Mary Wareham, advocacy director of the arms department of the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, allegedly admitted that Ukraine is killing civilians with cluster shells. On September 5, Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels began to disseminate such information. Russians and propagandists refer to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2023 report. The analytical team of Detector Media has looked into the primary sources and tells what human rights activists wrote and what the propagandists thought up.

On September 3, the Human Rights Watch website published Mary Warham's column on the use of cluster munitions in Ukraine. In the text, she refers to Russia's “widespread use of cluster munitions” that has resulted in “civilian deaths and injuries, damage to civilian infrastructure, and contamination of agricultural land”. The human rights activist points out that Ukraine also uses cluster munitions, which “cause civilian casualties, but on a much smaller scale than the Russian army”.

In his blog, Wareham refers to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2023 report. This report mentions that the Ukrainian Armed Forces “used cluster munitions in attacks on Izium in the Kharkiv region between March and September 2022, when it was controlled by the Russian army”. The authors of the report note that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denied the accusations of using cluster munitions. The list of sources of the document contains a link to a letter from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. And the letter from the Ministry of Defense states that although Ukraine is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions of May 30, 2008, “The Armed Forces of Ukraine strictly comply with the norms of international humanitarian law when planning and conducting military operations”. Human Rights Watch condemned the use of cluster munitions, but primarily blamed Russia, not Ukraine, for their use on the battlefield. The authors of the report cited the discussion about the transfer of cluster munitions by the United States to Ukraine as an example of how “stigmatized” the use of these munitions on the battlefield is. But they were reminded of the threats to their civilians even after the end of the war due to the fact that they may not explode immediately. Propagandists claimed that the human rights organization criticized only Ukraine and admitted that it violates international humanitarian law, and ignored the criticism of Russia by human rights activists.

This is not the first time propagandists and Russians have turned to the topic of cluster munitions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which allegedly kill civilians. In July, Detector Media refuted a claim about the death of a Russian propagandist who was allegedly killed by Ukrainians with American cluster shells. With messages about the use of cluster munitions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, propagandists are trying to plant several ideas on the audience. Firstly, that the Ukrainian military seems to be killing civilians, and this symbolically equates the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the war crimes of the Russians. Secondly, they try to shift the responsibility for the suffering of civilians from the aggressor to the victim of the aggression. And for this, they use the tactics of “third party” propaganda — they put into the mouths of representatives of non-Russian public organizations and media theses that are consonant with the messages of Russian propaganda.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels circulate publications according to which Putin has not yet destroyed Ukraine because he does not want to kill Christians. Like, Russia has everything to defeat Ukraine, but the Russian troops “pity the Ukrainians”,  because Putin considers them Orthodox, like Russians.

Specialists of the EUvsDisInfo project drew attention to the message. They denied the message. In particular, the Russians undoubtedly killed and continue to kill Ukrainians, regardless of their religion. They continue to attack civilian targets, often using the “double blast” technique to increase casualties. Russia is also destroying numerous religious sites, such as an Orthodox church in Odesa. Project analysts note that Russia's failure at the front is more likely the result of systemic problems of the Russian army, logistical shortcomings and inappropriate planning, rather than self-restraint.

Using this message, propagandists want to portray Russia as a victim, fighting with a view to the safety of civilians. However, the examples mentioned above prove otherwise.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels are distributing photos and videos showing flyers ostensibly to launch a UFA campaign to increase mobilization. The flyers allegedly handed out in Kharkiv deliver the message “Education will not save the country! Join the Armed Forces!” and “Update data in Territorial centers of procurement and social support”. However, this is fake.

Specialists of the NotaYenota project drew attention to it. They found out that the flyers are actually fake, and the primary source of information about them is a Russian anonymous telegram channel “with an audience of many thousands”. From there, it began to be distributed in other telegram channels, VKontakte and TikTok. In addition, they found English advertisements for these flyers on Facebook. In particular, the flyers contain inaccurate hotline numbers, and the design style of Kharkiv regional territorial center of procurement and social support does not match the flyers.

By creating and spreading this fake, according to project experts, the propagandists want to discredit the information campaign recently launched by the Ministry of Defense “Update data in the Territorial centers of procurement and social support”. This is happening against the backdrop of a bill to abolish the deferment from mobilization for men over the age of 30 who receive additional higher education. The Ministry of Defense notes that the processes for updating data and mobilization are different. And the Russian propaganda wants to unite them in order to cause panic among the population. Detector Media has already refuted a number of fakes on mobilization in Ukraine, including the “mass mobilization” of Ukrainian students.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels are circulating a photo that allegedly shows an order from the commander of the 123rd Trooper Brigade to create mobile crematoria. In the “document” this decision is explained by a large number of losses on the Ukrainian side and overcrowded morgues. However, this is fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They checked the document for errors and found out that the text indicated a period of 5 days instead of a period. In addition, the format of the name does not meet the current requirements for official documentation, according to which the document should not contain “R. Tokarenko”, but “Roman TOKARENKO”. Moreover, since the 123rd TRO brigade is a territorial defense formation in the Mykolaiv region, such orders should be issued in Mykolaiv, and not Kherson, as in the photo. There were no reports of command redeployment. The seal is also not real - there is no organization with the EDRPOU code 07849800. VoxCheck specialists tested the print with the InVid plugin and found signs of being added in the photo editor. Also in the photo one can see that the text is above the seal, but should be below it. The 123rd troop brigade also denied the fake on their Facebook page, calling it “another IPSO of Russian propaganda”.

By creating and spreading such fakes, propagandists want to exaggerate the scale of losses and the situation, as well as demoralize Ukrainian society. They say that the Ukrainian army has heavy losses, which indicates the loss of Ukraine. However, such fakes only indicate that Russia wants to cover its own numerous losses and failures at the front.  Detector Media has already refuted the Russian fake from the “Kyivstar video” about the losses of the Ukrainian army.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels distribute publications according to which the process of de-dollarization has allegedly begun in the world, caused by sanctions against Russia. In particular, until recently, the dollar was used in 70% of global transactions, and now only 59%. Propagandists are happy that countries are beginning to find an alternative to the dollar.

Analysts of the EUvsDisinfo project drew attention to the message. They note that propagandists return it depending on the circumstances. In particular, this message was “resurrected” on the occasion of the BRICS summit and statements on the creation of a common currency for this organization. At the same time, SWIFT data show that in July of this year, 46% of currency exchange payments through the system were made using the dollar. In addition, while the use of the Chinese yuan has increased to 3% of global international payments, the use of the euro remains at 24% and the dollar at 46%.

With this message, Russia wants to hide the failures of its sanctions-hit economy and show its “exclusivity” compared to the “collective West”. Detector Media talked about the creation and use of the term “negative growth” for a similar purpose.

The Russian leadership systematically stated that the Ukrainian territories were allegedly really Russian. Crimea, Donetsk region, Luhansk region were originally Russian territories, and Ukraine simply brazenly “took them away”. After the occupation of the Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk regions, Russian propaganda declared that the lands were returning “to their native harbor”. It seems to be where they belong.

In their messages, propagandists seek to promote the message that Russia's main task is to become a safe haven for “all people”. Obviously, for everyone who supports the policy of the Kremlin. At the same time, they are convinced that Russia is “an island of common sense in this crazy world”.

Such rhetoric masks the true face of the terrorist country. Saying that Russia wants to protect all the people of the world, it has committed and is committing war crimes. Since the beginning of the war in 2014, Russia has been wreaking havoc on the territory of Ukraine: destroying Ukrainian cities and villages, killing thousands of Ukrainians, in particular children. At the same time, propagandists are building an imaginary curtain between Russia and the world, saying that there are enemies on the other side. And they instill hatred for others in Russians.

Before the war, the concept of a “home harbour” was associated only with Russia-annexed Crimea, when the Kremlin systematically disseminated campaign messages for a pseudo-referendum on “reunification” with Russia. Now, in the context of a full-scale invasion, anonymous telegram channels use this rhetoric everywhere: all the territories occupied by Russian troops once “belonged” to Russia and it simply returns them.

“The Russian army is making every effort to ensure that all the occupied lands by Ukraine return to their native harbor. It’s worth the wait, because now we are working on it, “Russian propagandists commented (and justified their defeats on the battlefield). They explained that Russia would embrace “all people and all lands” in its arms.

In the end, Moscow is once again trying to whitewash itself and hint at the supposedly good intentions of its bloody actions. In fact, Russia does not return anything, but captures, annexes, and destroys.