Russia vs Ukraine: The War of Fake Videos on the Internet

With the quickly escalating scene to the eastern border of Ukraine, especially after the Russian president's official recognition of the two separatist republics; Donetsk and Luhansk, more and more videos are being shared online pushing politicians propaganda by both sides.

Whether you are following the news pouring from Ukraine and Russia on Twitter, Facebook, or the Russian messaging app Telegram, you will probably see a flood of videos suggesting that a full-scale war has started already in eastern Europe.

The possibility of a full-scale war is still quite strong, especially with the increasing NATO presence in Europe and the fiery statements by politicians worried about a Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, most videos shared online by random accounts have proved to be unreliable.

While many online users have been widely sharing videos showing alleged military tanks advancing into Ukrainian borders, firing at people or buildings, many others have been warning of videos that are only part of a political propaganda effort to inflame the already deteriorating situation on the ground.

Some other videos have been posted by pro-Russian accounts suggesting that the Ukrainian army is "lazy" and "dumb" and that they are not ready for the potential confrontation. 

Some online accounts even posted a video showing pro-Russian reporters "staging a video" to be posted later online, urging social media people to be careful with the videos they share and to not help the efforts of spreading fear and terror in areas near the Ukrainian-Russian border.