The governor of the Trans-Baikal region, Oleksandr Osypov, published on social networks and then deleted the message – an illustration from the cover of the Polish magazine Wprost, dedicated to Christmas in Ukraine, reports the independent publication Meduza.

The illustration by the Polish artist Pawel Kuczynski depicts a table near a Christmas tree, at which a sad woman and two children are sitting.

Children seem to be praying and a woman is serving food. There is also an empty chair with an empty plate at the table. The other side of the table turns into a trench, in which sit two soldiers who are also eating.

The magazine does not directly mention any of the armies, but contains an article about Elizaveta, the widow of a fallen Ukrainian soldier, who will have a free seat at the Christmas table.

On the morning of December 24, the Governor of Transbaikalia Oleksandr Osypov published this illustration on the social network, commenting: “Guys, this is a brilliant picture.”

Osipov later deleted the post. He said he saw the image from Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin and deleted it after “finding out it wasn’t published by us,” that is, by the Russians.

“But our main message is that we are united with our military and that our bond is unshakable,” the Russian governor explained.

Zakhar Prilepin, who actively supports Russia’s war against Ukraine, published an illustration on the morning of December 23 with the comment “Remember and believe.”

The magazine’s logo, placed at the top of the cover, appears to have been featured in this publication by a Russian writer.