Spilnota Detector Media
Detector Media collects and documents real-time chronicles of the Kremlin propaganda about the Russian invasion. Ukraine for decades has been suffering from Kremlin propaganda. 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 February, on the 1455th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2732
Fake
816
Manipulation
775
Message
559
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Video fake: protesters in the Kyiv metro allegedly chant “Ze, come down to us” against Zelenskyy

On 12–13 October, a video filmed in the Kyiv metro was circulated on social media (in particular by Georgian-language and Russian-language Facebook accounts). According to the descriptions, the footage allegedly shows Kyiv residents chanting “Ze, come down to us” during a Russian strike, supposedly demanding that Volodymyr Zelenskyy go down into the metro instead of staying in a “private comfortable bunker”. This manipulation was debunked by Georgian fact-checkers from Mythdetector.

However, this is fake. Fact-checkers from Georgia established that the video is not current and is being circulated with an altered audio track. Its original version was published back on 10 October 2022.

  • Old video from 2022: The footage showing Ukrainians sheltering in the metro was indeed filmed at the Nyvky station of the Kyiv metro. However, it was recorded during another Russian bombardment in the autumn of 2022.
  • Audio altered: In reality, people in the metro were not chanting anti-presidential slogans. They were singing the traditional Ukrainian folk song “Rozpriahayte, khloptsi, koni”. At the time, Ukrainian media, including Radio Kultura and Apostrof TV, reported on this and published the original video. It was a display of unity and patriotism by citizens enduring the shelling together.
  • No evidence of protests: Mythdetector experts found no confirmation or reports of any current mass protests against Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Kyiv metro or elsewhere from reputable Ukrainian media.

The video fake circulating on social media is a classic example of disinformation: authentic footage (Ukrainians in the metro) is paired with fabricated audio and invented slogans to create a false impression of alleged mass protests and public dissatisfaction with the president during wartime.

Debunking the fake: the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not “burning animals infected with rabies” in residents’ homes in the Kherson region

Anonymous propagandist Telegram channels are spreading photos of Ukrainian servicemen wearing gas masks, claiming that they are allegedly burning the carcasses of cows, dogs, and foxes infected with rabies inside residents’ homes in the Kherson region. Propagandists write about the “smell of burning flesh”, panic among local farmers, and orders to “burn everything”, and also claim that the village of Dudchany is supposedly in a state of “total chaos” due to a rabies outbreak to which local authorities are allegedly not responding.

In reality, the photos have nothing to do with the destruction of animals and were taken from an official source that shows Ukrainian military training exercises. This fake has been debunked by StopFake experts.

The images circulated by propaganda clearly show the watermark of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a caption indicating servicemen of the 121st Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of the AFU.

Training photos: these images were officially published on the Facebook page of the Territorial Defense Forces on 20 September 2025. The post states that servicemen are undergoing training and improving their skills in using gas masks and personal protective equipment in conditions of smoke and fire.

Claims by propagandists about alleged “total chaos” due to rabies in the Kherson region do not correspond to reality. The State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection has repeatedly stated that the epizootic situation regarding rabies in the Kherson region remains under control.

At the same time, activists from the Yellow Ribbon movement report a critical shortage of rabies vaccines in the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. According to them, no rabies vaccine has been delivered to any hospitals in Henichesk, Skadovsk, Melitopol, Berdiansk, or Enerhodar during three years of occupation.

The spread of this fabrication fits into a typical strategy of Russian propaganda. Its aim is to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine by creating an image of the Ukrainian army as a “ruthless and uncontrolled force” that allegedly poses a threat to the property and lives of civilians. Such fakes are especially actively used in frontline and de-occupied regions to fuel anti-Ukrainian sentiment.

Andrii Pylypenko, Lesia Bidochko, Oleksandr Siedin, Kostiantyn Zadyraka, and Oleksiy Pivtorak are collaborating on this chronicle. Ksenia Ilyuk is the author of the project.