Meduza’s ad sparks outrage for using Ukraine war footage

1 February 2025, 06:08 PM

She said she saw the ad in a Berlin movie theater and recognized explosions in Ukraine, a photo of Yaroslav Bazylevych, who lost his wife and three children in a Russian strike on Lviv on Sept. 4, 2024, images of destroyed Ukrainian cities, and other scenes of tragedy. According to Feshak, the campaign also appeared on billboards.

Feshak stated that Berlin-based agency Lure, which has worked with brands like Coca-Cola and ASICS, created the campaign for Meduza free of charge. Lure was founded by American David Incorvaia. Meduza confirmed on Telegram that the campaign was developed pro bono. It was first announced in late November 2024, with the stated goal of “raising awareness about the challenges faced by Russian journalism in exile.”

“Meduza, one of the last independent Russian outlets, operates in exile under constant threats, including bans and poisonings of its journalists by the Kremlin. Together with Lure, Meduza is launching a bold global awareness campaign: ‘Where other headlines end, Meduza begins,’” reads a statement on Lure’s website.

The agency claimed it conducted a survey of 800 people across 90 countries and interviewed Meduza journalists while developing the campaign, uncovering what it called “incredible stories of resilience and courage.” The campaign has launched in Berlin, London, Paris, Helsinki, and Toronto, with Lure posting photos of massive billboards.

“As you well know, we cannot accept donations from Russia. We continue to operate thanks to support from our Russian readers living abroad. But we are also backed by foreigners. That’s why it’s crucial for as many people as possible worldwide to learn about us—and about our English-language edition,” Meduza stated.

According to the outlet, David Incorvaia, who had been reading Meduza in English, personally approached the newsroom with the idea of launching an ad campaign for Western audiences. Other agencies and freelancers were also involved in its creation.

“The British Emmy-nominated production company Moonraker made a film together with Lure. The Helsinki-based branding and design agency Werklig developed the print and digital campaign concept alongside Lure. The strategic firm Venn in Berlin helped Lure craft the campaign’s core creative strategy,” Meduza said.

An Instagram post by Lure featuring Meduza’s campaign slogan alongside a photo of Yaroslav Bazylevych has since been deleted. The account now only displays images of posters with the campaign in various European cities. In the comments, Ukrainians have expressed outrage over what they see as Russia profiting from their suffering.

“I was overwhelmed with disgust and fury. The German agency Lure Berlin created a pro bono video for Meduza. To tell the story of Russian exiles’ struggles, they generously used footage of Ukrainians’ suffering. And, of course, it’s all mixed with images of [Alexei] Navalny, because that’s their version of ‘flames of hope.’ And do you know what it all leads to in the grand climax? ‘We were exiled. We were arrested. We LOST OUR FUNDING’ (caps mine),” wrote Ukrainian filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk on Facebook.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry responded to the controversy, calling for Lure to receive an “award” for marketing cynicism and hypocrisy.

“They used images of Ukrainians who lost their families and homes in a promotional campaign for the Russian outlet Meduza. Exploiting our tragedy to generate sympathy for Russians is a complete disgrace,” the ministry said in a statement on X.

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