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Moscow calls the wounding of a polling official 'a terrorist act'; Brussels calls the vote itself 'a flagrant violation of international law'

Russia's Investigative Committee says a Ukrainian strike wounded a polling-station chair and three other people in occupied Zaporizhzhia region. The European Commission says the EU will not recognise the Duma vote there at all. Neither account names anyone who lives there.

Председатель УИК и ее семья ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ
Председатель УИК и ее семья ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ as published by Interfax · seen at Interfax
Russia & Eurasia Ukraine Russia European Union

One account of the attack. Russia's Investigative Committee says Ukrainian forces struck the home of a polling-station chair in Liubymivka on 17 September. Liubymivka is a frontline village in occupied Zaporizhzhia region. The committee says she, her husband, her son and a neighbour were wounded, and it has opened a terrorism case. Interfax and Mediazona carry that statement. No report we hold names any of the four, and none gives a Ukrainian account.

Five outlets, five sets of words.

Outlet The attack The vote or the place
Interfax "террористический акт" (Investigative Committee) "Запорожской области"
RIA Novosti "теракты Киева" (foreign ministry) "новых регионах" (Rogov)
Mediazona "Украинский беспилотник ранил" "оккупированной части"
Vot Tak not mentioned "вопиющим нарушением международного права" (European Commission)
Suspilne not mentioned "Псевдовибори на ТОТ"

Moscow's line. RIA Novosti ran eight headlines inside seven minutes. Seven came from a foreign-ministry briefing and one from Vladimir Rogov. We hold only the headlines, not the articles. Five of the eight use the word "теракт". One says the West "замалчивают" the attacks.

Brussels' line. Commission spokesman Christian Wigand told Vot Tak that the EU recognises "ни голосование, ни его результаты". The report does not mention the attack.

What is not settled. - What struck the house. We hold only Russia's account. - Whether any Western government has spoken about the attacks. We hold no statement either way. - What the people of Liubymivka say. None of them is quoted, and none is named.

This story is about Russia holding elections to its national parliament in the parts of Ukraine its army occupies, and about the violence around those elections.

How it got here. Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and backed armed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk the same year. That is when the war began. On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion. In September 2022 Moscow declared that it had annexed four Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. It did so after holding votes under occupation. Ukraine rejected the annexation, and so did the UN General Assembly. Russia does not hold the whole of any of the four regions. The city of Zaporizhzhia has stayed under Ukrainian control, and Russian forces left Kherson city in November 2022. Since then the Dnipro river has been the front line in the south.

The vote. Russia elects the State Duma, the lower house of its parliament, every five years. Mediazona calls this election the Duma's ninth. Moscow runs the vote in the occupied areas as if they were Russian regions. It did the same with regional votes in 2023 and the presidential vote in 2024. Russian officials call these areas the "new regions". Ukraine calls them temporarily occupied territory.

The actors. The Investigative Committee is Russia's main federal criminal-investigation body. The foreign ministry speaks for the Russian state abroad. The European Commission runs the EU day to day. The EU has placed sanctions on Russia since 2014 and does not recognise the annexations. Local polling officials are the people who run the vote on the ground.

What is at stake. For Moscow, a vote that is held and counted supports its claim that these regions are part of Russia. For Kyiv and the EU, the vote has no legal effect. For the people who live there, the front line runs past the polling stations. Liubymivka is described as a frontline village. Across the river, Kherson was hit by drones the next day.

Where it stands. On 18 September Russia opened a terrorism case over the Liubymivka attack. The same day, the Commission said the EU would not recognise the vote or its result. We hold no Ukrainian comment on the attack.

What is being argued about

  • Who struck a polling-station chair's home in Liubymivka, and who says so
  • Whether the Duma vote in occupied Zaporizhzhia is an election or a violation of international law
  • Whether the West is silent about attacks on election workers, as Moscow claims
  • Why the wounded appear only as a number
Five outlets, one attack, one voteSide by side
OutletWhat it saidWhose words
Interfax"террористический акт, совершенный украинскими вооруженными формированиями"The Investigative Committee's, attributed in the body. The headline states the strike without attribution.
RIA Novosti"на Западе замалчивают теракты Киева"The foreign ministry's, attributed in the headline
RIA Novosti"сорвать выборы в новых регионах"Vladimir Rogov's, attributed in the headline
Mediazona"Украинский беспилотник ранил председательницу ... в оккупированной части Запорожской области"Mediazona's own sentence, passing on the Investigative Committee's account
Vot Tak"вопиющим нарушением международного права"European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand's
Suspilne"Псевдовибори на ТОТ"Suspilne's own
The words each report uses, and whose words they are.
Sources I Interfax
Centre estimate · not a score
Interfax 🇷🇺RU · digital · Председатель УИК и ее семья ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Interfax → What we have measured A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1 from 7627 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: на Западе замалчивают теракты Киева против работников избиркомов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled Киев пытается сорвать выборы в новых регионах, заявил Рогов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → M Mediazona
Centre estimate · not a score
Mediazona 🇷🇺RU · digital · independent Выбору в Госдуму девятого созыва Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Mediazona → What we have measured Actor named the Russian army is named as the actor, in active voice ×1A running total, and a collective actor 'two more' implies earlier removals, and the courts act as a plural with no case or plaintiff named ×1Harm counted The only report that counts people hurt, with a floor rather than a figure ×1Harm counted the only report that counts people hurt ×1 from 803 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → V Vot Tak
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Vot Tak 🇧🇾BY · digital · «Не признаем ни голосование, ни его результаты». Еврокомиссия — о выборах в Госдуму на оккупированных территориях Украины Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Vot Tak → What we have measured Accusation attributed War-crimes accusations are attributed to Ukraine's law enforcement, not stated as fact ×1Accusation attributed The war-crimes accusation is correctly attributed to Ukrainian law enforcement, not asserted. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's armed forces in the headline and Ukrainian drones in the text ×1Actor named for the killing the authorities are the subject of the seizure and destruction rather than the cattle being 'subject to destruction' ×1 from 685 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → S Suspilne
Centre estimate · not a score
Suspilne 🇺🇦UA · public broadcaster · public-service Російські окупанти спрямували дрон в автівку у Херсоні: є поранений Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Suspilne → What we have measured Actor label Names the attacker as 'the Russian army' and gives the date ×1Actor label The Russian side is called 'occupiers' in the headline. ×1Actor named The sentence is given by 'occupiers', so the actor is named and labelled. ×1Actor named hurt aged On the other side of the Dnipro, the Russian drone is named as the actor and the wounded man is given an age, not a name. The vote is called 'pseudo-elections' in the report's own voice. ×1 from 20607 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
What eight RIA Novosti headlines sayChart
Eight headlines filed between 13:28 and 13:35 GMT on 18 September. We hold the headlines only.
Sources R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД назвал теракты против избирательных комиссий атакой на свободы граждан Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled В МИД объяснили атаки на избирательные комиссии в Запорожской области Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled Киев пытается сорвать выборы в новых регионах, заявил Рогов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: терактам против избирательных комиссий нет оправдания Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД решительно осудил теракты против избирательных комиссий Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: на Западе замалчивают теракты Киева против работников избиркомов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled Причастных к терактам против избирательных комиссий накажут, заявил МИД Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: атаки избиркомы не соотносятся со стремлением Киева к миру Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The bias in this coverageBias

One briefing, eight headlines

Eight headlines filed within about five minutes carry one ministry briefing and one official, with no body text we can read. Five of them use the word 'terrorist act'. None names the wounded or says what struck them.

Wounded on both banks, named on neither

The Russian-language report counts four wounded in Liubymivka by their relation to the polling official. The Kherson report gives the ages of two wounded civilians. Neither report names a single person hurt.

Scored without the mastheads. Where the two passes differ, both are kept.
Sources I Interfax
Centre estimate · not a score
Interfax 🇷🇺RU · digital · Председатель УИК и ее семья ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Interfax → What we have measured A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1 from 7627 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → M Mediazona
Centre estimate · not a score
Mediazona 🇷🇺RU · digital · independent Выбору в Госдуму девятого созыва Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Mediazona → What we have measured Actor named the Russian army is named as the actor, in active voice ×1A running total, and a collective actor 'two more' implies earlier removals, and the courts act as a plural with no case or plaintiff named ×1Harm counted The only report that counts people hurt, with a floor rather than a figure ×1Harm counted the only report that counts people hurt ×1 from 803 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД назвал теракты против избирательных комиссий атакой на свободы граждан Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled В МИД объяснили атаки на избирательные комиссии в Запорожской области Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled Киев пытается сорвать выборы в новых регионах, заявил Рогов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: терактам против избирательных комиссий нет оправдания Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД решительно осудил теракты против избирательных комиссий Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: на Западе замалчивают теракты Киева против работников избиркомов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled Причастных к терактам против избирательных комиссий накажут, заявил МИД Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: атаки избиркомы не соотносятся со стремлением Киева к миру Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → V Vot Tak
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Vot Tak 🇧🇾BY · digital · «Не признаем ни голосование, ни его результаты». Еврокомиссия — о выборах в Госдуму на оккупированных территориях Украины Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Vot Tak → What we have measured Accusation attributed War-crimes accusations are attributed to Ukraine's law enforcement, not stated as fact ×1Accusation attributed The war-crimes accusation is correctly attributed to Ukrainian law enforcement, not asserted. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's armed forces in the headline and Ukrainian drones in the text ×1Actor named for the killing the authorities are the subject of the seizure and destruction rather than the cattle being 'subject to destruction' ×1 from 685 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → S Suspilne
Centre estimate · not a score
Suspilne 🇺🇦UA · public broadcaster · public-service Російські окупанти спрямували дрон в автівку у Херсоні: є поранений Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Suspilne → What we have measured Actor label Names the attacker as 'the Russian army' and gives the date ×1Actor label The Russian side is called 'occupiers' in the headline. ×1Actor named The sentence is given by 'occupiers', so the actor is named and labelled. ×1Actor named hurt aged On the other side of the Dnipro, the Russian drone is named as the actor and the wounded man is given an age, not a name. The vote is called 'pseudo-elections' in the report's own voice. ×1 from 20607 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Claims and verdicts

unverified A Ukrainian attack on 17 September wounded a polling-station chair in occupied Zaporizhzhia region, along with her husband, her son and a neighbour.
Interfax and Mediazona both carry it, but both are reporting the same statement from Russia's Investigative Committee, so it is one account. Mediazona adds the village, Lyubymivka, and the neighbour; we hold no Ukrainian account and no independent account of the attack.
Checked against 2 sources:
I Interfax
Centre estimate · not a score
Interfax 🇷🇺RU · digital · Председатель УИК и ее семья ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Interfax → What we have measured A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1 from 7627 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → M Mediazona
Centre estimate · not a score
Mediazona 🇷🇺RU · digital · independent Выбору в Госдуму девятого созыва Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Mediazona → What we have measured Actor named the Russian army is named as the actor, in active voice ×1A running total, and a collective actor 'two more' implies earlier removals, and the courts act as a plural with no case or plaintiff named ×1Harm counted The only report that counts people hurt, with a floor rather than a figure ×1Harm counted the only report that counts people hurt ×1 from 803 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified The European Union does not recognise the Duma vote held in occupied Ukrainian territory, or its results.
Only Vot Tak carries it: a European Commission spokesman said it at a Brussels briefing, in answer to Vot Tak's own question. No other report we hold confirms it or contradicts it.
Checked against 1 source:
V Vot Tak
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Vot Tak 🇧🇾BY · digital · «Не признаем ни голосование, ни его результаты». Еврокомиссия — о выборах в Госдуму на оккупированных территориях Украины Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Vot Tak → What we have measured Accusation attributed War-crimes accusations are attributed to Ukraine's law enforcement, not stated as fact ×1Accusation attributed The war-crimes accusation is correctly attributed to Ukrainian law enforcement, not asserted. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's armed forces in the headline and Ukrainian drones in the text ×1Actor named for the killing the authorities are the subject of the seizure and destruction rather than the cattle being 'subject to destruction' ×1 from 685 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified Western governments are keeping silent about Kyiv's attacks on election workers.
This is the Russian foreign ministry's claim, and we hold it only as a RIA Novosti headline, with no text. We hold no Western statement on the attacks either way; the Commission remarks reported by Vot Tak were about the vote, not the attacks.
Checked against 2 sources:
R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: на Западе замалчивают теракты Киева против работников избиркомов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → V Vot Tak
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Vot Tak 🇧🇾BY · digital · «Не признаем ни голосование, ни его результаты». Еврокомиссия — о выборах в Госдуму на оккупированных территориях Украины Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Vot Tak → What we have measured Accusation attributed War-crimes accusations are attributed to Ukraine's law enforcement, not stated as fact ×1Accusation attributed The war-crimes accusation is correctly attributed to Ukrainian law enforcement, not asserted. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's armed forces in the headline and Ukrainian drones in the text ×1Actor named for the killing the authorities are the subject of the seizure and destruction rather than the cattle being 'subject to destruction' ×1 from 685 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Who wrote it

Р РИА Новости RIA Novosti · 8 reports on this story
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures×1
Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named×1
Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman×1
Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
2 false2 misleading5 disputed38 unverified12 true
From 26630 reports we hold under this byline, at RIA Novosti, Regnum. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
К Катерина Бєлякова Suspilne
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Actor named hurt aged On the other side of the Dnipro, the Russian drone is named as the actor and the wounded man is given an age, not a name. The vote is called 'pseudo-elections' in the report's own voice.×1
Label for the vote stated flat Calls the occupation vote a 'pseudo-election' in its own voice, with no attribution×1
From 197 reports we hold under this byline, at Suspilne. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
А Андрей Окунь Vot Tak
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Accusation attributed The war-crimes accusation is correctly attributed to Ukrainian law enforcement, not asserted.×1
Accusation attributed War-crimes accusations are attributed to Ukraine's law enforcement, not stated as fact×1
Counter frame attributed The EU's position is quoted and attributed to a named Commission spokesman. The attacks on officials are not mentioned.×1
Naming the war The report calls the war an invasion, in its own voice.×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
3 unverified
From 85 reports we hold under this byline, at Vot Tak. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting. · 2 reports we hold carry no byline — we do not invent one.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД назвал теракты против избирательных комиссий атакой на свободы граждан Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — state-controlled
Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260918/mid-2118563924.html
S Suspilne
Centre estimate · not a score
Suspilne 🇺🇦UA · public broadcaster · public-service Російські окупанти спрямували дрон в автівку у Херсоні: є поранений Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Suspilne → What we have measured Actor label Names the attacker as 'the Russian army' and gives the date ×1Actor label The Russian side is called 'occupiers' in the headline. ×1Actor named The sentence is given by 'occupiers', so the actor is named and labelled. ×1Actor named hurt aged On the other side of the Dnipro, the Russian drone is named as the actor and the wounded man is given an age, not a name. The vote is called 'pseudo-elections' in the report's own voice. ×1 from 20607 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — public-service
From across the Dnipro on 18 September: Kherson's city military administration says a Russian drone hit a car and wounded a 53-year-old man. Suspilne files its round-up of the day under 'Псевдовибори на ТОТ'.
Аудіоверсія Аудіоверсія матеріалу x1 0:00 / 0:00 Згенеровано з допомогою ШІ x1 0:00 / 0:00 Російський безпілотник вдень 18 вересня атакував легковий автомобіль у Центральному районі Херсона. До лікарні доправили 53-річного чоловіка з пораненням. Про це у Facebook повідомила міська військова адміністрація. Обирайте Суспільне як джерело новин в Google Обирайте Суспільне як джерело новин в Google За попередньою інформацією, у херсонця діагностували вибухову травму. Медики продовжують обстеження та надають чоловіку необхідну допомогу, повідомили в МВА. Раніше в ОВА повідомляли, що військові РФ вде
Actor named hurt aged: On the other side of the Dnipro, the Russian drone is named as the actor and the wounded man is given an age, not a name. The vote is called 'pseudo-elections' in the report's own voice. — “Російський безпілотник вдень 18 вересня атакував легковий автомобіль у Центральному районі Херсона”
Label for the vote stated flat: Calls the occupation vote a 'pseudo-election' in its own voice, with no attribution — “Псевдовибори на ТОТ”
Read it at Suspilne → https://suspilne.media/kherson/1406964-rosijski-okupanti-spramuvali-dro…
R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled В МИД объяснили атаки на избирательные комиссии в Запорожской области Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — state-controlled
The only foreign-ministry headline that places the attacks in Zaporizhzhia region.
Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260918/ataki-2118562548.html
R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled Киев пытается сорвать выборы в новых регионах, заявил Рогов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — state-controlled
Carries Vladimir Rogov saying Kyiv is trying to wreck elections 'в новых регионах'. Headline only.
Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260918/op-2118562252.html
R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: терактам против избирательных комиссий нет оправдания Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — state-controlled
Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260918/mid-2118562163.html
R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД решительно осудил теракты против избирательных комиссий Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — state-controlled
Charged term carried as the headline noun: 'Terrorist acts' is the ministry's word. The headline repeats it without quotation marks. — “МИД решительно осудил теракты против избирательных комиссий”
Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260918/mid-2118562018.html
R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: на Западе замалчивают теракты Киева против работников избиркомов Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — state-controlled
Carries the foreign ministry's claim that the West 'замалчивают' Kyiv's attacks on election workers. Headline only.
Loaded term in headline: 'Terrorist acts' is attributed to the foreign ministry by the colon but then used as the description. The claim is that the West is silent about them. — “МИД: на Западе замалчивают теракты Киева против работников избиркомов”
Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260918/mid-2118561629.html
R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled Причастных к терактам против избирательных комиссий накажут, заявил МИД Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — state-controlled
Carries the foreign ministry's promise that those involved will be punished. Headline only.
Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260918/mid-2118560887.html
R RIA Novosti
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled МИД: атаки избиркомы не соотносятся со стремлением Киева к миру Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RIA Novosti → What we have measured Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1 from 31373 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — state-controlled
Carries the foreign ministry's line that the attacks do not fit Kyiv's stated wish for peace. Headline only.
Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260918/mid-2118560793.html
M Mediazona
Centre estimate · not a score
Mediazona 🇷🇺RU · digital · independent Выбору в Госдуму девятого созыва Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Mediazona → What we have measured Actor named the Russian army is named as the actor, in active voice ×1A running total, and a collective actor 'two more' implies earlier removals, and the courts act as a plural with no case or plaintiff named ×1Harm counted The only report that counts people hurt, with a floor rather than a figure ×1Harm counted the only report that counts people hurt ×1 from 803 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The only report that names the village, Liubymivka, and counts a neighbour among the wounded. It calls the area 'оккупированной части Запорожской области'.
16:00 Украинский беспилотник ранил председательницу избирательного участка в оккупированной части Запорожской области Следственный комитет отчитался о возбуждении уголовного дела о терроризме (статья 205 УК). Ведомство уточнило, что атака произошла накануне, 17 сентября. Женщина находилась в своем доме в прифронтовом селе Любимовка. Кроме председательницы избирательного участка ранения получили ее муж и сын, а также соседка семьи. Ссылка скопирована! 16:43 В Кировской области в бюллетени не внесли кандидатов в депутаты Заксобрания от КПРФ и «Партии пенсионеров» Как уточняет пресс-служба КПРФ,
Place labelled occupied: This Russian-language report calls the village occupied Ukrainian territory while it carries the terrorism case. — “Украинский беспилотник ранил председательницу избирательного участка в оккупированной части Запорожской области”
Hurt counted not named: Four wounded, identified only by their relation to the official. None is named. — “Кроме председательницы избирательного участка ранения получили ее муж и сын, а также соседка семьи.”
Territory named as occupied: Says who struck (a Ukrainian drone) and calls the area occupied, in the same sentence — “Украинский беспилотник ранил председательницу избирательного участка в оккупированной части Запорожской области”
The hurt counted, not named: Four wounded listed by their relation to the official. None is named. — “Кроме председательницы избирательного участка ранения получили ее муж и сын, а также соседка семьи.”
Read it at Mediazona → https://zona.media/chronicle/elections-2026
I Interfax
Centre estimate · not a score
Interfax 🇷🇺RU · digital · Председатель УИК и ее семья ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Interfax → What we have measured A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1 from 7627 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
Names the source: Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee. It carries the terrorism case over an act 'совершенном украинскими вооруженными формированиями'. Its headline states the Ukrainian strike
Председатель УИК и ее семья ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ Есть обновление от 16:36 → МИД РФ осудил нападения на председателей двух УИК в Запорожской области Москва. 18 сентября. INTERFAX.RU - Следственный комитет РФ возбудил уголовное дело о теракте после ранения председателя участковой избирательной комиссии (УИК) в Запорожской области и членов ее семьи вследствие украинской атаки, сообщила официальный представитель ведомства Светлана Петренко в пятницу. "Возбуждено уголовное дело о террористическом акте, совершенном украинскими вооруженными формированиями 17 сентября в За
Headline states cause flat: The headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker with no attribution. The body attributes the cause to the Investigative Committee spokeswoman. — “ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ”
Headline asserts what the body attributes: The headline blames the Ukrainian army as fact. The body gives that blame to the Investigative Committee. — “Председатель УИК и ее семья ранены в Запорожской области вследствие удара ВСУ”
Read it at Interfax → https://www.interfax.ru/russia/1116915
V Vot Tak
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Vot Tak 🇧🇾BY · digital · «Не признаем ни голосование, ни его результаты». Еврокомиссия — о выборах в Госдуму на оккупированных территориях Украины Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Vot Tak → What we have measured Accusation attributed War-crimes accusations are attributed to Ukraine's law enforcement, not stated as fact ×1Accusation attributed The war-crimes accusation is correctly attributed to Ukrainian law enforcement, not asserted. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's armed forces in the headline and Ukrainian drones in the text ×1Actor named for the killing the authorities are the subject of the seizure and destruction rather than the cattle being 'subject to destruction' ×1 from 685 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
The only EU voice. Spokesman Christian Wigand answered Vot Tak's question in Brussels on 18 September and called the vote 'вопиющим нарушением международного права'.
Евросоюз не признает проведение Россией выборов в Государственную думу на оккупированных территориях Украины и их результаты. Об этом 18 сентября на брифинге в Брюсселе заявил представитель Еврокомиссии по иностранным делам Кристиан Виганд, отвечая на вопрос «Вот Так». В Еврокомиссии назвали такое голосование «вопиющим нарушением международного права».
Counter frame attributed: The EU's position is quoted and attributed to a named Commission spokesman. The attacks on officials are not mentioned. — “«вопиющим нарушением международного права»”
Whose voice frames the vote: Only the European Commission's view of the vote is carried. The attack is not mentioned. — “на оккупированных территориях Украины”
Read it at Vot Tak → https://vot-tak.tv/95456068/vibori-v-rosii-ne-priznaut
Checked, didn’t cover
M Meduza
Centre estimate · not a score
Meduza 🇱🇻LV · digital · exile No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Agenda given without a verdict the only report that lists what was discussed and stops there ×1Asserted versus attributed figure attributed to the leaders' own declaration ×1Attribution the release is sourced to the leaders' joint declaration ×1Attribution inside the sentence the whole account marked as one leader's telling ×1 from 1071 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T The Moscow Times
Centre estimate · not a score
The Moscow Times 🇳🇱NL · newspaper · exile No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Asserted vs attributed Repeats a two-sided deal on one side's word; the second party's silence is not mentioned. ×1Asserted vs attributed headline states the nuclear warning flat, with no source ×1Attributed justification Russia's justification is carried in quotation marks and attributed. No Ukrainian response is given. ×1Attribution Attributes the threat to Moscow and repeats the ministry's list of targets unchallenged. ×1 from 429 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → U Ukrainska Pravda
Centre estimate · not a score
Ukrainska Pravda 🇺🇦UA · digital · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor named shortages are described with no one named as causing them ×1Actor named The cancellation is pinned on a named Hungarian official's refusal. ×1Actor named The town is called 'occupied', but the lede does not name who occupies it or who blocks aid. ×1Actor named Names the EU and partners as the ones paying ×1 from 7025 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → U Ukrinform
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
Ukrinform 🇺🇦UA · digital · state-controlled No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor named names the occupying force ×1Actor named Names the occupying force but not what residents are fleeing from ×1Actor named No actor is named. The drone is not attributed to anyone. ×1Actor named Names the attacker and what was damaged, and states the halt flat without naming a source. ×1 from 2995 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → N Novaya Gazeta Europe
Centre estimate · not a score
Novaya Gazeta Europe 🇱🇻LV · newspaper · exile No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1 from 1055 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story and carried nothing on this event.
We could not read these
T TASS
State / loyalist estimate · not a score
TASS 🇷🇺RU · state agency · state-controlled No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Accusation carried by a verb of fact 'Noted' presents a Russian diplomat's accusation of terror as an observation. Kyiv gives no response anywhere in the text. ×1Accusation carried unhedged a charge of terror against civilians is introduced with 'noted', which treats it as fact, and nobody answers it ×1Actor named Ukrainian forces are named as acting, in the report's own voice ×1Actor named Names 'the Western community' as the actor, in Putin's words ×1 from 6410 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
These are must-cite outlets for this desk that we did not manage to read when we built this story. That is a gap in our reach, not a silence on their part, and it is not evidence of anything about this story.

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