Spilnota Detector Media
Detector Media collects and documents real-time chronicles of the Kremlin disinformation about the Russian invasion. Ukraine for decades has been suffering from Kremlin disinformation. Here we document all narratives, messages, and tactics, which Russia is using from February 17th, 2022. Reminder: the increasing of shelling and fighting by militants happened on the 17th of February 2022 on the territory of Ukraine. Russian propaganda blames Ukraine for these actions.

On 23 December, on the 1033th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2602
Fake
774
Manipulation
753
Message
541
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Fake The Turkish company abandoned the idea of ​​building a Bayraktar production plant in Ukraine

Dozens of Russian mass media and anonymous Telegram channels spread information that the Turkish company Baykar Makina abandoned plans to build a factory in Ukraine that was supposed to produce Bayraktar drones. The original source of this message was the Telegram channel "Resident" and the Russian "war correspondent" Poddubny, StopFake, found out. Any Russian mass media provided this "information" with evidence. However, today, two days after the appearance of the fake, it was denied by the CEO of Baykar Makina Haluk Bayraktar. He claims that final arrangements have already done, and the plant will be built in two years.

Russian propaganda constantly tries to discredit the Bayraktar UAV because of its combat qualities and because it has become a symbol of Ukrainians in their resistance to Russian aggression. Moreover, there was written a song dedicated to the bayraktar.

Disclosure All the photos that supposedly prove Ukraine's creation of a "dirty bomb" are not related to Ukraine

During the briefing, the head of the radiation, chemical, and biological defense forces of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Ihor Kyrylov, showed slides of photos that were supposed to prove that Ukraine was creating a "dirty bomb." The next day, one of the photos was recognized as a photo of radioactive substances from Slovenia. It was made in 2010 and belonged to the Slovenian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARAO). The Government of Slovenia announced it on Twitter.

However, it turned out that other photos from this presentation have nothing to do with Ukraine. It was discovered by Benjamin Strick, director of investigations at the Center for Information Resilience, and Elliott Higgins, founder of Bellingcat. Moreover, the two photos show Russian research facilities, which the Russian Ministry of Defense passes off as Ukraine's "research reactors." One photo shows the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, named after Kurchatov, located in the Sverdlovsk region; the other photo shows the Novosibirsk chemical concentrate plant, which specializes in the production of nuclear fuel for power and research reactors.

The photo, signed as "Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, Institute of Nuclear Research at the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv - Uragan thermonuclear installations, BBP-M reactor," shows a Russian reactor located at the Boris Konstantinov Institute of Nuclear Physics in St. Petersburg. The photo captures the moment Vladimir Putin initiated the reactor's start-up via video link. Other images are no less intriguing: one of them shows an artistic Syrian state film about the "falsification of chemical attacks by the White Helmets." Russian propaganda has already used this footage specifically to prove that the White Helmets had their movie theater to shoot "fakes." Although fact-checkers quickly discovered it was footage from a pro-Assad feature film. Another footage shows the panic in New York on 9/11. Finally, the last frame shows the forced displacement of Syrians from Damascus, organized by Russian forces. The world didn't believe the fake about the "dirty bomb" which had created Russia. Read more about what a "dirty bomb" is and why Putin wants such a fake here.

Manipulation German soldiers refuse to serve in the army because of the war in Ukraine

In particular, information is distributed in social networks through the propaganda resource "RIA Novosti." The reports say that with the start of the war in Ukraine, more and more soldiers allegedly want to resign from the service. This information was published by the German publication "Der Spiegel." However, it's manipulation. In fact, according to analysts of The Insider, the magazine did publish material about the German army, but it was about something else. This year, the number of people who refuse military service for personal reasons in Germany has increased significantly, but in general, it remains low. According to the statement, the number of cancellations increased from 209 in 2021 to 810 in the first eight months of 2022. However, the text didn't mention Ukraine's war with Russia and didn't call it the reason for the decrease in the number of people willing to serve in the German army. According to official information, in 2021, the number of the Bundeswehr (military) and the reserve was 183,725 people. So 0.4% of soldiers and trained reservists submitted discharge reports and applications for refusal of service.

Propagandists spread it to convince everyone that the Russian army is the strongest and everyone is afraid of it. Even the German military allegedly doesn't want to serve on their territories because the Germans feel threatened by the Russian army.

Fake Poland started a covert mobilization

 Pro-Kremlin mass media spread such information. Reports indicate that Poland has begun a covert mobilization, and it's allegedly evidenced by the deployment of the "Train with the Armed Forces" program. Propagandists claim that this program was reportedly created to capture and return Lviv to Poland. However, the mobilization and capture of Lviv is a fake. According to StopFake fact-checkers, this program is a pro-social initiative of the Ministry of National Defense and the Polish Army. Its purpose is to develop survival skills in an emergency or crisis. The program also aims to increase the level of security and self-confidence of the civilian population of Poland. According to the project, from October 8 to November 26, one-day training for all willing Polish citizens aged 18 to 65 will be held every Saturday in 17 military units in Poland. During the training, the participants will be able to master basic military skills: handling weapons, shooting, hand-to-hand combat, navigating the terrain without GPS, survival in the field, and providing first aid. Propagandists are once again promoting the message of Poland's seizure of Western Ukraine to intimidate Ukrainians and destabilize the situation in the rear.

Manipulation 58% of Americans oppose providing aid to Ukraine

Russian propagandists spread such information. The reports say that American society seems to resist giving support to Ukraine. It's evidenced by the alleged survey results, which the analytical company Morning Consult provided to The Hill newspaper. Most of the respondents are allegedly firmly against the provision of aid. However, it is manipulation.

According to the Center for Combating Disinformation, in the original version of the survey, respondents were asked whether the United States "has an obligation" and "responsibility for helping Ukraine," as well as whether they are against assisting Ukraine. However, Russian propaganda interprets the survey's results in its way: it says that "the Americans spoke out against it."

Propagandists widely spread the narrative that the West is stopping aid to Ukraine to intimidate Ukrainians once again. Moreover, emphasize how the whole world is allegedly tired of war. Allegedly, Ukraine will soon be left without any help because everyone has lost interest in the w

Fake The USA can betray Ukraine

Messages of this content are distributed on social networks. They refer to what is in the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah article. The USA may allegedly betray Ukraine in a war with Russia for their benefit soon; they want to abandon Ukraine without help. However, it`s a fake. The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. They found out that, in fact, the publication didn`t quote the official position of the Turkish authorities, and in the column, the author expressed only his assumptions. The columnist criticized US policy and analyzed its possible influence on Turkey. However, the text didn`t mention that the US would betray Ukraine and abandon it without help. Propagandists need such fakes to create an image that soon major Western partners of Ukraine will refuse to support it, and Ukraine will leave its fate in the war against Russia.

Orest Slyvenko, Artur Koldomasov, Vitalii Mykhailiv, Oleksandra Kotenko, Oleksandr Siedin, Kostiantyn Zadyraka, and Oleksiy Pivtorak are collaborating on this chronicle. Lesia Bidochko serves as the project coordinator, while Ksenia Ilyuk is the author of the project.