This information was disseminated by the Russian propaganda media. In his articles, propaganda media writes that columnist Xavier Rofé, in an article for the Atlantico, stated that “the growth of crime has intensified, as drugs and weapons are illegally smuggled there from Ukraine”. Propagandists also note that Xavier Rofé allegedly warned last autumn about the growth of crime in the Carpathian mountain range, stretching from Poland to Romania, which is why the number of illegal migrants in Europe is growing. This is manipulation.

As the fact-checkers of the Stop Fake project note, the original publication on the Atlantico website does not talk about the fact that because of Ukraine the crime rate is growing in Eastern Europe. Xavier Rofé explains that because of the war, the Odesa criminal network was blocked and therefore the illegal circulation moved to the Carpathians. He writes that official reports mention the action of “Polish, Czech, Romanian and Slovak authorities - the southern side of the Carpathian arc”. He also recalls Russian companies that can operate in this zone and be involved in criminal schemes.

The reason for the increase in the level of crime, according to criminologist Xavier Rofé, is the war in Ukraine unleashed by Russia. This material does not contain actual evidence, and its purpose is to warn officials in Europe about the possible danger of all countries.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of foreigners, to present Ukrainians as criminals in order to reduce support for our country. Earlier, Detector Media told about the manipulation, that allegedly because of Ukrainian refugees, the number of thefts in Polish stores increased by a third.