How a Fake X Account Posed as General Mykhailo Drapatyi

Just days after Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi was appointed Ukraine's new Commander-in-Chief, an impostor on X began mimicking his public statements. The account @Drapatyi_M, created this month, rapidly collected close to 7,000 followers by posting seemingly official updates: thanking President Zelenskyy for a meeting, discussing Patriot missiles with Raytheon executives, and even announcing a wide-reaching “audit” of the armed forces.

Ukraine's General Staff intervened on Sunday, publishing a list of Drapatyi's only genuine social media pages and confirming @Drapatyi_M is not among them. The fake account's post about an internal investigation drew a public rebuttal from prominent Ukrainian fundraiser Serhii Sternenko, who warned followers that the general has no Twitter presence at all. The incident underscores the ease with which a premium X subscription—with its blue checkmark—can be misread as a credential of authenticity, even when the platform does not require ID verification for the mark.

The account's activity highlights ongoing confusion about X's verification system. Although official government accounts generally receive a gray check, blue checks are simply paid features and have often been exploited to impersonate public figures, especially in fast-moving news environments like wartime Ukraine.

Why the Impersonation Spread Confusion so Quickly

While the fake account’s follower count is modest, its rapid growth reflects a broader vulnerability: high-profile changes in command create a vacuum of trust that impostors can exploit. Because Drapatyi is a popular figure and the real military leadership is undergoing a visible reshuffle, statements from an unofficial source can initially slip past skeptical readers, especially when they echo real tensions inside Ukraine’s defense establishment.

The Blurred Lines of X's Verification

X’s system makes it simple to purchase the appearance of legitimacy. The blue checkmark, once a sign of confirmed identity, now merely indicates a paid subscription. The platform does offer parody labels, but @Drapatyi_M was not marked as satire and did not post humorous content; it instead issued plausible, dull official-sounding messages. This ambiguity makes it harder for the public to distinguish genuine military communication from fabricated ones.

Disinformation Risks in a Wartime Setting

Even a single fake post about an audit or operational intention could seed confusion among troops, allies, or the public. Given that the real Drapatyi was known to agree with some of the former defense minister’s policies, the impostor’s announcement of an investigation felt credible to those unfamiliar with formal channels. Ukrainian officials have learned from prior influence operations that such impersonations, even if quickly debunked, can circulate on encrypted apps or be screenshotted, lending them a secondary life beyond X.

Practical Steps to Spot and Avoid Fake Military Accounts

  • Verify through official sources. Always cross-check any surprising statement from a military or government figure against the institution's primary website or a verified list of accounts, like the one Ukraine’s General Staff published.
  • Don't rely on a blue check for trust. Remember that on X, a blue badge means the account paid for a subscription, not that the platform has confirmed the user's identity.
  • Report impersonation. If you spot a profile pretending to be a public official, especially one making false claims about military operations, use X's reporting tools and alert the real organization.