Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular, on a telegram channel broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that in Poland they began to openly recruit Ukrainian tank troops. Like, the Polish authorities are trying to recruit a crew for the German Leopard tanks, which will come to Ukraine. As evidence, the propagandists attach a video clip showing this “announcement”. The authors of the message cite the slogan allegedly depicted on it: “Protect Polish homeland. Be a tanker. Protect Poland in Ukraine”. There is no such announcement, it's not true.

Analysts of The Insider project investigated this case and found that for the first time information about such a poster appeared in the telegram channel of the Russian segment. The video clip itself was filmed at the Centrum station of the Warsaw metro. For the fake poster, they used the corporate identity of the “Become a soldier of the republic” campaign, which started in 2018. However, the authors of the messages did not take into account the corporate logo of the campaign, which was still not placed on the poster. So the fake announcement was just overlaid on the video. As for the campaign itself, it is aimed at recruiting people for contract service in the Polish army, so it has nothing to do with recruiting volunteers to participate in the war. So there was no such poster with an appeal.

By spreading this fake, propagandists nourish the narrative that everything is bad in Ukraine, that there is no one to fight, so the Ukrainian leadership resorts to such tricks and wants to recruit foreigners. Now the authors of the messages want to convince the readers that Poland wants to cut off our territories and thus, by mobilizing the Poles, will try to return them.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that at the Ukraine-EU summit, which took place on February 3, the President of the European Commission gave a clear understanding that Ukraine is allegedly not coping with the tasks assigned to it, so accession to the EU has been suspended. It's a lie.

In fact, Ursula von der Leyen did not say this during the EU-Ukraine summit. On the contrary, she claimed that she “sees persistence in implementing reforms that meet EU recommendations”. In addition, she stressed that one of the successful objectives of the introduction of reforms is “the right path that we follow”. In conclusion, the President of the European Commission added that Ukraine is maintaining the right pace, and she is confident in this, as well as in the actions of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, because he knows what “his country needs”. Therefore, there were no restrictions or even deviations in joining the EU.

By spreading this message, propagandists nourish the narrative that Ukraine is a dumb state that is unable to implement a number of reforms, including for EU accession. Thus, the authors of the messages want to convince readers that Ukraine is gradually losing the trust and support of the West, allegedly not coming up to its expectations.

Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels spread information that a Ukrainian air defense missile had allegedly hit a residential building in Kramatorsk on February 1. They also wrote that Ukraine allegedly organized this attack on purpose. They say that it would be easier for “Zelenskyi and his company” to ask for fighter jets and other Western weapons. One of the representatives of the self-proclaimed authorities in the temporarily occupied territories said that this explosion was allegedly staged by the Ukrainian army in order to form a “successful” agenda at the summit on Ukraine's accession to the EU. It is not true.

According to Stop Fake fact-checkers, the CNN team recorded a Russian missile hitting a residential building in the center of Kramatorsk. As a result of the strike of a Russian Iskander-K missile on a residential building, four people were killed and eight more were injured.

The propagandists used the same tactics when a rocket hit a multi-storied building in Dnipro. Then the propagandists also claimed that the building had been destroyed by a missile of the Ukrainian air defense system. In reality, the Russian X-22 supersonic cruise missile was the cause of the tragedy.

This fake is part of a campaign to discredit the Ukrainian army on the Ukrainian air defense system. Thus, Russia transfers responsibility for the consequences of shelling from Russia to Ukraine. Also, the Russians are trying to intimidate the Ukrainians even more, level the trust in the Ukrainian army and force them to surrender.

Enemy fiends is a propaganda tactic in which propagandists spread messages, manipulations and fakes that hyperbolically emphasize the negative qualities of Ukrainians (aggressiveness, vindictiveness, cruelty, etc.). The goal is to prevent compassion for the Ukrainians, moreover, to encourage the Russians to go to war as a “sacred mission”.

Russian propaganda used this tactic in the summer when covering the explosions in the Crimea. They wrote that supposedly Ukrainians are happy that war has finally come to Crimea. Information about the explosions at the airport really caused a strong reaction on social networks. But emotions are caused, first of all, by the significant losses of the enemy, because at the airfield in the temporarily occupied Crimea, the Ukrainian military destroyed the composition of aviation weapons and about a dozen aircraft systematically patrolling the airspace on the territory of Ukraine.

Somewhat modified Russian propaganda used the tactic of fiends - Ukrainians after the events in Brovary on January 18th. Russian propaganda began to spread messages that Russians sympathize with the deaths of Ukrainian children, unlike Ukrainians. Like, the Russians understand that Ukrainian children are not to blame for anything, Ukrainians call for the destruction of Russian children so that “orcs do not grow out of them”. In fact, Ukrainians showed condolences to the Russians even after 2014. However, a full-scale invasion significantly changed the situation. As of January 2023, due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, at least 459 children were killed, more than 909 were injured of varying severity. These figures are not final, since Russian war crimes, including against children, are being recorded and investigated in places of war fights and in the liberated territories.

Russian propaganda tried to make the “Ukrainians” inhuman by spreading messages on religious topics. They say that the “Kyiv regime” has turned Ukraine into a “totalitarian hypersect”, professing “neopaganism” as the basis of “radical nationalism”. The Russians wrote that allegedly the number of “Satanist sects” in Ukraine is unknown, but the countdown “is definitely in the hundreds”. So Ukraine needs to be “desatanized” and “deshaitanized”.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular in the Ukrainian segment of Facebook. The report says that the draft notices are handed over illegally, because they were once issued by military registration and enlistment offices. Like, the Territorial recruitment centers are an illegal structure. The author’s messages were picked up by users of the social network, who began to spread complaints, saying that Ukrainians are being given draft notices illegally, so it is impossible to mobilize those liable for military service. It is not true.

The fact-checker of the “Beyond the News” project drew attention to the case, they managed to find the primary source where the Facebook user really spoke about this. However, as experts say, the territorial recruitment and social support centers were created on the basis of the military registration and enlistment offices and are their legal successors. This is stated in part two of the Final provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine on improving certain issues of performing military duty and keeping military records” dated March 30, 2021. Consequently, the fulfillment of military duty by citizens of Ukraine is ensured by state bodies, local self-government bodies, military units established in accordance with the laws of Ukraine and territorial recruitment and social support centers.

On February 23, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the implementation of these norms. That is why the recruitment centers are a completely legal structure that has the right to hand over draft notices to those liable for military service.

This message was circulated on social networks, in particular in the French segment of Twitter. The report says that Volodymyr Zelenskyi calls on NATO to launch a preventive nuclear strike on Russia. The authors of the messages cite an episode from Zelenskyi's online speech at the Australian Lowy Institute and add a short video. The tweets were shared by the propaganda media, who called Zelenskyi's words “a call to start a world war with unpredictable horrific consequences”. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts at the StopFake project investigated this case and found that the meaning of the quote was distorted, because in fact Zelenskyi did not call for a nuclear strike on Russia. In the short video, the president says that NATO needed to launch “preemptive strikes” on Russia to keep it from using nuclear weapons.

However, on the same day, press secretary Serhii Nykyforov explained his words, saying that Volodymyr Zelenskyi had in mind the period until February 24. Because then, according to the president, it would be worth taking preventive measures to prevent escalation. And there was no talk of a nuclear strike from Ukraine at all.

By spreading this manipulation, propagandists are trying to promote the narrative that Russia is allegedly fighting not only with Ukraine, but also with large organizations, such as NATO. Like, the Russians are protecting the world from the war that Ukraine allegedly unfolds.

Such a fake was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. The report says that no one spares prisoners of war in Ukraine. Like, upon returning from captivity, male and female fighters face a choice: to return forcibly to the front or go to jail. Allegedly, the Ukrainian leadership is indifferent to its army and everyone wants constant victories, returning defenders to the front. The authors of the messages refer to the appeal of Moskalkova, the Ombudswoman for human rights of Russia. It's a lie.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to this case and found out that the information disseminated by Moskalkova is not true. After returning to Ukraine, Ukrainian prisoners of war are not expected to either go to a prison or face a forced return to the front. Analysts turned to the Coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war with a request to explain the algorithm of actions with prisoners of war who returned from captivity. As the press service of the headquarters said, first of all, the military is undergoing a process of reintegration into Ukrainian society, which includes physical and psychological rehabilitation. Then the released POW has the right to vacation, after which a special commission will decide on the possibility of serving further.

By spreading this fake, propagandists nourish the narrative that everything is bad in Ukraine, there is supposedly no one to fight, so the prisoners have to be mobilized again, despite their psychological or physical condition.