This thesis was spread on social networks in the Russian segment. The messages told how Volodymyr Zelenskyi assigned the 131st separate reconnaissance battalion of the Ukrainian Ground Forces the name of Yevhen Konovalets. Meanwhile, propagandists, in response to this, added that such actions emphasize the true “Nazi” essence of Ukraine, where officials are no longer afraid to “glorify Bandera’s supporters”.

Russian propaganda is once again speculating on the topic of Ukrainian nationalism and distorting it into “Nazism”. It seems that being a Ukrainian, taking care of one’s own state interests, is already grounds for receiving accusations of Nazism from the Russians. The authors appeal to Ukrainians and call them “nationalists” to hint at supposedly radical views among civilians. Russian propaganda deliberately exaggerates the weight of bearers of nationalist views in Ukrainian society, describing them as sharing opinions with representatives of Nazi Germany and mocking supporters of Russia. And propagandists also reduce the approval of historical figures in the Ukrainian context to “Nazism”.

And there is nothing wrong with the fact that the Ukrainian president named the reconnaissance battalion after a historical figure. Yevhen Konovalets is one of the most famous figures of the Ukrainian national movement of the twentieth century. Over the course of his 47 years, he managed to go from a student at the Faculty of Law of Lviv University to a colonel in the UPR army, commander of the Sichovi Striltsi, chairman of the Ukrainian Nationalists, founder and first leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. The basic principle of nationalism is the value of the nation as the highest form of social unity and its primacy in the processes of the state. The term “nationalist” itself is not something bad, but is characterized by loyalty and devotion to one's nation.

Read more about the ideas of Ukrainian nationalism here. A researcher of political history of the early twentieth century, Doctor of Historical Sciences Oleksandr Zaitsev, spoke about how the nationalists of that time saw Ukraine. In particular, he explained that the Ukrainian version of nationalism is characterized by the fact that in the 1920s and 30s it was the nationalism of a stateless nation. Or a nation that lost its statehood during the Ukrainian Revolution, having suffered defeat in the creation of a single, integral state.

By the way, read the case in which Zelenskyi allegedly put on a jumper with an embroidered OUN coat of arms, although first of all it is the coat of arms of Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Russians at the front destroyed a Leopard tank with a German crew, that is, allegedly with German military personnel. The publications refer to the words of the Russian occupier. It's a lie.

The analysts from the VoxCheck project took up the case and found out that the propagandists did not provide any evidence to confirm such information except for the words of the Russian occupier, also stated without facts. Moreover, the German Ministry of Defense denied the presence of German tank crews in Ukraine. That is, we are not talking about any German fighters at all. This is fiction.

But it is impossible to say that the Russians did not destroy Ukrainian equipment on the battlefield, because this was more than possible during the war. However, propagandists deliberately exaggerate the significance of “destroyed” equipment on the battlefield, hinting at the allegedly low combat capability of the Ukrainian army.

The Detector Media analysts have repeatedly explained cases in which they allegedly claimed that the Russian army had destroyed a certain amount of weapons. Thus, the authors are trying to hide their own failures, masquerading as “effective destruction of weapons”. For example, we refuted the fake that Russia “destroyed” five Patriot launchers.

And also in our Newspeak column we described the Russian phenomenon of “irresistible technology”. In short, this is how the Russians try to convince the domestic audience of constant victories. In addition, they also hint at the technological perfection of their equipment.

With all this, the Kremlin natively cultivates the opinion of the fight against the “collective West”, because supposedly EU countries specifically send their military to Ukraine to fight against Russia.

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. The reports write that children in Ukraine “do not want” to learn the Ukrainian language through the so-called “total Ukrainization” of society. That is, the authors hint that teachers deliberately force schoolchildren to study Ukrainian, and they resist. In the publications, the authors provide figures (allegedly for how much the percentage of the study of the Ukrainian language has decreased). And they conclude: “Ukrainians are forced to immerse themselves in culture, but they don’t need it”. In support of this thesis, propagandists cite material from the French newspaper Le Monde.

The VoxCheck fact-checkers worked on the case and found out that in the Le Monde material, media professionals actually write about the deterioration of the general level of knowledge among Ukrainian children. They cited Russian aggression, a full-scale invasion and attacks on civilian infrastructure, including shelling of schools, as the reason for this. Using a reverse search on Google, experts found the material and analyzed it further. It states that 57% of teachers observe a deterioration in students’ knowledge of the Ukrainian language, up to 45% - a decrease in mathematical skills, and up to 52% - in foreign languages. Preschool education is also experiencing problems: about ⅔ of preschool children do not attend kindergartens. In frontline zones this figure is ¾. The material refers to a UNICEF press release in which these data are presented.

However, neither UNICEF nor the journalists of the French newspaper were accused of the so-called “total, forced and violent Ukrainization”. This is simply an invention of Russian propaganda who decided to manipulate the data and supposedly explain that children resist learning the language, although this is absolutely not the case. Such figures are the result of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the daily shelling of peaceful Ukrainian cities, critical and civilian infrastructure. The point is that Ukrainian children do not deny studying subjects, do not express widespread dissatisfaction - in fact, Russia hinders quality education, and a study from UNICEF is proof of this.

Read the case, when propagandists lied that they fired at an alleged Ukrainian Armed Forces base in Romny. In fact, it turned out to be a secondary school. And as a result of the Shahed drone attack, four people were killed: the school principal, deputy director, secretary and librarian. At the time the drone hit, there were 19 teachers at the school.

How Russia justifies deportation and other war crimes in Ukraine against Ukrainian children - read in our investigation as well.

This thesis was spread on social networks in the Russian segment. Reports say that during one of his public appearances, Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly said that all Ukrainians should wear military uniforms so that Russians would be afraid of them. Propagandists cultivate the opinion of the so-called total militarization of society, because Zelenskyi, in their opinion, strives to achieve one thing - thus reducing the population to “minimum critical indicators”. Among other things, the authors noted that such actions of the Ukrainian president were caused by allegedly excessive drug use. And they called him a “connoisseur of white powder”. This is manipulation

The VoxCheck fact-checkers investigated this case and found that the official’s words were taken out of context. First of all, it is about a meeting of the Ukrainian president with students who are studying sports. The event is dedicated to the Day of Physical Culture and Sports and is celebrated on September 9. Thus, one of the students asked how Zelenskyi maintains his physical shape and how this helps maintain psychological stability. And Volodymyr Zelenskyi replied that sport allows him to get rid of excess energy and then it is easier for him to negotiate with people, making rational decisions during the conversation. He also added that “we need to be in shape so that the Russians are afraid of us”. From the context it is clear that they are talking about physical fitness, health, etc. But nothing was said about military uniforms, as the propagandists tried to convince us of.

Propagandists often turn to the image of Zelenskyi and describe him in all sorts of ways. This is a traditional tactic of “disgraceful epithets”,which consists of using abusive or offensive words in order to form the “correct vision” of a phenomenon or process according to Russian propaganda. For example, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has already played such roles: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction, etc. Read more about this propaganda tactic here. Such “epithets” are intended to form a negative image of Zelenskyi among the public, allegedly reinforced by his actions.

And Russia is systematically engaged in distorting quotes. This helps it promote its own theses, and if they are “consonant” with the statement of authority, the information acquires legitimacy in the eyes of users of anonymous telegram channels. Read the latest denials of manipulation:

This information was disseminated by pro-Kremlin media. Reports say that Joseph Biden gave a speech to the Americans. However, according to the authors of the fake message, the crowd was unhappy with the politician and began chanting obscene words in response. The publications add that the angry crowd shouted “f*ck you, Joe”. To support this, the reports add video evidence that appears to be a real recording of the American president’s speech. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck project specialists were able to analyze the case, who verified the authenticity of the video and determined that it was compiled. In fact, obscene exclamations were added to the original audio track, allegedly aimed at the President of the United States. Using a reverse Google search, the fact-checkers also discovered a real video of Joe Biden's speech, which was published back in July 2022. In fact, the official’s clothes, accessories and the location of the shooting coincide with the propaganda heritage - most likely, the authors used this particular video to plant a fake. As for the speech itself, the politician spoke about introducing legislation that would strengthen the security of local communities. For example, the legislative initiative provides for limiting the use of weapons for certain categories of people.

Propagandists exploited a moment in the speech when a listener chimed in on Biden's speech, declaring that “Americans need to do more”. And the politician asked the listener to sit down. Moreover, others began to shout “”Joe Biden! Yes!”, that is, in this way they supported the official’s initiative.

Propagandists of the system are trying to discredit the US President by showing his “clumsiness” and “meaninglessness”. Allegedly, Ukraine’s strategic partner is not competent at all and does not deserve recognition. Thus, the authors ridicule Western leaders. But they are trying to point out that Russian politicians, say, are more conscientious and never have any incidents happen to them: they are “successful”, they are “supported everywhere” and are trying to “imitate”. Thus, Russian propaganda despises, for example, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, contrasting him with the standard bastions of Russian politics.

The analysts of Detector Media recently refuted similar cases about the head of the White House, where they tried to undermine his authority. Read the latest: how Joe Biden allegedly buys books about dementia, “sniffs” a teenager, or supposedly falls asleep during a meeting with the President of Israel.