Yulia Mostova - attack 18.08.2026

On August 18, 2026, the Facebook page of the media outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reported the appearance of a fake Facebook profile impersonating the outlet’s editor-in-chief, Yulia Mostova.

The page is currently empty. However, the editorial team noted that the appearance of such an account “could be the beginning of a reputational attack against the head of a media outlet that has been covering issues of public importance for more than 30 years, standing up to abuses of power and working for Ukraine’s victory and resilience.”

“I have never had and do not have any accounts on any social media platform. I do not know who created this fake account — friends or enemies. But I do not want someone to mislead Facebook’s respected audience on my behalf,” the outlet quoted Yulia Mostova as saying.

Thus, this case involves an online attack involving impersonation, i.e. deliberately presenting oneself as another person. This could subsequently be used to carry out reputational attacks and could acquire characteristics of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) if the fake account is later used for gender-based discrediting or harassment of Yulia Mostova.