Russian propaganda sources are spreading a story about a soldier from the 22nd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who allegedly left the army, returned home, and later killed his partner. The soldier is described as extremely ‘unstable and inadequate’, with his comrades supposedly claiming that he was “on special watch” by his superiors and subjected to physical torture for refusing to contribute to the brigade's ‘needs’.

In reality, this information is false. The incident actually occurred in the Sumy region. On January 15, 2025, the Sumy Regional Police reported the arrest of a man who killed his partner during a conflict that arose between them at a gathering.

However, official resources from the Sumy Regional Police did not mention that the arrested man was a soldier from the 22nd Mechanized Brigade who had left the army. This claim was not found in the local news article from the Dancor Online portal, nor in any other regional resources from Sumy. This is a fabrication by Russian propaganda.

There are also no comments from the command of the 22nd Brigade or the soldier’s comrades regarding the incident, which contradicts the claims made by propagandists. The man was not an active soldier at the time of the incident.

The actions of the suspect were classified under Article 115 (intentional murder) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He faces up to 15 years in prison for his actions.

In the context of recent news about the mass occurrence of desertion and leaving the army, Russian propagandists are spreading such disinformation to undermine trust in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and create panic within Ukrainian society. To address this issue, in November 2024, the Verkhovna Rada passed Law No. 12095 on voluntary return to service for those who first left their military units or deserted.

Earlier, we analyzed Russian disinformation claiming that a soldier who left the army found and raped a police officer who had previously mobilized him.

Propaganda sources are circulating a screenshot from Donald Trump Jr.'s Instagram profile, allegedly sharing a publication from Newsweek. In it, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is quoted as saying he does not plan to attend Trump's inauguration. Trump Jr. is supposedly commenting that “the funniest thing is that he [Zelenskyi - Ed.] unofficially asked for an invitation about three times, and each time he was refused. Now he pretends like he decided not to go... what a weirdo”.

In reality, this screenshot is fabricated, reports the StopFake project. Donald Trump Jr. did not post anything like this. The Instagram page of Newsweek, from which the publication was allegedly shared by Trump Jr., does not contain a post with Zelenskyi's quote.

Additionally, publications such as Politico and The Economic Times, which have previously reported on Trump Jr.'s criticism of Zelenskyi shared on his Instagram, did not mention this incident. Had the publication been genuine, at least one of these outlets would have likely drawn attention to it.

Ultimately, the fabricated screenshot is being spread exclusively in pro-Russian segments of the internet, and it has not been published by any credible foreign or Ukrainian sources.

Earlier, in an interview with American journalist of Ukrainian descent Lex Fridman, Zelenskyi said he would not attend the inauguration without a direct invitation: 

“I would like to, but I will look at what is happening right now. I cannot come, especially during the war, unless President Trump directly invites me. It would just be inappropriate”.

This fake is part of an effort by Russian propagandists to claim that Trump supposedly does not care about Zelenskyi. In this particular case, they are portraying the Ukrainian president as excessively persistent.

Russian Telegram channels are claiming that former US ambassador to the USSR, Jack Matlock, ‘exposed Ukraine's fake about Bucha’, stating that there is no evidence proving Moscow's responsibility for the tragedy in Bucha. Propagandists refer to Matlock's words during a broadcast on CNN.

However, the StopFake project clarifies that Matlock merely expressed doubt about whether what happened in Bucha was done under Moscow's orders. In his opinion, additional evidence is needed to establish this. During the broadcast, Brian Klaas, an Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London, disagreed with Matlock, stating that it is impossible for such crimes [as those in Bucha] to occur without at least the awareness of senior Russian military officials.

It is important to note that this broadcast took place in the spring of 2022. Today, numerous independent investigations have confirmed the facts of mass killings of civilians in Bucha and the involvement of Russian soldiers, as well as the higher military command of Russia, in these crimes.

The Russians have taken advantage of the former US ambassador's old words for their own self-serving purposes - to fuel the narrative of a ‘staged’ event in Bucha. By spreading this disinformation, the agitprop seeks to deflect attention from the war crimes committed by the Russian military and once again accuse Ukraine of ‘staging’ the events. Earlier, we analyzed the Russian fake claiming that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are allegedly preparing a ‘new Bucha’ in Sudzha.

Russian resources are spreading information that Ukrainian women who have left for European Union countries are allegedly being mobilized to be sent to the front, in order to meet the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

However, Russian propagandists are manipulating the information, as reported by the StopFake project.

In the first half of January 2025, the second group of volunteers from among Ukrainian citizens living abroad signed contracts with the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the recruitment center of the Ukrainian Legion, which operates at the Ukrainian consulate in Lublin. This group included three women who joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces as medics and communications specialists. This news was distorted by Russian propagandists, claiming that the women were allegedly being forcibly mobilized, when in fact they signed contracts with the Ukrainian Armed Forces voluntarily, without any coercion.

Service in the Ukrainian Legion is conducted exclusively on a voluntary basis, with contracts signed by eligible candidates.

In fact, mandatory mobilization of women does not take place in Ukraine (or abroad) as becoming a service woman is only possible on a voluntary basis. The Russians continue to spread disinformation about the Ukrainian army in an effort to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces and disrupt the mobilization process.

Russian sources claim that in the Ukrainian parliament, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi was allegedly called a ‘terrorist’ over the energy crisis in Transnistria. These words are attributed to MP Artem Dmytruk.

However, the StopFake project reports that Dmytruk, who indeed referred to Zelenskyi as a ‘terrorist’, is only nominally a member of the Ukrainian parliament. Therefore, his words do not represent the position of the Ukrainian parliament.

In August 2024, he illegally left Ukraine via Moldova just before his possible arrest. Besides scandals involving fights, including the beating of a soldier, Dmytruk is known for appearing in a propaganda film by Anatolii Sharii about the events in Odesa in 2014 and being a subdeacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. In November 2021, he was expelled from the Servant of the People faction. Today, Dmytruk regularly serves as a primary source for spreading fake news about the situation in Ukraine. For example, in November 2024, he gave an interview to RT (formerly Russia Today).

There are two main reasons for the suspension of gas supplies to Transnistria. First, it is the cessation of transit through Ukrainian territory - the agreement between Russia and Ukraine regarding gas transit expired on December 31, 2024, and Ukraine refused to renew it due to the ongoing war with Russia. Second, there are debt obligations - Gazprom announced the cessation of gas supplies to Moldova, including Transnistria, citing Moldovagaz's debt of $709 million.

President Zelenskyi stated that Ukraine had offered assistance in resolving the energy crisis in Transnistria, but this offer was ignored there. Moldova's offer of help received the same response in Transnistria. The presidents of both countries have stated that the crisis in Transnistria is a result of deliberate actions by Russia.

Russian agitprop is conducting an information campaign against Ukraine and Moldova, highlighting the situation in Transnistria.

Earlier, we analyzed the words of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who, reacting to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, said that President Zelenskyi was engaging in “blackmail and begging”.