In this article, we decided to pay attention to the behavioral features of Western online media in the context of the information confrontation between the West and Russia around the topic of special military operation (SMO), using the example of the IL-76 plane crash in the Belgorod region. Six well-known online media from France, Germany and the UK were selected for the study. The goal of the work was to identify, describe and compare the transformations in specifically selected primary materials during the day when the event occurred. The study showed that none of the selected online media decided to cover an event with a high potential for increasing news events over several days in a special online format, when you can constantly add new facts, comments and official statements of political actors on one webpage, thereby allowing readers to immerse themselves in the situation as much as possible. Absolutely all of the online media examined decided to transform their primary journalistic materials. Only two online publications indicated to their audiences that materials would be updated, which in general may be logical for this type of media seeking maximum efficiency in a competitive media environment. However, as the study of the issue has shown, updating does not mean adding new information. Work with meanings has come into practice – framing, when significant information is deliberately excluded. It cannot be argued that this is being done only to increase information aggression; attempts to manipulate mass consciousness are also carried out with the aim of undermining trust in one or another version.
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