Viral clip shows filming of a music video, not Ukrainian soldiers ‘faking combat’ to secure US funds

Clips of behind-the-scenes footage of a music video are being shared with false claims they show Ukrainian soldiers “faking combat”. 

One post on X (formerly Twitter) has more than 4,300 shares and says: “BREAKING: Ukraine ‘soldiers’ have resorted to faking combat in order to appear ‘war torn’ so the slush fund from the U.S. keeps churning money their way!” 

This comes after US President Donald Trump paused US military aid to Ukraine after an altercation with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday 28 February. 

The same X user shared a second video that appeared to show makeup being applied to a woman dressed in military attire, while a third shows the same woman lying on the ground—supposedly dead or injured—and another person in combat gear running to her side. The clips have also been shared on Facebook with the same caption.

But the clips actually show footage from the filming of a music video that was shared on YouTube on 24 February 2025. The video’s description says in Ukrainian (translated by Google): “This song is about true brotherhood, which is born in battle. About those who became a family in war, who stand by each other in the most difficult moments. The video was shot with the participation of Ukrainian military personnel”. 

The video was posted by an account with the handle ‘Vitsikkkk’ that says (in Ukrainian) it shares “the realities of war, and personal stories from the life of a medic”. Linked TikTok and Instagram accounts, with the same handles, have shared multiple posts showing the music video being produced, including the same clips circulating on social media showing makeup being applied to the woman and the scene of her lying on the ground. 

According to the YouTube video’s description, it features Mariana Checheliuk—a Ukrainian police officer from Mariupol who was released in a prison swap deal in May 2024 after two years held captive by Russian forces. She appears to be the same woman in the clips being shared with misleading captions on social media.

Fact checkers at Logically shared a screenshot of a statement, along with a translation, posted by Vitsikkkk on Instagram that addresses the false claims but that appears to no longer be available. The statement reportedly said: “False information is spreading on the internet that Ukrainians are simulating combat operations in order to receive American aid. The fake is supplemented with a series of videos, in fact, they are from the filming of the clip for the song ‘Brothers’ (Misha Skorpion & Vitsyk).” 

We’ve contacted this creator and will update this article if we receive a response. 

We’ve seen similar claims circulating about the Israel-Gaza war, which allege the false staging of harm to Palestinian civilians. This was often shared with the word ‘Pallywood’—a portmanteau of Palestine and Hollywood. 

You can find more of our work checking claims relating to the war in Ukraine on our website, including an explainer on the recent peace talks.