In July 2025, a screenshot of a post that the Security Service of Ukraine allegedly posted on Telegram spread across the Internet. The agency asked concerned citizens to help find the “criminals” - participants in the protest that took place the day before - and receive pizza and other rewards for this. We have verified the authenticity of this image.

On July 23, Telegram channels published a screenshot of a message posted, they claim, by the Security Service of Ukraine. The screenshot says that the SBU department for the Dnipropetrovsk region is appealing to “patriots of Ukraine” with a request to help establish the identities of fellow citizens who took part in a rally in the Dnieper the day before. These people, the ad explains, “worked for the propaganda of the enemy.” If the tip helps find the demonstrator, the scammer will be able to receive a promotional code for pizza and “other valuable rewards.”

The screenshot was distributed in Telegram channels "Voblya • news"(114,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), "Sheikh Tamir"(102,000), "Alexander Semchenko"(65,000), "Voenndelo (Military Affairs)"(44,000), "From the scene"(44,000), etc.

July 22 Verkhovna Rada voted for bill No. 12414, which initially concerned the search for missing persons under martial law. But at the last moment, deputies introduced amendments that effectively deprived the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) of independence. Control over the activities of these bodies, created in the mid-2010s as part of European integration efforts, was transferred to the prosecutor general. Same day bill signed President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. The authorities explained the deprivation of independence of two anti-corruption bodies by the need to neutralize Russian influence - on the eve of July 21, as a result of searches in the offices of NABU and SAPO, several people were detained, including one of the heads of NABU detectives Ruslan Magamedrasulov. He was accused of helping his father, who has Russian citizenship and was conducting illegal trade with Russia.

Soon after the adoption of this bill in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine started protests. Demonstrations passed including in the Dnieper. Gathered demanded restoring the independence of NABU and SAP, as well as public discussion of all changes in anti-corruption legislation. Already on July 24 Zelensky contributed A bill that should restore the independence of anti-corruption services is being considered by parliament.

To prove that the SBU Department for the Dnipropetrovsk region is looking for participants in protests in the Dnieper and turning to informers for help, only one screenshot is being circulated: the images in all viral posts indicate the same time of publication, the same number of views and reactions. Judging by the interface, the screenshot was taken in Telegram, however, the SBU Directorate for the Dnipropetrovsk region does not have its own channel on this platform, it only has general for the entire department. However, it was not possible to find similar publications there either (including when searching through the TGStat service, which shows deleted posts). The Dnieper department of the SBU has its own page on Facebook, but there is no such announcement there either.

It is also doubtful that the Ukrainian media, which actively covered the protests, did not react in any way to the alleged call of the SBU. Moreover, the pictures from the screenshot were actually taken in Dnepr, the same people are also present in other photographs local publications, as well as reports from the rally. However, neither the press nor the responsible departments reported on clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement agencies and on arrests, nor did they use the term “criminals” in relation to them. Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine named screenshot and clarified: “Such an information campaign is another attempt by the Russians to sow discord and division in Ukrainian society against the backdrop of sensitive topics.”

The screenshot was distributed mainly in pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, as well as by Russian-speaking users X, TikTok And "VKontakte" The earliest such publication that could be found is “Verified”, appeared July 23 at 14:43 Moscow time in the Telegram channel “Odessa Public Television Z”. This channel is often mentioned in analyzes “Verified” as a distributor or primary source of fakes about Ukraine.

Thus, there is no evidence that the SBU is asking to inform on protesters for a promotional code for pizza. The screenshot containing signs of falsification was first disseminated by a channel that had previously been caught publishing false information.

Cover photo: Sasha Gulich / Wikimedia Commons