Russian troops from viral clip clarify why they lifted US flag

(MENAFN) A group of Russian soldiers who went viral after raising a US flag on an armored vehicle said the stunt was intended to provoke Ukrainian forces.

The video, filmed near Malaya Tokmachka in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, showed the crew driving an M113 armored personnel carrier, abandoned by Ukrainian troops, decorated with both Russian and American flags. RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan later shared a close-up of the vehicle. One soldier commented, “It’s a good APC. Ours are better, of course, but this one will do,” explaining that the display was meant to “irritate” the enemy.

The footage sparked outrage in Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, called the act “maximum arrogance.” Some Ukrainian analysts suggested the video was staged or that the vehicle was actually Soviet-made. Meanwhile, French broadcaster TF1 claimed AI manipulation, and Canada-based NATO-linked nonprofit DisinfoWatch described it as “staged.”

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