April 4, 2026
Siberian regional TV releases video of ‘grateful farmers’ who lost livestock to government seizures, but journalists identify participants as local officials
OTS, a television channel owned by the Novosibirsk regional government, has released a video featuring what it calls “grateful farmers” describing how they received compensation for livestock that was destroyed. The video is available on OTS’s VK page.
TL;DR
- OTS, a Novosibirsk regional government TV channel, released a video of 'grateful farmers' commenting on livestock seizures and compensation.
- Journalists identified some participants not as farmers but as local officials from the affected villages.
- Critics, including pro-war bloggers, accused the video of being propaganda and mocking the victims.
- Authorities cited pasteurellosis for the seizures and quarantines, but experts suspect foot-and-mouth disease and an alleged cover-up.
- Farmers reported a lack of documentation and unclear explanations during livestock confiscation, along with low compensation amounts.
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