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 22 December, on the 1032th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2602
Fake
774
Manipulation
753
Message
541
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Message If Ukraine continues to conquer territories, Russia will destroy them in return

According to the Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security Council, such a message is spread by Russian propagandists in the information space.

In particular, referring to the article of the former US ambassador to the USSR, Jack Matlock, in the publication Responsible Statecraft. The Kremlin media writes, "if Ukraine tries to return the territories by force, and such actions are encouraged by the USA and NATO, then Russia is very likely to destroy Ukraine in response."

According to the Center's message, with the help of such messages, Russia seeks to intimidate Ukrainian society. In addition to intimidation, according to analysts, such messages are intended to induce Ukraine to negotiate with Russia and agree to the aggressor's terms.

Message A military coup is being prepared in Great Britain

The Russian propaganda media spread this thesis. Reports say about a military coup allegedly planned in Great Britain in the coming days.

Within 10 days, the current Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace, allegedly wants to occupy the chair of the Prime Minister of Great Britain. In their reports, the Russian media refer to an article in the Daily Express. However, it is not true. In fact, there are no reports of a military coup being prepared.

As StopFake writes, all this is fiction of the Russian media. The Daily Express article titled "Ben Wallace appointed 'emergency PM' as Liz Truss has just 10 days to save her premiership" talks about the political crisis in Great Britain and the likely candidates for the post of Prime Minister in case of resignation of Truss.

Disclosure Residents of Kherson receive SMS messages that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing massive strikes on the city

According to the Center for Combating Disinformation, residents of Kherson received information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are planning missile strikes on the city and, accordingly, civilians should take care of their safety. "Dear residents! Evacuate immediately. There will be shelling of the residential quarters by the Armed Forces of Ukraine..." such SMS reads.

The Center informs that this information isn't true. "Recently, the commander of the Russian army, Surovikin, announced the alleged preparation of a missile strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Kherson and the Kakhovska HPP dam, as a result of which the population will be "evacuated" from the city. At the same time, Vitaliy Kim reported that "the Russians are probably preparing to attack Kherson... We will not be surprised if they fire on crowds of people and residential areas to blame this on the Armed Forces. We warn.

This disinformation is aimed at sowing panic and deporting as many more Ukrainians as possible under the guise of "evacuation." The Armed Forces of the Ukrainian SSR has never conducted targeted attacks on the civilian population, and even more, haven't warned the occupiers about their plans," the Center said.

Message Ukraine has asked NATO to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against Russia

Pro-Russian bloggers and Telegram channels spread this thesis. Reports claim that Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on NATO countries to launch a pre-emptive strike against Russia before it uses nuclear weapons against Ukraine. However, Zelenskyy didn't actually call on NATO to use nuclear weapons.

According to the EU vs Disinfo project analysts, the claim that President Zelensky called for pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Russia is fake and arose from a misinterpretation of a translated interview. As analysts write, in fact, neither the US nor the EU is interested in a nuclear scenario in Ukraine. Any nuclear explosion can have unpredictable consequences for the whole world. Nuclear fallout from the explosion at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986 also reached the United States, although its concentration was lower than in Europe.

Instead, Russia constantly hints at the possibility of using nuclear weapons in a war against Ukraine. Ukraine's counterattack at returning its territories gave rise to a new wave of nuclear blackmail on the part of Russia. It is Russia that is trying to keep the international community in tension with contradictory statements about the use of nuclear weapons.

Message Kyiv mocks the graves of the dead in Lyman by exhuming them

Russian propaganda media spread such messages. Propagandists claim that Kyiv is committing an "insult" to Ukrainians who died due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This information is spread to whiten the reputation of the Russian occupiers. Russian propagandists call the exhumation of the bodies of people who died under occupation and buried in mass graves "the height of cynicism."

"Kyiv, to satisfy its political ambitions, mocks the graves of the dead civilians of Lyman... Kyiv not only brutally killed all these people but also tried to use them for its criminal purposes after their death," claim the propagandists.

Stopfake fact-checkers drew attention to the message. According to fact-checkers, the exhumation of bodies from spontaneous burials discovered in the de-occupied Lyman is necessary to establish the identity of the dead and the cause of their death. Most of those killed as a result of the actions of the Russian invaders are civilians.

Earlier, the Russian occupiers spread the same message about the mockery of bodies after the liberation of Izyum, where Ukraine also had to exhume the bodies.

Fake Germany sends trains to Ukraine with its soldiers "to death"

Russian propaganda media spread such a message. Propagandists claim that Germany "send trains with soldiers to death to Ukraine." German soldiers allegedly go to Ukraine and will all be killed there.

In their messages, propagandists refer to the words of a Russian woman who lived in Germany for more than 30 years. As StopFake writes, propagandists don't mention the woman's name, don't refer to her social networks, but devote an entire paragraph to her emotional experiences. "However, even during life in a European country, the big and kind heart of a Russian woman is unshakable: a voice-over doesn't stop repeating that German soldiers are supposedly being sent to certain death," the text of the propagandists reads. In fact, it is not true. StopFake fact-checkers contacted the press service of the Bundeswehr.

They noted that the equipment and people were moving for the training, and they will return to their former place after the training. However, it isn't the first time propagandists have claimed that foreigners are fighting in Ukraine. In this way, they are trying to create the appearance that, in fact, Russia is not at war with Ukraine but with other countries.

Fake Western media published photos of fake victims of rocket attacks in Kyiv

The Russian propaganda media spread this thesis to neutralize the consequences of the Russian missile strikes, which the aggressor country inflicted on Kyiv on October 10. Propagandists claim that the photos of the aftermath of the shelling are fake and that people, who are allegedly injured, are actors. However, it is not true.

Fact-checkers from StopFake drew attention to the fake. The testimonies of photographers and journalists of international publications who worked during the tragedy and the stories of the injured people refute yet another Russian misinformation.

According to fact-checkers, international media journalists reported directly from the scene of the events. The gruesome footage from Kyiv hit the world media and shocked the public, but pro-Kremlin propagandists cynically claimed that the photos were fake. In fact, on October 10, the Russian army launched 84 cruise missiles and 24 unmanned aircraft.

The air defense of Ukraine managed to shoot down 43 rockets and 13 UAVs. As a result of the shelling, 19 people died, and 105 were injured of various severity. It isn`t the first time Russian propaganda has accused Ukraine of lying. Propagandists used similar rhetoric after the tragedy in Bucha or rocket attacks from Vinnytsia. In this way, they are trying to settle the guilt of Russia. It seems that Russia only launches missiles at military targets, doesn`t destroy civilian infrastructure, and doesn`t kill people.

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.