Russia’s “Proof” of Capturing Bilyi Kolodyaz Features a Six-Meter Soldier and Disappearing Flag

Russian military channels claimed their forces had captured Bilyi Kolodyaz in the Vovchansk direction, but the video presented as evidence appears to feature a massively oversized, AI-edited soldier and a flag that fades out while the footage remains otherwise still.

OSINT analyst Richard Zai flagged the clip on July 27 after noticing a soldier—shown in a treeline at the settlement’s eastern edge—appearing several meters wide and far out of scale with his surroundings.

The figure waves a Russian flag before it abruptly dissolves from the frame, one of several visible signs that the footage was digitally manipulated.

“I’ll say he is a 6m giant, that’s why he can occupy Bilyi Kolodyaz' by himself,” the analyst said.

The Russian military channel posted the video under the title: “Our own sources. Soldiers of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Battalion of the 127th Regiment, together with Storm-V detachments, completed the liberation of Bilyi Kolodyaz.”

Rather than confirming control of the settlement, the clip produced what appears to be a giant soldier standing beside a disappearing flag—an unusually literal example of Russia manufacturing battlefield gains.

Earlier, Russian sources confirmed another Ukrainian strike involving the Ruta cruise missile, with newly published wreckage matching the Block 1 version previously used in combat.

Propaganda channels released images showing only the missile’s tail section. That part often survives because it is located far from the warhead, making it useful for identifying the weapon involved.

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