Spilnota Detector Media
Detector Media collects and documents real-time chronicles of the Kremlin disinformation about the Russian invasion. Ukraine for decades has been suffering from Kremlin disinformation. Here we document all narratives, messages, and tactics, which Russia is using from February 17th, 2022. Reminder: the increasing of shelling and fighting by militants happened on the 17th of February 2022 on the territory of Ukraine. Russian propaganda blames Ukraine for these actions.

On 18 May, on the 814th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2151
Fake
693
Manipulation
649
Message
441
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Message Ukrainian female doctors are running away from mobilization to temporarily occupied territories

This thesis was spread on social networks in the Russian segment. Reports say that female doctors are leaving Ukraine en masse for the temporarily occupied territories. In support of this thesis, a video is cited: a recording of a telephone conversation with a so-called doctor, a woman, from the Lviv region, who allegedly wants to go to temporarily occupied Mariupol and is looking for an apartment to live in. The authors argued that the woman allegedly received a draft notice and therefore she wanted to leave.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project dealt with this case. They explained that female doctors and pharmacists should indeed register with the military from October 1, 2023, but registration with the military does not mean mobilization or the establishment of restrictions on traveling abroad. The Ministry of Health notes: registration is necessary only to summarize data on the existing reserve of doctors in the country. The travel of this category of women is unlimited.

Therefore, most likely, the video is staged. After all, women are not mobilized in Ukraine  although the heroine of the video, during a telephone conversation, used the argument about mobilization as one of the main reasons for her irresistible desire to “escape” from Ukraine. In addition, this video is distributed only in the Russian segment of social networks. Experts cited other points from the telephone conversation:

For example, a woman said that she was only interested in an apartment in a new building and thus hinted that Russia was rebuilding Mariupol - a city that the occupiers really destroyed to the ground. Read in our Newspeak section how Moscow actually “rebuilds”  captured and destroyed cities and villages, calling them “a piece of paradise”.

Of course, it is almost impossible to verify the authenticity of the recording of a telephone conversation, since we can only refute the facts listed during the conversation. And this information includes false facts that, most likely, the Kremlin can use for its own purposes. For example, spread panic among Ukrainian women.

Message The war in Ukraine and Israel is “not an accident” as the United States creates unstable zones with its own hands

This thesis was spread on social networks in the Russian segment. Reports say that in fact, all current wars are the result of the US aggressive policy in the world. And they explain that the reason for the Russian-Ukrainian war, as well as the Israeli war against Hamas, is the White House, which seeks to create “zones of instability” and sow discord.

Analysts from the EU vs Disinfo project took up the case and explained that this is a typical conspiracy theory of Russian propagandists. So they are trying to absolve themselves of responsibility for military aggression, explaining it by external influences. The authors convince us that most often, peaceful people who suffer from “external control” pay taxes “God knows where”, are zombied by “Western values” and have literally lost the right to be heard. That is, they show that such an “impact” is not good and leads to stagnation in all spheres of people’s lives. To strengthen their argument, they add information about Israel's war with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. Accordingly, the war in Israel was caused by the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Consequently, the Kremlin benefits from aggravation in the Middle East, because it distracts attention from what the Russian army is doing in Ukraine.

Let us recall that the Institute for the Study of War's statement as of October 7 said that the Kremlin is using the Hamas attack on Israel for information operations aimed at weakening support for Ukraine by the United States and other Western partners.

Disclosure Unknown people call entrepreneurs in Volyn on behalf of the tax authorities and demand money from them

This information was recorded by specialists of the Brekhunets (The Liar) project. In the message, they said that private entrepreneurs in Volyn receive phone calls on behalf of tax officials, demanding money. During a telephone conversation, the attackers claim that the head of the state tax inspectorate of the local department of the State Tax Service in the Volyn region, Serhii Samchuk, is talking to private entrepreneurs.

However, this is a lie. Actually, Serhii Samchuk denied information about telephone calls from the tax service. He also warned entrepreneurs against fraud and urged them to contact the police if anyone receives such calls.

Fake In Vinnytsia, a fire allegedly broke out at “weapon depots from the West” on November 9

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that on November 9, 2023, a fire broke out in Vinnytsia, allegedly at “NATO weapons” warehouses. The authors add to the messages that Zelenskyi allegedly did not turn on the air raid sirens in the Vinnytsia region, and the air defense did not work. It is not true.

In Vinnytsia on the evening of November 9, a large-scale fire broke out in warehouses where laminate flooring was stored. This was reported by the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of the Vinnytsia region. At 22:40 the fire was localized.

This is how the authors try to dispel the thesis about their “irresistible technology”, which is ready to destroy everyone, and as confirmation of this they give an example of “shelling” an object with ammunition. Although it was a fire, experts localized it.

In our Newspeak section we described the Russian phenomenon of “irresistible technology”. In short, this is how the Russians try to convince the domestic audience of constant victories.

Manipulation Zelenskyi called on Israel to fight terrorism “without laws and rules”

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. The messages add how Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly stated that Israel should fight terrorism “without laws and rules” - in fact, he allegedly called for the commission of war crimes. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project managed to process the case: they explained that the basis for creating this manipulation was most likely an interview with the Ukrainian president on the American television channel NBC News on November 5, 2023. During the live broadcast, the interviewer asked whether Volodymyr Zelenskyi is confident that Israel is subject to international law in the war with Hamas. Zelenskyi responded that it is Russia, Iran and North Korea that are trying to scale up the war in Israel:

“This is a fire that is burning between Israel and Palestine, and some people are still throwing matches into this fire, and I am sure that Russia is not far behind in sponsoring Hamas. And Iran too. That's who is to blame. When we talk about laws and rules, where there are terrorists, there are no rules [terrorists don’t care about rules ed.]”.

Actually, Volodymyr Zelenskyi meant that Russia and other “friendly countries” - Iran, North Korea, etc. — do not support the norms of international law, especially directly or indirectly incite discord. These countries, for example, actively block any legislative initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine in the UN General Assembly. And according to Zelenskyi, they may also be interested in scaling up the war in the Middle East.

But propagandists twisted the statement and began to claim that it is the Ukrainian leader who seeks to sow discord and calls for committing war crimes, regardless of the cost. Thus, propagandists demonize Volodymyr Zelenskyi and label him: let's say, he is an aggressor and a provocateur who wants wars around the world.

Orest Slyvenko, Artur Koldomasov, Vitalii Mykhailiv, Oleksandra Kotenko, Oleksandr Siedin, Kostiantyn Zadyraka, and Oleksiy Pivtorak are collaborating on this chronicle. Lesia Bidochko serves as the project coordinator, while Ksenia Ilyuk is the author of the project.