One of the propaganda telegram channels disseminated information that due to “numerous violations” of visa-free rules by Ukrainian refugees, sanctions would be applied to them in the form of a ban on free movement between EU countries.

In fact, there were no “statements” about restricting the right of refugees from Ukraine to move freely throughout the EU countries either from officials or from the relevant EU bodies. Also, the propaganda message on the telegram does not contain any specific information about “numerous violations” by Ukrainians in Europe, note investigators from the “No Lies” project. To make the message “plausible”, the creators of the fake placed in its text the names of several countries with a link, which supposedly should show what restrictions were introduced in these countries. However, there is no such information there.

By spreading this misinformation, propagandists are trying to create a picture that Ukrainian refugees have already fed everyone up and that they are the cause of all the troubles and problems in Europe. Previously, we denied information that German citizens support the forced extradition of Ukrainian refugees.

Propaganda resources are disseminating information that the Ukrainian delegation is going to the World Economic Forum in Davos to “beg new military loans from world business”. For this, the Ukrainian authorities allegedly want to give away state “lands and assets” for them.

In fact, the key goal of the participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the Davos Forum is to use this platform to promote the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council writes about this. In Davos, in particular, a meeting of national security advisers and political advisers to the leaders of Ukraine and Great Britain is planned on the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula.

It is worth noting that Russian messages on the topic of “sale of Ukrainian land” appeared back in 2020. It can be argued that Russian propaganda continues to voice its old “talking points”. Previously, we analyzed the message of propagandists that Russia has always strived for peace, but Ukraine does not want to “agree”.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that in 2023, interest in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the Internet fell by 63%. People became less interested not only in Zelenskyi’s profiles on social networks, but also in content related to the president, interest in which allegedly fell by 47%. Claiming this, Russian propaganda is distributing a video containing the logo of the American online publication Politico, and the information on the video is apparently based on a report from the SocialBlade service.

In fact, the information about a 63% drop in interest in the president on the Internet is false, write fact-checkers from the StopFake project. The same situation applies to the “47% drop in interest” in Zelenskyi-related content. Politico has never disseminated similar information on its official website or on its social networks. Other reputable media outlets also did not report such information. Information about the rapid decline in interest in Zelenskyi, like the fake video with the Politico logo, is distributed exclusively on pro-Russian telegram channels and Facebook groups. Real data from the SocialBlade service regarding the president’s social media profiles can be found on their website. On the platform, you can notice that the number of new subscribers on Zelenskyi’s pages has remained at approximately the same level since July 2022.

Propagandists spread fake information in order to create a picture that Zelenskyi has already got everyone, so foreign media “tend to talk less about Ze”. In addition, Russian propaganda is trying to convince Ukrainians that the West is already tired of the war in Ukraine, so its military support will only weaken. Previously, we refuted information that Zelenskyi was allegedly going to “escape” to the United States in the spring of 2024.

Russian resources are disseminating information that the countries of the European Union “intend to seize” the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine in order to “free” use the mineral resources of the Ukrainian region. This thesis is based on a part of an interview taken out of context by German parliament member Roderich Kiesewetter, which he gave to the German television channel ARD. That is, the politician’s words were manipulated.

The fact-checkers from the StopFake project analyzed the information and found out that in fact, in the interview, the deputy reflected on the need to increase the level of assistance to Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. Roderich Kiesewetter argued that the Ukrainian economy is necessary to provide the world market with certain goods. He also gave an example of the current crisis in the global food market and the risk of famine in the poorest countries left without Ukrainian grain after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Roderich Kiesewetter also mentioned large lithium deposits in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, access to which Ukraine lost after the start of Russian aggression back in 2014. That is, the politician’s opinion was that by seizing Ukrainian fields, Russia placed the EU under an energy blockade.

After the start of the spread of Russian disinformation online, Roderich Kiesewetter separately explained in an interview with the German newspaper Nordkurier that in an interview with ARD he spoke exclusively about the aggressive motives of Russia, which in 2014 began the occupation of Ukrainian regions rich in minerals.

“Raw materials in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are another interest and goal of Russia in this aggressive war, and this explains why [Russian — Ed.] slogans like “land in exchange for peace” are completely unrealistic. Ukraine must be able to survive economically as a country, including the Donetsk and Luhansk region, as well as the Black Sea ports that are needed for grain exports. That is why Crimea has not only symbolic significance, but also ensures the economic viability of Ukraine in the future”,  argued Roderich Kiesewetter. That is, the German deputy spoke about Ukrainian minerals purely in the context of the motives for Russian aggression and the need to support Ukraine in the war.

Propagandists manipulated the politician’s words as part of a broader Kremlin information campaign against Western countries that allegedly “started a war in Ukraine to divide it”. Let us recall that collectively, EU countries have allocated about $85.1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine as of October 6, 2023. Germany, Denmark and Poland turned out to be the largest sponsors of this issue. Claims that the EU wants to divide Ukraine and gain access to Ukrainian minerals through predatory means have no logical basis.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that Diia, the online government service, has begun selling tickets to the commercial show Evening Kvartal (“Evening Quarter”). Propagandists claim that in this way the state is promoting business, in the creation of which the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is involved. “Proof” of such information is a screenshot from the phone, which shows that the Diia mobile application offers the user to buy tickets, also at a discount.

This case was analyzed by the fact-checkers from the StopFake project and they found out that the information was not true. There is only one service in the official Diia app that could potentially offer a concert ticket purchasing feature: Entertainment. However, you can only watch TV, listen to the radio or play the game Drone Army. There is no “buy tickets” option there. It was also not possible to find the corresponding service on the official website of the Diia and the online service’s Facebook page.

In addition, specialists from StopFake contacted the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which is responsible for Diia, with an information request whether Diia really offered users to buy tickets for the Evening Kvartal concert. The press service of the Ministry responded that it was “undoubtedly fake”.

This information dump is intended to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi, as well as the online public service service Diia, which allegedly cannot be considered trustworthy under these conditions. Moreover, according to Russian propaganda, such a “service” as selling tickets through Diia allegedly appeared in addition to another “service” of the mobile application - sending out draft notices for those liable for military service. However, the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly denied information about “draft notices in Diia”.