: What was the key to elucidating the mechanism of the "suspicious video" by Internet users? (02/21/2022 Newspaper Studies)

● "Battle on the Russian Border"

A 40-second video posted on "Telegram" on February 21 shows two armored vehicles of the Ukrainian army lining up, "Donetsk People's It is explained that it was taken with a helmet-mounted wearable camera as it headed from the front line of the "Republic" to the Russian border. The video has been viewed more than 360,000 times on Telegram.

Also on the same day, Russian media "RBC" posted a 37-second video on Twitter, citing it as footage from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), purporting to show a border crossing being destroyed by a projectile from Ukraine. . The video has been viewed more than 54,000 times on Twitter.

On this day, President Putin of Russia signed a presidential decree recognizing the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Lugansk People's Republic" as states.

Shortly after the release of both videos, experts in the research method "Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)" based on public information found that the shooting location was in the southern part of the "Donetsk People's Republic". Identify roughly the same point across the Russian border.

The Russian-made armored vehicle shown in the video is not in service with the Ukrainian army, according to Dutch open-source intelligence blog Oryx.

In addition, according to the verification videos of "Bellingcat" and "Newzee", it is necessary to pass through the pro-Russian-controlled area for 25 miles (about 40 km) to reach the filming location from the area controlled by the Ukrainian government. There is

Furthermore, the border crossing was severely damaged in a single hit, which cannot be considered a normal artillery shell. Certified.

Mr. Higgins commented that in about an hour from the release of the video, the verification until the discovery of the "false flag operation" was completed.

●“A soldier's leg amputation” and a prosthetic leg

The “Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) People’s Army Official Channel” was also posted on “Telegram” on February 21, along with such a post, and left by artillery fire. It released a video lasting just under a minute and a half that showed a local resident who said his leg had been amputated. The video has been viewed more than 6,800 times on Telegram.

"Open source intelligence" expert Oliver Alexander says part of a prosthetic leg is visible in the "mutilated" left leg as residents are being carried out. point out.

It means that he had already taken a video of "leg amputation" using a person with a prosthetic leg.

"Propaganda is already at a ridiculous level," Alexander said.

● Countermeasures against the "Kremlin Media"

Mr. The pillars of the sanctions measures include the banning of Russian aircraft from the region and sanctions against the Lukashenko government in Belarus, where Russian troops are stationed, as well as restrictions on the Russian media.

Shows the impact of the spread of fake news in Russia's "hybrid warfare".

The Digital Forensics Research Lab (DFR Lab), a research institute of the U.S. think tank Atlantic Council, has investigated Russia's major "false flag operations" prior to the invasion of Ukraine by studying Russian media such as RT and Sputnik. summarizes how it spread.

The battle between platform companies such as social media and the Russian government has also begun.

Roskomnadzor, the Federal Agency for the Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Media Sectors of the Russian Federation (Roskomnadzor), published such a document on February 25, titled "Protection measures for the Russian media."

In response, Meta Vice President and former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg issued the following statement:

On the 26th, Meta's official blog announced an enhanced fact-checking system regarding the situation in Ukraine, as well as safety measures for users, such as the ability to lock profiles.

Russia's "hybrid warfare" has also turned its brunt on social media and other platforms, where it appears to be retaliating.

British research firm "Netblocks" revealed that several providers in Russia have restricted access to Twitter since the morning of February 26. Twitter is also aware of the situation.

Twitter also announced on the 25th that it will strengthen user safety measures and detect platform manipulation, fraud, fake news, etc. regarding the situation in Ukraine.

Also, on the 25th, in addition to countermeasures against fake news, Google also announced measures to prevent monetization of Russian state media and strengthen user protection.

●The power of community as a countermeasure against fakes

While there is verification of fake videos, there are also many verified real videos and images that convey the reality of Russia's armed aggression on social media. shared.

There is a "Russia-Ukraine Monitor Map" by the British NPO "Information Resilience Center (CIR)".

On the "Russia/Ukraine Monitor Map", "Bellingcat" and others have cooperated to display more than 570 videos, images, and other posts that have been verified on the map.

Mr. Higgins sums up the examination of "fake videos" and says so.

Each user's eyes will be strong.

(*Reprinted from February 28, 2022 "Newspaper Studies" with additions and corrections)