«JEW» on the back of a Ukrainian prisoner: why is the world so quick to believe in new atrocities by Russia

On October 24, 2026, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom published a report about a Ukrainian serviceman allegedly returned from Russian captivity with the word "JEW" carved on his back. A photograph of the man with numerous skin injuries quickly spread on the internet. Even former NASA astronaut Terry Virts published it, and the Israeli publication featured the story in the headline. Later, NANews recorded the disappearance of the note from the Israel Hayom website, and on October 25, verification results appeared indicating possible use of artificial intelligence in creating or altering the photograph.

Author: Anton Pshedynsky

But the main thing in this story is not just the origin of the photograph.

Why was the internet so ready to believe that Russian soldiers could carve the word "JEW" on a prisoner's back? Because torture, abuse, and mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war have already been documented multiple times by international organizations. Another report of atrocities by Russian invaders did not seem incredible: it fit into the well-known picture of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine.
From the exchange of 270 Ukrainians to a photograph on social…

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