Spilnota Detector Media
Detector Media collects and documents real-time chronicles of the Kremlin disinformation about the Russian invasion. Ukraine for decades has been suffering from Kremlin disinformation. Here we document all narratives, messages, and tactics, which Russia is using from February 17th, 2022. Reminder: the increasing of shelling and fighting by militants happened on the 17th of February 2022 on the territory of Ukraine. Russian propaganda blames Ukraine for these actions.

On 18 April, on the 784th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2086
Fake
687
Manipulation
639
Message
424
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Message Citizens of Ukraine are divided into Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians

Such a message is promoted by pro-Russian telegram channels. Allegedly, the division of Ukrainians will take place thanks to the draft law “On national minorities (community) of Ukraine” and that people’s deputies consider this to be more important than solving the issue of supplying water and electricity to homes.

The requirement to reform legislation on national minorities is one of the conditions that the European Union puts before Ukraine on the way to full membership. The bill was finalized on the basis of the opinion of the Council of Europe and in close cooperation with its experts.

People's deputies pass laws, but do not supply water and electricity to homes. Problems with this arose due to Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities. Blackout is another Russian war crime for which it should be held accountable.

Message Ukrainian army plans to "recapture" Crimea in Russia

This is the message Russian propaganda is spreading to the audience of the European Union. Allegedly, the Ukrainian army is preparing to attack Crimea in order to return the peninsula, whose inhabitants in 2014 voted for reunification with Russia.

The EU vs Disinfo fact-checkers drew attention to the spread of the message. Allegedly, Crimea voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to reunite with Russia in 2014 after violent riots in Kyiv that led to the ouster of democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych.

Earlier, Russian propagandists spread the manipulation that Ukraine had changed its mind about returning Crimea. And to the fact that the German Parliament allegedly recognized that Crimea cannot be returned to Ukraine.

Fake Odesan was given 15 years in prison for displaying the Russian flag

This information was disseminated by the Russian media. Allegedly, a resident of Odesa hung out the flag of Russia with the inscription "Odesa is a Russian city" and for this the court sentenced him to 15 years in prison.

As the StopFake fact-checkers write, the man was indeed sentenced to 15 years in prison, but because the court found him guilty of high treason, collaboration activities and kidnapping.

The State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine reported that he openly demonstrated his pro-Russian position and was an agent of the FSB. On August 22, he placed a Russian flag on one of the residential buildings in Odesa. A man with two more recruited residents of Odesa collected information about the locations of military facilities on the territory of Odesa, information about law enforcement officers, pro-Ukrainian activists and participants of the ATO, and transmitted this data to their curators in Russia.

He and his associates bought weapons for saboteurs, worked on creating a network of agents in the law enforcement agencies of the Odesa region and planned to kidnap a patriotic businessman, a volunteer, in order to “destabilize the situation in the city” and “after the capture of Odesa by the aggressor’s troops, exchange a Ukrainian patriot for Russian prisoners”.

He was detained with associates during the kidnapping of an entrepreneur with the use of drugs. The recruited Odesans were dressed in military uniforms.

Russian propagandists manipulate facts to show that Ukraine can sentence persons for 15 years.

Fake French special services killed Dariia Duhina

Such information appeared in the Russian propaganda media. Like, the Russian propagandist Dariia Duhina was killed by order of the French special services. Reports say that all this happened because of the situation in Olenivka. Allegedly, Dariia was going to expose those responsible for the shelling of the colony in Olenivka. In particular, the reports say that Duhina had evidence that the French special services are helping Ukrainians in the Donbas, and the colony was hit by the HIMARS system, which is in service with the Ukrainian military. That is why, according to propagandists, in order to hide all the evidence, the French secret services killed Duhin. The EU vs Disinfo analysts drew attention to the case. In fact, this version of the propagandists is not supported by any evidence. According to analysts, such disinformation is aimed at blurring the picture around the killing of Ukrainian soldiers in Olenivka.

Fake In Germany, they proved that the US was preparing Kyiv for war with Russia

Such messages are spread by the Russian propaganda media. They refer to the German politician Oscar La Fontaine. They say that it is not Ukraine that is at war with Russia, but NATO, and the United States should withdraw their troops from Germany; also, that the war in Ukraine and the “coup d'état” in 2014 is also the work of the Americans. According to Russian propaganda media, Germany allegedly admitted that it was the United States that prepared Ukraine for war with Russia. However, this is not true.

Manipulation Due to the influx of Ukrainian refugees, the number of HIV patients in Poland has increased

Such information is disseminated by Russian propaganda media. Reports say that over the past six months, the number of HIV-infected people has increased significantly in Poland. In the texts, the propagandists refer to the Polish Ministry of Health. Like, the ministry said that the situation with HIV in the country worsened because of Ukrainian refugees. Allegedly, it was they who brought the infection into the country and spread it there. However, this is fake. As StopFake fact-checkers write, in fact, the Ministry of Health of Poland explained that the number of recorded cases of the disease in the country could increase due to the arrival of Ukrainians, among whom there are also HIV-infected. They fit into the overall statistics, and are offered advice and treatment. The fact that in Poland the incidence of HIV infection has significantly increased due to the “influx of refugees” has not been claimed by anyone. Previously, the fake about Ukrainians spreading HIV concerned Estonia. Russian propaganda systematically spreads lies about Ukrainian refugees abroad in order to change public opinion both about the refugees themselves and about what is happening in Ukraine. Russian disinformation about Ukrainian refugees, in particular, is based on differences in people's values. For example, propaganda calls Ukrainians Nazis (in the sense of radical xenophobes) or claims that Ukrainians are not ready to work to provide for themselves, but only live off European taxes. Read more about the disinformation that Russian propaganda is spreading about Ukrainian refugees in the Detector Media investigation.In the texts, the propagandists refer to the Polish Ministry of Health. Like, the ministry said that the situation with HIV in the country worsened because of Ukrainian refugees. Allegedly, it was they who brought the infection into the country and spread it there. However, this is fake. As StopFake fact-checkers write, in fact, the Ministry of Health of Poland explained that the number of recorded cases of the disease in the country could increase due to the arrival of Ukrainians, among whom there are also HIV-infected. They fit into the overall statistics, and are offered advice and treatment. The fact that in Poland the incidence of HIV infection has significantly increased due to the “influx of refugees” has not been claimed by anyone. Previously, the fake about Ukrainians spreading HIV concerned Estonia. Russian propaganda systematically spreads lies about Ukrainian refugees abroad in order to change public opinion both about the refugees themselves and about what is happening in Ukraine. Russian disinformation about Ukrainian refugees, in particular, is based on differences in people's values. For example, propaganda calls Ukrainians Nazis (in the sense of radical xenophobes) or claims that Ukrainians are not ready to work to provide for themselves, but only live off European taxes. Read more about the disinformation that Russian propaganda is spreading about Ukrainian refugees in the Detector Media investigation.

Orest Slyvenko, Artur Koldomasov, Pavlo Rud, Oleksandra Kotenko, Oleksandr Siedin, Kostiantyn Zadyraka, and Oleksiy Pivtorak are collaborating on this chronicle. Lesia Bidochko serves as the project coordinator, while Ksenia Ilyuk is the author of the project.