Olga Butko - attack 19.05.2025

In May 2025, videos appeared on YouTube, TikTok, and the Telegram channel “Rifmy i Panchi” edited to make it look as though host Olga Butko, during the national television marathon, called Russian President Vladimir Putin the “President of Ukraine.”

The clip uses manipulative text: “Donald Trump will speak with the President of Ukraine Vladimir Putin… Vladimir Zelensky.” The footage is edited to create the impression that she is reading on air a news item with the manipulative phrase about “President of Ukraine Putin.” The video was shared by Russian social media and the Moscow24 outlet with the message: “The Ukrainian TV host made a slip of the tongue and called Putin the President of Ukraine. We’re already worried for her.”

Fact-check

On May 19, 2025, Olga Butko was indeed hosting the “United News” marathon on the Rada TV channel, but she was wearing a brown jacket, not a red one as shown in the fake video.

The news about Donald Trump’s call was in fact read that day by another co-host — Maksym Zborovskyi.
Thus, the circulated video is artificially generated (a deepfake) and does not correspond to real events.

Context:

Telegram channel “Rifmy i Panchi” – one of the largest anonymous Russian propaganda Telegram channels (over 2 million subscribers). Known for spreading:

• disinformation and manipulations, materials mocking Ukrainian politicians, journalists, and civil society figures, content containing elements of misogyny, sexism, and hate speech.
  

The fact that the video appeared there indicates a coordinated attack, part of Russia’s information-psychological operations (IPSO) against Ukraine.

Signs of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV)

• Use of deepfake technology to discredit a woman journalist.
• Targeted attack on professional reputation and an attempt to undermine trust in Ukrainian media.
• Gender dimension: focus on a female host as the object of ridicule and disinformation.
• Coordinated dissemination via Telegram channels and Russian state media as an element of IPSO.