Following the new offensive in Kharkiv region, the Russian Federation's army suffered significant personnel losses. To conceal the true situation, Z-channels are circulating military videos with fake voiceovers that downplay the losses, according to the report from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts note that on June 7, Russian correspondents published footage on Telegram where purported servicemen of the 1009th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Russian Federation refute claims of their unit's destruction in combat, contrary to recent assertions.
According to information from the Russian opposition publication Astra, the video was revealed as a fake. The footage itself may be authentic. The video, most likely filmed on the Kharkiv front, features troops from the BARS military unit, not the 1009th regiment. Additionally, the video has a fake voiceover.
Indeed, in the original footage released on June 5, soldiers were requesting drones. However, in the version with altered audio, soldiers are heard saying:
"We are servicemen of the 1009th regiment, part of the North military group. We want to dispel all rumors of heavy losses. It's not true. Don't fall for provocations," military personnel stated.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War emphasized that BARS soldiers cover their mouths with masks, which facilitates social media "actors" to replace the original audio recording with a manipulated one.
"The BARS personnel notably cover their mouths in their original video, making it easy for social media actors to replace the video's original audio with fake audio as viewers cannot see that the false audio does not match the movements of the soldiers' mouths," experts concluded.
ISW also added details regarding losses in the 1009th regiment of the Russian Federation. Specifically, in a video from June 2, a Russian soldier claiming to be from the 5th company of the 1009th Motorized Rifle Regiment stated that only 12 out of the initial 100 members remained in his company, who were deployed near Vovchansk in Kharkiv region.
The Russian Federation failed to implement the Kharkiv operation. In an evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that efforts in that direction would be intensified.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that according to ISW analysts, Russia is attempting to discredit the pro-Western governments of Ukraine that supported both Maidans.
