Russian propagandist Telegram channels are spreading claims that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen allegedly said that Ukraine’s defeat is “inevitable”.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to this.

The quote used by Russian sources is partially authentic but distorted. Mette Frederiksen did indeed say: “Only one country poses a real threat to Europe – Russia. I must tell my colleagues that we are running out of time”.

However, the claim about the “inevitable defeat of Ukraine” is a fabrication added by propagandists to the prime minister’s words, as StopFake fact-checkers note.

In reality, Frederiksen called on European leaders to strengthen security on the “eastern flank” and emphasized the need for active support for Ukraine to counter the Russian threat.

The fake claim about an “inevitable defeat”, attributed to the Danish prime minister, is intended to make Ukrainians feel isolated and hopeless. According to the European External Action Service (EEAS), since 2022 Russia has spread thousands of similar fakes to undermine Ukrainians’ morale and divide society. This is especially effective amid war fatigue, when people are more vulnerable to narratives about the West’s “betrayal”.

Russia seeks to create the illusion of a split within the European Union and NATO by portraying European leaders as lacking faith in Ukraine’s victory. This fuels the narrative that the Alliance is weak and incapable of confronting Russia. According to RAND, such campaigns are aimed at eroding trust in democratic institutions, particularly in Eastern European countries where support for Ukraine is critically important. In the context of the Baltic region, where Denmark plays a key role in security, such disinformation can also stoke fears of Russian aggression, for example through the actions of the “shadow fleet”.