On 11 April 2023, the Ukrainian online media Obozrevatel reported that a fake page imitating the news portal had been created, in an alleged Russian attempt at disinforming the Ukrainian public. Obozrevatel appealed to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to apply appropriate measures, without specifying what these should be. SBU did not immediately comment on the case.

In a statement, Obozrevatel said that the fake page, which is registered as Obozrevatel.ltd, while the original website is Obozrevatel.com, copied the visual design of the media’s website, and appeared on users’ Facebook feed as sponsored content. The fake page “presents information in an odd format”, and is a “typical Russian IPSO (Informational-Psychological Special Operation), which spreads content precisely at the time news [is published] on Ukraine’s counteroffensive” against invading Russian forces, Obozrevatel said.

“Propagandists want to create disappointment among Ukrainians, and readers often cannot tell the difference between original versions and mirror sites. We note that these fraudsters attempt to discredit the leadership of Ukraine and our Defense Forces by creating pages with sponsored content on social media, with attention-grabbing pictures and a link leading to the mirror site of an [original] publication,” Obozrevatel wrote. In the fake Obozrevatel article in question, information was published on alleged disinterest by Western countries in delivering military equipment to Ukraine.

According to Obozrevatel, fake pages often “use blurred photos from the Internet, which do not even correspond to the content of their fictional text. These ‘materials’ [also] do not contain any references to sources”, the media outlet claimed in its statement.