Every Friday, the Russian Ministry of Justice adds new individuals and legal entities to the register of “foreign agents”. Although there is an opinion that the status of “foreign agent” and “undesirable organizations” is identical, in fact this is not true.

The status of an “unwanted organization” in Russia is regulated by a separate law. This status is stricter than the status of “foreign agent”. While “foreign agents” have the right to continue working in Russia, however, with significant complications, “undesirable organizations” are prohibited from working in the country from the moment the status is granted. If an organization continues to operate even in spite of its status, it will first be fined and then forced to close.

According to the law, “unwanted organizations” are defined by the level of their threat to Russia's national security. However, the Russians manipulate this definition and substitute the concept, considering any criticism in their direction or the dissemination of truthful information about the war as a “threat” to their national security.

Using this status, Russia wants to destroy those who speak the truth and criticize the government, as this could destroy the current regime. Thus, it wants to divert attention from its crimes and shift responsibility for them to third parties. Like, all these organizations want to destroy Russia, and it has no other choice.

At the same time, while criticizing Western countries for “oppressing” organizations beneficial to Russia and for the plan to “destroy Russia”, Russia itself resorts to anti-democratic practices with the tacit consent of its citizens as a victim.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric spread information that in Ukraine they sell wax chalks of the True Pencil brand with inscriptions: “A bag with the corpses of Russian soldiers”, “Blood in which we will drown Crimea”, “Fire when we burn Moscow”. They also attached a photo on the brand's Instagram page. It's fake.

According to the VoxCheck fact-checker, there are no wax chalks of the True Pencil brand in Ukraine. Keyword searches and reverse image searches also yielded no results. Experts note that the link to the Instagram store provided by the propaganda does not work either. So the page was either deleted or it didn't exist.

Experts also noticed that in one photo one word was written on a yellow pencil, and in another photo several words were written. Also, these inscriptions differ in font. And the inscription “Urine when we pee on Russian prisoners” is incorrect, because the word “pee” in the Ukrainian language has a different meaning - to draw in liquid. To say about urination, there is a vulgarism “to pee”. The word is also incorrectly used on the green chalk. There is a mistake in the inscription “Grass into which all Russians will rot” – in Ukrainian it is correct to say “perehhnyiut” (rot), and in this case it would be even more correct to use the word “zhnyiut” (rot).

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to dehumanize Ukrainians in the eyes of Russians and make Ukraine look like an aggressor. The propagandists are trying to whitewash themselves and become the victim, not the aggressor. Previously, Detector Media talked about how Russia blurs reality with the help of a newspeak: “Russophobia”.

Such information was disseminated in Russian propaganda media and the Russian segment of social networks. Like, in Poland they are allegedly creating a special Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian corps (LITPOLUKRCORPS) to send it to Ukraine. Propaganda refers to the “Polish edition” and attached a photo showing the structure of the formation. It's fake.

The case was noticed by specialists from the StopFake project. In the photo, they noticed the sign of this “corps” belonging to the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), created on September 19, 2014 in Warsaw. Its purpose is not related to the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to the official text of the international treaty, the brigade must “be ready to participate in international operations to be carried out on the basis of a mandate from the United Nations Security Council”. There was no talk of protecting the sovereignty of other countries, and now the brigade is not recruiting new people.

On the website of the association, a refutation of this information was published, dated April 18, 2023: “The Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian brigade is not completed. We encourage you to use trusted and reliable sources”.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to portray Poland and Lithuania as aggressors, as if these countries could go to war at any moment. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Poland is allegedly changing the law in order to send the military to Ukraine.

Similar theses were heard on the air of Russian propaganda TV channels. They say that the Ukrainian authorities demonstrated to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Ukrainian weapons disguised as Russian. With these weapons, Ukraine allegedly fired at the civilian population of Donbas, Belgorod, Briansk and Kursk regions. “It has been proven that the rocket fired at the railway station [in Kramatorsk] was Ukrainian. The same “Tochka U” missile that we [Russia] have long since withdrawn from service”. It's fake.

According to EUvsDiDiNFo analysts, there is strong evidence that Russian troops attacked the Kramatorsk railway station on April 8, 2022 with a Tochka-U missile. Contrary to propaganda claims, the Soviet Tochka-U missile system is still in use by the Russian army. This is evidenced by video recordings of transportation through Belarus in March 2022, which were posted on the Belarusian Haiun telegram channel.

Also, according to military experts from the Conflict Intelligence Team, an analysis of the Tochka-U flight path proves that the missile was fired at Kramatorsk from the southwestern region, where the Russian army and illegal armed formations of the occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions are located.

Thus, Kremlin propagandists are trying to hide their shelling of civilians and civilian objects in Ukraine. They call it another provocation by Ukraine to discredit the Russian troops. Earlier, Detector Media told how the Russians boasted on social networks about the shelling of the station in Kramatorsk, and then deleted their messages.

Russian propaganda media disseminate information that they are allegedly going to “seize and destroy nuclear power plants located on the territory of the Russian Federation” in Kyiv. Such a statement was allegedly made by Serhii Kryvonos, the former deputy commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the air of Channel 5. It's fake.

The case was noticed by specialists from the StopFake project. In fact, on Channel 5 a major general Serhii Kryvonos answered a journalist’s questions about the Zaporizhzhia NPP and said that the Russians also have NPPs, “perhaps it’s even easier not to liberate the Zaporizhzhia NPP, but to seize the NPP or disable the NPP on the territory of the Russian Federation”. Serhii Kryvonos acted as a military expert, is now out of service and does not represent the official position of the Ukrainian army. And the pro-Kremlin media presented his considerations as the official position of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the announcement of the attacks although this was not about it.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to show that Ukraine is an aggressor country and it threatens the security of the whole world, but not Russia. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Ukraine “refused to create a protective zone around the Zaporizhzhia NPP”.

Kremlin propaganda media spread information that if the Ukrainian counteroffensive fails, the West will allegedly stop helping Ukraine. They refer to an article on The New York Times website. This is manipulation.

 As experts from the StopFake project note, in fact, the New York Times article does not say that a hypothetical failure during the Ukrainian counteroffensive will lead to the refusal of the West to help Ukraine. In the original article, the authors note that assistance can only weaken for a while, and Kyiv will be under more pressure during this period and persuaded to negotiate with Russia.

 According to the authors of the article, if this happens, by the beginning of 2024 the West will again be able to help Ukraine in full as within this time the partner countries will develop a sufficient amount of ammunition and military equipment. Moreover, during his visit to Washington, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told reporters: “between this year and next year, I think Ukraine will continue to have the momentum with it”.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow discouragement among Ukrainian society and convince them that they should not count on the help of the West, as well as on victory over Russia. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Western tanks would allegedly not help Ukraine, but would be completely destroyed by Russia.