Russia Takes Idea of Posthumous Award of Medal to Extremes

A photograph posted on social media showing a military commissar in Bashkortostan awarding a medal to a soldier earned during Russia’s so-called “special military operation” was not all it seemed.

A quick glance at a recent Telegram post appears to show a smiling Russian captain handing over a medal to a soldier who has returned from the front. Closer scrutiny of the photo however quickly shows that it was photoshopped:

• the outline of the soldier receiving the medal clearly shows that it was cut out of another photo;
• the soldier's head seems to be separated from his body;
• the soldier appears to be floating above the carpet on which he was supposedly standing;
• the soldier’s uniform appears to have also been superimposed over his other clothing;
• the original background behind the soldier’s right hand is showing through;
• the soldier is “holding” the medal in his left hand even though the commissar is still apparently holding the medal.

Even more disturbing, however, comments on social media in Ukraine suggest that the soldier “receiving” the medal is actually a corpse.

He may or may not be, but he certainly doesn’t look very well or very happy.

The Ukrainian Telegram post says that the commissar actually admitted that the photo had been “doctored” for “special reasons” without detailing what those reasons were.