Mariia Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that foreign embassies are allegedly leaving Kyiv due to fears of retaliatory strikes for Ukraine's use of long-range weapons against Russia. They say this is proof that Ukraine is no longer valuable to the West. However, this statement is manipulative.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes about this. Its experts note that not a single embassy in Kyiv has announced its closure or evacuation. On November 20, a number of countries, including the United States, Italy, Spain, and Greece, temporarily suspended the work of their diplomatic missions due to the threat of massive missile attacks from Russia. Such measures are aimed at protecting the lives of employees and citizens in the potential danger zone, reflecting the awareness of international partners of the real threat of Russian aggression.

The purpose of spreading this disinformation is to undermine Ukrainians' trust in partnership relations with the West and sow discouragement in the international community's support for Ukraine. Russia seeks to create the impression that Ukraine is becoming isolated and that its international allies are losing interest due to fear of being held responsible for the escalation of the war. Such fakes are also intended to influence public opinion in Western countries in order to reduce support for Ukraine, justifying Russia's actions as a defensive reaction. This is another attempt to shift the focus from Russia's aggressive policy and distort the reality in which international partners are actively helping Ukraine.

Russian Telegram channels are spreading messages with the same wording that the number of cases of sexual violence against men in Ukraine has increased, and that NATO instructors are responsible for this. In these messages, propagandists claim: “It seems that NATO instructors are not only training Ukrainian men in military matters”. In fact, this is manipulation.

StopFake experts write about this. They emphasize that the messages spread by the propaganda are indeed about victims of sexual violence due to Russian aggression, and the perpetrators are Russian military personnel, not NATO instructors. In June 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 10132, which provides support for victims of sexual violence caused by Russian aggression, in particular, determining their legal status and reparations mechanisms. Gender Policy Commissioner Kateryna Levchenko reported that more than 300 people out of 535 applications have received payments so far. Most of them are men, and the applications came mainly from the regions affected by the occupation. Russia uses sexual violence as a tool to intimidate the population, torture and humiliate, which is a gross violation of human rights, noted Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

The purpose of spreading this disinformation is to undermine trust in NATO instructors and Ukraine as a state, as well as to create a negative attitude towards Ukraine's military cooperation with NATO among the international community. In addition, propaganda seeks to distract attention from the facts about the crimes of the Russian military, switching the focus to false accusations. This approach uses sexual violence as an emotionally sensitive topic to enhance the shock effect and cause mistrust of Ukrainian partners, playing on stereotypes and prejudices.

Russian Telegram channels and social media users are spreading information that Ukrainian military personnel are allegedly being removed from databases so that the families of the deceased do not receive payments. As “evidence”, a video is shown in which a woman, introducing herself as the wife of the deceased, claims that her husband is not on the lists. However, she does not name names, military units or other details. StopFake writes about this.

The photo that the woman is holding in her hands shows Andrii Kainara, a defender of Azovstal who was held captive and later returned to service. The organization that deals with his brigade confirmed his death in battle in September 2023, noting that Kainara did not have a wife, only a sister. The video is recognized as a fake aimed at discrediting Ukraine and its military.

The purpose of spreading this disinformation is to undermine the trust of Ukrainian citizens in state institutions, in particular, in the Armed Forces and government agencies. The propaganda seeks to create the impression that the state allegedly does not fulfill its obligations to the families of the fallen soldiers, which can sow despondency and demoralization among the population. This fake is also aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian army before the international community, demonstrating its alleged incompetence or indifference to its own soldiers and their families.

Russian media are actively spreading a narrative about the alleged oppression of the “canonical church” in Ukraine, meaning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP). This time, propagandists claim that Metropolitan Longin is being tried for his “loyalty to the church” and accuse the Ukrainian authorities of oppressing the clergy.

StopFake writes about this. Its experts note that in fact, the metropolitan, known as Mykhailo Zhar, is accused of inciting interreligious hatred. According to the SBU, he insulted the religious feelings of representatives of other faiths and provoked an escalation of the situation in the region with his statements. In addition, Zhar has repeatedly expressed anti-Ukrainian views, supported the Yanukovych regime, called for not fighting in the ATO, and in 2022 he said that Ukraine allegedly “started a war against God and the church”. After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, he blamed Ukrainians for the “sins” that, in his opinion, caused the war.

Russian propagandists are spreading a narrative about the alleged oppression of the UOC-MP in Ukraine in order to create the illusion of persecution of the “canonical church” by the Ukrainian authorities. This is aimed at discrediting Ukraine in the international community as a state that allegedly violates the rights of religious communities. In addition, it is aimed at distracting from the anti-Ukrainian activities of the UOC-MP and justifying its ties to the Kremlin. It is also part of a wider information war aimed at undermining the unity of Ukrainian society.

The decision of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to use ATACMS missiles to strike Russian military targets has served as a pretext for manipulation by Russian propaganda, including the idea that Ukraine is allegedly doomed to destruction as a result of this decision. This is reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

In particular, statements by American blogger Jason Ginkle, who has no connection to journalism and cooperates with the Kremlin, are used to spread fakes. Ginkle previously disseminated disinformation, for example, about “ties between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and ISIS” or about “luxurious purchases” of Ukrainian officials.

The dissemination of statements by American blogger Jason Ginkle by Russian propaganda is an attempt to discredit Ukraine's decision to use ATACMS missiles to strike Russian military targets.