Russian sources are spreading disinformation, alleging that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi called on Los Angeles authorities to stop focusing on ‘fabricated problems’ and instead prioritize financial support for Ukraine.  

In reality, President Zelenskyi made no such statement. Fact-checkers from StopFake  found no evidence of this claim. On the contrary, in his evening address on January 12, 2025, the Ukrainian president expressed his willingness to assist the United States in combating the California wildfires: “The situation there is dire, and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives. This is currently being worked on, and through the appropriate channels, we have offered our assistance to the U.S”.  

Zelenskyi also mentioned that 150 Ukrainian rescue workers are prepared to provide the necessary aid.  

The wildfire situation in California remains critical, with at least 24 reported fatalities and approximately 180,000 people forced to evacuate due to the fire threat.  

This disinformation aims to discredit Zelenskyi by portraying him as a corrupt leader who misuses international aid. A similar narrative was debunked earlier, where Russian sources falsely claimed that eight mansions belonging to Ukrainian generals had burned down in Los Angeles.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are spreading a video claiming that a Ukrainian soldier allegedly took revenge on a police officer who had previously mobilized him. According to the video, the soldier reportedly gained the officer's trust, invited him for a drink, spiked his drink with sleeping pills, and assaulted him once the officer fell asleep.  

This claim is entirely false. Propagandists manipulated a segment from the Ukrainian TV program Ukraine Today, which aired on its YouTube channel on January 10, 2025. In the original segment, host Kateryna Nesterenko mentions that such a story had been circulating on TikTok. However, she explicitly states that apart from TikTok and certain Telegram channels, there is no evidence to corroborate the story and does not confirm its authenticity.  

Propagandists altered the video by cutting out the part where the host questions the story's credibility, presenting it as if the incident was real.  

Further investigation revealed that this manipulated video was circulated exclusively within the pro-Russian segment of the internet, with at least 14 propaganda Telegram channels sharing it.  

This manipulation is part of an ongoing effort by Russian propagandists to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine. Similar tactics have been used before, such as the debunked claim that three employees of a Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center were found dead in Odesa.

A Russian ‘war correspondent’ has spread claims that, due to a shortage of its own fighters, Ukraine's so-called ‘neo-Nazi’ Azov Brigade has announced recruitment efforts targeting English-speaking ‘mercenaries’. The propagandist attributes this information to a report by The Guardian.  

The January 10, 2025, article from ‘The Guardian’ does indeed discuss efforts by Ukraine's Azov Brigade to bolster its ranks with English-speaking fighters. However, the publication does not refer to the brigade as ‘neo-Nazi’, nor does it use the term ‘mercenaries’, as this characterization is inaccurate and misleading.  

Propagandists deliberately misuse the term ‘mercenaries’ instead of the correct term ‘combatants’ when describing foreign fighters serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Geneva Conventions, mercenaries participate in armed conflict illegally. They are neither citizens nor official servicemembers of the state involved in the conflict, distinguishing them from combatants, who act lawfully as part of a nation's armed forces.  

Previously, we analyzed similar Russian disinformation, such as false claims that the Ukrainian Embassy in France was openly recruiting ‘mercenaries’ without interference from French authorities.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels have circulated reports claiming that Russian forces broke through the state border near the settlements of Zhuravka and Prokhody in the Sumy region.  

However, the Sumy Regional Military Administration (RMA) refuted this information on its official Facebook page. While the situation at the border remains challenging, it is stable. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are holding the line and are fully prepared to repel any aggression.  

The Sumy RMA also noted that while Russian forces occasionally attempt to enter the region, these efforts are unsuccessful:  “Over the past month, we continue to observe attempts by enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups to infiltrate the Sumy region. However, all such groups are neutralized by our defenders”.

By spreading such disinformation, propagandists aim to instill fear among Ukrainians, undermine trust in the actions of authorities and the military, and sow panic. Previously, similar false claims about the so-called ‘occupation’ of parts of the Sumy region were also debunked.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are circulating a purported NBC News clip claiming that Ukrainian hackers allegedly hacked WhatsApp and began sending mass fake news to Americans about Ukraine's military successes and minimal losses in the Russia-Ukraine war. Propagandists mockingly comment that “when victory doesn’t happen in reality, Ukrainians decided to bring it closer in WhatsApp”.  

In reality, this information is false, as reported by VoxCheck. Using Google’s reverse image search, it was discovered that the video features Gadi Schwartz, a reporter from NBC News' Stay Tuned NOW program. The fake news used a snippet from a segment titled The Future of Everything published on NBC News’ official YouTube channel on December 4, 2024.  

While the original NBC News segment did mention a large-scale hacking attack on nearly all major U.S. communications companies, the report attributed the attacks to China, not Ukraine.  

Additionally, the segment includes an interview snippet with Chris Krebs, the former director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. In the actual NBC News report, Krebs comments on China's cyberattacks on U.S. telecommunications systems, not on any actions by Ukraine.  

This is not the first instance of Russian disinformation regarding NBC News. Previously, similar claims were made, alleging that an American official admitted on NBC News that U.S. intelligence data on Russia was mostly fabricated - a claim also proven false.