Below is an extended refutation of the theses voiced by the Russian President. Volodymyr Putin took part in the so-called Dokuchaiev Conference in Rostov-on-Don and declared the importance of solving environmental problems “in Donbas and Novorosiia”. In his statement, he and other representatives of the Russian authorities accused Ukraine of the environmental decline of the region, trying to blame it for the situation. However, the statements of Putin and representatives of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources do not correspond to reality and serve as a tool for manipulation aimed at justifying Russian aggression.

One of the main theses of Russian propagandists is the accusation that Ukraine is worsening the environmental situation in the region, even to the point of so-called “ecocide”. However, in reality, the main destruction of the environment in the temporarily occupied territories began in 2014 after the Russian occupation of part of the territory. The region has been under Russian occupation for more than 8 years. The main environmental damage occurs due to uncontrolled activities and violation of the rules of warfare by Russia.

The destruction of industrial facilities, mines, water supply and drainage infrastructure caused by shelling and illegal exploitation of resources has significantly worsened the state of the environment. Flooding of mines and damage to water supply systems lead to the ingress of toxic substances into the soil and water. For example, the lack of control over mines forced to stop operations due to military actions contributed to the contamination of water bodies with toxic substances, including heavy metals, which creates a significant danger to public health and the environment.

Today, Russia is trying to use the “ecocide” thesis as a justification for its actions, viewing it as a pretext for intervention and subsequent occupation. These statements are aimed at an international audience to create an image of Russia as the “savior” of the region’s ecosystems, while in fact it is the main factor in the ecological decline. It is Russia’s military aggression, in particular the deployment of heavy weapons in the temporarily occupied territories and the conduct of intensive military operations, that has led to serious destruction of the ecosystem, including the pollution of soil and water.

Events such as the Dokuchaiev Conference are aimed at creating the illusion of Russia's active participation in the restoration and protection of the environment in the region. However, the real facts indicate the opposite. The purpose of these statements is to demonstrate Russia's peacekeeping position and its readiness to help the newly annexed territories at the international level. In fact, despite all the statements about the “environmental humanitarian mission”, Russia does not implement real measures to improve the environmental condition of these territories, in particular, it does not ensure effective waste management, does not restore forests and water resources, but focuses on the exploitation of natural resources.

The accusation that Ukraine has not carried out environmental activities for decades is manipulative and unfounded. Before the war in 2014, Ukraine carried out environmental projects in Donbas aimed at cleaning water, restoring forests and developing environmental infrastructure. Now, unfortunately, Ukraine cannot carry out environmental activities in the temporarily occupied territories due to security threats from Russian occupation forces.

By spreading such messages, Russia is trying to shift the world community’s attention away from the fact that it is the source of environmental problems in the region due to its military actions and exploitation of resources in the occupied territories. Propaganda statements are aimed at creating an image of Russia as a defender of the environment, supporting its actions in the eyes of the world community and justifying the occupation of new territories. The presentation of Ukraine as a state that has neglected environmental issues in the temporarily occupied territories is aimed at discrediting Ukraine in order to reduce the level of support from other states and international organizations. Russia is trying to use environmental problems as a pretext for establishing control over the occupied territories, justifying its military and political influence by the alleged need to restore the ecosystem.

Propagandists are spreading information in the media and social networks that a relative of the singer Shakira died in the Kursk region, fighting in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As evidence, they are spreading a video published by the Colombian publication El Espectador, which says that Shakira's relative joined the International Legion and allegedly died fighting in Ukraine. However, this is a fake.

Ukrinform writes about this. Their fact checkers found out that there is no such news on the official El Espectador resources, and their materials are generally published in Spanish, not in English, as stated in the fake video.

This fake is part of a larger disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian army on the international stage by creating negative associations across cultures. As Latin America becomes an increasingly important political region for Russia, the spread of such fakes attempts to undermine support for Ukraine among Latin American communities by using recognizable names and absurd details to attract attention and sensationalism.

During the US elections, propagandists distributed a video on social networks that spoke of fraud at polling stations. The video shows a voter trying to vote for Republican Donald Trump, but the device records the choice in favor of Democrat Kamala Harris. However, this is manipulation.

This is reported by MythDetector. Its experts refer to Leadstories and Reuters, which claim that the incident occurred due to a technical error and was quickly fixed. The voter was able to vote for the desired candidate via video after replacing the device. This incident occurred in Laurel County, Kentucky, and received attention from local authorities, who said that the problem arose due to pressing on the intermediate area of the screen. In a statement, Tony Brown, Laurel County Clerk, noted that the voter was allowed to vote again. The election process assumes that each voter has the opportunity to receive a new ballot if he changes his choice after preliminary confirmation.

The authors of the material say that this is a manipulative attempt to discredit the electoral process in the United States.

Russian propagandists claim that Ukraine may resort to provocation using a “dirty bomb” against Russia. However, such statements are part of Russia's systematic nuclear blackmail aimed at discrediting Ukraine and are false. Russia's statements about the so-called “dirty bomb” serve as a cover for its own actions that pose a threat to international nuclear security. This is what the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes.

Russia itself has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons, occupied the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and is raising concerns about possible incidents at the Zaporizhzhia and Kursk nuclear power plants. Russian troops have also been moving tactical nuclear weapons into Belarus and conducting exercises using their nuclear arsenal, causing concern in the international community.

Such fakes are aimed not only at discrediting the Ukrainian leadership, but also at diverting attention from Russia's own crimes in the nuclear arena. Statements about the possibility of Ukraine using nuclear weapons are targeted propaganda aimed at undermining international trust in Ukraine and justifying further nuclear escalation by Russia.