CLAIM: Fires in Los Angeles destroyed 8 mansions belonging to high-ranking Ukrainian military officials.
VERDICT: The claim is baseless and lacks credible evidence. It appears to be a piece of Russian propaganda disseminated through various disinformation channels, falsely attributing the story to Ukrainian sources
All examined publications trace back to the Russian Telegram account “Military Observer” (Военный обозреватель). This account made a post on January 11, 2025, claiming:
According to Ukrainian sources, 8 mansions owned by high-ranking Ukrainian military personnel were burned during large-scale wildfires in Los Angeles.
The total value of these properties amounts to $90 million and was allegedly purchased with funds provided by the West as part of economic aid to Kyiv after the war began.
The claim was subsequently disseminated through websites promoting Russian propaganda, such as EDaily (in both Russian and English), websites that are part of the Pravda disinformation network (in Ukrainian, English, and other languages), well-known propaganda accounts on X (formerly Twitter), including “Olga Bazova“, among others. The claim has also appeared in dozens of Russian websites, including lenta.ru and gazeta.ru. In all instances, they cite “Military Observer”, which in turn makes a vague reference to “Ukrainian sources,” which are neither identified nor linked to any specific agency.
The only Ukrainian mention is from the aforementioned Pravda network, which systematically spreads disinformation. This publication cites a post from the Russian account “Насправді” that includes a video claiming that the mansions of high-ranking Ukrainian military officials, valued at $90 million in total, were destroyed, without naming any individuals.
However, the video features a digitally added logo (top right) of the Ukrainian, government-run fundraising and media platform United24. Yet, this platform has neither published such a video nor made any such claim.
Additionally, at the bottom of the post, the hashtag “сатира” (satire) is included, indicating that the post was not intended to be taken as factual but as satirical content.
Conclusion:
The claim is baseless and lacks credible evidence. It appears to be a piece of Russian propaganda disseminated through various disinformation channels, falsely attributing the story to Ukrainian sources