On its Telegram channel, Russian state media outlet RT posted a video claiming to show a captured US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, flown by Russian forces near Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporizhzhia region. The vehicle is depicted with both US and Russian flags, alongside the caption: “Pentagon APC hoists Russian AND US flag into battle against Zelensky — sign of the times?”
The insinuation is clear: that the United States has joined Russia in its war against Ukraine. This is entirely false. The United States has not, suppported Russia’s criminal invasion.
The purpose of this staged video is twofold: to intimidate Ukraine and its allies, and to ridicule and undermine the United States. By pairing US and Russian flags, RT seeks to mock Washington and President Trump, while sowing confusion and disillusionment among audiences at home and abroad.
This disinformation push comes on the heels of the August 15 Putin–Trump meeting in Anchorage, Alaska — an event already regarded as a major propaganda coup for the Kremlin. The RT video builds on that momentum, attempting to further legitimize Moscow’s narrative and weaken international solidarity with Ukraine.
