Propagandists are spreading information on anonymous pro-Russian Ukrainian and later Baltic pro-Russian Telegram channels about a comment made by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, for the British Channel 4. The claim is that he supposedly distanced himself from being the first openly gay president. According to the propaganda, when reminded by the Channel 4 host about this, he allegedly said that he “was gay a long time ago” and that he “is no longer”. Propagandists argue that the politician “cannot decide on his orientation”. However, this is manipulation.

Rinkēvičs made a comment for Channel 4 in response to recent decrees by US President Donald Trump recognizing only two genders. The host's question began with a reminder that the politician is the first openly gay president. The Latvian president indeed responded with the phrase “That was a long time ago”, but in fact, he was referring to how much time had passed since his election, not a change in his sexual orientation. This is another example of how propagandists distort the context and original meaning of material through deliberate mistranslation.

Russia spreads such disinformation for several reasons. Firstly, it aims to reduce trust in politicians who support LGBT+ rights. This is done to undermine their authority both domestically and internationally. By using socially sensitive topics like LGBT+ rights, Russia tries to escalate internal disputes in democratic countries. The spread of such messages distracts public attention from other important issues, such as Russia's aggression against Ukraine, economic instability, or human rights violations within Russia itself. Disinformation helps to create an image of the ‘immoral West’, which contrasts with the officially declared ‘traditional’ Russian values.

Propagandists are spreading a story on anonymous Telegram channels about a ‘Ukrainian waiter’ at a Polish restaurant who allegedly added his semen to customers' dishes. It is claimed that this was reported by the leading Polish publication Rzeczpospolita. However, this is a fake.

Experts from the publication Farwater.Skhid have drawn attention to the issue. They discovered that propagandists used a manipulated screenshot, supposedly taken from the publication. The falsification involved altering the headline, section, and illustrations, though stock images were retained in the photo. The unnatural structure of the categorization and the use of stock images prove the manipulation. The analysis also shows that this information was spread exclusively through propagandist Telegram channels and is absent from the pages of Rzeczpospolita.

The main goal of this disinformation is to discredit Ukrainian refugees by creating the impression that they are immoral and dangerous. This is aimed at reducing support for Ukrainians in Poland, provoking public outrage, and undermining trust in policies of openness towards migrants. Propagandists also seek to divide Polish-Ukrainian relations, as such provocative stories emotionally impact the audience. These actions are yet another example of Russia's informational aggression aimed at destabilizing societies that support Ukraine.

Propagandists are spreading information on social media, particularly on TikTok, claiming that the expenditures for the National Police of Ukraine allegedly exceed the funding for the Armed Forces of Ukraine by four times. However, this is a fake.

According to the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, their experts have clarified that in 2025, the state budget allocations for the Ministry of Defense total 1.6 trillion UAH, of which about 1 trillion UAH is allocated for the support of the Armed Forces. In comparison, the Ministry of Internal Affairs receives 438.3 billion UAH, of which 104.7 billion UAH is allocated to the National Police. Thus, the funding for the Armed Forces exceeds the expenses for the Ministry of Internal Affairs by 4 times and for the police by 15 times.

This disinformation is created to discredit the Ukrainian government and divert attention from the real priorities of the budget. Manipulating such figures aims to undermine public trust in the authorities, create internal conflicts, and discredit the government's efforts in countering Russian aggression. The spread of such messages is also aimed at inciting discontent among the military and the civilian population, which plays into the hands of enemy propaganda. Ukraine continues to allocate primary resources to support defense and ensure the army’s needs.

A study conducted by the Allensbach Institute on behalf of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation raises concerns about the influence of propaganda on public opinion ahead of elections in Germany. The research revealed that TikTok users and youth in Germany are significantly less critical of Russia and China than the general population. This is reported by Euronews.

Specifically, these users are more likely to doubt the spread of disinformation by Russia, view the Chinese political system as superior to democracy, and question Western narratives about global events. For instance, 78% of Germans overall consider Russia's war against Ukraine to be illegal, but this figure drops to 66% among TikTok users. Additionally, 30% believe the authoritarian Chinese system is more efficient than Western democracy. The influence of disinformation is a growing concern due to its ability to shape political preferences.

Russia actively uses TikTok as a tool for spreading its propaganda for several key reasons. TikTok is popular among young people, who are more vulnerable to emotional and simplified messages, especially when information is presented in an entertaining format. As a result, short videos with vivid visuals and music can easily evoke emotions, fostering the acceptance of manipulative narratives. TikTok's algorithms facilitate the rapid spread of videos, allowing propagandist content to reach a large number of users in a short time. Russian structures often create numerous accounts or use bots to promote disinformation, masking it as user-generated content. TikTok sometimes struggles to react quickly to the spread of fake news, which enables Russian propaganda to reach its audience.

Russian occupiers in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine systematically use propaganda to manipulate the consciousness of children, creating conditions for the spread of pro-Russian sentiments. Specifically, on the propaganda channel Luhansk 24, specially created children's programs are broadcast, aimed at distorting reality and imposing anti-Ukrainian narratives. This was reported by the Center for National Resistance.

Through game shows, contests, and informational programs, children are encouraged to support the occupiers' aggressive policies, using psychological pressure tactics. Programs that could foster creativity and humanitarian values instead instill support for violence, distorted historical facts, and propagandist clichés.

The goal of these actions is the destruction of Ukrainian identity in the younger generation and its integration into the aggressor's system. In addition to the destructive impact on national consciousness, this is an attempt to involve children in the occupiers' paradigm, forming a sense of alienation from their native culture and state.

The Center for National Resistance emphasizes that manipulating children in this way is a direct violation of international humanitarian law norms, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. These actions are considered war crimes, for which responsible individuals must be held accountable. Ukraine continues to actively collaborate with international organizations to document these crimes and ensure that the perpetrators are punished. At the same time, the state works to support affected children and their families to overcome the psychological and ideological pressures they have endured.

Russian propagandists are spreading false information that Ukrainian sniper Yevheniia Emerald, who actively encouraged citizens to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), allegedly fled to Austria. According to their narrative, this was due to her supposed ‘realization’ of Ukraine's inevitable collapse and the complete elimination of all Ukrainian soldiers. To ‘support’ their claims, Russian propagandists cite posts from Yevheniia's social media where she allegedly writes in Russian and talks about her life abroad, including ‘romantic relationships’. There are also rumors about her and her husband, a Ukrainian soldier, supposedly having a son, initially intended to be named Banderiatko (from Bandera and baby words), but later changing their mind.

In reality, this information is a fake. It is true that Yevheniia, who is currently on maternity leave, posted a photo from Vienna on Instagram. However, she never claimed that she left the country due to fear or disbelief in Ukraine's future. On the contrary, the photo, taken at a Ukrainian community event in Austria, shows her solidarity with Ukraine. Additionally, her Instagram page continues to serve as a platform for communication with followers and addressing important social issues, such as domestic violence. It is crucial to highlight that all of Yevheniia's posts are written exclusively in Ukrainian. Moreover, the information about her having a child is also falsified. In reality, on April 14, 2023, Yevheniia gave birth to a daughter named Athena.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads such fakes with the aim of demoralizing Ukrainian society, undermining trust in the military, and creating the illusion of a mass ‘escape’ of Ukraine's defenders. By using manipulations and outright lies, the propaganda tries to sow doubts among Ukrainians, devalue their struggle, and impose the idea of the state's inevitable collapse.

Russian sources are spreading information that Ukrainian legislation has introduced a ban on criticizing the government, specifically in comments on social media and online platforms. However, this claim is false, as reported by the StopFake project. On January 14, 2025, the Ukrainian Parliament did indeed pass the draft law No 11321 in the second reading, which amends legislation to strengthen media, journalists' activities, and citizens' right to access information. However, the new law does not introduce censorship but rather clarifies existing rules regarding content moderation while protecting the media from liability for users' actions.

The head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, emphasized on his Telegram channel: “We are strengthening the protection of reputable media, not limiting either the media or users. No one is requiring media outlets to delete critical comments without legal grounds”.

He also explained the mechanism for regulating comments under the new legislation: if a legal case is initiated and a reasoned decision is made regarding material that violates the Law on Media, the editorial office has three days to decide on the fate of the respective comment. It can either delete it without legal consequences or leave it and defend its position in court.

“Currently, media outlets can genuinely face lawsuits if they paraphrase a person's words rather than quote them directly, even if the meaning remains unchanged. Instead, we are proposing a way to make it easier for media outlets to convey information so that they can paraphrase a public figure's statement and be protected from lawsuits in such cases”, Yurchyshyn stressed.

Russian propaganda spreads this fake to undermine citizens' trust in the government, sow internal tension, and promote the narrative of alleged “authoritarian” tendencies in Ukraine. At the same time, these informational manipulations target a Western audience, aiming to create a false impression of Ukraine's departure from democratic values, which could be used to undermine international support.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are spreading the false claim that panic allegedly erupted in Kyiv because Trump did not mention Ukraine in his inaugural speech on January 20. However, this is a manipulation, as pointed out by experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. The absence of any mention of Ukraine in the speech does not indicate Trump's ‘indifference’ - the 47th president of the United States clearly focused on issues directly related to the United States.

Former Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin emphasized in an interview with Radio NV that there is no need to create panic over the fact that Ukraine was not mentioned in Trump's speech. The speech was centered around the Make America Great Again  concept, and Trump primarily spoke about the United States.

Moreover, during discussions with journalists, Trump confirmed his willingness to engage in talks with both Zelenskyi and Putin to achieve peace and end the war. “We are in touch with Zelenskyi, and we will soon speak with President Putin. We'll see how things unfold”, said the U.S. president.

Additionally, Trump's appointment of retired General Keith Kellogg as Special Representative for Ukraine indicates that the new administration will pay attention to this issue. In early January, Kellogg stated that he intended to find a solution to end the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine within 100 days from the inauguration.

This manipulative information is being spread by Russian propaganda to create a sense of Ukraine's isolation and to give the impression that the U.S. is indifferent or dismissive toward Ukraine. Such narratives are aimed at sowing doubts in the public regarding Western partners' support for Ukraine.

Russian Telegram channels are spreading information claiming that 62% of Britons allegedly view the 100-year partnership agreement between the United Kingdom and Ukraine as a ‘threat’ to London's interests. To support this assertion, the propagandists refer to a supposedly conducted ‘survey’ by a company called GLPOR.

In reality, this information is false, according to experts from Ukrinform. GLPOR is not an existing sociological firm; its website was created solely for the purpose of spreading fake surveys that are used in Russian disinformation campaigns.

The GLPOR website claims that it is a British company specializing in international market and political research, allegedly collaborating with Oxford University and working for the British government. However, despite these claims, the GLPOR website cannot be found on any search engine, and reputable international media have never published any ‘research’ from this company, unlike Russian propaganda resources.

The domain of the website was registered only in 2023, and since then, content has been retroactively added to create the illusion of a long-established company.

This is not the first time that propagandists have attempted to use the fake company GLPOR to spread manipulations. Earlier, we analyzed a fake claim about 88% of Ukrainians allegedly not supporting ‘Zelenskyi's decision to cancel the presidential elections’.

Russian propaganda uses fake surveys and invented companies like GLPOR to manipulate public opinion and create the impression of negative attitudes in Western countries toward cooperation with Ukraine. This is part of a disinformation strategy aimed at weakening international support for Ukraine and undermining its position on the global stage.

Pro-Russian sources have been spreading information claiming that in Slovakia, locals are allegedly vandalizing or removing license plates from the cars of Ukrainian refugees. According to these reports, this forces Ukrainians to return home to replace their plates, where they are supposedly detained by military recruitment officers for mobilization at the border. The supposed reason for this behavior is that Slovaks are ‘tired’ of Ukrainians.

However, fact-checkers from the StopFake resource have debunked this information. The first such reports appeared in Slovak on the Facebook page named Klub Priateľov Štefana Harabina — Dôstojnosť pre Slovensko (Club of Friends of Štefan Harabin — Dignity for Slovakia).

Štefan Harabin is a former justice minister and ex-president of the Supreme Court of Slovakia, who has openly propagated pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian views during his election campaigns. He denied the fact of Russian aggression against Ukraine and called for a complete cessation of any support for Kyiv, including financial and humanitarian aid.

Moreover, early in the full-scale invasion, Harabin stated that “if he were in Putin's place, he would have done the same”. Given this, it is clear that the page named after him regularly spreads pro-Russian narratives, rejoices in Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, and praises the policies of the Kremlin. The post about the supposed mass vandalism of Ukrainian license plates in Slovakia provides no evidence or sources. Notably, no reputable Slovak media outlet has reported such incidents, further proving the fabricated nature of this ‘news’.

Propaganda is spreading such fakes to scare Ukrainian refugees and create a sense of danger abroad. At the same time, propagandists aim to discredit countries that support Ukraine by promoting narratives of hostility from local populations. This aligns with the overall Kremlin strategy to destabilize European societies and undermine international support for Ukraine.

Earlier, we analyzed a report claiming that a Ukrainian schoolgirl in New York allegedly complained about her Black classmates and believed that her education should be funded by American taxpayers.