Russian Meduza used footage of Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression in their promotional video.

The new advertising campaign by the Russian publication Meduza has faced criticism from Ukrainian social media users due to its use of images depicting Ukrainian civilians affected by Russian aggression, reports United24 Media.

The campaign, created pro bono by the Berlin creative agency LURE, utilized footage from the aftermath of Russian attacks in Ukraine to promote Meduza's reports.

Slogans such as “Where other headlines end, Meduza begins,” and “In Russia, you would be arrested for sharing this” appeared on billboards and projections on iconic city facades in Berlin, London, Paris, and other cities.

For instance, the campaign includes images of destroyed buildings in Borodyanka, a grieving woman in Bucha, and a photo of Yaroslav Bazylevych, whose family perished during a Russian strike on Lviv.

Users and critics argue that this raises ethical concerns regarding a campaign that exploits the suffering of Ukrainians to promote Russian media.

“By creating promotional content for Russian 'Meduza', Lure Berlin used photographs of war victims in Ukraine to literally raise funds for Russians guilty of genocide. They exploit our suffering to elicit your sympathy. Cannibals, parasites – these words hardly fit,” writes social media user @Ukrostap on X.

“In Germany, a commercial was filmed for Meduza about the suffering of Russians in exile, illustrated with explosions in Ukraine and the suffering of Ukrainians. Well, because there’s no imagery of Russian suffering to draw from, but there’s a need for emotional impact. And it’s shown everywhere, for instance in cinemas before blockbusters. What an interesting message: while Russians are killing Ukrainians, we should sympathize with Russians,” writes blogger Horgona Bobrovytska.

LURE claims that its campaign was developed following a survey of 800 people across 90 countries. The agency describes this effort as a global initiative supporting press freedom, emphasizing that all work was done pro bono. According to the founder and creative director of LURE, the campaign aims to highlight Meduza's role in providing independent journalism despite pressure from Russian authorities.

The campaign was launched in Berlin, London, Paris, and Helsinki. It includes digital and print advertising, a short film composed of journalistic footage, as well as advertising podcasts featuring Meduza journalists. The project has been supported by numerous agencies from the global WPI network.

Meduza, which operates in exile after being labeled a “foreign agent” in Russia, relies on crowdfunding to sustain its activities.