Russian propagandists used the design and photos from a genuine media report to justify strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Russian propaganda Telegram channels are circulating a screenshot purportedly showing a publication by the Al Jazeera media network. The fake report claims that Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure allegedly reduced the number of calls from so-called scam call centers by 60%.
According to the propagandists, these call centers supposedly defrauded people in various countries around the world, while after the Russian strikes, the number of crimes involving telephone fraud "decreased" in Israel, Poland, the United Kingdom, Hungary and Serbia.
This is false. Russian propagandists fabricated the screenshot, presenting a fictitious report as an Al Jazeera publication. To do so, they used an August 11, 2026, report by the media outlet, including footage of the aftermath of an attack on Zaporizhzhia.
The original Al Jazeera report said that at least 12 people had been killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine and quoted President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying that Russia had used North Korean missiles. The subheadline noted that a children's hospital in Kyiv had also been hit.
