General Leonov's death: a recurring hoax in the information war
The alleged death of General Leonov after falling from a window in Moscow has no reliable sources; it is a recurring hoax debunked by fact-checkers
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
General Leonov's fall: another killer window or just another hoax?
A social media post has once again raised the claim of General Leonov's supposed death, commander of Russia's air defense forces, after falling from a window in Moscow. The story resurfaces every few months: a senior Russian officer found dead in strange circumstances, immediately going viral as the latest chapter in the series of 'killer windows' surrounding the Kremlin. But this time, the evidence points to it all being a fabrication.
No credible sources and a community note
The first red flag: no serious news outlet has reported the story. The Twitter account that spread it, linked to pro-Russian activists, was quickly flagged by users themselves with a community note: "No credible sources report a Russian air defense commander named General Leonov falling from a window". Moreover, it is pointed out that the current commander of the Aerospace Forces is Alexander Chaiko, not Leonov. According to the most reliable analyses, the alleged general does not even hold the position attributed to him.
A hoax that resurfaces with every news cycle
The image of Leonov's 'suicide' has been circulating for at least several months. Every so often, some account —whether by mistake or with disinformation intent— republishes the same story with identical wording. The pattern is classic propaganda warfare: the more gruesome the death, the faster it spreads. On this occasion, the post also linked to an account soliciting donations for Ukraine, adding another layer of manipulation.
Disinformation knows no sides. But in this war, the Russians are unbeatable at producing hoaxes. Or so some say. The truth is that, for now, General Leonov's window exists only in the imagination of Twitter.
Related discussions in the forum
A social media post has once again raised the claim of General Leonov's supposed death, commander of Russia's air defense forces, after falling from a window in Moscow. The story resurfaces every few months: a senior Russian officer found dead in strange circumstances, immediately going viral as the latest chapter in the series of 'killer windows' surrounding the Kremlin. But this time, the evidence points to it all being a fabrication.
No credible sources and a community note
The first red flag: no serious news outlet has reported the story. The Twitter account that spread it, linked to pro-Russian activists, was quickly flagged by users themselves with a community note: "No credible sources report a Russian air defense commander named General Leonov falling from a window". Moreover, it is pointed out that the current commander of the Aerospace Forces is Alexander Chaiko, not Leonov. According to the most reliable analyses, the alleged general does not even hold the position attributed to him.
A hoax that resurfaces with every news cycle
The image of Leonov's 'suicide' has been circulating for at least several months. Every so often, some account —whether by mistake or with disinformation intent— republishes the same story with identical wording. The pattern is classic propaganda warfare: the more gruesome the death, the faster it spreads. On this occasion, the post also linked to an account soliciting donations for Ukraine, adding another layer of manipulation.
Disinformation knows no sides. But in this war, the Russians are unbeatable at producing hoaxes. Or so some say. The truth is that, for now, General Leonov's window exists only in the imagination of Twitter.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (9 replies).
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