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 23 December, on the 1033th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2604
Fake
775
Manipulation
753
Message
541
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Disclosure In telegram channels, messages are sent to Ukrainians and they are promised payments of 3,500 hryvnias due to Russian aggression

Fraudsters send messages from a hidden user. They say that "today" at 12 o'clock it was decided that every citizen of Ukraine can receive financial assistance in connection with Russia's aggression. Instructions on how to get money on the card are allegedly posted at the link.

Fraudsters do not note who exactly made the decision to pay out. There is a separate link for each bank. The design of the pages is similar to real banking sites. However, the link to the pages of different banks has a similar part "ki-pay.me". This is a sign of a private domain and cannot be owned by an official organization. For the most part, such domains are used by graphic designers, web developers, photographers, etc.

Message The ban on Schenhen visas for Russians is discrimination based on nationality

Propagandists say that today's behavior of Europe is reminiscent of the behavior of Nazi Germany. This seems to be similar to the case when signs “Juden sind hier unerwünscht” (“Jews are not welcome here”) appeared in Germany after 1933. Today's discussion about visas is like a European sign "Russians are not needed here."

According to EUvsDISINFO project fact-checkers, the decision to ban Schenhen visas for Russian citizens has not yet been made. The solution will be discussed at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague at the end of August 2022. The ban on visas for Russian citizens was initiated by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who believes that "visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right." These words were spoken in the context of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The idea of ​​a visa ban was supported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. He said Russians "should live in their own world until they change their philosophy."

Fake The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland initiates the renaming of the street in honor of Stepan Bandera

This is stated in a letter allegedly signed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Marcin Przydacz. It is not true.

The letter from the Polish Foreign Ministry is a fake response to a fake letter from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. The "letter of response" speaks of a positive decision to rename a street in Warsaw in honor of Stepan Bandera, which houses the Russian embassy. In addition, the "letter" refers to the ways of future promotion of Bandera among the Polish population. According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, a bot account on the social network Facebook, which contains almost no messages of other messages, was likely the primary source.

Message Mariupol is a Russian city returning to its roots

According to the fact-checker of the EUvsDISINFO project, this message was promoted by propagandists in a four-episode documentary series called “Mariupol: Chronicles of a Russian City”, which was broadcast by RT Spanish in August 2022. This thesis is part of a disinformation campaign to justify the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories by Russia.

Mariupol cannot be considered a Russian city. From its foundation in 1776 to this day, Mariupol has always been and remains a Ukrainian city. Due to its geographical location, the city is of strategic importance. In April 2014, it was occupied by Russian troops and pro-Russian militants. In June 2014, the city was de-occupied. Since March 1, 2022, the city has again been under the blockade of the Russian occupation forces.

As in 2014, so in 2022, the Ukrainians put up heroic resistance to the invaders in Mariupol. As a result of Russian aggression in 2022, tens of thousands of Mariupol residents were killed, the city's infrastructure was practically destroyed. In particular, the entire infrastructure of public transport has been destroyed, 90% cannot be restored.

Message Europe will receive cheap Russian gas in exchange for Russia's loyalty

Otherwise, gas prices in winter will be record high and exceed $4,000 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Russia uses energy prices as leverage to blackmail European countries. As the Center for Counteracting Disinformation writes, propagandists voice various arguments to convince. They argue that it is likely that Europe will not be able to fill the gas storage facilities in time as a result of “problems” with Nord Stream. Allegedly, in the event of a cessation of Russian gas supply, the available gas will last only 2.5 months. In anticipation of a difficult winter, the Germans bought up all the electric heaters, stock up on firewood and insulate their houses. Europe should be encouraged to engage in dialogue with Russia by the fact that "the Europeans will not survive the winter." Propagandists are also trying to convince Europe that energy sanctions are a mistake, because attempts to replace Russian energy supplies have failed. Like, for Europeans, the rise in the cost of life and energy prices is more important than the support of Ukraine.

This is not the first time Russia has used blackmail and intimidation to achieve its goal. Previously, propaganda spread the thesis of Putin's press secretary Peskov that the countries of Europe, trying to "punish" Russia, are already actively paying for it. The propagandists also argued that the sanctions were preventing Gazprom from supplying more gas to Europe.

Fake Melitopol University "asked to be recognized" as Russian

Allegedly, such a request was made by the rector of this educational institution. It's fake.

In fact, the educational institutions of Melitopol and Berdiansk received re-registration in Zaporizhzhia and have already announced the conditions for the admission campaign in accordance with Ukrainian law. The propagandists' reports speak of a fake educational institution called "Melitopol University", which the occupiers created on the basis of the premises of the Tavriisk State Agrotechnological University and the Melitopol State Pedagogical University in temporarily occupied Melitopol, as well as universities in temporarily occupied Berdiansk. As StopFake writes, the occupiers appointed a collaborator, anti-Maidanist, police lieutenant colonel Andrii Chuikov, who until 2014 worked at the Kharkiv Academy of Internal Affairs, to lead the fake university. It is the “rector” Chuikov who believes that according to “performance indicators”, the fake university can be considered a full-fledged federal university in Russia.

Manipulation Germany is persecuting the relatives of an "independent" journalist who tells the truth about a "special operation"

This is reported by the Russian media. Allegedly in Germany, journalist Alina Lipp and her parents were blocked from accessing bank accounts. Allegedly, this is how the German authorities reacted to the fact that Lipp shows the truth about the Donbas. As propagandists write, "the family is being hounded, persecuted and threatened." This is manipulation.

Alina Lipp is a German blogger who claims to be an "independent journalist" but in reality spreads Russian propaganda narratives. Lipp is included in the "Peacemaker" database for propaganda of Russian Nazism, informational support of the "special operation", etc.

According to the fact-checkers of The Insider project, the German prosecutor's office did block the account of the "journalist" because she collected donations in Germany in support of her propaganda activities, and then transferred the funds to a personal account in a Russian bank. Paypal closed the account of Lipp and her father, who lives in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Fact-checkers suggest that Lipp's mother's account may also have been blocked due to participation in a scheme to finance illegal activities. However, this information has not yet been verified.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to pass off punishment for the criminal activities of its colleague as an attempt to put pressure on “independent media” and “independent journalists”.

Message Western curators are planning the distribution and occupation of at least part of the Ukrainian lands

Russian media and anonymous telegrams write about this. They say that British instructors are preparing units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for small arms battles in cities, and are not preparing aviation, artillerymen and tankmen. It seems that no one in the West is preparing the Armed Forces of Ukraine for an offensive, because this requires completely different resources and scales. It seems that the British consider preparation for defensive battles necessary, because they plan to “gradually give each part of the Ukrainian land destroyed and at the lowest cost for themselves, but at the maximum cost for Russia”, because then the Russians will need to “restore devastation and beggarism”.

In fact, foreign instructors teach the Ukrainian military not only to shoot small arms, but also to use all types of weapons provided by Western partners. According to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, today the Ukrainian military is being trained in the UK, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, France and Germany. The main focus is on the training of application specialists:

artillery systems of large caliber; multiple launch rocket systems; means of artillery reconnaissance; air defense means; different types of wheeled and tracked vehicles; demining systems, including underwater; different types of ships and their weapon systems, including anti-ship ones.

The shooting training, which the propagandists write about, is allegedly included in the basic combined arms training course for the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has recently begun with the support of the UK.

Manipulation The Kherson region will now have free medicine

This is reported in the Russian media. Allegedly, now in the Kherson region there will be no problems with the supply of vaccines and residents of the region will be able to seek medical help at any time of the day. It seems that this became possible due to the fact that Kherson doctors are switching to the Russian medical system. Like, in 30 years of independence, Ukraine has only destroyed the powerful Soviet medical system, so the Russians have to restore everything. It is not true.

Free medicine in the Kherson region, as well as throughout Ukraine, was before the occupation of this territory by the Russians. According to the Constitution of Ukraine: “In state and municipal health care institutions, medical care is provided free of charge.” The Ukrainian healthcare system has indeed undergone a reform. In particular, the number of hospitals was reduced, and the number of polyclinics increased. Both before and after the medical reform, anyone could, if necessary, seek medical help at any time of the day, because the ambulance system always worked. As the fact-checkers of The Insider project write, there were no problems with vaccines reported by the occupiers in the Kherson region.

We remind you that according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, the occupying authorities forced emergency medical workers to cooperate. Doctors were forced to obtain Russian passports, sign applications for work in Russian medical institutions, and receive salaries in rubles. Also, in all temporarily occupied territories there are problems with the provision of necessary medicines.

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.