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Russia Claims Capture of Village in Kharkiv Region—But It Hasn’t Existed Since 1997
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Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed that Russian forces captured the village of Shcherbakivka in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, but the settlement was officially liquidated nearly three decades ago and no longer exists.
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According to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), Russian propaganda outlets have widely circulated the Defense Ministry’s statement, presenting the alleged capture as another battlefield advance by Russian forces.
CCD said Russian propaganda outlets have widely circulated the Defense Ministry’s statement, portraying the alleged capture as another battlefield advance by Russian forces. However, the claim is false: Shcherbakivka was officially removed from Ukraine’s list of populated places in 1997 after the settlement was left without residents.
The settlement does not exist in Ukraine as of 2026, according to the report.
The CCD described the Russian Defense Ministry’s statement as a typical example of disinformation aimed at creating the impression that Russian forces are making continuous advances along multiple fronts.
A similar tactic was recently documented in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Ukrainian forces captured a Russian serviceman who appeared in a propaganda video falsely portraying the Ukrainian-controlled village of Zirnytsia as having been captured by Russian troops.
Ukraine’s 142nd Separate Mechanized Brigade said the prisoner belonged to Russia’s 5th Tank Brigade and had been sent to the area to plant a Russian flag and record footage that could later be used to falsely claim a Russian advance.
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