KURSK, September 5. /TASS/. Over 130 hoaxes, which gathered over 270 million views, have been disseminated after the Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk Region, the regional government’s press office reported.
"Since the beginning of the Ukrainian armed forces’ invasion of the Kursk Region in August, the number of fake news has increased significantly. This has been disclosed by Mikhail Shumakov, head of the Regional Management Center. During the past month, a total of 134 hoaxes with coverage of over 270 million views have been disseminated in the region," the press office said.
Most frequently, the hoaxes included reports of alleged evacuations, deficit of goods and food, failures of the Russian Armed Forces, and the situation at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. There were cases of use of the deepfake technology and forgeries of official documents and announcements.
"They create fake online pages of officials and district administrations. We have learned to identify and expose them, and we urge the people to be more careful and to always check any information," Shumakov said, according to the press office.
The official underscored that the number of fake news regarding the elections may increase in the upcoming days. The authorities urge the residents of the region to rely only on official sources of information.
On August 6, Russia’s borderline Kursk Region came under a massive attack from Ukraine. A state of federal emergency is in effect in the region. Local residents are being evacuated to safe areas. According to the Emergencies Ministry, over 11,500 people, including more than 3,500 children, are staying at temporary accommodation centers, health and social facilities across Russia.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kiev has lost over 10,000 troops and 81 tanks since fighting began in the Kursk area. The operation to destroy Ukrainian troops continues.