The video, which is distributed in pro-Russian sources, was fabricated. Propagandists compiled footage from real Vodafone advertising campaigns and overlaid their own text.
Pro-Russian channels are spreading an alleged commercial of the Vodafone mobile operator dedicated to their new campaign. As stated in the advertisement, Vodafone will start selling phone numbers of deceased heroes for $100 to commemorate them and raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The goal of the so-called donation campaign is $100,000,000. In their publications, the propagandists point out that this is a very cynical way to raise money for the military, and also wonder what the real number of deceased on the Ukrainian side is, if Vodafone plans to raise such a large amount of money.
However, the video is fake. At first glance, it looks quite realistic, because the real official account of Vodafone Ukraine on Youtube is indicated below, and the footage really resembles an advertisement of a mobile operator. The frontman of Kalush Orchestra Oleg Psyuk even appears in the video. However, Vodafone has never actually published such a video on its channels, as the company confirmed to the Center for Combating Disinformation. The propagandists simply edited individual frames from various Vodafone commercials and added their own text about a made up campaign.
Moreover, in the summer of 2023, the Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that the phone numbers of the dead and missing defenders would not be sold for two years. According to the standard procedure, this term is one year. As Fedorov explained, «usually after a year without use, the number goes on free sale. That’s how you can receive the message about how your loved one has joined Viber when they are no longer alive». The initiative was supported by Ukrainian mobile operators.
Thus, this so-called promo video is another fake of Russian propaganda aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian army. Read the refutation of other misinformation on the same topic in the article Fake: Ukrainian Servicewomen Are not Given Equipment and Forced to Post Nudes for Donations.
