Russian propagandists are spreading information on social networks that on December 4, 2023, the former head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, allegedly called on Ukraine to commit terror against Russian citizens. This was allegedly confirmed by the American publication The Washington Post. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that, in fact, according to The Washington Post, Mark Milley did not call on Ukraine to carry out terrorist attacks on Russian territory. In fact, he advised Ukrainian fighters to actively act against Russian soldiers in the temporarily occupied territories. It is also important to note that the United States does not support Ukrainian forces in launching attacks beyond its own borders.

The original publication in The Washington Post, published on December 4, 2023 under the title Miscalculations, divisions marked offensive planning by US, Ukraine, indeed contains a similar quote from Mark Milley. The material describes events in early 2023, shortly before the Ukrainian summer counter-follow-up operation. At that time, Milley was already Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, but left this post at the end of September 2023. According to The Washington Post, Mark Milley expressed these allegations during a conversation with Ukrainian Special Operations Forces soldiers in Wiesbaden, Germany. According to the publication, he used these words to inspire them to take action. His speech took place in the context of rear operations in territories temporarily under enemy control.

The article quoted Milley as follows: “There should be no Russian who goes to sleep without wondering if they’re going to get their throat slit in the middle of the night,” Milley said, according to an official with knowledge of the event. “You gotta get back there, and create a campaign behind the lines”.

The article was about the military situation in the Russian-Ukrainian war, so when Milley spoke about “Russians”, he meant the Russian military, not civilians. It should also be noted that State Department spokesman Matthew Miller later confirmed that the US position remains unchanged: it does not encourage Ukrainian forces to conduct strikes outside their own borders.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to strengthen their message that Ukraine is allegedly behind the terrorist attack in Crocus City Holly. Detector Media explained how else Russian propaganda is trying to spread this message.

Russian propagandists on anonymous telegram channels and media, as well as through diplomatic channels, are distributing materials according to which Ukraine allegedly staged a provocation at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), attacking it with drones. They say that the International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) condemned Ukraine for such actions in its recent statements and is ready to hold a meeting of the Board of Governors at the request of Russia on this situation. However, this is only the interpretation of propagandists.

The other day, drones actually exploded at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine noted that this was a provocation by Russia in order to discredit Ukraine. At the same time, the IAEA did not blame Ukraine for the attacks in its statements regarding the situation.

In Agency circles, the Russian narrative was actively disseminated by the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN in Vienna, Mikhail Ulianov. In particular, on his telegram he repeated the messages of Russian propaganda regarding the incident. On April 8, he sent a note to the current Chairman of the Board of Governors, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the IAEA Federico Martinsen, and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi with a request to convene an urgent meeting on “the recent attacks and provocations of the Ukrainian armed forces against a Russian nuclear facility” not later than April 11. The note notes that it was created “according to instructions from Moscow”. Later, Ulianov confirmed in the same telegram channel that the IAEA would still hold a meeting on April 11 at the request of the Russian delegation.

This was also stated by Reuters sources, who at the same time note that they do not expect the IAEA to accept Russia’s position and that the meeting is more of a formal nature, where all parties will present their position.

The Russians are spreading such disinformation ahead of the meeting to try to lead a favorable message in countries where the position on Russian aggression has not yet been fully formed. In addition, this is an attempt to influence both foreign and domestic audiences, thus showing that Russia is actively represented in the international arena.  Detector Media previously wrote about what methods and techniques Russia uses to spread disinformation in international organizations using the example of the OSCE.

Russian propagandists on anonymous telegram channels are distributing a photo purporting to be graffiti from the streets of Jerusalem, where a Ukrainian is depicted in poverty in his bed after a Jew allegedly took all his money. However, this image is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to the fake. They found out that the image had been modified using a graphic editor, and these photos were being distributed mainly because of Russian-language and some English-language resources sympathetic to Russia.

They conducted an analysis on the likelihood of editing using the FotoForensics service. Using error level analysis (ELA), which detects changes in an image by highlighting over-processed parts, they noticed that areas of the image where the Ukrainian man is without money and Israeli symbols on the man's clothing were likely added to the image after it was created.

Russian telegram channels regularly spread similar cases of disinformation to show that people abroad are supposedly tired of the topic of Ukraine.

Russian media, citing statements by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, claim that he allegedly admitted the “pathetic state” of the Ukrainian army and its readiness to retreat from Kharkiv. Propagandists say that Syrskyi, along with Western allies, is losing confidence in Kyiv's successes and is increasingly worried about the possibility of a Russian attack not only on Kharkiv, but also on the Ukrainian capital. Such conclusions of the Russian media are based on an interview with Oleksandr Syrskyi for Ukrinform. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact, in this interview, Syrskyi never mentioned “critical problems” in the structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and did not talk about the “strategic superiority” of the enemy. Discussing the state of affairs at the front, Syrskyi noted its complexity, but at the same time emphasized that war always requires great effort. He also noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost fewer positions than they were able to regain. He noted that, despite Russia's advantage in the amount of ammunition and personnel, this did not give it strategic advantages, only minor territorial gains.

Syrskyi also noted Ukraine’s effectiveness in destroying enemy personnel and equipment, including the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and successfully using its advantage in the field of drones. He noted that Russian occupiers have serious problems with management and logistics.

According to Syrskyi, the main goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is to prevent the loss of control over Ukrainian territory, to deplete the enemy as much as possible, inflict significant losses on him and prepare reserves for a counteroffensive. Pro-Kremlin media missed references to Russia's defeats, distorting these comments.

In the same interview with Ukrinform, Syrskyi did not make manipulative statements regarding Kharkiv, emphasizing that Ukraine takes information about possible offensive operations of the enemy seriously and is ready to properly respond to such threats. He noted that any attempt by Russia to attack Kharkiv again would lead to disastrous consequences for it, citing the successful experience of liberating the region in the past.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to discredit the Ukrainian armed forces and cause panic among the local population. Detector Media also refuted other manipulations aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian propagandists are spreading claims about the “accuracy” of Russian airstrikes in Ukraine, interpreting the Financial Times article in their own way. They claim that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry allegedly acknowledged the “sharpness of Russian operations” aimed “against Ukrainian military targets” and again accused Ukraine of “blackmail for the sake of obtaining weapons from the West”. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found a Financial Times article cited by propagandists about Russia's use of Soviet-made guided bombs in the war with Ukraine. The article describes how these bombs are upgraded with the addition of cheap wings and a GPS system and released from Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft capable of hitting targets along the front line. The article quotes a comment from the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, who notes Russia's intensive use of these bombs to attack Ukrainian military positions, noting that damage to a bomber carrying such a bomb is the only possible defense. However, the Financial Times refutes the myth of the “high precision” of Russian attacks, pointing to their use against civilians and examples of significant destruction and civilian casualties.

The author of the article also criticizes Russian claims about the “precision” of strikes, recalling the large-scale use of missiles and kamikaze drones against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and emphasizes that such actions can be qualified as war crimes, considered in international courts. In the context of these charges, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian army officials.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to justify Russian attacks against civilians.