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 13 May, on the 809th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2137
Fake
691
Manipulation
648
Message
436
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Fake A grandmother in Avdiivka allegedly fed the Ukrainian military with pies with a blade

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks in which allegedly a Ukrainian military man serving near Avdiivka discovered sharp blades in pies. Like, a local grandmother treated him to these pies. The video was seen by thousands of people, it is actively distributed on social networks with captions like “a grandmother near Avdiivka treats Ukrainian soldiers with delicious pies” and “they hate Ukrainians in this place”. However, this is a staging.

This was found out by specialists from the “Beyond the News” project. They explain that it is doubtful that after the round-the-clock shelling, a multi-storey building with electricity and intact windows remained in the city or its surroundings. However, this is the environment in which filming takes place. In the video, we see two people (one holding a camera) standing in front of a window in a lit room during night time. From a security point of view this is very dangerous. The Ukrainian military would be unlikely to commit such actions. The military clothing that we see in the video has no signs of identification, and the chosen shooting angle does not allow us to see the face of the “victim” from the grandmother. At 6-7 seconds one can see that the man is breaking an already broken product. Probably damage to the “theater prop” was done before filming to insert a blade into it. The audio of the video also has its own characteristics. Firstly, we hear the Russian pronunciation at the 10th second. In addition, the phrase “and here are the blades” sounds strange to denote the singular; it is more likely that a Ukrainian military would say “and here is the blade”. The Russian intonation is especially heard at the end of the video.

It appeared around February 5 on resources publishing Russian propaganda. The video appeared in the domestic segment within a day or two. Unfortunately, it was picked up and spread on some Ukrainian-language pages on social networks.

Propagandists spread such fake news to show that local residents do not really want Ukrainians to fight for them. They say that’s why they feed the Ukrainian military pies with blades.

Fake Bags containing the remains of Ukrainian soldiers were allegedly found near Dnipro

Propagandists spread information in communities on Facebook that disguise themselves as Ukrainian ones, which allegedly discovered bags with the remains of Ukrainian military personnel near Dnipro. However, this is fake.

Specialists of the NotaYenota project drew attention to it. They found out that the source disseminating this information is a Facebook page created on February 24, 2022. It imitates Ukrainian and, between patriotic content, places enemy stuffing.

The information about military belongings (not the bodies of military personnel, but their belongings) found on the territory of a fish farm in the Dnipropetrovsk region is true. But this happened in 2018. Then the police began to investigate this case. The photo illustrating this news on the page was actually taken in Bucha on April 8, 2022, where the exhumation of bodies buried in a mass grave during the Russian occupation began.

Propagandists are spreading this fake news against the backdrop of other enemy propaganda with staged videos allegedly about neglecting the bodies of Ukrainian military personnel. They do this in order to discredit Ukraine.

Fake The mother of a dead Ukrainian soldier was allegedly given a symbolic gift of a meat grinder

Users of social networks and publications disseminating pro-Russian rhetoric are spreading false information that the mother of a deceased Ukrainian soldier in Avdiivka was allegedly given a meat grinder. A photograph in which the same mother allegedly “joyfully” holds an electrical appliance is added to such “news”. “The mother of the Ukrainian soldier who died near Avdiivka was presented with humanitarian aid in the form of a meat grinder. It’s very symbolic.”, the authors of the messages add.

After disseminating such information, StopFake decided to check whether the mother of a Ukrainian military man was really given humanitarian aid in the form of a meat grinder. It turned out that this information was false.

The description of the photo does not indicate who exactly and where “donated” such “humanitarian aid”, and there is also no link to the source of this “news”. StopFake tried to find the source of the photo using a Google image search, but found only messages from Russian websites and anonymous telegram channels.

StopFake later discovered that the original photo of the mother “joyfully” holding an electrical appliance was published by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation charity organization. It does not depict assistance to the mother of the deceased, but the distribution of food and humanitarian aid to residents of Novohrodivka, Donetsk region. Propagandists simply added a “joyful” woman with a meat grinder in her hands in a photo editor and came up with a false description.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit Ukraine and devalue the importance of the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

Fake A Ukrainian confectioner allegedly smeared Nutella on the walls of a restaurant's toilet as it supports Russia

Propagandists on social networks are spreading information that a Ukrainian confectioner allegedly smeared the walls of the toilet in the London restaurant Hide, owned by Russian entrepreneur Yevhenii Chychvarkin, with Nutella. As proof of this, they are distributing an Instagram story allegedly written on the pastry chef’s profile. Like the publication included a description: “If you continue to support Russia, next time it won’t be chocolate”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the messages show that the publication was allegedly made on behalf of the profile @dolnyk.art.cake, owned by Ukrainian confectioner Kristina Dolnyk, who now lives in California (USA). StopFake journalists contacted Dolnyk to find out whether she really made such rhinestones on her Instagram profile. The pastry chef replied that she had never made such publications. Moreover, in correspondence with StopFake, she confirmed that she was not in London and therefore did not visit the Hide restaurant.

Later, the pastry chef published a story in which she refutes the fake news. She also noted that Yevhenii Chychvarkin does not hide his support for Ukraine, so such provocations are pointless.

Propagandists spread such fakes to strengthen their message about “wild Ukrainians” who do not know how to behave abroad and only spoil their reputation. Like, that’s why one shouldn’t help them and let them into Europe.

Message Russian propagandists began a disinformation campaign claiming losses of the Ukrainian Defense Forces near Selydove in the Donetsk region

Russian propagandists began a disinformation campaign claiming losses of the Ukrainian Defense Forces near Selydove in the Donetsk region. This is a clear example of Russian disinformation.

This was reported by the United Press Center of the Taurian Defense Forces. He noted that on February 13, 2024, Russian troops used the Uragan MLRS to strike the town of Tsukuryne, Pokrovskyi district. Rescuers from the State Emergency Service inspected the area and determined that as a result of the shelling, 2 multi-apartment two-story residential buildings on Svitla street and a car were damaged. There are no casualties or wounded.

Thus, the enemy is trying to divert attention from his significant losses in the Taurian direction. In just one day on February 12, they suffered 645 losses, and in the previous week (from February 5 to February 11) - 2,947 people.

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.