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Between 2018 and 2026, our journalists received 11 Belarusian Volnaye Slova Awards.
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“One Million Ukrainian Soldiers Died.” Fact Check of Fake News by “ZhS Premium” Referred to Yoga Instructor
The Weekly Top Fake journalists reached out to Oksana Taran.
The Belarusian pro-government Telegram channel “ZhS Premium” reported on Ukrainian military losses, citing a video supposedly announcing a mass meditation for the transformation of one million deceased Ukrainian soldiers, to be led by yoga instructor Oksana Taran. The Weekly Top Fake team contacted the instructor.
On June 25, 2024, “ZhS Premium” published a video announcing the meditation for the transformation of one million soldiers who lost their lives in the war in Ukraine.
The video's caption reads: “Everyone was so happy that no one even noticed that the 'yogini' announced the country’s military losses. Of course, she is neither a military expert nor an official figure, but her slip-up is very symbolic. It's just that the people in the country already have a rough idea of such a figure of human losses. And it no longer surprises or frightens anyone.”
The video published by “ZhS Premium” features a male voiceover; there is no Oksana Taran's voice. The instructor's Instagram does not mention such a meditation.
The Weekly Top Fake journalists reached out to Oksana Taran, who responded: “This is a fake. I didn't publish anything of the sort. It's all fabrication.”
Although the treaty between Belarus and China refers to support for sovereignty and territorial integrity, it contains no commitments regarding military aid.
