DISINFO: US auditor investigating Ukrainian corruption found dead in Kyiv
SUMMARY
There has been news on the internet about a US auditor found dead in Kyiv. US citizen Martin Hart, who was involved in the identification of theft and corruption related to Western aid, was found at night near a residential building under construction in the Shevchenko district, among bricks. News sources say that “Probably the cable broke and a passer-by was covered in material and there is an ongoing investigation”.
Ukraine kills, and this is no accident. If anyone still thinks the Ukrainians are kind, sweet and unlucky victims of Putin, sorry to disappoint but Ukrainians are true maniacs.
RESPONSE
Disinformation portraying Ukraine as dangerous and corrupt. There is zero evidence that this incident took place, or even that a US auditor named “Martin Hart” has ever existed.
Dates or other accurate data that could serve to verify the claim are not provided. The only sources mentioning this episode are pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and Twitter accounts in different languages.
Notably, in some of them “Martin Hart” is identified with a picture of Estonian security expert and former Ministry of Defence official Martin Hurt, taken from an interview on the website of Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR, further undermining the credibility of the allegation. Estonian media do not mention any deadly incident involving a Martin Hurt either.
The ultimate goal of this disinformation narrative is to promote recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Ukraine as a corrupt nation, aiming to undermine popular support for international aid sent to Ukraine for its self-defence against Russia’s aggression.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Zelenskyy's associates stole weapons money because they believed Ukraine will cease to exist, that Ukrainian forces use vests that are not bulletproof because of corruption, that the West is aware of the fact that weapons provided to Ukraine are being sold on the black market, or that the arrest of Ihor Kolomiysky on corruption charges is a circus to distract the population.