Someone cosplaying online as Ukraine's new top general has already fooled thousands
An imposter account on X is successfully impersonating Ukraine's new military commander, Mykhailo Drapatyi, misleading thousands of followers. The Ukrainian General Staff has issued a warning to clarify the general's only official social media channels.
Why it matters
This highlights the vulnerability of high-profile military figures to digital impersonation and the potential for disinformation to spread during wartime.
Mykhailo Drapatyi was named commander in chief last week. Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Telegram An X account claiming to be Ukraine's new commander in chief already has close to 7,000 followers. But it's not a parody or fan account; instead, it appears to be impersonating Mykhailo Drapatyi. Ukraine's armed forces had to officially list out the real social media pages for Drapatyi. Less than a week after Ukraine appointed its new commander in chief, a premium X account posing as the popular general has already racked up nearly 7,000 followers. The account @Drapatyi_M, which was created this month, has been on a tear since Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi was named Ukraine's new military chief on Tuesday, posting at least 22 times in the last five days. Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces confirmed on Sunday that the account was illegitimate and posted a list of Drapatyi's "only official pages."
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