Fake «Official» Documents as a Disinformation Tool: Forgery Markers and Verification

А. Romaniuk

Abstract


Research objective is to identify and systematize the markers of forgery in pseudo-official documents as a specific format of disinformation content, and to develop a verification algorithm based on empirical analysis of Russian information and psychological operations in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Research methodology is based on a combination of qualitative and comparative methods: content analysis, case analysis, comparative analysis of forged documents against authentic official records, and operationalization of identified characteristics. The empirical base comprises a corpus of ten verified pseudo-official documents circulated in Ukraine's information space in 2022–2025.

Results. Eight types of forgery markers were identified: formulary-structural, requisite-registration, institutional-competence, linguistic-stylistic, logical-legal and procedural, visual-technical, requisite-temporal, and circulation-narrative markers. It was established that 100% of the examined cases contained markers from at least three different categories; the most reliable indicators proved to be requisite-registration and institutional-competence markers. A functional typology of fake documents was proposed (demoralization documents, panic-inducing documents, partnership-delegitimization documents, and fraudulent documents), alongside an eight-step verification algorithm.

Novelty consists in introducing the concept of documentary mimicry – a strategy of borrowing institutional legitimacy by replicating the formal attributes of official documents – and in creating the first systematized matrix of forgery markers for pseudo-official documents in the Ukrainian context.

Practical significance. The marker matrix and verification algorithm are applicable in media editorial practice, media literacy and information hygiene education programs, and in training civil servants to recognize targeted disinformation attacks.

Key words: disinformation, fake documents, documentary mimicry, verification, information and psychological operations, Russian-Ukrainian war, social media, fact-checking.


References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.32840/cpu2219-8741/2025.4(64).9

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