This message was circulated on social networks and in the Kremlin media. It says that Ukraine should accept an inevitable defeat from Russia, as it depends on the West. Like, Ukraine is now on the verge of losing, so it is likely, according to the authors of the message, that it “may disappear from the map of the world”. The publication refers to an article published on the Chinese portal Sina. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts of The Insider project investigated this case and found out that in fact the Sina platform is not the media or any official resource, but a huge online platform with registered users. That is, anyone can place anything on it. That is why under the material about the “inevitable defeat of Ukraine” it says: “The content of the above article demonstrates the author's own views and does not reflect the views or positions of Sina.com”. An article is an unofficial position of a country or even a platform, but only one user.

Fact-checkers add that an unknown user of the platform has published five articles since January 24, in which he glorifies the Russian army and predicts an inevitable defeat for Ukraine.

By spreading such manipulation, Russian propaganda resorts to subterfuge and tries to convince the Russians of their victories. Allegedly, the Russians are supported by a strategic partner or a “strong” state that should be trusted. Consequently, Russia wants to distort reality and wishful thinking.

Ridicule is a propaganda tactic designed to undermine and discredit the enemy. Propagandists rely on a psychological technique: if someone is funny, this should not be feared or taken seriously.

Russian propaganda uses this tactic to discredit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Propagandists distribute fake covers of French cartoon magazine Charlie Hebdo, Spanish satirical magazine El Jueves and German satirical magazine Titanik. They also spread fake messages about offensive graffiti allegedly painted in Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Warsaw. They depict Zelenskyi as cowardly, helpless or nasty. Thus, propaganda is trying to create the illusion that the Ukrainian president is despised and ridiculed abroad. Propagandists are trying to make Ukrainians feel ashamed of their leader and divide people because of their likes and dislikes towards Zelenskyi.

In anonymous telegram channels, a message was spread that supposedly Ukraine plans to protect the nuclear power plant from itself. Like, planning the construction of new NPP units, taking into account military threats, is ridiculous. Allegedly, only Ukrainians around the world dared to deliberately shell nuclear power plants. Like, there are no other “suicidal people” anywhere. In this case, the tactics of ridicule were combined with the tactics of substitution of concepts, claiming that Ukraine was deliberately shelling its own nuclear plants.

In Russian methodologies with instructions for journalists on how to cover the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war, propagandists advise using ironic names for Russians who left the country because they did not want to participate in the war. In particular, they are advised to call them “patriots who fled”, “perezhdun” (those who wait), “fugitives”, etc. Because of ridicule, the propagandists are trying to form a dismissive attitude towards the behavior of those who have left and spread the message: “if the Russians do not support Russia's war against Ukraine, they are not patriots, they do not deserve respect, they are not worthy”, and so on.

The Russian media and social networks are allegedly circulating a screenshot of an advertisement for the Kyiv ritual service “PE Priadko”. The advertisement refers to a “special promotion for the military and their families” with an offer to buy two coffins and get a third one for free. The reports also note that funeral services are one of the most “prosperous” areas in Ukraine. It's fake.

Funeral service “PE Priadko” did not order advertising with such content. Advertisers encourage the audience to join the group and stay tuned for future promotions. That is, advertising is focused on distribution in social networks. However, StopFake journalists found out that the Facebook and Instagram pages of Priadko's Funeral Service in Kyiv have never created advertising campaigns. There is no information about the “promotion” on the official resources of the ritual service either. The photo shared on the web has been edited with photo editors.

Thus, propagandists once again resort to emotional pressure on Ukrainians and manipulate the topic of losses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Earlier, Russian propaganda spread messages that a new morgue was being opened in Zaporizhzhia due to heavy losses at the front, they also spread the message that the losses are colossal and they did not even count bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers near Bakhmut. Like, the Ukrainian authorities are lying to the Ukrainians that there are no losses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This manipulation was spread on social networks and pro-Kremlin telegram channels. The report says that tanks supplied by the West are ineffective. They say that the invaders are able to destroy all Western equipment with their own, domestic alternative. As proof, propagandists refer to the material of the Danish Defense Academy, where this is allegedly discussed. However, this is manipulation.

According to StopFake project analysts, the cited material does not actually say that Western tanks will be ineffective in the fight against Russia and there are no statements about how all of them will be smashed by Russia. One of the experts in the material only says that their importance should not be overestimated and that they can really play their role during the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Propagandists spread such manipulation to convince everyone of the effectiveness of Russian technology. It seems that it has no equal, and all Western equipment can be easily destroyed. Detector Media talked about a fake in which Russia allegedly destroyed a tank that had not even been handed over to Ukraine yet, as well as how certain European countries, in particular Denmark, regret that they provide weapons to Ukraine.

Such a message was circulated on telegram channels and pro-Russian media. It says that the Estonian Ministry of Defense will replenish its reserve with the help of high school students. Like, Estonia will teach its children “how to die for Ukraine”, that is, will plan to send children to war in Ukraine. However, this is a lie.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case and found out that the headlines about “the replenishment of the Estonian army with schoolchildren” appeared in the Russian media after the proposal of the Minister of Defense of Estonia Hanno Pevkur to make national defense a compulsory subject for high school students.

The minister himself emphasized that there was no talk of conscripting schoolchildren into the Estonian army, and that it was only about introducing a compulsory thematic lesson in high school. Pevkur is sure that young people need to know how to protect themselves when conducting hostilities.

Russian propaganda repeatedly manipulated statements on sending children to the front. Thus, propagandists want to nourish the narrative that there is no one to fight in Ukraine, so children have to be sent to the front, even from other countries. Detector Media has already analyzed disinformation stuffing that teenagers are handed draft notices or they are mobilized for war.

This message was circulated on telegram channels and pro-Kremlin media. It says that American businessman Bill Gates allegedly said that the government of Ukraine is “one of the worst in the world, it’s really unfortunate for the nation”. As evidence, propagandists cite an interview with Bill Gates that he allegedly gave to the Australian Lowy Institute think tank, which discussed the war against Ukraine and how it affects the situation in the world. However, Bill Gates did not say this, it is a lie.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and carefully reviewed the interview and determined that the propagandists distorted Bill's quote-answer to the question of how Zelenskyi conveys the main messages to society.

To which Gates replied that, in his opinion, “the Ukrainian government was one of the worst in the world: it is corrupt and controlled only by a few wealthy people”. However, now he is amazed with how the Ukrainian leadership conveys important messages to the public.

Bill Gates did not mean the current government in Ukraine and spoke about the government “before the war”. Russia launched a war against Ukraine in February 2014, annexing Crimea and starting a war on the territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Gates was referring specifically to the years of Yanukovych's rule, which were precisely characterized by the dominance of total corruption in Ukraine and the concentration of power in the hands of a few oligarchs. It was these factors that led to the revolution of dignity and the change of government in the country.

Such information was disseminated in telegram channels and pro-Kremlin media. The report says that such an opinion is allegedly shared by the speaker of the head of the UN, Stéphane Dujarric. The authors of the messages refer to his statement in which he allegedly said this and add that the West is supplying more and more weapons to Ukraine. According to them, this could “lead to even worse development”. However, this is manipulation.

As the analysts of the StopFake project explain, the propagandists distorted the official's quote. Asked by a journalist about the prospects for the end of Russia's war against Ukraine and the use of Western weapons, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said that the current processes do not indicate that “a just peace in accordance with the UN Charter and international law” will be achieved soon. That is, it is assumed that Russia, a terrorist country, does not at all profess a policy of peace, diplomacy and democracy. On the contrary, it brings war and destruction, which just denies the key values of the UN, which the spokesman mentioned.

Based on the context of this statement, analysts are sure that Dujarric implies the concept of war as a phenomenon and possible escalating threats from a terrorist country, but this does not apply to the issue of arms supply, because the spokesman noted that in general the war continues and this is already bad . However, the UN will do everything to bring peace to Ukraine.

At the same time, the Russian media omitted a part of the quotation with “….in accordance with international law”, which primarily indicates a compilation and an attempt to manipulate the opinion of readers. This concept implies the withdrawal of Russian troops from all the territory of Ukraine within its recognized borders as of 1991.

Propagandists have repeatedly manipulated the issue of supplying weapons to Ukraine. Thus, they want to convince people that the countries of Europe do not give up their weapons of their own free will and allegedly regret this. Also, this manipulation is intended to nourish the narrative that the supply of Western weapons continues the war in Ukraine.

We recall that earlier Russia has already spread disinformation that certain European countries, in particular Denmark, regret that they provide weapons to Ukraine.

This message was circulated on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that in the temporarily Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, life is not just going on, and healthcare is flourishing, but high-tech operations are being carried out with the most modern equipment. The publications add that allegedly the administration of the temporarily occupied region, Kherson in particular, is working to improve the healthcare sector.

In fact, as VoxCheck project analysts explain, Russians have a shortage of doctors in the temporarily occupied territories, because local Ukrainians refuse to cooperate with the occupiers. To replenish the medical staff, the Russians import doctors from their country and encourage them with additional payments from 4.5 to 18 thousand rubles.

In addition, there have been cases when Russian doctors treat only their own personnel. For example, in the Henichesk district of the Kherson region, the Russian military is modifying kindergartens as field hospitals, because the hospitals are overcrowded.

At the same time, only wounded Russian soldiers are treated, and local residents are forbidden to come to hospitals. Russia is silent about the robbery of medical equipment by the Russian military in Skadovsk, Nova Kakhovka and other occupied cities.

By spreading such a message, propagandists are trying to convince people that life is good in the temporarily occupied territories under the leadership of Russia. Russia creates the appearance that after the so-called liberation - which is occupation - ordinary people began to live better than under the criminal Ukrainian government. However, in reality, as practice shows, the cities and villages that the Ukrainian army liberates from Russian infidels are in a terrible state. Such a situation could be observed in the liberated Kyiv region, Kharkiv region, Chernihiv region, as well as in the liberated Kherson. In particular, in Kherson, after the withdrawal of Russian troops, the critical infrastructure did not work, there was no water, food, medicines. That is, there was no talk of any development of medicine under the conditions of Russian occupation, on the contrary, by constant shelling and robbery, the Russians provoked devastation in the city.

Such messages were circulated on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The message says that the board at the Serbian airport shows a flight to Kyiv, but it is indicated that this is a Russian city. In Europe, Kyiv is no longer recognized as Ukrainian. The reports add that the board of the airport also reflects another flight: “Belgrade - Kosovo, Serbia”. However, such flights do not exist, this is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. According to them, the authors of the messages used special editors to create a photo fake. Analysts are convinced that this is indicated by the following signs:

- flight numbers. Each flight number consists of letters and numbers. The letters indicate the airline carrying out the transportation. Number W64051, which allegedly belongs to the flight “Belgrade - Kosovo, Serbia” really belongs to the flight from Belgrade to Basel, Germany (MLH). A different number is assigned to a flight from Belgrade to Vienna, Austria, but by no means “Belgrad - Kyiv, Russia”;

-use of state names instead of cities. Typically, a flight route consists of the names of cities in which airports are located. However, this board indicates the direction “Kosovo”, although Kosovo is a partially recognized state, not a city. Same with Russia and Serbia, which are states, not cities;

- country flags instead of airline logos. On all flights, the display next to the departure time shows airline logos, except for the first two.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to distort reality and wishful thinking: allegedly Europe no longer recognizes the independence of Ukraine and considers Ukrainian cities to be Russia.