Ukrainian Troll's Cynical Fake News on Hundreds of Victims in Kemerovo Fire Provokes Disgust in Russia
Today, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow has arrested a Ukrainian prankster, Volnov. He deliberately spread rumors that the fire in the Kemerovo mall had allegedly taken the lives of hundreds of people. As it often happens in such situations, there were people who were eager to parrot these rumors. Among those people were average social network users, along with professional journalists who even broadcasted this unverified information.
Our correspondent Pavel Zarubin will tell us why they did it.
- Where did you learn all this?
Albert Tabermakov: "On social networks. I woke up after my shift, heard about the protest, so I went".
He apologizes today. Earlier, Albert Tabermakov, an ER employee in Kemerovo, during a protest in the city center, when the emotions were already running hot, made a public statement about something he didn't see for himself but had read online.
Albert Tabermakov: "It's over 300 people today. Kemerovo's morgues are full. 70% of those that died were children".
- Introduce yourself.
Albert Tabermakov: "I'm an emergency medical responder".
- So, the majority of information came from social networks?
Albert Tabermakov: "Yes, mostly from there".
- So, there were no specifics, you just read it?
Albert Tabermakov: "No, no specifics, I just read it. I wasn't personally there, you know".
- I see.
Albert Tabermakov: "So, someone had set me up".
- They did, badly.
Albert Tabermakov: "They really did".
- They've set you up and confused people.
He isn't hiding it, and it's a known fact by now that the blatantly false stories about hundreds of victims in Kemerovo were knowingly posted by the Ukrainian prankster Volnov. He called the Kemerovo morgue, said he was calling from a high-ranking authority, and told them to get ready to accept hundreds of bodies. That's when various rumors started.
Evgeny Volnov, the prankster: "This was done to heat things up, to blow people's minds, and it worked".
This "person" said his boss had demanded to have all the flowers and toys removed from the burnt down building.
- Nobody gave you these orders.
Evgeny Volnov: "Yes, they did, and I'm giving you this order".
Russia's Investigative Committee has filed charges against Volnov. It's obvious that some Ukrainians have been feeling odd for the past few years. But, even in Russia, there were those who started spreading these lies among millions of people without verifying the information.
"The number of victims has increased to 500 people".
"We're strictly forbidden to talk about this".
"400 morgue spots were officially requested in neighboring cities".
Nikolay Sobolev. These are so-called YouTube channels. Any person can grab a camera, record themselves saying anything they want, post it online, and become a trending blogger. The way these YouTube channels operate is simple. The more scandalous your video, the more followers you'll have, the more money you'll make.
Nikolay Sobolev: "Subscribe to this channel and take care of yourself".
Modern technology allows you to professionally edit videos in the comfort of your own home.
Valeria Kumpf, a psychologist: "If he wrote this, he knows everything, I believe him. And the panic begins. You can post any false information on social networks. It spreads quickly, people catch up on it and start spreading it. Nobody will remember where it all came from and whether it's even true".
"They've already brought 170 bodies. They ran out of body bags. This is f*cked up".
To ensure online credibility, such voice recordings must include swearing. Their authors are very well aware of that. Nobody is even trying to figure out whose voice it is or who this woman is. But, many people still click the share button, spreading false information.
Urvan Parfentyev, an RCCIT analyst: "If people see that this information is all over the web, it's posted on numerous websites and social network groups of famous people, this information is perceived as credible".
On www.vk.com, there were even attempted cyber attacks on VGTRK, major Russian TV channels, Russia 24, The Battle with Vladimir Solovyov, and other programs. False information had been posted, but the web pages were restored quickly. The facilitators of this misinformation campaign planned to spread these lies everywhere. It becomes hard for regular people when even the journalists start spreading these lies. By law, TV channels and newspapers must verify information, but this is what was shown on the Dozhd (Rain) TV channel earlier. This person is introduced as an underground press reporter from a media entity called "Dear, You're a Transformer".
These people are talking about a horrible, monstrous tragedy.
"What are the official numbers of the victims and what are the rumored numbers?"
"You know, the most unreal number we've heard is 700 people. That's what people say. Of course, we can't confirm this".
We can't confirm this, but we'll still say it. What started as a rumor among people now receives 24-hour TV and radio airtime.
"They say there are over 300 victims, different numbers are presented".
The Union of Journalists in Russia calls upon their professional ethics and principles.
Vladimir Solovyov, the President of The Union of Journalists in Russia: "Verify the facts, don't give into panic, do your jobs as you're supposed to. I think we'll be coming up with a new journalists' code of ethics in the Union".
Some people have become ashamed of their actions in the past few days. YouTube channels' posts have been erased, Instagram and Twitter have more and more exposés.
"I also bought into one of these false stories. When you have millions of followers, you must recognize your responsibility. Thus, I admit my mistake."
Web experts and psychologists recommend everyone who wants to post anything online to sometimes think about how their words will echo.
Pavel Zarubin, Laura Polovandova, Maksim Schepilov, Aleksandra Terbugova, and Tatyana Proskuryakova. Vesti