StopFake fact checkers did not find any video issued by the French newspaper 20 Minutes calling for a ban on the Tetris puzzle game. The video appears to be a fake. Russian propagandists deliberately used the logo and design of a well-known French media outlet for propaganda purposes.
Russian propagandist Telegram channels, as well as pro-Kremlin social media users are disseminating a video purportedly by the French newspaper 20 Minutes, which allegedly states that the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation is demanding that the puzzle video game Tetris, invented in 1985 by Russian software engineer Alexey Pajitnov be banned, because the game allegedly „creates a positive image of Russia in the world” and „finances Russian aggression against Ukraine”.
The video features the logo of the French media newspaper 20 minutes. The video’s design and style also bear a marked resemblance to videos posted by 20 minutes on its social media channels. However, StopFake journalists did not find any similar videos on the newspaper’s website or on their official Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram accounts. Most likely, this video is a fake, deliberately using the logo and design of a well-known French newspaper and website for propaganda purposes.
Furthermore, the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has not made any statements about the Tetris game on any of its official platforms. The claim that by playing Tetris, players are allegedly „financing Russian aggression against Ukraine” is even more absurd. The fact is that the Tetris trademark is owned by the American firm Tetris Company, Inc.
This is not the first time that Russian propagandists have stylized their disinformation videos to look like reports from well-known world media. StopFake journalists have repeatedly refuted similar fakes created in this way in pieces Fake: Ukrainians Сriticize Passengers of Sunken Titan Bathyscraper Says Al Jazeera, Fake: BBC Video Proves that Kramatorsk was Shelled by Ukrainian Army, Fake: Ukrainian Football Fans Detained in Qatar for Nazi Propaganda, Fake: EU Releases Video on Why Ukraine Should Not Become a NATO Member.
