The reported annihilation of Russia's 35th Combined Arms Army is one of the most resonant stories to emerge from the front lines in the Donbas in recent days. President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak shared the news on June 4, saying that the 35th Army had been "destroyed" during clashes with Ukraine's Armed Forces near Izyum. Meduza's own news update cited Yermak's claim, albeit with the disclaimer that our journalists could not immediately verify this official statement. Upon further verification, Meduza traced these reports back to their actual original source -- a LiveJournal post by a Russian military blogger who is currently serving in the "Luhansk People's Militia." The post, which provoked controversy among pro-Kremlin military bloggers and has since been removed, doesn't explicitly say that the entire 35th Army was obliterated. Meduza breaks down how a dubious blog post turned into a story reported around the world.