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 24 December, on the 1034th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2605
Fake
776
Manipulation
753
Message
541
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Fake Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at a column of civilians in Zaporozhye

Such news is spreading by the Kremlin propaganda media, as well as by pro-Russian telegram channels. The reports say that it was the Armed Forces of Ukraine that fired rockets at the car market at the exit from Zaporizhzhia and hit the column that was trying to get into the temporarily occupied territory. However, this is an outright lie.

Today at 7:10 am Russian troops launched rocket attacks in the area of the car market near the Zaporizhzhia - Orikhov highway. At that time, there were dozens of civilians in cars trying to get into the temporarily occupied territories. Then 248 cars were registered for departure.

Mostly these are locals who transport household items, food products, and medicines to their relatives in the occupied territory. Among the wounded there is a volunteer from Melitopol, he is in serious condition in the hospital.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Tymoshenko said that Russia fired 16 missiles from the S-300 complex at Zaporizhzhia. Four rocket strikes were carried out in the area of the car market, they also hit the exit point from the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, where there was a column of cars with civilians heading to their relatives.

At the moment, there is information about 23 dead and 62 wounded who were taken to hospitals in Zaporizhzhia.

According to British intelligence, the Russian army probably used a long-range air defense missile not intended for ground targets to strike Zaporizhzhia.

Fake Partial mobilization of students is carried out in the Vinnytsia region

Such a statement is spread by propagandists along with a fabricated document. It says that the head of the Vinnytsia regional police department allegedly announces a so-called partial mobilization for students. Like, students of secondary and higher professional educational institutions fall under the mobilization. However, this is not true.

According to the Bukvy publication they received a message from a Russian who distributed the so-called document. However, such a document does not really exist.

Adviser to the head of the Office of the President Mykhailo Podoliak said earlier that Ukraine does not plan to announce additional mobilization against the backdrop of Russian fake "referendums" and the so-called partial mobilization in Russia. “We have already created reserves through the territorial defense system and actively use these reserves. We do not plan to announce additional mobilization today. We have everything and we are ready for more Russian military”, Podoliak said.

Fake Amnesty International Secretary General urges Ukrainian Armed Forces not to fire at newly mobilized Russians

This news is spreading on social networks, in particular in the Russian and Ukrainian segments of Facebook. Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard is reportedly urging the Ukrainian military not to fire at newly mobilized and not yet trained Russian soldiers. After all, shooting at them is very unfair. A photo collage is attached to the publication, where the secretary general is allegedly standing in the center of Moscow. However, the official did not make such appeals.

According to StopFake's fact-checkers, Amnesty International's general secretary, Agnès Callamard, made no such claims. This statement was first published by a parody Twitter account, after which it circulated online without indicating the source. This Twitter page regularly posts satirical fictitious news and sneers about Russian propaganda.

Fake Ukrainian military cannot reach the level of military training according to NATO standards

This news is spreading on social networks, in particular in the Russian segment of Facebook. Reports say that Ukrainian military personnel allegedly failed to succeed in close combat and physical training exercises. They have not learned firearms and tactical training, they have a low level of morale and motivation. Like, the comprehensive standards of military training of NATO and the United States are unattainable for 95% of the Ukrainian military. Attached to the message is the so-called Washington Report. However, the document is generally falsified.

According to the StopFake fact checkers, the document was forged for a number of reasons, in particular:

First, the form on which this "document" is published is not used for such reports. The form template is posted on the official website of the US Army, so downloading it is not problematic;

Secondly, this "report" has many lexical and stylistic errors, which is unacceptable for such documents;

Finally,in the form itself, at the bottom of the first page, it is noted that records are not saved for a long time. That is, if such a document really existed, immediately after processing it would be destroyed.

Propagandists spread this news and try to undermine the authority of the Ukrainian army. It seems that the Russian military does not even have anyone to fight with, since the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are bad warriors. However, the numerous defeats of the Russian army testify to the contrary.

Fake Dmytro Kuleba said that NATO wants to enter the war in Ukraine

This thesis is spread by Russian propagandists on social networks. It says that NATO allegedly wants to join the war in Ukraine. Like, the statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba at a meeting of the UN Security Council. However, this is fake.

In fact, during his speech at the UN Security Council, Dmytro Kuleba did not say that NATO wants to enter the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to Vox Ukraine fact-checkers, propagandists used this quote to support this thesis:

"I think NATO wants to join Ukraine now." However, it did not concern the intentions of the Alliance to enter the war. After the meeting of the Security Council, during a conversation with the press, a question was asked by a journalist about whether Ukraine wants to join NATO. To which Kuleba replied - yes.

Fake In the Kherson region, children have not studied Russian since 2013

Such news is spread by the pro-Kremlin propaganda media, as well as by anonymous telegram channels. Reports say that Ukrainian children did not learn Russian despite their great desire. Allegedly, the Ukrainian authorities discriminate against the Russian language at the state level. However, this is not true.

According to StopFake fact-checkers, in the Kherson region and in general on the territory of Ukraine, the study of the Russian language was not prohibited. According to Ukrainian legislation, at the request of representatives of national minorities, it is possible to organize a separate class for teaching in the desired language but Ukrainian as the state language should be a priority. In the Kherson region it was not only possible to study the Russian language as a subject, but there were also schools where studies were generally held in Russian.

In fact, according to the law "On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language" the language of the educational process is Ukrainian, but no one forbade learning Russian.

Message Ukraine's application to join NATO is a provocation and a counter-message to Putin

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels actively reacted to the statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi about filing an application for accelerated entry into the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO).

Earlier during the week, Russian propagandists claimed that in the event of a nuclear strike, Ukraine would not retaliate and NATO would not help it in any way. They promoted the message that Ukraine may want to join NATO, but no one will take it there. On September 30, after Putin's speech about the annexation of four regions of Ukraine to Russia and Zelenskyi's statement about joining NATO, the propaganda rhetoric changed dramatically. They presented Ukraine's accession to NATO as a fait accompli.

We have identified several main theses of propagandists.

The application to join NATO is Zelenskyi's pathos.

This opinion is shared by pro-Russian bloggers in telegrams. Like, all this was done so that NATO would give more weapons, since Ukraine fixed the direction. And are the national leaders of NATO member states ready to send their citizens to their deaths?

Ukraine enshrined in the Constitution the course towards the European Union and NATO back in February 2019, when the Verkhovna Rada voted for the relevant bill.

Also during the war, the number of Ukrainians supporting accession to the EU and NATO increased. In a referendum, this initiative would be supported by 76%, against - 10%, 12% would not vote. In March 2022, 68% supported joining the Alliance. This is evidenced by the results of the thirteenth nationwide survey in the conditions of war, conducted by the Sociological Group "Rating" on June 18-19, 2022.

In addition, the United States is realistic about the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO. So Zelenskyi's statement is fully justified and aimed at the result, not provocation or pathos.

This is the counter-message to Russia that it officially takes over four regions.

Like, Bankova interrupted the Kremlin's information about Moscow's victorious reports. Zelenskyi in his statement showed a clear plan for Ukraine - we will recapture all our territories and are ready for negotiations with Russia, but with a different president of Russia.

The statement about joining NATO was made with an eye to at least something in time to grab from the collapse of Ukraine if Kyiv crumbles.

In announcing his application for accession, Zelenskyi urged Western partners to implement Ukraine-prepared proposals for security guarantees set out in the Kyiv Security Treaty. There are no alternatives to security, the President said. Ukraine can stop Russia's aggression only with the help of Europe and the United States.

Zelenskyi’s statement resembles the move with the “acceptance” of Ukraine to the European Union, how much joy there was and everything eventually calmed down, but they filled out a questionnaire for candidacy for the EU.

US President Joe Biden said the US would help Ukraine regain its territories. In response to annexation attempts, the United States along with allies and partners is announcing new sanctions today.

Accession to NATO, as well as to the EU, is not a quick process, but on this path Ukraine is supported and met.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine is eligible to apply for membership, but the priority now is aid.

Ukraine's accession to NATO is dragging the United States into a war with Russia.

Putin has repeatedly threatened a nuclear attack on Ukraine. The US and the West understand that this is possible and that Putin needs to be stopped, so they support Ukraine and participate in this war with their help, although officially without their military on the territory of Ukraine.

"Bloody butchers go to the NATO trash can".

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.