Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Ukrainians have created a “special website” “Slovotvir” (Word formation), where they come up with new lexemes for the Ukrainian language. The authors of the messages say that this is evidence of how Ukrainians are “inventing an artificial language”. A screenshot is added to the publication, where you can see “examples of fictitious lexemes”.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project, who found out that the Slovotvir (Word formation) project selects proper Ukrainian equivalents for words of foreign origin, and does not “invent” them. The project website states: “Slovotvir is a platform for searching, discussing and choosing accurate matches to borrowed words”. It allows people to find or suggest a Ukrainian approach to these words. Users can vote for the option they like or comment on certain matches.

The authors of the telegram channel chose the word “lemon”. Users have indeed picked up a few answers that can be used in place of the borrowed one: kyslyna, tsytryna, alomyi, kydra, kydro (a lemon). However, the propagandists decided that these were fictitious words and began to assert the existence of “artificial speech”.

The modern Ukrainian language has gone through a long process of formation and development, and is not artificially invented and imposed on Ukrainians. For example, the first three parts of the “Eneida” by Ivan Kotliarevskyi in 1798 were the first work written entirely in modern Ukrainian colloquial language. However, even by that time the Ukrainian language had already been formed. This made it possible to use it to write a full-fledged work.

Rationalization is a propaganda tactic that works as a psychological defense. For example, it is used when they want to prove that any actions of a person or, as in our case, a country are the only correct ones. Therefore, it is not worth questioning and criticizing them. This tactic works in cases where one needs to explain some actions that caused a negative reaction from the audience. That is, a person or a group of people does not admit their guilt, but on the contrary, they try to justify themselves and prove their case with supposedly logical concepts. Like, otherwise it would be impossible to act. Rationalization also helps to maintain self-respect, avoid responsibility and guilt. That is, in any rationalization there is at least a minimum amount of truth, but the percentage of self-deception is much higher.

With the help of this tactic, Russian propaganda regularly tries to justify its actions in Ukraine, seeks to justify its aggression towards peaceful Ukrainians. For example, during the year of a full-scale war (and long before it), there were theses that Russia was forced to conduct military operations in Ukraine, because the Ukrainian authorities were allegedly guided by the West and wanted to harm Russia itself. Like, if Russia had not started the war, Ukraine or the so-called collective West would have started it. This is how the propaganda rationalizes its actions, allegedly explaining that it was impossible to do otherwise in this situation. However, the only truth in this example is that Ukraine really chose a course towards the European direction (that is, it cooperates with the West), defended its language and statehood, but was not going to attack either Russia or Russians. Similarly, Western countries do not attack Russia, however, among the justifying messages there are those who claim that it was the Western country that supposedly started the war with Russia on the territory of Ukraine, and Russia allegedly had no choice. Through this tactic, Russian propaganda creates the appearance that Russia is doing the right thing. They say, yes, people suffer because of the war, cities are destroyed, but our choice was rational and it was impossible to act otherwise.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the Russians “hit” a Leopard2A5 tank with an RPG-76. As evidence, the authors of the messages add to the publication a photograph of an allegedly Russian military man who is aiming at a Leopard2A5 tank. At the same time, there is a patch with the flag of Russia on the military uniform. It's a lie.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated the case and found out that the photo actually depicts a Lebanese military and Israeli Merkava tank, and a patch with the Russian flag was added in a photo editor.

The fact checkers decided to find the real photo through a reverse image search using the TinEye tool. Among the results of the search is a publication on the Twitter of the Lebanese Armed Forces, from where the propagandists took the photo.

Earlier, analysts of Detector Media denied the fake, which said that the Russians allegedly destroyed the first Leopard tank on the battlefield.

Such a disinformation campaign was recorded by specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. According to them, telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are reporting “high prices” for food products in Ukraine. Allegedly, food prices are skyrocketing in Ukraine, and therefore it is necessary to “surrender to Russia as soon as possible, because everything is cheaper there”. The authors of the messages also attach photos of price tags from Ukrainian supermarkets, comparing them with Russian ones.

The Center for Strategic Communications explains that it is because of Russia that food prices are rising in Ukraine and in the world. Due to the occupation of a part of the south of Ukraine, where farmers are not allowed to work fully, as well as due to the blocking of the “grain corridor”, the world is faced with another crisis.

Since it has become much more difficult to grow vegetables under the conditions of full-scale war and continuous Russian terror, internal supplies in Ukraine are not enough. Imported goods are more expensive, because in stores there is really an increase in prices.

At the same time, the thesis about a stable Russian economy is not true. According to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2022 has been a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022, Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% in the best scenario and to 3.9% in the worst case. The Russian economy will shrink in 2023 as well. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3% according to the organizations.

Thus, propagandists want to nourish the narrative that Ukraine is allegedly uninhabitable due to lack of electricity or high prices for utilities and food products. The authors of the messages are trying to sow panic among Ukrainians in order to destabilize sentiment and create a feeling that nothing will change.

We recall that earlier analysts of Detector Media analyzed a manipulation in which they claimed that Ukraine would soon become uninhabitable.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the West allegedly confirmed that the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions do not want to live as part of Ukraine. At the same time, the authors of the messages refer to the material of The Spectator, the British edition. This is manipulation.

The case was noticed by VoxCheck fact-checkers, who found out that the British edition of The Spectator did indeed publish an author’s column by Owen Matthews with the title “One  year on: how will the Ukraine war end?”. As fact-checkers say, the material itself contains factual errors and numerous manipulations. In addition, the author's column does not show the attitude of Western politicians to the issue of the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, because the author gives his own thoughts.

One of the key factors by which the author “determined” the so-called unwillingness of the inhabitants of Donbas and the Luhansk region not to live as part of Ukraine is his own observations, not supported by any facts. In the column, he wrote that his post-2014 reports in the Donbas showed that “those who remained were more or less uniformly anti-Ukrainian”. And then he writes that the locals will perceive the de-occupation of these territories by Ukraine as a “coercive war of conquest.”

As fact-checkers say, there are no independent sociological surveys that would reliably show the correlation of political views in the region and the level of local support for Ukraine in order to conclude that the majority are pro-Russian.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, including the Georgian segment of Facebook. Reports say that in one of Joe Biden's last speeches, he declared his “willingness to negotiate with Russia and Mykhailo Horbachov” to achieve peace. Like, the President of the United States no longer understands what he is saying and mixed up the names of the presidents. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the MythDetector project investigated this case and found out that Joe Biden did not say that in his statement: neither about negotiations with Russia, nor about Mykhailo Horbachov. As the fact-checkers explain, the White House website publishes statements by high-ranking officials, in particular Joe Biden, regarding a particular event. Fact-checkers were unable to find a statement on the White House website about “readiness for negotiations with Mykhailo Horbachov”. The last statement in which Biden mentioned Horbachov was published on the White House website on August 31, 2022, after Horbachov's death. In that statement, Biden noted that Horbachov was “a rare leader who had the vision that another future was possible and had the courage to risk his entire career for it”.

We recall that earlier Detector Media explained a message in which propagandists claimed that the United States plans to hold peace talks with Russia, since it is America that is waging war side by side with Ukraine against Russia.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that US President Joe Biden suffered a bruise as a result of a fall on the airstairs during a visit to Warsaw on February 20, 2023. As proof, the authors of the messages add a photo with a “bruise” on his forehead. It is not true.

Specialists of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case, who determined that in the photos shown it was indeed not a “bruise”, but follows from the remains of the ashes applied by the priest during Ash Wednesday. At the same time, Joe Biden did not fall down the stairs of the plane, as Detector Media analysts have already mentioned.

As the fact checkers explain, on February 22, 2023, Poland celebrated Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, so Biden joined the celebration. On this day, Joe Biden stayed at the Marriott Hotel, where the Polish priest Wiesław Davydowski held mass in the morning. The priest himself noted on his Facebook page that he had the honor to sprinkle ashes on the head of the US President. On the president's forehead, one can see a Catholic cross made of ashes, which some believers leave on their faces for the rest of the day. On this day, a summit was also held, in the photo of which you can see that the trace at the head of the cross still remains.