Russia has begun dropping fake Ukrainian money with “hostile” QR codes in the border Chernihiv and Sumy regions, according to local officials on Thursday.
The bills resemble Ukraine’s hryvna banknotes but with an extra banner on top depicting a QR code, with texts that say, “Share the coordinates and help start a fire. You will get real [money],” according to photos shared by Oleh Hrihorov, the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration.
On the other side of the bill, a QR code is also depicted, with text reading, “Read underground news and get real news.”
The banknotes shown have a denomination of Hr.100 ($2.28); The texts were written in Ukrainian instead of Russian.
In his Facebook update, Hrihorov said the bills were dropped by Russian drones in two districts in the Sumy region bordering Russia. He said the bills “contain hostile messages” and include QR codes that “lead to hostile resources.”
He called it “an attempt at provocation” and warned locals not to scan the code, and instead inform local authorities if they discover the bills.
Officials in the northern Chernihiv region bordering Russia and Belarus also issued a similar update on Thursday morning.
The region’s Koryukiv Regional Administrative District wrote on Telegram that “leaflets in the form of banknotes with a QR code” were found dropped by a Russian drone in Snovsk, a city northeast of the regional capital of Chernihiv.
Pavlo Miroshnychenko, head of the Koryukiv Regional Air Defense Force, urged locals not to pick up the bills or scan the QR codes in the update.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) regularly reports cases of Russian agents – motivated by both financial and ideological means – aiding strikes on Ukrainian facilities, at times including active service members.
The Chernihiv region has experienced extensive blackouts in recent winters due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Sumy region – alongside six other regions – has been experiencing blackouts on Thursday following overnight Russian drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, according to state energy operator Ukrenergo.