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Since the war began, my inbox has been flooded, with messages from people in Ukraine, Russia and Britain,

because as images of armies on the move beam around the world, I've been hearing about a very different battle,

one that's also having real consequences

for the people caught up in it. I'm Mariana Spring, and this is a new podcast for BBC Radio 4,

War on Truth. In this series, I'll be looking at families torn apart because relatives don't

believe the war is happening.

I have a cousin who lives in Russia.

She says that we are bombing ourselves.

And people whose homes and neighborhoods have been destroyed,

only to be told that they're lying.

I showed pictures of dead bodies lying around so people would believe me,

but it was impossible to get through to them.

And this blatant denial of reality, waged by trolls, state media, influences, online and beyond,

is not just confined to Russia and Ukraine. It's reaching all over the world.

We see the same tactics and troughs used to promote misinformation about the invasion, including here in the UK.

There's an old saying that the first casualty, when war comes, is truth.

In this series, I'll be reporting on the extraordinary information battle being fought over Ukraine,

and hearing from the ordinary people sucked into it.

I understand Russian propaganda makes this up.

I don't understand people who believes in it, especially when it's your family.

I'm Mariana Spring, and for Radio 4, this is War on Truth.

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