Propagandists are spreading information that Russian aircraft allegedly destroyed a group of British SAS special forces in Odesa. They refer to a tweet by Dutch journalist Sonia van den Ende, where she indicated that “the Russian strike killed 18 British special forces and injured 25 more”. They also refer to similar statements by Russian military expert Valentyn Syvkov. However, this information is not true.

Specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to this. They verified this information in the press service of the Tavria Operational grouping of troops, where they denied the presence of British special forces in Odesa and the event itself. Speaker of the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, also denied this information.

Propagandists spread such fakes in order to support their information campaign about “foreign mercenaries” in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian military, spreading panic and mistrust among the population, as well as justifying Russia’s aggressive actions in the international arena.

The “information alibi” method consists of proactively accusing the other party of actions that will actually be committed by the accusers themselves. This technique is used to cover up or justify one's criminal actions by creating a preemptive message to confuse the audience and deflect responsibility. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council spoke in more detail about its use.

Its experts showed with real examples how it works. Russian troops launched a missile attack on a railway station in Kramatorsk in April 2022, killing civilians. In anticipation of this attack, Russian telegram channels distributed warnings about the danger of evacuation by rail, blaming the Ukrainian Armed Forces for the concentration of militants at the station. This created the preconditions for accusing Ukraine of organizing the attack. A few weeks before Russia blew up Colony No. 120 in Olenivka, where Ukrainian prisoners were kept, a telegram spread information that Ukraine was allegedly preparing to destroy the colony. When Russia prepared and carried out mass civilian killings in Izium and Uman, propaganda disseminated information in advance about Ukrainian “provocations” in these cities. The Russians are also still distributing “information alibis”, the formation of which has not yet been completed, for example, about the staging of the mass death of locals in Kherson.

By anticipating possible charges, Russia is trying to confuse the international community and divert attention from its actions. By accusing Ukraine of future or already committed crimes, propagandists also try to undermine trust in the Ukrainian authorities and the Armed Forces of Ukraine both within the country and abroad. Creating alternative versions of events helps Russia spread doubt to an international audience, making it difficult to unequivocally condemn its actions and subsequently impose sanctions. Russian propaganda deliberately complicates the establishment of the truth, which is beneficial for the aggressor to continue his criminal actions without due responsibility.

Propagandists are spreading messages on anonymous telegram channels that the man, whose body was found on the territory of Moldova opposite the Sokyriany department of the Chernivtsi border detachment, a few hundred meters from the state border of Ukraine, was allegedly killed by Ukrainian border guards. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to it. They found out from the State Border Service of Ukraine that this information was not true. There were no signs of violent death found on the body of the deceased. In addition, a border representative meeting took place between the Moldovan and Ukrainian sides, at which it was established that the man is a citizen of Ukraine. Representatives of the Republic of Moldova assured that they would inform the Ukrainian side about the causes of the man’s death after examinations.

This fake was spread with the aim of discrediting representatives of the State Border Service of Ukraine and destabilizing the situation in the country. Propagandists seek to undermine trust in Ukrainian border guards by creating a negative image of their actions among the public. Such disinformation campaigns are aimed at increasing tension and mistrust among the population. This is part of a broader information warfare strategy aimed at weakening Ukraine.

Propagandists disseminate information in the media and social networks that the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are allegedly taking away transport from medical services, public utilities, police and civilians for movement around Kupiansk. They say that this is a justification for the Russian army’s attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine. However, this is fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to it. Its specialists checked the information at the Kupiansk city military administration and found out that this was not true. All special equipment of utility companies, police and medical services is indeed used exclusively for peaceful purposes, in particular to eliminate and restore the consequences of shelling by Russian troops.

Propagandists spread such fake news for several reasons. Firstly, they want to use them to justify attacks on civilian targets. Such messages also attempt to create a negative image of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by accusing them of violating the rights of civilians. In addition, the dissemination of this information helps to instill fear and mistrust among the local population towards Ukraine. In general, such propaganda aims to demoralize Ukrainian society.

The occupation administration of Luhansk, under the guise of “educating the younger generation”, is militarizing Ukrainian children and teenagers, preparing them to participate in the war on the side of Russia. Specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to this.

They found out that for ideological influence, the occupiers are attracting Chechen fighters of the Akhmat battalion, who created a military camp in the Luhansk region called the Akhmat Academy of Friendship of Peoples. This camp is personally run by Ramzan Kadyrov and his close circle. The goal is not only education using “patriotic” values, but also training future fighters for the Russian army.

At the camp, children are indoctrinated and trained in military affairs, in particular, combat tactics, using weapons and assisting the wounded. The program includes intensive training, physical conditioning and special exercises aimed at developing other skills necessary to participate in military operations. In addition to physical and military training, much attention is paid to propaganda and ideological education in order to form a distorted perception of reality in children and subordinate their consciousness to the ideas of Russian aggression. This approach violates international standards for the protection of children's rights and makes them a tool for political and military purposes.

The purpose of such camps is to prepare Ukrainian teenagers for service in the Russian army and participation in hostilities against Ukraine. With the help of this camp, Russia seeks to create a new generation of “Kadyrov” — loyal adherents of the regime, ready to carry out orders unconditionally.