The claim

Photos and a video are intended to prove that actors in Ukraine were made up with fake blood as victims in order to provide the Western world with bloody images.

Our conclusion

The photos and video were taken by an Associated Press photographer. They show wounded people after rocket attacks on October 10th in Kiev. The injuries and the blood are real.

On October 10, Kiev was bombarded by a shower of rockets. Pictures and videos show victims of the attacks. Bloodstained faces, rescue workers on site. And of course also photographers who capture these historical images.

Victims are allegedly actors wearing makeup

Now the rumor is spreading on social media that these are actors who were made up for the photos. Fake blood was used, as claimed Facebook post

Screenshot Facebook “Fake blood on actors” in Ukraine
Screenshot Facebook “Fake blood on actors” in Ukraine

also being spread on Telegram : “How Kiev is fabricating new false statements about “Russian bomb victims” for the Western media.”

MIMIKAMA
Screenshot Telegram

Twitter shouldn't be missing either. A “prominent independent analyst and media expert” posts here, as Maria Dubovikova states in her profile.

Looking for the photo

We quickly find what we are looking for and find a photo of the woman whose head is bandaged. The bandage in the chin area is soaked with blood, and there is also a large blood stain on her shirt. The photo is shown on the waz.de in the news about the Ukraine war:

MIMIKAMA
Screenshot photo waz.de

The photographer is listed here: Efrem Lukatsky/AP/dpa
He comments on Facebok about Maria Dubovikova's tweet:

“You accuse me of deceiving the world with my photos. Lots of inquiries and accusations. They say there were no casualties after the attack on Kiev.”

Efrem Lukatsky on Facebook

Several of his photos of the injured woman can be found on the AP Images site HERE , HERE and HERE . seen on the Associated Press website

Lousy false claims

Hopefully it goes without saying that people would prefer not to believe bad events such as the war in Ukraine. However, the fact that facts are distorted and the assumption here that the horror and suffering are only staged speaks a different story. A language that we can never fully understand.

DW 's fact-checking team contacted photographer Lukatsky and received information that the photos of the wounded were taken intersection of Zhylianska and Lva Tolstogo

“When we arrived we saw people standing against a wall being helped. They received medical care from doctors and military personnel. That was the first scene we shot. Besides me, there were a few journalists with cameras. In total, I would say up to 10 people.”

Efrem Lukatsky

Lukatsky not only took photos, but also recorded a video with his cell phone. The video that is now going viral on social media is an approximately 13-second excerpt from it. In the original video you can hear the woman complaining about a headache.

Injuries not made up

In a video from the Ukrainian broadcaster 1+1, a report was made with the very woman in the photos. Her name is Oleksandra Kyselyova. She was on her way to a shelter on October 10th when she was injured. Here you can still see her injuries, some of which required stitches.

MIMIKAMA
Screenshot video 1+1

Among other things, she also says that her sister in Russia should see her injuries so that she knows that such attacks are actually taking place in Ukraine.

Conclusion

There were no actors on site here who were made up for photos in order to “provide the Western world with bloody images.”

The attacks are real, the rockets in Ukraine are real, the injuries are real.

All reports that this was a production are lousy false claims.

Source:

dw.com , waz.de , AP News
You might also be interested in: No, the head of the investigation into the Nordstream sabotage did not die after a bee sting


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )