„Matryoshka“ campaign uses fake reports of ‘secret prisons’ in Ukraine

Researchers from Antibot4Navalny provided The Insider with information about more than 10 fake videos and social media posts claiming that Ukraine runs ‘secret prisons’, the outlet reported on 4 November 2026. The Insider attributes their dissemination to ‘Matryoshka’, which it describes as a Russian bot network. The information comes from a single publisher; Flank had found no independent confirmation of the specific campaign or its organisers at the time of publication.

Impersonating France 24, Euronews and the UN

According to The Insider, the material imitates the visual presentation of France 24, Euronews, Human Rights Watch and the UN, as well as newspaper front pages. The outlet cites material received from Antibot4Navalny — a project monitoring the activity of pro-Russian bots on social media.

In Flank’s assessment, if the account is confirmed, the key tactic is to appropriate the authority of others: the same allegations can appear to have been verified by several independent newsrooms and organisations. Using their names and visual presentation does not, however, mean that they published or endorsed the content.

Claims of an incident near Kyiv and abuse

According to The Insider, the posts draw on an account of an incident on 2 November in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, near Kyiv. The outlet relays claims by local residents that dozens of service personnel had been found in the basement of a private home. The videos described add allegations of torture, abducted foreigners, mass graves and involvement by Ukrainian intelligence to this account.

In its Russian-language article, The Insider also reports that the Ukrainian authorities promised an investigation and described the case as a pre-planned provocation. Flank found no original official statement supporting this position.

The date of the alleged incident does not indicate when the material began circulating. The campaign, the circumstances of what happened near Kyiv and the allegations added to that account are separate questions. Proving that a post is fake does not in itself clarify the original incident.

Original posts unavailable for verification

The Insider says it has links to the original posts and material from the researchers supporting the connection to ‘Matryoshka’, but is not publishing them to avoid spreading the fabrications. The Russian- and English-language versions come from the same newsroom, rather than constituting two independent confirmations.

The authenticity and number of the items described, the basis for attributing them to the network and their actual reach remain unclear. The allegations of secret prisons and abuse are also unsupported by independently verifiable evidence. This is a developing story and further information may be added.