Propagandists are disseminating information about alleged preparations for the evacuation of authorities from the Orikhovskyi and Huliaipilskyi districts of the Zaporizhzhia region. This was stated by the coordinator of the so-called Mykolaiv underground. However, this is fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to it. Its specialists checked the information with the head of the Polohivskyi district state military administration, Artur Krupskyi, who confirmed that this information was not true.

Several inaccuracies also indicate unreliability. Firstly, Orikhovskyi and Huliaipilskyi  districts were liquidated in 2020 in accordance with the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine No. 807-IX dated July 17, 2020. On their basis, the enlarged Polohivskyi district was created. Secondly, the “news” about emergency evacuation is based on a false interpretation of information about a meeting of the Coordination Headquarters at the regional level to prepare plans for evacuation work in case of emergencies. Such events are regularly carried out at both the district and regional levels, including planned evacuation drills. In addition, a significant part of the Polohivskyi district is located in a zone of active hostilities, so the evacuation of civilians from populated areas near the conflict occurs daily.

By spreading such fakes, Russian propagandists are trying to sow panic among the local population and discredit local authorities. In this way, they try to create a feeling of uncertainty and fear in people. They say that the situation is so critical that local authorities are planning to evacuate, which means they are not able to cope with the situation and are leaving their citizens to fend for themselves. This could undermine confidence in the Ukrainian authorities, raising doubts about their ability to protect the population and maintain order.

On July 15, 2024, an assassination attempt was made on Donald Trump. The incident occurred during his speech at one of his election rallies in Butler. The attacker opened fire, but Trump was evacuated in time and was not seriously injured. Propagandists took advantage of this information drive and began to massively disseminate a number of conspiracy theories on this topic.

Joe Biden's Order

Propagandists and members of Trump's team, in particular his vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, claim that current US President Joe Biden allegedly ordered the assassination attempt on Trump in order to eliminate him as a political rival. They say that after the disastrous debate and a number of ensuing scandals, Biden and his team were left with no other options other than to physically eliminate Trump in the elections.

Supporters of this theory claim that Biden allegedly hinted at the need to eliminate Trump, including in the literal sense. They also accuse journalists of stirring up the atmosphere around the ex-president, which could become a trigger for the attacker. Conspiracy theorists also accuse Biden that the US Secret Service (the security detail assigned to every living US president, sitting or not) did not do enough to protect Trump or even personally have a hand in the incident after Biden directed it.

A number of US Democratic Party figures, including Biden himself and Barack Obama, condemned the attack. The current president said that the fight between him and Trump should take place exclusively within the framework of elections, and the use of violence against one of the candidates is unacceptable. He also promised to tighten security for Trump.

Ukraine is to blame for everything

Conspiracy theorists and Russian propagandists also began to spread the theory that Ukraine was involved in the assassination attempt on Trump. They say that Trump’s anti-Ukrainian rhetoric during the election campaign, and especially the situation around the aid package adopted by Congress, is a motive for this. Conspiracy theorists say: Ukraine has been resorting to such methods for a long time, so this would not be anything strange. As an example, they point to the fact that the Ukrainians allegedly blew up Nord Stream 2.

Deep State

According to this theory, the assassination attempt on Trump was organized by an invisible power structure within the US government (deep state), which wants to destroy Trump because of his anti-system policies. Detector Media previously wrote about this theory and its main messages, in which Trump is the main character.

Proponents of this theory exploit the current crisis of trust in government structures, partly related to the previous theory, since the “deep state” is also associated with the US Democratic Party.

Red Herring

There is also a theory that the assassination attempt was allegedly staged by Trump supporters or his team to divert attention from other political scandals surrounding him, particularly court cases, and also to give him a final advantage in the election campaign. Current opinion polls show that even after all the tension surrounding the Biden campaign, the gap between the candidates is minimal.

Russia uses these conspiracy theories to achieve several strategic goals. In particular, the spread of conspiracy theories contributes to increasing political division and mistrust between different groups of the population of the United States. With their help, Russians also undermine trust in democratic institutions and the electoral process as a whole. Spreading disinformation about other countries helps Russia divert the attention of its citizens from domestic economic and political problems. It also reinforces the illusion that Russia is still influencing the international agenda and advancing its geopolitical interests by weakening its main adversaries.

The authors of Wired examined how a Russian propaganda network used artificial intelligence to create a fake video of US President Joe Biden. This video, titled Bye Bye Biden, was widely shared on social networks and received millions of views. The video portrays Biden in a negative light, showing signs that he is allegedly suffering from senility, and makes the statement sound like he supports illegal immigrants more than US citizens. For the manipulation, they used deepfake technology, where the appearance of the actors changed to resemble Biden and former President Donald Trump.

The publication's specialists noted the inconsistency of the video, which indicates a hasty production of the video. For example, the characters' lip movements did not always match the voice acting, and their body language looked unnatural. The ambiguity of a deepfake makes it difficult for viewers to determine its authenticity. This is a “lie dividend” tactic — an increase in skepticism about the veracity of information due to the too high prevalence of fake materials. This tactic makes it harder for such content to be identified and removed on social media, allowing it to spread better.

The use of AI in disinformation campaigns is a growing concern. With the development and availability of AI tools, the potential for creating more convincing fake content increases, posing significant challenges to maintaining public trust and political stability.

Propagandists are disseminating information on anonymous telegram channels that “at least 13 soldiers from the 123rd brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have died, and approximately 80 are in critical condition after an outbreak of an unidentified gastrointestinal infection”. However, this is a Russian fake, which has been repeatedly refuted by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

The sanitary and epidemic situation in the Kherson region is stable and controlled. No outbreaks of acute intestinal infections or food poisoning have been registered. Additional information checks conducted by local and national health authorities confirm that no cases of mass disease among military or civilians were recorded in the Kherson region.

The spread of such fakes is part of an information war aimed at destabilizing the situation in Ukraine, undermining trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and creating panic among the population. This step is a standard propaganda tactic used by the Russian side to discredit the Ukrainian authorities. They say that Kyiv neglects real problems and does not think about its military.

Propagandists are distributing a video on Polish-language anonymous telegram channels in which a Ukrainian teacher allegedly sings the song “Our Father Bandera” with children in a room that looks like a school gym. They claim that this is supposedly an example of how Ukrainian children experience “horrible, mind-numbing propaganda” and how they are “prepared to become fertilizer”. However, this message is unfounded and manipulative.

Patriotic education exists in many countries and is the norm for supporting national identity and love for one's country. In Ukraine, like other countries, children learn the history, culture and values of their nation, which is an important part of their development. In addition, patriotic songs and traditions are not something unique to any country in the world. The Ukrainian education system meets international standards, including the education of civic consciousness and love of the Motherland, but also emphasizes the importance of human rights, tolerance and democratic values.

The claim that Ukrainian children are being subjected to “terrible propaganda” is part of an information war and is aimed at discrediting Ukraine. This statement has no concrete evidence and is general and exaggerated. Patriotic education is a common practice and is aimed at creating responsible citizens, and not at creating “fertilizer for fertile fields”,  as propagandists claim.