Anonymous telegram channels and propaganda media distribute photos of chocolate bars produced in Ukraine. The wrapper depicts a boy in a communication helmet with a mourning ribbon. Allegedly, the chocolate is called “Alioshka's death”. They say that the real boy Oleksii from the Belhorod region of Russia, who greeted the Russian military, became the prototype of the cover. Now they want him to die for it. It is not true.

This photo is fake. It was first posted on a pro-Russian Twitter account. The description noted: “Ukrainians wish death to a child because he is proud of his country”. According to the Center for strategic communications and information security, the account is a channel for the distribution of anti-Ukrainian and anti-American propaganda in English. A significant part of the publications are memes, collages and other graphic content. Further, the fake was spread by other pro-Russian accounts. The story about the boy was indeed in the Russian media space in the spring of 2022. Russian TV channels filmed stories about him, including about the boy's meeting with the Russian military and a photo shoot in military uniform.

Russian propaganda has used the symbolism of the image of a child proud of its defenders to dehumanize Ukrainians in the eyes of Russians. Propaganda has already used similar tactics to promote the message that Ukrainians want to destroy all Russians, including children.

Lawyer Irakli Zakareishvili is spreading the message in the Georgian segment of social networks. It says that an icon of Bandera was allegedly created, which they plan to send to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. He also added a photo of an icon, in the center of which is the coat of arms of Ukraine, and the coats of arms of the Azov battalion are in the upper corners. It's fake.

The image of the icon has been changed in photo editors. Mith Detector fact-checkers found out that in fact this is the icon of the “Albazynska” Mother of God. In the photo editor, they replaced the face and added a coat of arms to the image of Jesus.

In June, propagandists spread a fake that the Orthodox church of Ukraine (OCU) had decided to canonize Stepan Bandera. Probably, a new version of the fake news is needed to strengthen the messages about the inter-confessional conflict in Ukraine, the forced transfer of churches to the OCU, the desecration of sacred places, etc.

The fake document says that, allegedly, based on the results of the investigation, the “comprehensive commission” established the causes of the helicopter crash in Brovary near Kyiv. Allegedly, servicemen of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down a helicopter from the Igla MANPADS. The “document” is dated on the day of the accident, that is, January 18.

The command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied the fake. The design of the fake letter does not meet the requirements, numerous errors were made in the text. The investigation is currently ongoing, there is no official information on the results yet.

Probably, the fake document was distributed to discredit the Ukrainian army and its leadership in the eyes of Ukrainians. In anonymous telegram channels immediately after the crash, a lot of messages appeared with the so-called versions of what happened. Propagandists have used fake documents to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine before. In particular, it was alleged about the losses in the Ukrainian army.

In social networks, reports are spreading that the Lviv clinic for reproductive medicine “Alternative” offers its clients “reproductive tissues of the defenders of Azovstal”. Like, for advertising, the clinic used the slogan “Restore the nation!” and the emblem of Azov. It's fake.

The clinic “Alternative” does not offer its clients “reproductive tissues of the defenders of Azovstal”. As the fact-checkers of the project “Beyond the News” found out, the screen of the clinic’s advertising post on Facebook was falsified in a photo editor. The name of the clinic was written incorrectly, despite the fact that the contact details are real: address, mobile number, license number of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Fake Ukrainian-language advertising was mostly shared on Russian resources, and English-language advertising was shared on Twitter. The photo of the boy used in the ad is most likely generated by ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to create photos of people that look as real as possible, but who never existed. The administration of the clinic did deny the existence of such services as well.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes in relation to the people of Azov, nazism and fascism in Ukraine, for which Russia allegedly has the right to punish.

Anonymous telegram channels spread the words of the press secretary of the Russian president Dmytro Pieskov. Like, the Russian business offered a reward for every burned Western tank. It seems to be a good incentive for Russian military personnel to destroy Western equipment.

In fact, in spreading this message, Russian propaganda resorts to intimidation tactics. The message that Western tanks will not help Ukraine has been spread before. They tried to scare not only Ukrainians, but also Germany. Like, Russia will consider Germany a “party to the conflict” if there is permission to supply tanks to Ukraine. Also, propaganda systematically spreads fakes about the “achievement” in the destruction of Western technology. Recently, the Russians said that they destroyed four American Bradley armored vehicles and an M1 Abrams tank, despite the fact that Ukraine does not yet have these weapons.

A video is circulating on social networks, in which, allegedly, American President Joe Biden confirms that the Third World War has already begun. Like, for the offensive in Ukraine they will use equipment and aircraft with American pilots and crews. This is manipulation.

Part of the video and a quote taken out of context are being distributed on social networks. Biden's quote was taken from his speech at the Democratic House of Representatives conference in Philadelphia back in March 2022. As the VoxCheck fact-checkers explain, Biden is clear that Russia's military aggression against Ukraine will not escalate into World War III. Further, he notes that this is possible on the condition that, along with weapons, the United States will send American specialists to Ukraine. It was this part of speech that was used for manipulation.

Russian propaganda has previously spread the message that the Third World War is going on in Ukraine. This message is used, among other things, to explain the duration and failures of the so-called “special military operation” as they say that Russia is at war not only with Ukraine, but also with the “collective West”.

Videos circulating online show large flocks of dark birds flying near buildings. They write that these videos were allegedly filmed in Kyiv. The Russian media write that this was due to the anti-religious policy of the “Kyiv regime”: state-sponsored sacrilege, the destruction of churches and the persecution of priests. This is manipulation.

Part of the video was actually filmed in Kyiv, and part in Houston (USA) back in 2017. Video from Houston in 2020 was used as “proof” of the effects of typhoon Molave in Vietnam. The migration of large numbers of birds has nothing to do with conspiracy theories or “satanic rituals”.

As the Myth Detector fact checkers explain, this bird behavior is called murmuring. Scientists consider murmurations a way to protect themselves from predators or to exchange information about favorable feeding grounds.

Such manipulations of Russian propaganda nourish messages about the “destruction” of the Moscow patriarchate church, about the need to “desatanize” Ukraine, which promotes paganism. Russian propaganda deliberately divides Ukrainians by religion in order to exacerbate internal disputes and further destabilize the situation in Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels write that the Office of the President has banned female deputies and civil servants from traveling abroad. Like, this indicates that in the near future women will be sent to serve in the army on an equal basis with men.

In fact, Russian propaganda manipulates changes in legislation. The decree of the president of Ukraine and the resolution of the cabinet of ministers of Ukraine concern professions, not gender. That is, the restrictions apply to officials in general, both men and women. Now they will be able to cross the border only in the case of a business trip or under certain personal circumstances (visiting minor children, death of a relative, etc.).

Propagandists are also manipulating the mobilization of government employees. According to the current legislation, the mobilization of women is voluntary. Men working in the public sector may be exempted from mobilization by decision of the body in which they work (reservation of an employee by position). Consequently, in the event of a change in the legislation, only the presence of public sector employees in Ukraine for the period of martial law is regulated. Features of the mobilization of public sector workers have not changed.

Previously, propagandists talked about the forced mobilization of women, children and even dogs.