Russian sources are spreading information that the United States began supplying weapons to Ukraine as early as September 2021, preparing it for aggression against Russia. To support this claim, propagandists refer to an interview with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for The New York Times.

In fact, this information has been debunked by VoxCheck. On January 4, 2025, Antony Blinken did indeed comment on the Biden administration's policy towards Ukraine in an interview with The New York Times. However, he emphasized that the supply of weapons in 2021 was aimed at strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities in response to the threat of a Russian invasion.

“We were able to anticipate the beginning of the conflict and ensure readiness not only for ourselves but also for our allies, partners, and Ukraine. We took care to quietly provide Ukraine with significant amounts of weaponry starting in September and continuing in December before the Russian aggression began. This allowed Ukraine to be equipped with everything necessary for defense, including systems like Stinger and Javelin. They played a key role in deterring Russian aggression: they helped prevent the capture of Kyiv, the occupation of the country, its erasure from the map, and forced Russian troops to retreat”, said Blinken.

It is important to note that the assistance provided by the US in 2021 included only defensive means: anti-tank systems, small arms, ammunition, radios, and medical equipment. Ukraine was not supplied with heavy equipment necessary for an offensive. Moreover, this assistance was a response to the Russian troop buildup near Ukraine’s borders. In the spring of 2021, Russia concentrated around 100,000-120,000 soldiers and heavy weaponry there. By January 2022, Blinken warned that such a concentration of Russian forces posed a real threat of full-scale invasion, which necessitated strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

Furthermore, the supply of weapons to Ukraine was not secret. Both Ukrainian and international media openly reported it. In September 2021, Ukraine and the US signed a Framework Agreement on Strategic Defense Partnership, which officially confirmed a new military assistance package worth $60 million to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities.

Russian propaganda manipulates the facts to portray Ukraine as the aggressor and justify its own invasion. These manipulations also aim to undermine trust in Western support for Ukraine and reduce the volume of international aid. Earlier, we debunked the claim that Western countries started refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons because they want to stop supporting the war.

Pro-Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that 70% of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel use alcohol to fall asleep, and that 80% of those with an addiction had already encountered this problem before mobilization.

However, this is a manipulation that experts from VoxCheck have drawn attention to. In late December 2024, Hromadske published an article in which military personnel expressed their views on the situation with alcohol in the army. However, there is no official data on the level of addiction among military personnel.

Indeed, a company commander did note that some soldiers may drink alcohol to fall asleep: “I think about 70% of personnel take 50 grams just to sleep peacefully. But there’s a difference between drinking for sleep. One person takes a little, sleeps, and is ready for any task in the morning. The other can’t get out of bed without 100 grams. It’s these people who are the problem. They drink as long as they have something to drink, and they always do”.

At the same time, the senior sergeant of the 93rd Brigade noted that someone who didn’t abuse alcohol before joining the army won’t become an alcoholic in the military. According to his observations, about 80% of soldiers who abuse alcohol already had such a problem in civilian life.

Through this manipulation, propagandists are trying to deflect attention from problems in the Russian army by creating a distorted reality. For example, according to a 2023 report by the UK Ministry of Defence, referencing a Russian Telegram channel, information was released about the “exceptionally high” number of incidents, crimes, and deaths among Russian soldiers caused by alcohol use. 

“Russian commanders likely see widespread alcohol abuse as a serious threat to combat effectiveness. However, since alcoholism is common in Russian society, it has long been tacitly accepted as an inherent part of military life, even during combat operations”, noted British intelligence.

Russian agitprop manipulates facts to discredit the Ukrainian army, creating an impression of its weakness and moral decay. Such manipulations aim to undermine trust in the Ukrainian Armed Forces both among Ukrainians and international partners, as well as demoralize society.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are spreading a video claiming that, according to a survey conducted in European countries, 71% of respondents from Ukraine consider the Euromaidan of 2013-2014 to have been a mistake, as the expected improvement in quality of life and EU membership did not happen. As supposed evidence, propagandists refer to a survey conducted by the t-online portal, as well as a report from Euronews.

However, fact-checkers from the Proverieno (Checked) resource have debunked this information. They found no mention of such a study on t-online. While the portal covers events related to Ukraine, its surveys typically focus on public opinion in Germany and rarely cover international issues.

The video is also a compilation of old images with automatic translations, which do not align with Euronews' style. Furthermore, neither on the official website of the media nor on its verified social media accounts on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube is there any such report.

Russian agitprop spreads this fake to discredit the Revolution of Dignity, undermine Ukrainians' trust in the European course, and sow despair among those who were forced to leave Ukraine. These manipulations aim to justify Russian aggression and impose a narrative about Ukraine's supposed ‘wrong choice’.

Propaganda Telegram channels are spreading information claiming that the signing of a 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom supposedly means the loss of Ukrainian sovereignty and the transformation of the country into a British colony.

In reality, this is a fake, as noted by experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Indeed, on January 16, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed a long-term partnership agreement in Kyiv. However, this document contains no provisions indicating the ‘colonization’ of Ukraine.

On the contrary, the agreement envisions the expansion of defense cooperation, including the creation of a new structure to enhance security in the Baltic, Black, and Azov Seas. Additionally, it will foster collaboration in energy, transportation, climate change mitigation, and the transition to clean energy.

It is important to note that the agreement is based on an equal partnership between the two countries and is aimed at developing strategic sectors in both nations. This completely refutes the Russian propaganda fake about ‘colonization’.

Furthermore, according to Starmer, the United Kingdom has already allocated three billion pounds in military aid to Ukraine and plans to provide a loan of 2.2 billion pounds, which will be repaid through interest on frozen Russian assets.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes to undermine Ukrainians' trust in international partners and discredit Ukraine's cooperation with the West. The Kremlin seeks to isolate Ukraine and deprive it of international support, as strengthening international cooperation enhances Kyiv's position on the global stage. In fact, it is the Russian authorities that have concrete plans for the colonization of Ukraine and are trying to disrupt its integration into the global community.

Earlier, we debunked the claim that Ukraine’s European integration is supposedly a form of absorption and colonization.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are spreading a video in which ABC meteorologist Mike Rizzo, when a screenshot of a news story with Volodymyr Zelenskyi appeared on the studio screen by mistake, says: “This is not a storm, this is a little spinach”. In fact, this information is not accurate. In January 2024, during a broadcast, when the host was commenting on an approaching storm in the region, a spinach image indeed appeared on the screen, prompting Rizzo to joke, “This is not a storm, this is a little spinach”. However, propagandists distorted the context by replacing the image of spinach with a fake BBC news story. In this manipulated version, an image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi appeared alongside a fabricated claim that, supposedly, the Pentagon had stated that over a million Ukrainian soldiers had died.

However, such information is fake. In November 2024, in an interview with Kyodo News, Volodymyr Zelenskyi stated that the number of Ukrainian casualties on the front since the beginning of the full-scale invasion was much less than 80,000.

“Some recently in the American press reported that 80 thousand Ukrainians had died. But I want to tell you, no, it’s less. Much less”, the President said.

According to estimates by The Economist, based on leaks from Western intelligence agencies, by the end of November 2024, at least 60,000–100,000 Ukrainian military personnel could have died during Russia's full-scale invasion. Around 400,000 others were injured, making them unable to continue serving in the army.

Russian agitprop manipulates facts and distorts contexts to sow distrust in Ukrainian leaders and reduce international support for Ukraine. Such manipulations create an atmosphere of doubt and uncertainty, which, in turn, can weaken Ukraine’s ability to effectively counter Russia’s aggression.