Russian telegram channels disseminated information about the study of Polish as a second foreign language in schools in the Poltava region. Propagandists explain this by saying that the Ukrainian authorities are allegedly preparing citizens to surrender their territories to Poland. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that in one of the classes at Lyceum No. 17 “Intelligence” in Poltava, they actually study Polish as a second foreign language (the first is English). But the decision to learn Polish was made not by the authorities, but by the parents of the students. This decision was made at the level of the parent committee and taken at the regional level for study in two schools in the Poltava region, as confirmed by information from the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council.

The Ministry of Education and Science has developed a program for studying the Polish language for students in grades 5-9 and 10-11, but it is not mandatory for teaching. The director of Lyceum No. 17, Olena Holtvianytsia, emphasizes that the Ministry does not limit the school in the choice of foreign languages to study. The introduction of the Polish language in the lyceum is justified by the fact that many children have experience in Poland, so it becomes a more convenient option for them than other foreign languages. It also gives children more opportunities to practice.

This innovation is due to the joint initiative of parents and schools, and it is completely unrelated to any plans for the return of territories to Poland. In addition, it should be noted that the Polish authorities have already expressed respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine several times. Detector Media has already written about why propagandists are trying to create fake news that Poland will supposedly soon seize Ukraine.

Russian Telegram channels are distributing a screenshot of the message attributing it to one of the users of the Diia application. The message states that the specified person must appear at the Zhytomyr Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support at the specified time and date. The electronic draft notices allegedly came from the head of this center, Serhii Martyshchenko. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. The Zhytomyr Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support denied information about such agendas in Diia.

First, screenshots of these visible electronic draft notices appeared on the telegram channel “TRUKHA” (a Russian resource with a similar name to the Ukrainian one) on December 26, 2023. However, the Zhytomyr Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support reject information about the draft notices in Diia and confirmed that this is another fake of Russian origin.

Several flaws indicate editing of this image. For example, the “urgent email” text in the second screenshot is in bold, which is not the case in the first. There is also an extra space between the “No.” and the numbers, as well as “electronic draft notice No. 0273” and the main text. The agenda must also have the signature of the manager, who is not in the screenshot. Errors in the arrangement of words, in particular in the phrase “Zhytomyr, Serhii Paradzhanov (Baranov) st., 4” also indicates editing.

Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, responsible for the development of Diia, previously emphasized that draft notices would not be sent through the application. Additionally, the redesign of the Diia application, unveiled at the Diia Summit on December 19, 2023, eliminated the Messages section, as shown in the fake screenshot. Users who have updated the application can find “Messages” in the general “Menu” tab.

This fake is a new attempt by the Russian side to introduce hostile sentiments into Ukrainian society. Detector Media has previously refuted Russian fakes about mobilization.

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks where a man in military uniform claims that mining of the borders with Hungary has begun in Transcarpathia. In the comments, social media users suggest that this is being done to stop border violations or because of the presence of Hungarian troops. However, this information is unreliable.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. The State Border Service of Ukraine (SBS) has denied information about mining of the borders with Hungary. Project analysts were also unable to identify the serviceman depicted in the video, and Ukrainian media did not have relevant reports on this topic. Instead, the State National Security Service reported the continuation of mining of the borders with Belarus. According to the speaker of the State National Security Service Andrii Demchenko, the direction to Belarus is a priority for Ukraine from a security point of view.

Propagandists spread this misinformation to create panic among the population. They say that an attack is already underway on the western borders of Ukraine.

On social networks, propagandists are distributing an alleged photograph of a receipt from the Silpo supermarket with the message: “You have just received a draft notice. You have 48 hours to show up at the nearest Territorial center of procurement and social support”. It is stated that when paying by card, the buyer’s personal data may appear on the receipt, and in case of failure to appear at the Territorial center of procurement and social support, the person will face trial and blocking of the bank card. However, this is not true, and the photo of the receipt has been changed.

This was found out by specialists from the VoxCheck project. The stated blocking of bank cards for failure to appear at the Territorial center of procurement and social support is untrue. The primary source of this information is probably the telegram channel “Dnipro on the Agenda”, which disseminates satirical news about Ukraine. And the photo of the receipt used for this joke has been circulating online since at least 2020. It shows that the phrase about the Territorial center of procurement and social support was added, in particular, behind a font that differs from that used on the check.

In addition, VoxCheck checked their own receipt from the Silpo supermarket and confirmed that personal data did not appear on it when purchasing there, and neither did the draft notices.

Propagandists spread such fake news to cause panic among the population. They say that now it is impossible to go shopping without the permission of the Territorial center of procurement and social support. Detector Media also refuted other Russian fakes regarding mobilization in Ukraine.

Pro-Russian media are disseminating information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is preparing to travel to the United States on the orders of Washington before ending his presidency on March 31, 2024. It is noted that a house in Florida has already been prepared for him and his family. This theory, in particular, is propagated by American journalist Jessica Delvin in her article on The DC Weekly portal and by an anonymous informant from the American intelligence services. A video with similar accusations was also posted on YouTube by a user with the nickname John Doe, posing as a US Secret Service employee. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found that the evidence presented in the article was not true.

The photo of the naturalization certificate named after Volodymyr Zelenskyi, illustrating the article, is a fake. The absence of the seal of the US Department of Homeland Security and the signature of the owner of the certificate indicate its authenticity. Zelenskyi's photo was taken from open sources. The name John Doe is also listed as a placeholder name on such documents, used when the person is not identified. Note on the photo, copying the sample is prohibited; this is typical for fake documents, since there is no such note on real certificates. The height of Zelenskyi given in the document does not correspond to his actual height. In addition, it is noted that Zelenskyi applied for US citizenship on September 20, 2023, but this is not true, since the president spoke at a meeting of the UN Security Council, and not at a NATO summit. The article also provides information about the villa Zelenskyi is supposed to move into, but a reverse search shows that the price and availability of this villa are different than the propagandists claim.

They spread such fakes in order to personally discredit the President of Ukraine and question the legitimacy of his power. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other Russian fakes against Zelenskyi.