A message on X asked a major French channel to verify what seemed to be a Deutsche Welle report about a Ukrainian artist who "sawed down the Eiffel Tower."
"I see these kind of stories every day. Official media don't talk about them, what should I believe?" "Kathe" asked BFMTV on Dec. 4.
But this was no innocent question, this was part of an online disinformation campaign blamed on Russia that involves not just the spreading of anti-Ukrainian false news, but also challenges Western media outlets to verify it.