Russian propagandists are disseminating information that the 2024 state budget allegedly included 18.8 billion hryvnia for the maintenance of the Office of the President (OP), although this money could have been spent on the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, this is a fake.

Fact-checkers from the VoxCheck project processed this case. On November 9, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law on the state budget for 2024. On November 17, the bill was signed by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, and on November 28 by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, approving the draft state budget.

In fact, according to the adopted law on the state budget of Ukraine for 2024, 1.1 billion hryvnia are provided for the OP, and not 18.8 billion hryvnia, as propagandists write. In addition, 1.69 trillion hryvnia will be allocated for the security and defense of Ukraine - almost 100% of annual budget revenues.

Thus, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit the OP and undermine the trust of the Ukrainian population in it. The ultimate goal of such disinformation is to force Ukrainians to rebel against the “Zelenskyi regime”.

Propaganda resources disseminated information that the Russians destroyed three or four F-16 aircraft in Odesa. It's fake.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security has processed this information. In fact, Ukraine is just getting ready to accept the F-16 – we are talking about infrastructure, pilots, and engineering personnel. All statements about the destruction of these fighters in Ukraine are an invention of Russian propaganda, which Yurii Ihnat, a representative of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has already ridiculed.

“Their [Russian – ed.] reports are encouraging: per day, five Ukrainian aircraft are destroyed in the reports of their general staff. There are even memes about the F-16 that they have already found them in Ukraine”, Ihnat said on the telethon.

Propagandists exaggerate the achievements of the Russian army in the war against Ukraine by spreading such disinformation. Like, they have everything under control. Previously, we denied information that Russia allegedly destroyed five Patriot air defense missile launchers.

Some telegram channels disseminated information that an unknown person launched fireworks in Osokorky on the night of January 1, 2024. In addition, a video was published, allegedly confirming the information. However, this is a fake.

Kyiv police reported that during the check the information was not confirmed. Police officers who went to the probable scene of the incident talked with local residents, but no one confirmed the information about the alleged launch of fireworks. As it turned out, the event that was filmed took place at the end of 2022.

In addition, the police reminded that the launching of fireworks during martial law is prohibited, and such offenses are subject to criminal liability.

One of the pro-Russian telegram channels disseminated information that the executive committee of the Kharkiv City Council allegedly decided to pay Kharkiv residents a funeral allowance in the amount of UAH 1942. It seems that this money will begin to be paid on January 1, 2024. However, this is manipulation.

In fact, the benefit amount UAH 1942 is not an innovation, as propagandists are trying to present, but a revised amount taking into account the cost of funeral services, as Gwara Media fact-checkers write. That is, the executive committee of the Kharkiv City Council increased the existing funeral assistance to 1942 hryvnia. Thus, the amount of such assistance in 2022 was no more than 1,730 hryvnia, and in 2019 no more than 1,440 hryvnia. It should be noted that this amount is established for persons who, at the time of the person’s death, have not yet reached retirement age, were not working and were not registered as unemployed. Also, this assistance is for people registered and living in Kharkiv for at least six months, that is, the corresponding decision also applies, for example, to IDPs.

At the same time, this is not the only type of financial assistance for funerals in Ukraine - the current amount of benefits from the state, according to the resolution of the PFU On establishing the amount of funeral benefits dated December 26, 2022 No. 29-1, is 4,100 hryvnia.

There are also other types of burial benefits, such as:

- assistance for the funeral of persons who died from an accident at work or an occupational disease;

- assistance for the funeral of a pensioner among military personnel;

- assistance for the funeral of military personnel.

By manipulating this information, Russian propaganda is trying to show that everything seems to be so bad in Ukraine that the state doesn’t even have enough money for people to pay for funerals. Previously, we refuted information that in the Kyiv region the director of a cemetery allegedly refused to provide a place for the burial of a Ukrainian military man.

This information is disseminated by pro-Russian telegram channels. According to the real estate purchase agreement, the villa was purchased by Film Heritage Inc, a company associated with the current president of Ukraine. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council established that the primary source of this information is allegedly a former employee of the BIM consulting company, Sabina Mels. However, it was not possible to establish the identity of Sabine Mels and her affiliation with BIM, which casts doubt on the existence of such a person. Then the fake news about the villa was spread by pro-Russian resources: the Nigerian publication Independent and the website OKV e.V., the content of which corresponds to pro-Russian rhetoric. It should be noted that previously, Nigerian publications were already involved in the dissemination of fakes about Zelenskyi, in particular, the publication PUNCH.

Propagandists continue to systematically discredit Zelenskyi and the first lady of Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to evoke a negative attitude towards them from Ukrainians. Also, by spreading their lies on behalf of fake foreign publications, Russians are trying to give them more credibility. Previously, we denied information that the foundation of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is allegedly connected with child trafficking.