Propagandists are spreading information in anonymous Telegram channels and media outlets about a fire in Los Angeles, where, according to them, eight cottages belonging to Ukrainian generals worth $90 million were allegedly burned. However, this is a fake. This fabrication was accompanied by a false video and a quote attributed to the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, Mykhailo Drapatyi. The propagandists imitated the style of the United24 media in this fake. It also mentioned that the generals had purchased the properties using funds provided to Ukraine by Western partners.

Analysts from StopFake emphasized that neither United24 nor other reputable outlets had published such information. Russian media used real footage of a fire in Los Angeles, manipulating it to create a false narrative. General Mykhailo Drapatyi never made the statements attributed to him by the propagandists.

These types of information attacks are aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian military leadership by spreading the notion of corruption within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Additionally, the propaganda is intended to weaken trust in Ukraine among Western partners who provide military and financial assistance. The fake also emphasized the ‘injustice’ to further influence the emotions of the audience and generate a negative perception of Ukrainian leadership. Such information operations are part of Russia's broader strategy to manipulate international opinion and undermine support for Ukraine.

Propagandists are actively spreading information in pro-Russian media and Telegram channels claiming that US President Joe Biden recently admitted to a nuclear provocation against Russia. However, these statements are a distortion of Biden's words.

Experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security have pointed out this manipulation. In reality, the US president stated that Putin’s aggression against Ukraine has become a strategic defeat for Russia, which is now weaker than before the war. Biden emphasized that Russia has not achieved its goals in this war, as Ukraine remains independent, and the international community has united to support it. In his speech, Biden highlighted two main objectives: to unite an international coalition to defend Ukraine and to prevent war between nuclear powers. He stressed that these goals have been achieved, underlining that the threat of nuclear conflict is provoked by Russia's aggressive policies, not by US support for Ukraine.

Kremlin disinformation in this case is aimed at distorting reality and creating the illusion of Western aggression, diverting attention from Russia’s provocative actions.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi of ‘blackmail and begging’, a claim that is actively picked up by Russian propagandist outlets to discredit Ukraine. However, this is a manipulation.

Experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security have debunked this claim. They note that in response, Zelenskyi explained that Ukraine had offered Slovakia compensation for the period of adaptation to the loss of Russian gas transit, but this proposal was rejected by the Slovak prime minister.

Slovakia’s dependence on Russian gas remains critical, reaching nearly 90%. Other countries, such as Austria, which were even more dependent, managed to fully stop energy supplies from Russia.

Fico avoids rational explanations for Slovakia's continued gas dependency, unlike the rest of the EU, which is actively reducing its energy dependence on Moscow. Instead, he uses accusations against Ukraine as a way to justify his policy, which is likely based on shadow agreements with Russia.

Propagandists continue to resort to conspiracy theories to justify Russia's aggression against Ukraine and to explain events occurring worldwide. One such narrative promotes the theory that Russia is an exclusively monoethnic state, with all ethnic groups within the Russian Federation being merely subgroups of the Russian nation. This theory posits that minorities such as Tatars, Chechens, Buryats, Ossetians, and others must be integrated into the ‘Russian people’, subordinated to a unified Russian identity. It advocates minimizing differences among various ethnic groups and assimilating minority national cultures into a single ‘Russian culture’ defined by Russian traditions, language, and values.  

However, this theory is more of an ideological construct aimed at ‘simplifying’ the country’s ethnic composition to the dominant group - ‘Russians’. Russia uses this theory as a tool to strengthen centralized power within the country. By spreading the idea that all national minorities are part of the ‘Russian nation’, Moscow legitimizes its policies of assimilation and control over regions dominated by other ethnic groups, such as the Caucasus and Siberia. This narrative is actively supported through state propaganda to create a unified national identity capable of uniting Russia’s diverse peoples under the Kremlin’s rule. It also serves to justify various political, economic, and social decisions aimed at restricting the autonomy of national minorities and their cultures.  

Russia uses this idea to discredit movements seeking true autonomy or independence in regions such as Tatarstan or Chechnya, framing their efforts to preserve their ethnic and cultural identity as threats to Russian unity. Instead of fostering diversity, the theory promotes the idea that all national distinctions should be absorbed into a singular ‘Russian’ essence. By advancing the concept of monoethnicity, Russia bolsters its authoritarian ambitions, stripping minorities of their political rights, cultural autonomy, and linguistic freedoms. This provokes the Russian authorities to suppress any competitive political movements in regions where smaller ethnic groups strive to protect their historical and cultural heritage and unique identities.  

Russia also employs the theory of a monoethnic Russia to justify its imperial ambitions and aggression against Ukraine. It manipulates this idea to deny Ukrainian national identity and undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, claiming that Ukrainians are part of the ‘Russian nation’. Specifically, Russia asserts that Ukrainians are merely ‘Little Russians’ or ‘Southern Russians’, a subgroup of the larger Russian nation. It promotes the notion that the Ukrainian language and culture lack independent status and are merely extensions of Russian. This narrative enables Moscow to argue that Ukraine is an artificial creation and, therefore, its independence is illegitimate.  

On the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia actively pursues policies of ‘Russification’, forcing Ukrainians and local ethnic groups to adopt Russian identity. The Kremlin seeks to erase national characteristics by imposing Russian citizenship, promoting Russian culture and language policies, and using assimilation and persecution to create a ‘unified nation’.  

The concept of a monoethnic Russia is also used to justify support for separatist movements in eastern Ukraine. Moscow claims that Russian-speaking Ukrainians have the right to unite with Russia, denying Ukrainians their right to self-determination. The Kremlin aims to convince the world that Russian-speaking individuals in eastern Ukraine are ‘Russians’ and, therefore, belong to Russia. This idea is part of a broader geopolitical strategy to reclaim former territories under Russian influence.  

The Kremlin actively disseminates the conspiracy theory of a monoethnic Russia through propaganda and disinformation campaigns, targeting both Ukrainian and international audiences with the idea that Ukrainians and Russians share common roots, history, and culture, thereby asserting that Ukraine has no right to sovereignty. Russian media, in particular, frequently emphasizes the ‘shared identity’ of the two peoples, seeking to erase the boundaries between them. Within the framework of the monoethnic Russia theory, the Kremlin promotes the myth of a ‘unified Russian civilization’ that should encompass not only Russia but all territories that were once part of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, including Ukraine.  

This concept is designed to provide a foundation for further aggression, the undermining of Ukraine’s independence, and the sovereignty of other neighboring states, as well as the internal assimilation of territories controlled by Russia.

Propagandists are spreading information in Russian and Polish language Telegram channels claiming that 25 million people have allegedly left Ukraine, 9.5 million of whom went to Russia, and 6.6 million to the EU. However, these claims are false and do not reflect reality.  

The figures cited are significantly exaggerated. Before the full-scale war, Ukraine's population was approximately 41 million people. According to the UN, the number of refugees who have left Ukraine and are currently residing in other countries is approximately 6.8 million, not 25 million. Outside Europe, there are just over 560,000 Ukrainian refugees. Moreover, the claim that most Ukrainians voluntarily relocated to Russia is a manipulation. In reality, a significant portion of the refugees who went to Russia were forcibly deported by Russian authorities, which constitutes a violation of international law. In such cases, these individuals had no choice, and their departure was the result of coercion, not free will.  

Russian propaganda actively uses such messages to discredit Ukraine on the international stage, portray it as a failed state, and undermine trust in the Ukrainian government. In reality, despite the challenges of war, Ukraine is working tirelessly to support its citizens, including those who were forced to leave the country.