Against the backdrop of news about the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to Poland, disinformation messages appeared in the information space, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, with the help of which propaganda is trying to advance its agenda. A team of analysts of Detector Media has identified the most common of them.

1. Zelenskyi dreams of uniting part of the territory of Ukraine with Poland

Pro-Russian telegram channels spread the message that the main purpose of Zelenskyi’s visit to Poland is to “bring together state institutions”, because “Zelenskyi wants to assimilate with Poland”. The authors of the messages convince readers that the Polish leadership “does not cease to be interested in the western part of Ukraine”, and Zelenskyi will gladly help them and give up the territory.

This is not a new message of Russian propaganda as they systematically claims that they want to tear Ukraine apart and cut off its territories. Like, first of all, Poland wants to seize the West of Ukraine, because it is important for the Poles to restore “historical justice”. Russian propaganda spread a number of fakes and manipulations on this topic. For example, about the recruitment of Poles into the Ukrainian army or about Poland building up its military force to seize the territories of Ukraine.

In fact, the head of the international policy bureau at the Office of the Polish President, Marcin Przydacz, said that the negotiations between Zelenskyi and Duda would cover “the entire spectrum of Polish-Ukrainian relations, starting with security policy”. He even assured that historical issues would be raised during the talks.

However, propagandists need such messages in order to expose Poland as an aggressor and level the assistance that Poland provides to Ukraine in the conditions of war. Allegedly, in fact, Poland is helping Ukraine not because of good intentions.

2. Zelenskyi’s arrival in Poland means the formation of an “anti-Russian coalition”

This thesis was propagated by propagandists to feed the narrative of the existence of a “collective West”. Allegedly, all the actions taken by the Ukrainian leadership are aimed at discrediting Russia. According to the authors of the messages, during the meeting with Andrzej Duda, there were “mentions of Russia”.

It is not about any “anti-Russian coalition”. Of course, the leaders of Poland and Ukraine probably gathered to discuss security issues first of all. However, such negotiations are caused by unprovoked Russian aggression. The so-called anti-Russian coalition is a response to Russia's criminal actions against Ukraine and its civilians. Russian propaganda claims that Zelenskyi is only looking for a reason to convince the whole world that Russia and Russians are bad, but in fact “Western countries are sick with Russophobia”. However, global condemnation and sanctions against the aggressor are the consequences of Russia's criminal actions, and not vice versa, as Moscow wants to present it.

3. Zelenskyi's words should be interpreted as “preparation for the surrender of Bakhmut”

Anonymous telegram channels spread the thesis about the so-called “surrender of Bakhmut by Zelenskyi”. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi deliberately left for Poland in order to divert the attention of Ukrainians and the rest of the world from the “situation” with Bakhmut. According to propagandists, Zelenskyi does not want to receive a stream of negativity in his direction, so he “runs away to Poland”.

As proof, the propagandists quote Zelenskyi from a joint press conference with the President of Poland that “if there are even hotter events and the danger of personnel losses due to the encircling of the city, the appropriate correct decisions will be made on the spot”. However, these words do not indicate that the President of Ukraine is running away from problems. Volodymyr Zelenskyi assesses all the risks and does not talk about the alleged withdrawal of troops from Bakhmut.

Moreover, the authors do not add any evidence confirming the thesis about the “surrender of Bakhmut” in their publications. Thus, they shift the responsibility for what is happening in the city from the Russian army to the Ukrainian president. It was Russia that attacked Ukraine, and it is precisely because of the actions of the enemy army that the situation in individual Ukrainian cities and villages is difficult. However, Russian propaganda whitewashes itself and demonizes the Ukrainian president, who allegedly is not interested in events in his country.

According to the latest data, as of April 4, the Russian army continues to storm the city and concentrate its main efforts for the offensive, in particular in the Bakhmut direction.

4. Most Western leaders meet with Xi Jinping, while Zelenskyi is “only” going to Poland

In this case, the authors of the messages contrast the meeting between the leaders of China and Russia with today's event. Like, Zelensky’s meeting with Andrzej Duda is “window dressing”, and Xi Jinping “meets only influential politicians”, attributing such a title to Putin in particular. So, Zelenskyi “only took advantage of the possible option”.

China expressed its position on Russia's war against Ukraine when, on February 24, 2023, their Foreign Ministry presented a plan to resolve the war. The document contains 12 points, which, according to Beijing, will contribute to the end of the war. Among them are a ceasefire and hostilities, the start of peace talks, and an end to unilateral sanctions.

At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was skeptical about China's plan, arguing that Beijing “does not deserve much credibility” because it “failed to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine”.

China formally recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine and has never declared Russian recognition of Crimea or other Ukrainian regions that Russia wants to seize. However, for example, China is at the time of voting for the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, which provide for the recognition of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. And on the eve of his visit to Moscow, in an article for “Rossiiskaya Gazeta” (Russian Article), Xi Jinping called the war “a total aggravation of the Ukrainian crisis”. In addition, China can supply Russia with weapons to help it continue the war against Ukraine.

However, by spreading such a message, propagandists want to devalue the role of the President of Ukraine and show who really “leads the agenda”: Xi Jinping and Putin. Allegedly, Zelenskyi is not so “influential” to meet such “politicians”.

This thesis appeared in the Hungarian media. The authors of the messages refer to the words of Russian officials, who say that the possibility of sending peacekeepers from Western countries to Ukraine is a “very dangerous idea”.

EU vs Disinfo experts drew attention to this. They say the pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign is constantly portraying the EU as a geopolitical player facilitating the escalation of the war in Ukraine. They say that instead of using diplomatic means to resolve the conflict, the European Union provides Ukraine with more and more lethal weapons, as a result of which the hostilities become only more bloody and cruel. A new stuffing on this topic tells that now the EU allegedly wants not only to provide weapons, but also to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.

In fact, some EU and NATO countries allocate military and financial assistance to Ukraine to counter Russia's armed aggression, Western instructors teach the Ukrainian military how to properly use new types of weapons, but the troops of other countries do not take a direct part in the hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. In addition, there is no approved plan or public debate regarding the possibility of introducing a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine.

This thesis is spread by the Kremlin media. Like, Washington's goal is to strike at the religious sphere of Ukraine and split Orthodoxy. To achieve this goal, the United States has developed mechanisms for direct and indirect influence on the religious policy of Kyiv, aimed at oppressing the Orthodox Church.

At the same time, experts from the EU vs Disinfo team note that although Kremlin propaganda often depicts Ukraine as an enemy of Orthodoxy, this is not true. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies indeed conducted a number of searches at the facilities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). However, the searches were carried out not in order to split Orthodoxy, but to reveal the subversive activities of the Russian special services in the religious environment of Ukraine, because the UOC-MP is considered one of Moscow’s key instruments of influence in Ukraine.

With the help of such messages, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and accuse Ukraine of oppression of religion. Let us remind you that Detector Media has already written about similar misinformation stories about the situation with the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. For example, about the blackening of crosses on the church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra because of “Ukrainian blasphemy” and the alleged recognition of the fact of discrimination against the Orthodox Church in Ukraine by the UN.

On April 4, former US President Donald Trump was formally arrested in order to be charged in court on 34 paragraphs in criminal proceedings for financial fraud. They are talking about the manipulation of funds intended for the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election. The case was the first in history criminal proceedings opened against the President of the United States. This information drive interested the authors of anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric. Detector Media singled out the main theses from their messages.

Trump's arrest should be regarded as US interference in the presidential election

Propagandists claim that the arrest of Donald Trump is a trick of the Democrats in power. They say that the opponents are afraid of a stronger competitor, and it is no coincidence that the process fell precisely at the beginning of his new election campaign.

Thus, the authors of such messages play along with the message of Trump himself that the results of the American presidential elections are easy to rig. This he claimed during his loss in the 2020 elections, calling them rigged. As of 2021, Donald Trump appeared in a number of criminal cases not only as a witness, so the new criminal proceedings against him cannot be called sudden. In particular, we are talking about cases of financial fraud in the Trump Organization fund, fraud with tax documents, neglection of the US Constitution during the presidency, abuse of power, sexual harassment and fraud during the distribution of family heritage. However, American law does not prohibit campaigning even with suspicion in a criminal case, which Donald Trump is now using.

If Trump wins the next election, Joe Biden should be arrested for his son's machinations in Ukraine and sanctions should be lifted against Derkach and Dubinskyi.

Propagandists claim that current US President Joe Biden has many more sins than Trump. An example of this is the situation with the Ukrainian company Burisma, which was led by Hunter Biden, the son of the American president. Moreover, according to propagandists, Trump, subject to his return to the White House, must lift sanctions from Ukrainian ex-people's deputies Andrii Derkach and Oleksandr Dubinskyi, because allegedly they were right and tried to expose Biden's deals.

Thus, propagandists substitute concepts and divert attention from Trump's actions. Like, Trump is bad, but others are even worse. The details of the Burisma scandal were already actively discussed during the impeachment of Donald Trump in 2019, when he tried to put pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Trump has demanded a speedy investigation into the Burisma case in exchange for military and financial assistance.

Trump trial judge is incompetent

In their messages, propagandists refer to Politico materials that the judge conducting the current proceedings against the ex-president of the United States is biased, therefore the consideration of the case is unfair and cannot be recognized as legitimate. The authors of the messages draw such conclusions on the basis of the fact that the judge issued sentences that are disappointing for Trump in a number of other cases related to the finances of the ex-president and his institutions. However, they are far-fetched, since they are made purely on the basis of the above statements.

By spreading such messages, propagandists want to show that the American judiciary is corrupt and cannot be trusted. Like, the United States teaches us, but they themselves have a lot of problems. However, propagandists once again take specific statements out of context. The original materials on this topic say that the judge is not biased. On the contrary, it is said that he is better suited to the case due to significant experience with cases involving Trump.

Now the US will forget about the war in Ukraine

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric claim that the Donald Trump case will attract attention in the information space of the United States, so Ukrainians can already forget about support from the United States. Like, everyone will now think about the elections of 2024 and the fate of Trump.

Thus, the authors of the messages seek to show that the United States is gradually distancing itself from the war in Ukraine. However, the next face-to-face meeting on this Trump case will take place in December this year. Accordingly, Trump will continue to attract the attention of the world only as part of his presidential campaign. The war in Ukraine is one of the main issues among the programs of potential candidates, and even Trump does not bypass it.

Even if Trump is found guilty, the maximum he will receive is a fine.

Propagandists say: no one will jail Trump, they don’t give prisoners for financial fraud, so one shouldn’t worry.

In this case, they play down the problem and leave hope for Trump's return to the White House. During the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion, the ex-president praised Putin, and now, during his election campaign, he repeats that he would end the war in 24 hours. Numerous investigations during his presidency proved Trump's ties to Russia, which influenced his political decisions. This explains the hopes of the Russians - Trump can isolate the United States from the war in Ukraine and play in favor of Russia. However, the current proceedings are criminal, not administrative, and as a result, the ex-president can really be put behind bars. However, American law does not prohibit campaigning even from there.

This thesis appeared in the Russian propaganda media. They say that the evacuation of children from the war zone in Ukraine is in full compliance with international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Reports also say that Western media deliberately use the term adoption of children, talking about their removal from Ukraine, in order to discredit Russia. Allegedly, the Russians are evacuating Ukrainian children to safe places and only allow their citizens to take them into temporary custody so that the children do not live in orphanages.

Analysts of the Eu vs Disinfo project drew attention to the case. They note that this is a recurring pro-Kremlin message denying war crimes committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine.

In fact, the abduction and forced transportation of Ukrainian children to Russia has been documented by the UN, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Ukraine has already reported the actions of Russia’s Children’s Ombudsman Mariia Lvova-Bielova to the International Criminal Court (ICC). On March 2, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan decided to obtain permission to open an investigation into the situation in Ukraine. It includes any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed in any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person. We recall that On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for two people in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Volodymyr Putin and Mariia Lvova-Bielova.

Read more about the forced deportation of children from Ukraine in the Detector Media investigation.

Russian propaganda media spread the message that the leader of the Turkish “Batkivshchyna” (Motherland) party, Doğu Perinçek, who is one of the presidential candidates in Turkey, promises to change the “rules of the game” for the United States and NATO, withdraw the country from the North Atlantic Alliance, and recognize Crimea and other occupied territories as part of Russia. Like, this will entail political upheavals in Turkey and the shaken position of the West.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project investigated this case. They explained that such statements by the Kremlin media would only try to increase the popularity of the fringe Turkish politician Doğu Perinçek, who is known for his pro-Russian and anti-Western rhetoric. At the same time, Perinçek has virtually no chance of becoming President of Turkey, as his party failed to collect enough signatures for his presidential candidacy to formally submit him to the election commission.

By spreading this message, Russian propagandists are trying to demonstrate the lack of unity of the NATO states, in particular, on Russia's aggression against Ukraine. In addition, they create an opinion about the readiness of other countries to recognize Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territories as legitimate. This is not the first time such misinformation has been circulated. Detector Media has already covered the Kremlin's theses about the inconsistency of the NATO member states on sending weapons to Ukraine, the recognition of the fallacy of supporting Ukraine, the inevitability of the collapse of NATO if the anti-Russian course is maintained, the recognition by Western countries of the so-called “LDNR”, etc.

Such a message appeared in the Kremlin propaganda media. Like, Russia is fighting not against Ukraine, but against NATO. The reports said that last year the Russian army was forced to fight on its own, fought against NATO, and it seems to have succeeded, because Ukraine and its allies will lose this fight. The authors of the reports argued that the United States is to blame for the war as a whole, thinking about the deployment of NATO forces in Ukraine. It seems to be part of Washington's plan to create a unipolar world without governments it doesn't like.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to the case. In general, the thesis that Russia is at war not with Ukraine, but with NATO and the countries of the West, is a recurring disinformation message. They say that Ukraine is a puppet of Washington, which seeks war, while Russia only fights against the “pagans”.

In fact, neither the US nor NATO is involved in the war in Ukraine. Kyiv does not fight on behalf of a foreign government or organization. Ukraine is acting in self-defense against Russian invasion, as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically elected president and parliament.

Western countries only support Ukraine, providing both military and financial assistance for effective self-defense. However, Russia started the war against Ukraine and it destroys Ukrainian cities and villages, kills civilians, etc.

With the help of such messages, Russia is trying to shift the responsibility for what is happening to the countries of the West, to NATO. Read more about how Russia justifies the war in the Detector Media investigation.