New Campaign for Russian Outlet Sparks Criticism Over 'Exploitative' Use of Images of Ukrainian Victims

A new advertising campaign for the Russian media outlet Meduza has drawn criticism from Ukrainian social media users for reportedly exploiting images of Ukrainian civilians affected by Russia’s aggression for the purposes of promoting the Russian outlet.

The campaign, created pro bono by Berlin-based creative agency LURE, uses footage from sites of Russian attacks in Ukraine to promote Meduza’s reporting, with the tagline: “Where other headlines end, Meduza begins.”

The campaign includes images of destroyed buildings in Borodianka, footage of a woman mourning in Bucha, and a photo of Yaroslav Bazylevych, whose family was killed in a Russian strike on Lviv. Social media users and critics argue that the campaign exploits the suffering of Ukrainians to promote a Russian media outlet, raising ethical concerns about the use of war-related imagery.

“Creating promo content for the Russian ‘Medusa,’ Lure Berlin used pictures of Ukrainian people to literally make a fundraiser for the Russians, responsible for the genocide. They use our suffering so that you pity them. Cannibals, parasites — those words hardly cut it,” writes social media user @Ukrostap on X.

LURE states that its campaign was developed after surveying 800 people across 90 countries. The agency describes the effort as a global initiative to support press freedom, emphasizing that all work was done without charge. According to LURE’s founder and creative director, the campaign aims to highlight Meduza’s role in providing independent journalism despite pressure from Russian authorities.

The campaign was launched through guerrilla projections in Berlin, London, Paris, and Helsinki, alongside digital and print advertisements. It includes a short film composed entirely of journalistic footage, as well as podcast ads featuring Meduza’s journalists. The project was supported by multiple agencies within the WPI global network.

Meduza, which operates in exile after being declared a ‘foreign agent’ in Russia, relies on crowdfunding to sustain its operations.