Russian propagandists are spreading a statement by Russian Foreign Ministry press secretary Mariia Zakharova about the readiness to exchange 630 Ukrainian prisoners, accusing Kyiv of “selfish interests”. However, in reality, this is another example of manipulation.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes about this. Its experts remind us that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long proposed the principle of exchanging “all for all” without additional conditions. Russia, however, continues to hold more than 900 Ukrainian prisoners, including Azov fighters, whom it refuses to hand over.

Such statements are an instrument of blackmail and attempts to destabilize Ukrainian society. The topic of prisoners has been used by the Kremlin to exert pressure since the beginning of the war. By accusing Ukraine of “selfish interests”, propagandists are trying to create an image of “inhumane” Ukrainian authorities that do not seem to care about their citizens. The spread of such fakes is aimed at increasing tension and despondency among Ukrainians. Because of the topic of prisoners, Russia is trying to put pressure on Ukraine and the international community, positioning itself as the “humane side”.

Propaganda Telegram channels claim that in 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly sold a third of Ukraine to BlackRock, transferring the country's economic sovereignty to the United States. However, this is actually manipulation.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes about this. Its experts found out that back in November 2022, the Ukrainian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BlackRock to attract investment in the restoration of Ukraine. This is standard international practice, not “selling the country”. The propaganda ignores that by 2022, Russia itself was actively cooperating with BlackRock, and after the start of the war, it lost access to global capital markets. Now Russian resources are being sold to investors from the Middle East, but this is being kept silent.

The aim of this disinformation is to sow distrust among Ukrainian citizens towards the leadership, accusing it of “betraying” national interests. Russia also creates an image of a “cunning West” that allegedly “exploits” Ukraine for its own purposes, contrasting this with Russia’s “protective” position. The Kremlin uses such fakes to distract attention from its own economic problems, such as the sale of resources to foreign investors due to sanctions. The goal is to undermine international trust in Ukraine, making partners doubt its sovereignty and independence.

Russian propagandists on anonymous Telegram channels are actively spreading information that mobile teams in Ukraine are forcibly vaccinating citizens with Western drugs, and the number of people sick with flu and COVID-19 is “growing” because of this. However, this is not true.

VoxCheck writes about this. Its experts found out that compulsory vaccination is not carried out in Ukraine. Mobile teams work only at the request of citizens who submit applications themselves. Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations are recommended, not mandatory. Mobile teams help people with limited mobility, residents of remote settlements, and also vaccinate organized groups. Vaccination reduces the risk of complications, even if a person gets sick.

In this way, they create an impression of chaos and human rights violations, which should undermine confidence in Ukrainian medical institutions. Propagandists also provoke fears about vaccination, which could reduce the level of immunization. By highlighting “Western drugs”, propaganda tries to create a negative image of international aid to Ukraine. The focus shifts from Russia’s own problems to fictitious “crises” in Ukraine.

Russian propagandists on anonymous Telegram channels are actively spreading information that in one of the episodes of the animated series “The Simpsons” they predicted that “the Ukrainian ambassador to Great Britain will become president”, hinting at Valerii Zaluzhnyi. They say that this is evidenced by a screenshot from the cartoon. However, this is a fake.

In fact, the propagandists superimposed this caption on the original footage. We are talking about the second episode of the sixteenth season of the animated series, according to which Marge Simpson, the main character, receives an invitation to a cooking competition. At this moment, she reads a newspaper, which actually says “Father of eight children has disappeared”, and not the phrase that the propagandists are talking about.

By replacing real facts with absurd statements, they are trying to ridicule Ukraine and its leadership, in particular, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The use of a popular cartoon series creates a false information background aimed at distracting from current problems. The fake reinforces absurd conspiracy theories about external control of Ukraine and a “new world order” in order to justify Russian aggression.

Russian propagandists are actively spreading statements by Kremlin representatives such as Pieskov and Medvediev about the alleged intention of the United States to provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons. These statements note that such a step could be considered by the West as an attack on Russia, which justifies the use of a nuclear response. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security drew attention to it. Its experts note that in fact this is another attempt by Russia to carry out nuclear blackmail aimed at destabilizing the West and weakening support for Ukraine. The reason for such statements was a publication in the New York Times, where an unnamed official only mentioned nuclear weapons in theory, calling such a scenario complex and unlikely.

The reality is that the United States, as a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), cannot transfer them to other countries. Russia violates the NPT by supporting the nuclear programs of the DPRK and Iran, while simultaneously accusing the West of fictitious “escalation”. Therefore, these statements are a tool of propaganda and reflection of their aggressive policy.