Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi did not appear at the emergency meeting of the National Security and Defense Council on June 6. Like, this once again proves that he disappeared. The authors add to the posts a photo published by the Office of the President and add that it has been edited with a photo editor. That is, according to them, Zaluzhnyi was added to the photograph. It is not true. 

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation explain that the photo has not been edited. To be sure, they used a special application to determine if the photos had been edited. Checking the photo gave no indication that the photo was compiled. Consequently, the authors of the messages simply threw in false information. Let us remind you that this fake is part of a series of propaganda stuffing about the “death” of the military leadership of Ukraine. So, the authors seek to demoralize the Ukrainians.

The network recorded a number of fake Facebook pages of the heads of various Regional Military Administrations. It is likely that such accounts can expand disinformation and discredit regional authorities. The fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated these accounts and created an exhaustive list of fake pages. In particular, the propagandists created fake pages:

Kyiv Regional Military Administration; 

Lviv Regional Military Administration; 

Volyn Regional Military Administration; 

Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration; 

Luhansk Regional Military Administration; 

Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military Administration; 

Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. 

Fake pages may have characteristic features: few subscribers and posts, created recently and spreading unverified information. Some Regional Military Administration leaders have verified accounts with a special tick mark. Above, we have added genuine Regional Military Administration pages.

Selective truth is a propaganda tactic that partly uses the truth to mislead people and achieve its own goals. The statement may be partially true, may be entirely true (but not include the whole truth), or may contain several deceptive elements such as mispunctuation, double meanings, misrepresentation of the truth. Russian propaganda often and actively uses this tactic. A recent example is the claim by disinformers that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was destroyed by water pressure due to damage in 2022 as a result of shelling by American HIMARS MLRS. There were indeed shellings, but as a result of them only the roadbed on the dam was damaged and they definitely could not entail such large-scale destruction of the dam itself. Western experts are inclined to believe that the Kakhovka HPP was destroyed due to an explosion from the inside. Another example is the numerous reports of pro-Russian anonymous telegram channels about losses in the battle for Bakhmut. The propagandists write only about the supposedly heavy losses of the Defense Forces, completely “forgetting” about the losses of the Russian armed forces and the Wagner group, which Western officials estimate at about 60 thousand people.

Of course, unfortunately, the Defense Forces suffered significant losses in Bakhmut, but this “feast victory” cost the infidels many times more. One of the main disinformation narratives of Russian propaganda is the assertion that Western sanctions will not have a negative impact on the Russian economy. Among them there is a message that the ruble is growing, strengthening and is perhaps the most stable currency in the world. This message was especially actively promoted at the beginning of a full-scale invasion. There was some truth in this, but Russian propagandists deliberately kept silent about the fact that their currency fell rapidly and very strongly in March 2022 against the backdrop of the introduction of Western sanctions for aggression against Ukraine and only in April began to recover. It should also be understood that the Russian currency was saved from a further rapid fall by manual regulation of the economy, which always leads to extremely negative consequences in the future. The disinformers “forgot” that the ruble in April 2022 grew slightly only against the US dollar, but this was by no means an absolute indicator.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an outbreak of cholera was recorded in Kyiv due to cholera bacillus in the water. The authors of the messages urge people to brush their teeth and wash fruits and vegetables with boiled water. It is not true. 

The fact-checkers of the project Beyond the News investigated this case and found out that the information about the cholera outbreak is not true. Meanwhile, Kyivvodokanal also denied this information and reported that the quality of drinking water is monitored for epidemic safety indicators and sanitary-chemical safety indicators. There are no deviations from the norm, tap water is quite safe. Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin said that Ukraine is ready to respond quickly in case of outbreaks of cholera. So far, they have not been fixed. According to him, there are enough drugs and diagnostic tools to diagnose acute intestinal infections, including cholera.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that in fact the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was built with the expectation that it would withstand a nuclear strike and not collapse. The authors add that no one is to blame for the destruction of the dam, because this is a man-made impact on the environment. They imply that the Kakhovka HPP allegedly self-destructed over time. They also assure that the Russians do not seem to be involved in undermining the dam. 

The specialists of the NotaYenota project took up this case and determined that such a thesis is unfounded. They explained why it is beneficial for propaganda to come up with different versions of the terrorist attack at the hydroelectric power plant and came to the conclusion that in this way they blur the information field, throwing in different versions of the incident. Further, the fact-checkers said that their colleagues from the Texty.org project talked with the chief engineer of the project of the Ukrhidroproekt Institute, Mykola Kalinin. Actually, this enterprise specializes in the design of energy facilities on rivers. Expert Mykola Kalinin explained that the Kakhovka HPP was indeed designed and built so that it could withstand a nuclear strike from outside. Therefore, any theories that it somehow collapsed itself are absolutely unfounded. He further emphasizes that the dam was built to withstand any blow from the outside, but not from the inside.

He thinks it was several simultaneous explosions from within. That is, the hydroelectric power plant was mined from the inside of the building itself and the entire complex. And the explosions were not heard, since the main array of explosives was located in the internal premises of the hydroelectric power plant, below ground level. 

Thus, the authors try to whitewash themselves and deny their crimes. Allegedly, the Kakhovka HPP self-destructed, because “its time has come”. Read in our selection what else the propagandists wrote about the blowing up of the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a Spanish satirical magazine recently published the cover of their magazine titled “What counteroffensive? We have the previous one to eat up and up!”. The cover itself shows a skeleton with ammunition, supposedly symbolizing the Ukrainian military. The authors add that the whole world is mocking Zelenskyi's plans for a counteroffensive. It is not true. 

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found out that such a cover does not exist. The last issue was released on May 3 under the number 2387, at the same time on the edited cover the number 2388 is indicated. We have repeatedly debunked fakes related to fake covers on foreign magazines/newspapers. 

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Ukraine will fail the counteroffensive) is also being repeated in the West. So, readers may think that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine, especially when the authors use fake covers of humorous magazines, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.