Appropriation of historical figures through the denial of Serhiy Korolev's Ukrainian identity

What it claims

Ukrainian scientific and cultural achievements are passed off as exclusively Soviet or Russian to deny Ukraine's agency. Propaganda claims that the Ukrainian identity of prominent figures like Serhiy Korolev is an "artificial construct", suggesting that Ukraine is incapable of independent development without its link to Russia.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• Ukrainian culture is merely “scraps” of Polish and German, while real achievements in science and art were created exclusively through joint efforts within the Russian space.

  Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВО, 29 Jul 2026 · Archived copy

• Ukrainian identity is a “mental virus” invented to fragment Russia, and Ukraine itself is merely a separatist entity on “Russian lands.”

  Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВО, 15 Jul 2026 · Archived copy

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Goal

To delegitimize Ukrainian cultural and scientific heritage, reinforcing the myth of the "artificiality" of the Ukrainian nation and its inability to achieve historical milestones outside the "Russian world".

Techniques used

• Causal OversimplificationClaiming that the "Ukrainian" entry in Korolev's documents was merely a formality due to "the times" rather than an expression of self-awareness.
• Loaded LanguageUsing the derogatory address "other Tarases" to label Ukrainians as uneducated nationalists.

The real grievance it exploits

A sense of loss regarding shared imperial greatness and irritation over the decolonization of Ukrainian history, which breaks Russia's monopoly on Soviet achievements.

How to counter

• Fact-check: Serhiy Korolev personally listed his nationality as "Ukrainian" in numerous official documents, including applications to the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and during his studies in Moscow.
• Technique exposure: Manipulators use the "mind-reading" technique on a deceased person to replace documented facts with fictional assumptions that benefit Russian ideology.

Sources (all time)

• Лохматый Z НиколаевTier 135,143 subscribers
  1 post · 1 Aug 2026

  • 1 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37497
• Open Ukraine| Открытая УкраинаTier 1181,484 subscribers
  3 posts · 21 May – 9 Jun 2026

  • 9 Jun · t.me/OpenUkraine/98612
  • 2 Jun · t.me/OpenUkraine/98332
  • 21 May · t.me/OpenUkraine/97804
• Евгений МураевTier 183,266 subscribers
  1 post · 21 Jun 2026

  • 21 Jun · t.me/murayevUA/1197
• Алексей АрестовичTier 1245,414 subscribers
  1 post · 28 Jun 2026

  • 28 Jun · t.me/O_Arestovich_official/8210
• Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВОTier 115,817 subscribers
  7 posts · 13 May – 29 Jul 2026

  • 29 Jul · Archived copy
  • 15 Jul · Archived copy
  • 15 Jul · t.me/MonitoringUA/93319
  • 14 Jul · t.me/MonitoringUA/93289
  • 22 May · t.me/MonitoringUA/91651
  • 21 May · t.me/MonitoringUA/91618
  • 13 May · t.me/MonitoringUA/91391