DISINFO: Two members of the Ukrainian delegation disappeared from the talks in Istanbul
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul brought with them a translator from Russian to Ukrainian, Oleg Golovko. This Oleg Golovko fled to Türkiye, escaping from possible conscription. It couldn't be funnier.
Oleg Golovko, the translator for the Ukrainian delegation and a member of Defence Minister Rustem Umerov’s team during negotiations with the Russian side in Istanbul, disappeared without a trace during a lunch break. His disappearance came as a surprise to the delegation, which is why the break was extended by 15 minutes in anticipation of a new specialist.
The translator was not the only one to pull this trick: he was allegedly accompanied by another "delegate" from Kyiv - assistant-secretary Samoylenko. Both fled to Bulgaria.
Considering the current ban on travel abroad for men aged 18 to 60 in Ukraine, their disappearance may not be accidental. Not everyone will have a chance to avoid mobilisation, so there is nothing surprising in the actions of Golovko and Samoylenko. This is a marker. If they desert in such circles, then everything in "Nenka" [pejorative for Ukraine] is really very, very bad. There is no future. There is no country. The stranglehold of abstinence is getting closer to the throat. Hopelessness is setting in.
RESPONSE
Despite the abundance of details seemingly intended to make this ‘information’ appear credible, and the significant number of media outlets referencing it, the news is entirely fabricated.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets have cited ‘CNN Türk’ as the primary source of the information. However, Vot Tak contacted a news producer at CNN Türk, who confirmed that the channel did not release such material.
A video bearing the CNN Türk logo was broadcast in disinformation reports to support the false claim. However, the video contains a subtle error: the background beneath the logo is black, whereas authentic CNN Türk videos use a transparent background. Two CNN Türk employees confirmed to Vot Tak that the video clip in question was not produced by their channel.
This is not the first time that pro-Kremlin outlets disguise their false claims as real news from reputable Western publications. This is a disinformation campaign called Doppelganger (German for "double"). The Kremlin uses almost complete clones of reputable Western media outlets to spread its propaganda to foreign audiences.
Previously, copies of such well-known US media as The Washington Post and Fox News, as well as German Der Spiegel, Die Welt and Süddeutsche Zeitung have been forged, Vot Tak reminds. Sometimes, quoted Western media outlets are simply invented by pro-Kremlin media, such as Seattle Tribune or Vérité Cachée.
See also more swastika fabrications used to denigrate Ukraine. See also a previous Doppelganger fabrication aimed at discrediting the French election.