Russian media are distributing a photo where the ATM screen allegedly reports a cash withdrawal limit of 100 UAH per day for men of military age. To cancel restrictions, one needs to update their data at the nearest Territorial center of recruitment and social support.

The case was examined by VoxCheck analysts, who found out that the image had been edited, because the original photo did not show an ATM dispensing cash. Propagandists used a photo of a PrivatBank self-service terminal - the terminal only accepts cash and does not issue it. Moreover, through a reverse search, Google was able to establish that the photo appeared on the Internet back in 2021. This was a negative review about a malfunction of the self-service terminal in Pervomaisk.

And the official website of PrivatBank does not indicate a limit on cash withdrawals of 100 UAH per day. Currently, one can withdraw up to 100 thousand UAH per day from hryvnia and foreign currency accounts in Ukraine.

Propagandists are disseminating information from an article, now deleted from the Australian National Review, about the sale of 40% of Ukrainian agricultural land in 2021 to Western companies Cargill, Monsanto and Dupont. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They explained that from January 1, 2024, the land market in Ukraine began its work, and the second stage of land reform continues. Now not only individuals, but also companies can buy land, and the limit on this has been increased to 10 thousand hectares. But at both the first and second stages of land reform, the purchase of land by foreign companies is prohibited. Even Ukrainian agricultural holdings with foreign beneficiaries do not have access to the Ukrainian land market. Foreigners (individuals) can inherit agricultural plots, but cannot use them, and these plots are subject to alienation within a year.

Media Bias/Fact Check categorizes the Australian National Review as a conspiracy theorist and pseudoscientific source that spreads false claims. The publication also refers to an article by the French publication Ritimo, but it does not contain any information about the purchase of Ukrainian lands by Cargill, Monsanto and Dupont. Moreover, Monsanto ceased to exist in 2018 when it was acquired by Bayer.

Propagandists spread such disinformation to intimidate the Ukrainian population and hit a trigger for many people, reinforcing the message about external control. They say there is a war in the country, but allegedly the country itself has already been sold. 

Social networks in the Russian segment are disseminating information that the Ukrainian bank Monobank has sent out a warning to users about limiting a number of financial transactions for “evaders” - that is, individuals who may evade mobilization.

As “proof”, the fake robs attached a screenshot from the phone that allegedly received such a message.

This case was investigated by StopFake specialists, who determined that the Ukrainian bank Monobank did not send clients notifications about restrictions for “evaders”.

Moreover, in a comment to StopFake, bank representatives denied sending such messages. In addition, the text of the message itself was compiled with numerous errors and inaccuracies.

Russian propagandists claim that the confiscation of frozen Russian assets to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine will lead to inevitable economic collapse. This message gained traction in early 2024, as proposals to use these assets for reconstruction efforts in Ukraine became more common.

Specialists from the EUvsDisinfo project drew attention to it. They explain that while there is heated debate about the advisability of avoiding this decision, its critics argue that it could violate the principle of state sovereignty and undermine confidence in Western financial institutions, arguments made by propagandists are a serious exaggeration.

Russia has said that if its assets are confiscated, it will respond by confiscating Western assets on its territory and resorting to other economic actions. However, this will not lead to the consequences of fearful propagandists. The dissemination of this message aims to question the actions of the West and try to stop these processes.

Russian resources are spreading the news that allegedly the American media Bloomberg released a video in which American economist Robert Kiosaki called investments in Ukraine pointless. According to propagandists, Kiyosaki made the corresponding statement at a meeting of the international investment company Traderfriends.

In fact, this information is not true, they write in the VoxCheck project. The video published by the propagandists is not on Bloomberg’s official channels - website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Kiyosaki himself also did not call investments in Ukraine pointless on his pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Propagandists edited the video from several videos that are unrelated to each other. In particular, using keywords, VoxCheck specialists were able to find an excerpt from an interview with the YouTube channel “Finance With Sharan”, published on September 6, 2023. In it, Kiyosaki discussed finance, politics and the like. We were also talking about Ukraine. Kiyosaki said that the United States is printing dollars to support Ukraine, and therefore does not recommend saving in this currency. However, the economist did not say a word about the absurdity of financial assistance to Ukraine.

In addition, Kiyosaki could not make a corresponding statement at a meeting of the international investment company Traderfriends, as propagandists write. Traderfriends is actually a company that provides educational trading services. VoxCheck's colleagues were unable to find any evidence that Robert Kiyosaki recently spoke at the company's invitation. The last publication with an economist on the Traderfriends YouTube page dates back to January 14, 2018.

After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Kiyosaki supported Ukraine and stated that if he were in Ukraine, he would also fight for freedom. The economist also believes that the impact of the war on the economy will give impetus to the development of cryptocurrency.

Russian propaganda seeks to interfere with the decision-making process of high-ranking officials on the allocation of financial support to Ukraine in many countries of the world, in particular the United States, and therefore resorts to such fakes. Previously, we denied information that French activists were allegedly conducting an anti-Ukrainian campaign, calling on citizens to stop supporting Ukraine.

Information is being spread online that Poltava residents stand in long lines for bread and even fight for the opportunity to get it for free. Entire families supposedly come to stand in the cold, since “only one loaf of bread is given per person”.

This “news” is nothing more than fiction. They write about this, in particular, in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Thus, Ukrainian and foreign volunteers, regional military administrations, and private entrepreneurs bring and distribute free bread to everyone in need, especially in settlements affected by Russian aggression. However, no unrest was ever recorded. Information about “fights for bread in Ukraine” is not found either in the Ukrainian media or in law enforcement agencies. In addition, the creators of the fake used an arbitrary photograph from the Internet, which did not reflect the context at all, to make what was written more credible.

By spreading this disinformation, Russian propaganda seeks to convince the domestic population of Russia that life is very, very bad for people in Ukraine. To be fair, the lives of every Ukrainian did change once and for all after Russia invaded Ukraine. The “Russian World” brought with it pain, despair, sadness and suffering. However, there are many programs, both domestic and foreign, that today help people affected by the war return to normal life.

Let us recall that on March 16, 2022, the Russians fired artillery at the line for bread in Chernihiv. As a result, 14 people were killed and dozens were injured.

Read also: In Chernihiv, because of “poverty”, people allegedly stand in long lines for bread

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels are disseminating information that Ukrainians have allegedly begun to massively withdraw deposits from their bank accounts and take everything valuable and important from the boxes. According to Russian propagandists, this is due to the fact that Ukrainians are preparing “for something sad”, and the entire banking sector is now “supported only by foreign credit injections”.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council analyzed this message. Having verified the information with the NBU, the Center found out that at the beginning of 2024 there actually was a seasonal outflow of funds from the accounts of individuals, but growth resumed in February - and therefore there are no threats to the stability of bank funding.

By spreading such messages, Russian propaganda seeks to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt about the future in Ukraine. The ultimate goal of such messages is to force Ukrainians to either protest against the current government or flee abroad in search of a better life. Previously, we refuted the information that Oschadbank was allegedly blocking the cards of those residents who were draft evaders.

Propagandists in pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that the Office of the President of Ukraine plans to introduce a “tax on parasitism”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the Beyond the News project drew attention to it. They found out that the fake was created on the basis of material from Ukrainska Pravda, which states that out of 11.1 million men aged 25 to 60 years who are subject to mobilization, 950 thousand do not work, do not pay taxes and do not serve in the army . However, pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that Rostislav Shurma, deputy head of the Office of the President, took the initiative to introduce a “tax on parasitism” in order to stimulate labor and pay taxes.

The fakers came up with the idea that the tax could reach 1,500 hryvnia per month, and if it is not paid, citizens will not have access to government services, will not be able to drive a car or travel outside of Ukraine, and their property will be seized and sold. They also emphasized that paying such a tax will not exempt them from mobilization, and they plan to include this provision in the bill on economic mobilization.

However, there have been no official announcements about these plans. Even at the level of rumors in the Ukrainian information space they do not talk about this. Punishment for parasitism existed in the former USSR and in Belarus, but was later abolished. There were also talks about introducing a “tax on parasitism” in Russia, but then this initiative was rejected.

Propagandists spread such fake news to intimidate society. They say that the Ukrainian authorities are mocking their own citizens. It also fuels what is already quite an active discussion about new ideas for mobilization. Detector Media has already refuted other Russian inventions regarding mobilization in Ukraine.

Russian media and telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric are disseminating information, allegedly Dariia Kaleniuk from the Anti-Corruption Center expressed the claim that “Norway owes money to Ukraine because it makes money from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that it was created based on an interview with Dariia Kaleniuk on Radio NV. The conversation discussed which countries could help Ukraine if it does not receive support from the United States.

Dariia Kaleniuk noted that there are alternative sources of financing, including from Norway. She expressed the opinion that the Norwegians are ready to help Ukraine more and spoke about the Nansen program, which provides funding and support for humanitarian projects. Kaleniuk also emphasized that Norway has received significant revenues from gas sales as a result of the boycott of Russian gas, and expressed hope that Ukraine will be able to establish more active cooperation with Norway, including the appointment of an ambassador and military attaché in this country.

Russian propagandists spread such fake news to undermine confidence in Ukraine among its partners and create a negative image of Ukraine among its allies. Detector Media continued to refute Russian fakes regarding international partnership in the context of Ukraine.

The agricultural sector suffered significant losses, therefore, in order for ordinary citizens of Ukraine to at least somehow diversify their diet, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine allegedly sent out a mailing to Ukrainians with recipes for preparing dishes from pigeons, dogs, and Colorado beetles. This is the Russian IPSO.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security investigated this case. They noted that the Ministry of Agrarian Policy itself had already denied the information. They stated that they did not do such a mailing and called it another attempt by the Russians to convince everyone around that there is famine in Ukraine.

Previously, we analyzed the message of Russian propaganda that Ukrainians are supposedly starving and must stand in line for free lunches.

Russian media and social network users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric began to disseminate information that Ukrainian citizens were being offered to participate in the repayment of the state debt. Proof of this information are photographs with messages that were allegedly sent to Ukrainians through the online government service Diia. However, this is fake.

After the dissemination of this information, the StopFake portal decided to check whether Ukrainians are actually being asked through Diia to join in repaying the national debt. It turned out that this information is not true.

The photographs distributed by Russian propaganda show that the message in Diia application supposedly arrived on November 7, 2023. However, the fact-checkers could not find such information on the official website and Facebook page of the online service, as well as on the website of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which is responsible for Diia.

Even despite this, StopFake contacted the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine directly asking whether the information being disseminated was reliable. The press service of the institution reported that this was not true and Diia did not send such messages.

Propagandists spread such fake news to discredit the government and exaggerate the scale of Ukraine's economic problems. In addition, in this way they want to strengthen the imaginary subjectivity of Ukraine in front of its Western partners. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted fakes, messages and manipulations by Russians on the topic of the Ukrainian economy.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are spreading the statement of Ukraine's Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko that Kyiv is bound to restore the Gaza Strip after the end of the conflict. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. They established that Yuliia Svyrydenko did not make such statements, and the quote used by Russian propagandists is completely fabricated. There were also no statements by the minister or anyone from the department in the official communication channels of the Ministry of Ukraine.

Russian propaganda spread a fictional quote in the context of the fact that Ukraine will once again “beg for money” from the West for its supposedly new project.

In this way, Russian propagandists try to discredit Ukraine, undermine the narrative about its lack of independence and show it as a “beggar country”, and as a result reduce the support of Western partners. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Israel is calling Ukrainians to join the IDF.

Pro-Kremlin media are disseminating information that US President Joe Biden in his address allegedly admitted that he had deceived the world under the guise of the fight for democracy, and called assistance to Ukraine an investment in murder and the American PMC. Russian propaganda writes that “investment in military conflicts in Israel and Ukraine is necessary for the well-being of the American economy and its VAT”. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. On October 19, the US President made a special address in which he said that assistance to Israel and Ukraine is an investment for US citizens. However, Russian propagandists took the quote out of context, leaving out the part explaining why Biden used that particular expression.

In fact, Joe Biden noted that there is a direct connection between Ukraine’s victory in the Russian-Ukrainian war and the well-being of Americans. In his address, he spoke about investing in the security and stability of the democratic world, and not about “investing in the death of Ukrainians”. After all, if terrorists do not pay for terror, and dictators do not pay for aggression, they continue to commit crimes, kill and destroy. This unleashes even more unpunished cruelty and permissiveness in the world.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit US President Joe Biden and convince the whole world that America benefits from Russia’s war in Ukraine. They say that while Ukrainians are dying, the US economy is improving, which is why the United States is “helping”. By spreading such manipulation, Russian propagandists seek to antagonize Ukraine with its Western partners and reduce aid. Previously, we refuted the fake that during one of Joseph Biden’s speeches people chanted obscene words.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that problems with Swedish Westinghouse brand fuel have begun at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant. They say that there is a risk that one of the power units will be completely shut down, and the station workers are panicking and don’t know what to do. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. They found out that the general director of the Rivne NPP, Pavlo Kovtoniuk, noted on October 4 that the station was operating in a steady state, and after messages from propagandists on the NPP page they reported a normal and stable radiation background. The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine also denied Russian statements about problems with Swedish fuel.

By spreading such fakes, according to project analysts, propagandists want to take revenge for the fact that Ukraine refused to use Russian fuel for its nuclear power plants. In particular, on September 10, non-Russian nuclear fuel was loaded into the VVER-440 reactor of the Rivne NPP for the first time, which led to a wave of disinformation messages about the plant. Detector Media has already refuted fakes about the shortcomings of Swedish assistance to Ukraine. By resorting to them, Russia wants to create distrust in its Western partners.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that with the expansion of the BRICS bloc to include six new members (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia), it will be able to control 80%.

The message was noticed by specialists from the VoxCheck project. They found out that according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) as of 2022, the BRICS bloc accounted for about 19% of global oil production (in the original composition with Brazil, India, China, South Africa and Russia). New data from the organization indicates that after expanding production of crude oil products, BRICS will increase to about 41% of global production. Data from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as of 2022 indicate that after the accession of new members, the BRICS share will be about 47% of global production of crude oil products. The Energy Institute (UK) estimates that the expanded group will account for 43.1% of global oil production.

By spreading such messages, propagandists want to show the “weakness” of Ukraine’s allies and cause concern among Ukrainians about whether they should continue to respond to Russian aggression. Detector Media has already written about how Russian propaganda artificially praises BRICS and presents the bloc as a geopolitical victory for Russia, using the example of materials about the bloc’s summit.

In some Ukrainian media, and on anonymous telegram channels and Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, the news spread that the head of the National Bank of Ukraine Andrii Pyshnyi allegedly wrote a statement about the dismissal of the head of the NBU “after threats from the US Embassy”. It seems that he did this during the Annual Meeting of the IMF and the World Bank, which is taking place in Morocco, because “he understands how the use of gold and foreign exchange reserves at the request of the Office of the President will end for him”. It's fake.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. Andrii Pyshnyi did not resign. Moreover, he commented on this fake on his Facebook page and denied the information spread by propagandists.

Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and undermine the trust of Ukrainians in them, and also sow panic over the news about the course release. Previously, we refuted the fake that during her visit to New York, Olena Zelenska bought jewelry worth more than a million dollars.

This thesis was spread by propaganda media. Reports say that wines and vineyards are being destroyed in France precisely because of the sanctions imposed by the French government on Russia. The authors add that Moscow was the largest importer of wines, but after the “sanctions war” the French “played it out” and are experiencing a crisis in the wine industry. The publications also try to point out that imposing sanctions on Russia is supposedly ineffective, and as a result, the European countries themselves are supposedly suffering. After all, they are experiencing the impact of the “lack of Russian sales market” themselves. However, this is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project were able to process the case, explaining that the French wine industry is indeed not in the best conditions, if not in crisis. For example, in August 2023, the French government allocated 200 million euros to recycle excess wine production. This initiative from the French Parliament is caused by excessive production and, as a consequence, a decrease in its demand. Actions by the French authorities should curb price fluctuations and support producers who are losing their income. That is, the problems in the wine industry are in no way caused by anti-Russian sanctions or other prohibitions against Moscow. The authors of the manipulative message simply used the news about the crisis situation with wine and presented it as a consequence of the “struggle” with Russia.

In general, as experts say, the level of red consumption has fallen throughout the country: primarily due to the fact that the French began to prefer craft beer. Even in one of the materials of the French daily newspaper Le Figaro they write that wine has given way to beer in 2023 and, according to recent surveys, 56% of the French choose an intoxicating drink. Also, an analytical study by the European Commission for June 2023 shows a decline in wine consumption in other EU countries: by 7% in Italy, by 10% in Spain, and by 15% in France.

As for the “large Russian sales market”, the main consumer of red wine and importer has always been China, not Russia. In particular, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cessation of Chinese wine supplies even then had a negative impact on the entire wine-growing region of the country. And now wine producers cannot reach pandemic level exports.

Russia is trying to distort the impression that sanctions supposedly do not affect it, while other countries that are economically stable and ready to impose restrictions on Moscow are suffering from the “reverse effect”. But, let’s say, they suffer from the lack of the Russian market. The Kremlin systematically cultivates rhetoric about the so-called “big Russian market” in order to hint that the EU countries will not survive at all if they do not sell their goods to Russia. If they resist, they will face the same fate as the French wine industry. However, according to monitoring by the Kyiv School of Economics, as of July 2023, 254 companies (7.6% of companies that received income in Russia in 2022) have completely ceased their activities in Russia. And 1,191 (35.9% of the total) foreign businesses also folded. Companies will one day abandon Russia, not seeing this as a risk for themselves.

By the way, according to the European Council, 2022 was a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022 Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% under the best scenario and to 3.9% under the worst-case scenario. The Russian economy will continue to contract in 2023. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3%.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels distribute publications according to which the process of de-dollarization has allegedly begun in the world, caused by sanctions against Russia. In particular, until recently, the dollar was used in 70% of global transactions, and now only 59%. Propagandists are happy that countries are beginning to find an alternative to the dollar.

Analysts of the EUvsDisinfo project drew attention to the message. They note that propagandists return it depending on the circumstances. In particular, this message was “resurrected” on the occasion of the BRICS summit and statements on the creation of a common currency for this organization. At the same time, SWIFT data show that in July of this year, 46% of currency exchange payments through the system were made using the dollar. In addition, while the use of the Chinese yuan has increased to 3% of global international payments, the use of the euro remains at 24% and the dollar at 46%.

With this message, Russia wants to hide the failures of its sanctions-hit economy and show its “exclusivity” compared to the “collective West”. Detector Media talked about the creation and use of the term “negative growth” for a similar purpose.

A video is circulating on social networks in which the author claims that the government of Ukraine has obliged the population to install meters on wells in order to collect water fees from citizens. Like, now Ukrainians need to install meters and pay for water. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that although on July 11 the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers regarding changes in the Procedure for the State Register of Artesian Wells was issued, the statement that the new changes would allegedly affect all those who have wells and boreholes is not true. The well register, water use fees, and the duty to obtain permits apply only to businesses. At the same time, Ukrainians who use well water for their own needs do not need to install meters and pay for it. Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, announced this on the air of the telethon.

By creating and spreading such manipulations, propagandists want to cause panic among the population and discredit the Ukrainian authorities. Like, in addition to the war, it still wants to rip off money from people for water.

Russian propaganda media are spreading information that Poland is allegedly asking to open the border for trade with Russia. After the cessation of trade, the country was allegedly gripped by unemployment. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. In fact, Poland's unemployment rate has fallen to 5.3%, the lowest in 33 years. In Poland, the borders for Russian trucks were closed, but this did not affect the country's economy, because it is focused on trade with Europe. Also, the Polish authorities did not announce the resumption of the passage of trucks from Russia.

Thus, propagandists are trying to ease sanctions against Russia and quarrel Western partners and Ukraine. Earlier, we talked about the message that the Western economy is “destroying” itself as a result of anti-Russian sanctions.

This message is spread by Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that “after several unsuccessful attempts to attack the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the shares of the German defense concern Rheinmetall went down sharply”. According to Russian propaganda, this happened after the mass destruction of Leopard 2 tanks produced by the concern by Russian troops. Ukraine seems to have become a testing ground for the “miracle technology”, which proved to be not the best. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. The German concern Rheinmetall AG is one of the largest manufacturers of military equipment in Germany and Europe. Together with the Krauss-Maffei concern, it also produces Leopard tanks, which are now supplying Ukraine. The group is now ramping up production and is not having a significant drop in shares or economic problems, as evidenced by the data from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. And the head of the German defense concern Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, said earlier that the Ukrainian military spoke very positively about the weapons provided.

By spreading this message, propagandists are once again trying to promote the message that Russian technology is effective and invincible, and that Ukraine is a testing ground for Western weapons. Russian propaganda is also trying to embroil Ukraine with its partners. Earlier, Detector Media explained the message that Western technology is stupid, it is unsuitable for use in Ukraine.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the Ukrainian military was growing locusts from the United States in a hangar. This was told in a video by a woman in military uniform who allegedly found a letter of request from 2019 in Stanytsia-Luhanska. The letter asks Anatolii Mishanchuk, Colonel of the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, “to ensure the escort of cargo from Washington Research University in Missouri to the territory of the Luhansk Regional Fish Plant”. It's fake. Specialists from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council investigated this case. As evidence, the propagandists provide a fake request letter, which refers to an unknown shipment from supposedly Washington Research University, where Russian propaganda deliberately added the words about “battle locusts”. The narrative about biological laboratories operating on the territory of Ukraine is one of the longest that Russian propaganda is spreading. Detector Media has repeatedly explained the leaks of this information, and during the war in Ukraine it was refuted by the Pentagon, the US State Department, representatives of the EU, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Western economy is “losing its former potential” and is declining to critical levels. The authors say that GDP in Europe is only decreasing every year, which indicates a poor economic situation. In Russia, despite the war, all indicators are only increasing. This was stated by dictator Putin at the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum.

The fact-checkers of The Insider project took up this case and found out that the European Commission recently published the Spring Economic Forecast, according to which the GDP of the EU countries in 2023 will grow by 1% (the previous forecast, winter, assumed an increase of 0.8%). Growth of 1.7% is projected in 2024. That is, the thesis about a decrease in economic indicators in the EU, in particular GDP, is unfounded.

Regarding Russia, the Trading Economics team of economic analysts notes that in the first quarter of 2023, Russian GDP decreased by 1.9% compared to the corresponding period last year. According to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2022 has been a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022, Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% in the best scenario and to 3.9% in the worst case. The Russian economy will shrink in 2023 as well. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3% according to the organizations.

In addition, the Yale University study examined in detail the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, concluding that “sanctions are catastrophically destroying the Russian economy”. And according to the latest figures from the European Commission, the EU economy is “resilient and ready to face challenges, in particular those caused by Russia's war against Ukraine”.

The Kremlin propaganda media disseminated information that allegedly there was a “critically small supply of fuel” in Ukraine, an “acute shortage” and because of this, “panic began” in the country. They refer to a statement by Ukraine's Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolesnyk, who said that “at present, the country is provided with fuel for no more than 30 days”. This is manipulation.

As specialists of the StopFake project note, the reason for numerous manipulations was the phrase of Mykola Kolesnyk, which he said during a round table on May 15, when they discussed draft law No. 9024 (Draft Law on Minimum Stocks of Oil and Oil Products): “Today, if the supply of oil and oil products is stopped, the country will be able to meet the needs within no more than 10-30 days at the expense of its own production and reserves. Mykola Kolesnyk did not say that “an acute shortage of fuel is ripening” in Ukraine.

The creation of a minimum stock of oil and oil products is an obligation of Ukraine in accordance with Council Directive 2009/119/EC.

Also, the chairman of the Committee on Energy, Housing and Communal Services, People's Deputy Andrii Herus, said that Ukraine would create fuel reserves. And the director of the A-95 Consulting Group, which provides services to the subjects of the energy market of Ukraine, Serhii Kuiun, said that now there is no fuel shortage in Ukraine and it is not predicted.

Thus, propagandists are trying to sow panic among the population and discredit the government, which allegedly cannot provide Ukraine with the necessary amount of resources. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Putin banned oil exports to the United States, which brought down the American economy.

In anonymous telegram channels, where pro-Russian rhetoric is circulating, messages have appeared where you can find a photo taken in Kharkiv. It depicts a queue for free lunches. Propagandists claim that Kharkiv is mired in hunger, and there is not enough food for everyone.

Although the situation is not as good as in times of peace, such reports deliberately dramatize it. Moreover, even if there are people suffering from the problem of hunger, it was Russia's aggression that caused it.

Propagandists are constantly trying to exaggerate the scale of the problems in Ukraine in order to show the inability of the Ukrainian authorities to cope with the crisis. Thus, the propagandists want to shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim of the aggression and persuade it to make concessions. Like, the Ukrainians understand that the “Kyiv regime” can’t do anything, so they need to stop their suffering and end the war on Russian terms. However, problems with food supplies, rising inflation, lower crops - all these are the consequences of the Russian war against Ukraine, and it is Russia that should be held responsible for this.

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric report that Volodymyr Zelenskyi sold Ukraine through an agreement with the American company BlackRock. Reports say that from now on, this company allegedly owns “the largest enterprises in Ukraine, which were nationalized from Ukrainian oligarchs”.

Specialists of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. The message comes amid news that the Ukrainian government has begun cooperating with the world's largest investment company, BlackRock. However, in reality, this is not about selling Ukraine to a Western fund, but about valuable cooperation, thanks to which Ukraine will attract foreign investment in the future to restore the Ukrainian economy after the victory. But Ukraine will take the main financial expenses. The funds raised will be directed to the development of agriculture, energy, infrastructure, production, and information technology.

By spreading this message, propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities in the eyes of Ukrainians and emphasize once again that Ukraine depends on the West. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukraine is allegedly a tool of the West to undermine Russian statehood.

American media spreading pro-Russian rhetoric claim that Russian President Volodymyr Putin allegedly banned oil exports to the United States and that has already led to the destruction of the American economy. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of USA TODAY paid attention to the message. They note that Putin has nothing to ban in this situation, since the US banned the import of Russian oil, natural gas and coal as early as 2022. In addition, there is no information about retaliatory steps on the part of Putin.

Fact-checkers of the publication note that although the United States consumes more oil than it produces, they do not depend on Russian oil to the extent that this would greatly affect the American economy. In 2021, only 3% of all crude oil imported into the US came from Russia, according to The Wall Street Journal.

By using such messages, propagandists want to create the illusion that the fate of the West is in the hands of Russia and that without it, it falls to pieces. In particular, in propaganda media one can often see messages according to which the European Union and NATO are about to fall apart. All this is done in order to distract the world from the problems of Russia.

A message appeared on the Czech Facebook segment and on sites spreading disinformation that VitaFlora flour with dangerous pesticides from Ukraine is being sold on the shelves of the Kaufland supermarket chain in the Czech Republic. In social networks, they hint that it contains insects, and also mention dangerous mold. That is, allegedly Ukrainian flour is poisonous and should not be consumed by people. It's fake.

Specialists from Manipulátori.cz drew attention to the case. In fact, Slovak grain is used to make VitaFlora flour. Later, a post appeared on Kaufland's Facebook page stating that Mlýn Kolárovo indeed confirmed the 100% Slovak origin of the raw materials for VitaFlora flour, and sent a protocol with the results of laboratory tests. The report added that the management of the supermarket decided to withdraw VitaFlora flour for sale as a preventive measure.

This is not the first Russian stuffing regarding Ukrainian grain. By spreading such disinformation, Russia is trying to strike at the Ukrainian economy. In the summer of 2022, in the conditions of a full-scale war, Russia blocked and continues to block the Black Sea shipping routes to Asia and Africa, so most of the Ukrainian grain was imported to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Also, information about allegedly dangerous flour from Ukraine led to the emergence of websites supporting Russia.

Propagandists are spreading the message that Ukrainian grain allegedly “broke” the European Union and the structure of the division of labor in it. They add that the European Commission is bogged down in negotiations and is lobbying for the position of the wealthy countries of Western Europe.

This message was noticed in the EUvsDisinfo project. Project specialists claim that in fact the EU is working together with Ukraine to resolve this situation. In the solutions, they try to take into account both the needs of Ukraine and the need for the EU to export grain from its own member countries. Exports from the EU play an important role in keeping food prices down. After consultations with the European Commission on April 21, Romania and Poland lifted the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain. Project analysts note that the EU is taking various measures to export Ukrainian grain, in particular, through the “corridors of solidarity” and the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

This message is part of a large-scale information campaign of Russians against the EU. Within its framework, propagandists spread messages according to which the EU is “falling apart” in front of their eyes. Thus, they want to shift the responsibility for aggression and its consequences from the aggressor to the victim and those who help it. Project experts note that it is Russia that is to blame for the “food crisis” that has developed due to logistical problems caused by the war against Ukraine. In addition, it is Russia that wants to destroy the Ukrainian agricultural market, causing damage to farmers in the billions.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that after agreements with Poland on a simplified regime for checking the export of agricultural products, timber, black soil and minerals will be exported from Ukraine. The authors of the messages add that Ukraine is “paying for help from the West”.

The case was noticed by the specialists of the VoxCheck project, who say that there is no confirmation that after the ban on the export of timber, it was exported from Ukraine. In addition, the West is helping Ukraine as a partner, not as a debtor for the provided weapons.

On March 3, 2023 Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland Henryk Kowalczyk agreed on simplified procedures for the passage of goods before export. In particular, this applies to Ukrainian grain and oil.

This thesis was circulated in social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the EU is losing in the confrontation with Russia. “The growth of inflation and unemployment, the dysfunctional banking system - this is the result of Brussels’ policy in the EU”. Like, the Russian economy “goes into the abyss”.

The experts of the EU vs Disinfo project worked on the case and found that the thesis about the terrible economic situation in Western countries is untrue. According to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2022 has been a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022 Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% in the best-case scenario and by 3.9% in the worst-case scenario. The Russian economy will shrink in 2023 as well. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3% according to the organizations.

In addition, the Yale University study examined in detail the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, concluding that sanctions are catastrophically destroying the Russian economy.

According to the latest figures from the European Commission, the EU economy is “resilient and ready to face the challenges, in particular those caused by Russia's war against Ukraine”.

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric publish information that the President of Ukraine, by his decree, created “information hubs for Ukrainian citizens to find work”, taking into account the “sharp increase in unemployment”. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the screenshot used by the authors of such messages is a fake. In particular, it contains the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 127/2023. It can be easily found on the website of the Office of the President and you can see that in fact it concerns the appointment of O.Kamyshin as an adviser to the President of Ukraine. In addition, there are no decrees with information about “information hubs” on the site at all.

Thus, the authors of telegram channels are trying to increase the number of their subscribers by misleading users. However, Russian propagandists also took advantage of this, presenting it as evidence of an economic disaster in Ukraine. Like, everything is so bad that even the government is forced to send people to work.

Such messages are distributed in the Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels. They say that the trade turnover between Russia and the European Union at the end of 2022 reached a maximum in eight years, while the import of goods from Russia was at a historical maximum. Allegedly, this is confirmed by Eurostat data. This is manipulation.

The volume of trade actually increased, but the entire increase occurred at the beginning of the year, that is, before the start of a full-scale war. According to The Insider fact-checkers, immediately after the outbreak of the war, exports from EU countries fell sharply and have remained at about the same level since then. Imports of Russian goods in March were still at a high level (probably due to previously contracted supplies of raw materials), after which they began to decline, by May they had decreased to about last year's level and continued to fall until the end of the year. One of the main trends in EU trade policy has been to reduce dependence on Russian raw materials. For example, in 2021, about 45% of EU coal imports came from Russia, and in 2022 only about 13%. Russia's share in gas imports during the year decreased from 36% to 18%, oil - from 25% to 14%, fertilizers - from 29% to 16%.

By spreading such manipulations, Russian propaganda aims to show that European sanctions are ineffective and Russia is still a serious economic player.

Propagandists distribute photos that allegedly show a loan agreement of one of the Ukrainian banks. According to it, “the transfer of the territory to the jurisdiction of another state does not release the borrower from obligations”. The authors of messages with photos in Russian telegram channels add: they say, in this way even Ukrainian banks admit that Ukraine has lost or will lose its own territories forever. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found the original contract belonging to Alliance Bank. It does not contain clauses on the transfer of territories to the jurisdiction of another state. In this version of the contract, the paragraphs with numbers in the photo have a different content. Also, VoxCheck analysts did not find similar provisions in loan transactions of other Ukrainian banks.

Thus, propagandists want to demoralize Ukrainians. They say that Ukraine is losing on the battlefield and losing its territory, so the war is meaningless and it must be ended on Russia's terms. However, such fakes are also created in order to hide Russia's failure at the front.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that the grain agreement, under which grain from Ukrainian ports was “actively exported to Western countries”, allegedly “turned into a disaster” for Ukraine itself. Allegedly, as a result of the grain corridor, almost all grain, about 20 million tons, including sowing grain, was exported from the country. Ukrainian farmers have nothing to sow the fields with. It is not true.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and turned to Denys Marchuk, deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian agrarian council, for a comment. The expert said that the information about the “disruption of the sowing campaign” is not true, since the strategic provision of Ukraine with grain fully meets domestic needs. At the same time, not all grain was exported from Ukraine. As the expert explains, the current sowing campaign, as in 2022, will take place in the most difficult conditions. He emphasizes that Russia's largest-scale invasion undermines the foundations of food security not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world.

Propagandists have repeatedly manipulated the issue of food supply for Ukraine. Thus, they nourish the narrative that Ukraine does not care about Ukrainians, but only tries to please Western countries by allegedly supplying all the grain.

The Russian media are spreading a quote from Swiss official Guy Parmelin. Allegedly, he said that Switzerland refused to commit suicide over the transfer of Russia’s frozen financial assets to Ukraine and believes that there are no legal grounds for confiscating Russian money. This is manipulation.

The Swiss official said nothing about Switzerland's refusal to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. Moreover, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis, in an interview with Tages-Anzeiger, confirmed that he supports the idea of confiscating frozen Russian funds and using them to restore Ukraine. StopFake fact-checkers note that currently the funds are not transferred to the Ukrainian side due to the lack of an appropriate legal framework, but this issue is already being discussed by a number of countries.

Thus, Russian propaganda nourishes the narrative that Ukraine is a weak state that will not win the Russian-Ukrainian war. Also, with such messages, propagandists are trying to demoralize the fighting spirit of Ukrainians and encourage Western states not to send weapons to Ukraine.

This is the message propagandists use on social networks and telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. It states that the goal of the World economic forum is to reduce the number of people to 1 billion of “chosen ones” because there is not enough space and sources in the world for everyone. For this, WEF members, according to propagandists, have developed a special plan, which is already underway due to the war in Ukraine and the pandemic. It's a lie.

As Eu vs Disinfo experts explain, this is a propaganda stuffing built on conspiracy theories. The World economic forum is a well-known independent international organization. As noted in the program of the Annual meeting of the forum 2023, the current event is dedicated to various situations, in particular, the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic. The agenda of the Forum “focuses on solutions to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges”.

When propagandists spread such fakes and use conspiracy theories, they want to achieve a distortion of reality that is beneficial for Russian propaganda to spread their narratives. They say that the war in Ukraine has long been planned by third parties, and Russia has nothing to do with it. So, Russia blurs the borders and justifies itself, creating the appearance that people in Ukraine are dying not because of its aggression, but because of the collusion of large organizations.

Such a message is distributed through social networks and hostile telegram channels. It says that electricity prices will change dramatically. Like, by July 1, 2023, Ukrainians should expect an increase in electricity prices up to 47%. It is not true.

According to the StopFake fact checkers, the price will not change for all consumers. The increase in electricity tariffs will affect only non-residential consumers. That is, for consumers-entrepreneurs, for example, those who buy electricity for their own business. Experts say that this is due to the shelling of the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. For non-residential consumers, the price of electricity by July 2023 will increase by 18%, not 47%.

A photo is being circulated on social networks, in which, next to cans of canned vegetables and a postcard in Russian, it says: “Dear soldier, happy New Year! We wish you all the best and a speedy victory!”. In a post posted on a Facebook news group in the city of Yartsevo (Smolensk region of Russia), it was also reported that Russian soldiers were greeted by the head of the Russian Bonduelle in Russia, Kateryna Yelisieieva. The leaflet also contains information that 10,000 Russian soldiers will receive gifts in the form of four cans of canned vegetables. Now the original post, where they posted a photo of the “gifts”, is not available. According to StopFake, this is a fake.

At the very least, the head office of the French company Bonduelle officially denied involvement in the “New Year's gift sets” allegedly sent on its behalf to the Russian army. On December 31, Bonduelle released a statement saying that “Russian social media has spread false information about our activities in Russia”. The company continues to operate in Russia, unlike thousands of other Western companies, but denies any involvement in congratulating Russian infidels. “This information, as well as statements attributed to Bonduelle and its management, are fake”, the statement said. The press service added that Bonduelle continues to work in Russia “with the sole purpose of ensuring the population's access to basic food products in Russia and neighboring countries”. Later in a comment to AFP, the company said: “We do not send packages to Russian soldiers”.

At the same time, the head of the Russian office, Kateryna Yelisieieva, did not comment on the appearance of the fake. But it is known from open sources that she is a graduate of the FSB Academy.

This opinion is spread by Russian propagandists in the media and social networks. Allegedly, the Ukrainian authorities promised to restore houses destroyed during the war, but they did nothing and people near Kyiv live without windows and in the cold. But in Mariupol, which the Russians occupied, they say they are restoring the infrastructure, helping in every possible way and importing books from all over Russia. Allegedly, the Ukrainian media do not talk about this, because they are jealous of how quickly Russia is restoring the occupied city.

Earlier, propagandists promoted the message that very soon there will be houses in Mariupol in which people are settled, but in Ukraine they cannot build anything.

Russia has launched a disinformation campaign that aims to convince Ukrainians that Ukraine continues to export electricity to other countries, in particular, Moldova. This thesis is promoted by Russian propagandists and Ukrainian anti-vaxxer bloggers, fortune tellers and even YouTube channels of those breeding Corgis. Among those spreading a fake about the sale of electricity to Moldova is the well-known Ukrainian anti-vaccinator Ostap Stakhiv. This proves that the campaign is coordinated to work with different target audiences, writes StopFake.

In fact, turning off the electricity in Moldova, despite the statements of propagandists, does not prove that Ukraine supplies electricity to the country. Ukraine and Moldova are in a single block of regulation. This means that the systems of Moldova and Ukraine are six times more strongly interconnected than, for example, Moldova and Romania. This process of combining systems began in 2006 to make it easier for the systems of the two countries to integrate into the pan-European energy system. Moldova does not have many power generating capacities, and one of the largest producers, Moldova GRES, is located in Transnistria and is owned by the Russian Inter RAO. Until October 11 of this year, Moldova bought at least 30% of electricity from Ukraine, but Ukraine stopped deliveries and Moldova was forced to urgently conclude a contract with the same Russian power plant in Transnistria. Also, since October 13, Moldova has been buying a small part of the electricity needed from Romania. And they turn off the lights in Moldova after the shelling precisely because the systems of the two countries are connected, and when part of the system of Ukraine is turned off, Moldova is also turned off.

Propagandists also spread a fake that it seems that on the websites of various energy companies you can see that Ukraine gives electricity to other countries. This is also not true: the sites show data on non-commercial energy supply to the systems of neighboring countries. Also, these countries give such an amount of electricity to the Ukrainian system. This is done to balance the systems. You can read more about this in the article “Without light but without you”.

Russian media write about it. Like, in Ukraine, against the background of the energy crisis caused by Russian missile strikes on the country's energy infrastructure, a new 30% tax was introduced on the import of generators from abroad. Netizens comment that it is not a sin for “sincere patriots” in power to make money on the complicated circumstances of people. This is not true.

As StopFake writes, the Government of Ukraine has not introduced a new tax as the norm on taxation of goods imported into Ukraine over 500 euros has existed since at least 2012. Moreover, due to the energy crisis caused by Russian missile strikes against Ukraine's infrastructure, on November 8, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that the government had decided to abolish import taxes on generators, transformers, batteries, etc.

By spreading such messages, anonymous social media accounts exaggerate their influence on the mood of Ukrainian society during the war. Allegedly due to the fact that the authorities do not tell the Ukrainians about the real state of things, what they are preparing for and where Ukraine is heading, disappointment will only grow. They say that only alternative sources of information give the people answers about what the reality will be and how to prepare for it, so Ukrainians are buying up various things that will help them survive in the event of a power outage and heating. Neither the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, nor the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko, nor any head of the regional military state administration hides the fact that the Russian army is carrying out genocide of the Ukrainian people and destroying infrastructure. Authorities urge people to prepare the necessary supplies and explain how to act and where to look for information in the worst case scenario. This means that the authorities have not given up, but are considering different scenarios in order to endure and be prepared.

Anonymous channels spreading insider information is one of the tactics of Russian propaganda. On critical days, these sources will begin to disperse panic and intimidation, which work no worse than missiles and are informational terror.

In connection with an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw from the grain deal, Russia is urgently throwing several contradictory theses into the information space in order to confuse the audience and prevent them from asking a rational question: why, when Russia "withdrew" from the agreement, ships with Ukrainian grain continued to leave ports and deliver it to other countries?

In fact, after Ukraine, the UN and Turkey "informed Russia" that they would extend the agreement, despite Russian statements, the weakness of Russia's position was demonstrated to the whole world. It cannot blockade Ukrainian ports, it cannot destroy Turkish ships, and it cannot blackmail Ukraine again because of successes at the front, since now Russia is losing. Therefore, Russia was simply forced to "return" to the agreement and its propaganda had to somehow explain it to the audience.

The explanations are as follows: Ukraine gave written guarantees that it would not use the humanitarian corridor for military operations. But this is not true: Ukraine did not give additional guarantees. She gave them first and carried them out. But now Russian propaganda is forced to explain that "additional guarantees have been provided, but Russia still does not believe in any guarantees from Ukraine". And therefore reserves the right to "withdraw" from the agreement again, whenever it pleases.

The second explanation is that Russia has returned to fulfilling its obligations in order to prevent the West from "manipulating" that Russia provokes famine in the poorer countries of Asia and Africa, and thus win over the "global South". And to show that Russia is a stable and reliable partner”. And that is despite the fact that in the last 8 months Russia massively violated contracts, agreements, promises and even guarantees. It is unlikely that the reputation of a terrorist and an aggressor can be corrected by poor compliance with a single agreement.

Such a strategy looks especially disastrous against the backdrop of numerous statements by Russian officials who on November 1 stated that Russia's return to the grain agreement on the previous terms was never possible, and the next day the agreement started working again according to the same rules.

Russian propaganda is increasing the energy blackmail of Europe and is trying to force Europe to abandon sanctions against Russia and stop supporting Ukraine. The Kremlin seeks to pressure and blackmail European governments and create public panic over energy insecurity or rising electricity costs.

According to the EUvsDISINFO fact checkers, the EU member states are preparing for winter and the heating season both at the national and at the EU level. In particular, they adopted a resolution on filling gas storage facilities and distributing them in a spirit of solidarity, using various sources of energy resources, and committed to reducing gas use by 15% this winter. Despite the cessation of Russian gas supplies via Nord Stream, Europe is ready for winter. Underground gas storage facilities in the EU were filled to 82.5% of their capacity well before the November 1 deadline set in the gas storage regulation.

Recently, the Russians made a video about a winter without gas in Europe, which was supposed to scare the Europeans. However, the “powerful gas country” used winter footage from the hitherto non-gasified Russian city of Krasnoyarsk to shoot the film. Propagandists also claimed that 60% of British factories would stop working due to rising electricity prices provoked by anti-Russian sanctions. They tried to scare and fake that the United States is killing Europe, since it is beneficial for them to refuse Europeans from Russian gas.

Such a thesis is being circulated on social media as a continuation of the Kremlin’s narrative that Poland intends to annex Ukraine. To promote the message, they used the news that Ukraine and Poland intend to build a pipeline to transport Ukrainian sunflower oil to the Polish port of Hdansk.

The construction of such a pipeline is, first of all, beneficial to Ukraine, since it will contribute to the partial unblocking of Ukrainian exports in the face of Russian aggression. It was previously reported about the construction of an oil pipeline 600 km long and with a capacity of up to 2 million tons of oil per year. The pipeline will be laid from Yahodyn (Volyn region) to Hdansk.

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine explains that the start of a full-scale military aggression by Russia and the blocking of Ukrainian seaports forced the government to look for new routes for the transportation of Ukrainian agro-food products. Ukraine is a major world producer and exporter of grain and vegetable oils, and by the beginning of the war, more than 90% of these products were exported through ports located on the Black Sea.

Poland believes that in addition to partial unblocking of Ukrainian exports, the implementation of the memorandum will also contribute to improving the food security of countries facing famine. As a consequence, this should reduce migration pressure on Europe.

We are not talking about any capture of Ukraine by Poland. It was Ukraine that initiated the project to build a pipeline to the Polish port of Hdansk as Russia continues to threaten exports from Ukrainian seaports.

Russia is constantly spreading fakes that Poland intends to seize part of Ukraine. In July, propagandists wrote that two Polish brigades would take control of Western Ukraine in August. They also wrote that Ukraine is a “dying donor”, each country wants a “piece” for itself, and Poland takes the most. Thus, the propagandists are trying to destroy the partnership between Ukraine and Poland. 

 This thesis is spread by the Russian media with reference to a study published on the Bloomberg website. In fact, in an article about how skyrocketing electricity bills will affect entrepreneurs in the absence of state support, not a word mentions that the crisis was provoked by anti-Russian sanctions.

On the contrary, the author of the article, Julian Harris, notes that there is such a risk, six out of 10 British manufacturers are in danger of decline due to high electricity prices. The article notes that in order to avoid a crisis, the government should announce a wider support package. "The new government needs emergency action", said Stephen Phipson, CEO of MakeUK.

Russian propagandists love to find international economic articles that talk about hard times for European businesses due to high utility bills and lead to the fact that this would not have happened if it were not for anti-Russian sanctions. They say that the West suffers more from these sanctions than Russia, so it is enough to introduce them, make friends with Russia and get low bills for electricity and gas.

At the same time, the Russian media are silent about the fact that sanctions against Russia will be lifted if it retreats from the territory of Ukraine and does not kill the civilian population and destroy cities and villages.

This news is spreading across the web. The report says that foreigners allegedly buy agricultural land in Ukraine without any problems and freely dispose of it. Like, all Ukrainian land will soon not belong to the Ukrainians themselves. However, this is not true.

In fact, according to Ukrainian law, foreign citizens do not have the right to buy agricultural land in Ukraine. From 1992 to 2021, there was a moratorium on the sale and purchase of agricultural land in Ukraine, even citizens of Ukraine could not trade agricultural land.

According to the current legislation, the purchase of non-agricultural land for foreigners is allowed only on the condition that there is real estate (for example, a house) on this land and the land belongs to an urban-type settlement.

So far, agricultural land in Ukraine can only be purchased by individuals who are citizens of Ukraine, and not more than 100 hectares. This thesis is being expanded to show that Ukraine is subject to the West and is a puppet in the hands of European officials: it does everything under dictation, it is ready to give up its lands.

Such theses are disseminated by propaganda channels, in particular by RIA Novosti. These reports say that Polish companies have organized the purchase of farmers’ products at a reduced price. In this way, allegedly Poland dooms Ukrainian enterprises to bankruptcy. And since then the Poles seek to buy the assets of companies and Ukrainian lands at reduced prices. However, this is all lies.

As the specialists of the Brekhunets (Lier) project explain, the current harvest campaign is really difficult. Due to the loss of access to ports, after the full-scale invasion of Russia, those who grew grain were the first to suffer. In addition, part of the crops in the temporarily occupied territories was also lost: fields were burned, equipment was destroyed.

The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine noted that there are only a few bankruptcy cases.

Now, for example, ports have started to work, and if the dynamics are the same as now, then export volumes will be at the level of 4-4.5 million tons, it is quite possible that in September talks will begin between banks and manufacturers about new repayment and credit schedules.

Media Detector has already written about a fake on the impossibility of selling agricultural land to foreign citizens. Moreover, this applies as well to legal entities - food companies.

France’s policy towards Ukraine, the supply of weapons to it and financial assistance is supposedly suicide for this country, since Ukraine is the most corrupt country in the world. In addition, sanctions against Russia do not work because they are the main supplier of raw materials in the world. This is manipulation.

Euvsdisinfo.eu. writes about it. In fact, Ukraine in the ranking of corrupt countries, which is compiled by Transparency International, was 122nd out of 180 countries in 2021, and Russia, for example, was 136th. In addition, in order to fight corruption, Ukraine has taken and is taking a number of important steps, in particular, it is implementing judicial reform, changing the composition of the High Council of Justice, and strengthening anti-corruption bodies - SAPO (Specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office) and NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine). The latter recently announced suspicion to deputy Trukhin for offering a bribe to a policeman.

As for the sanctions, Russia suffers from them because it lacks the technology for, in particular, the military-industrial complex.

This fake is being spread to distract the West from helping Ukraine and lifting sanctions against Russia. Their constancy in time allows Ukraine to keep the defense in an unprovoked war and hope for its victorious end.

Russian propaganda continues to disperse the topic of dependence on gas from the Russian Federation throughout Europe and Ukraine, in particular. This time, the pro-Kremlin media wrote that centralized heating was canceled in Kyiv and called on the people of Kiev to “buy warm clothes” and they named the reason for this: sanctions against Russia. The propagandists referred to the words of the mayor of the capital, Vitalii Klychko. In fact, he did not talk about the abolition of the heating season, but warned the townspeople about possible blackouts of heat and electricity and possible terrorist attacks at thermal power plants.

Vitalii Klychko said in an interview with Babel that there is gas for the population, but in the conditions of the Russian war, the capital is preparing for possible terrorist attacks on Kyiv thermal power plants. The mayor of Kyiv did indeed warn of possible power and heat outages and urged people to warm up. However, there are no quotes about sanctions and the energy crisis.

“The average readiness for the heating season in Ukraine as of August 17 is 73%. As of mid-August, Ukrainian storage facilities have accumulated 12.6 billion cubic meters of gas, as well as 1.89 million tons of coal. The task of the Cabinet of Ministers is to accumulate 19 billion cubic meters of gas - this volume will allow a successful heating season in Ukraine. According to the chairman of the board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, Yurii Vitrenko, before the onset of cold weather, Ukraine will provide part of the missing gas through domestic production, and about 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas will need to be imported,” StopFake fact checkers explained.

Pattern: in the context of frozen messages about Europe, propagandists always mention sanctions against the Russian Federation. Therefore, the dissemination of these fakes, manipulations and messages are attempts to intimidate the population in order to influence the circle of decision-makers on sanctions.

Earlier, Russian propaganda already wrote that the mayor of Lviv called on residents to buy firewood for the winter, the next winter without Russian gas is an important test for Germany and Europeans are panicking due to a reduction in Russian gas supplies.

Anonymous telegram channels and Russian media "quote" an interview with Deputy Head of the National Bank of Ukraine Serhii Nikolaichuk to Rabbit Hole. They say that the stocks were transferred for storage "until the situation normalizes," but now Kyiv is unlikely to be able to return them. It is not true.

Serhii Nikolaichuk did not say that either in this interview or in any other. There are no mentions of gold reserves in the Rabbit Hole interview. They are talking only about the problems and challenges of the Ukrainian economy during the war. The information was checked by the StopFake fact checkers. No amendments were made to the article on the export of gold and foreign exchange reserves.

According to the National Bank, as of August 1, monetary gold makes up only 6.7% of the gold and foreign exchange reserves. Most of the gold and foreign exchange reserves (54.9%) are securities, another 38.3% is in cash accounts. In general, the gold and foreign exchange reserves of Ukraine are a collection of reserves that are placed in different places and forms, so it is impossible to take the “entire stock” to Poland.

Anonymous telegram channels write about this with reference to the global rating agencies S&P and Fitch. They say that only "official default" awaits Ukraine, that is, "bankruptcy". It is not true.

Ukraine has not declared a default. Due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have indeed been significant changes in the state budget of Ukraine. This is stipulated, in particular, by the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law”. The main priority during this period is the defense industry. According to the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, after negotiations, the investors agreed to defer payments.

“Thanks to the solidarity with Ukraine of the private investor community, together with the official public sector, we will be able to meet the needs of the country’s state budget at war and keep our public finances stable,” said Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko.

According to Bloomberg, the restructuring process is supported by Ukraine's key allies, including the United States and the International Monetary Fund. The international community understands that Ukraine is now defending itself against a much larger and richer aggressor, so it needs substantial financial support and assistance.

This information is spread by pro-Kremlin and some Ukrainian media. They said that because the Armed Forces of Ukraine are shelling the Kakhovka HPP, it is operating in an emergency mode and this may allegedly affect nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

"This information is not true. The Armed Forces are working as carefully as possible, and exclusively for military purposes and logistical points," Yuriy Sobolevskyi, the First Deputy Chairman of the Kherson Regional Council, said in Telegram.

The other day, the Ukrainian military disabled a bridge near the Kakhovka HPP. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are striking bridges in the Kherson region to complicate logistics for the Russian army, which is based on both banks of the Dnieper in the region. In order not to admit defeat, Russian propagandists launched "news" about a possible nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhya NPP due to the shelling of Ukrainian military bridges in the Kherson region.

Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused Ukraine of this at the UN Security Council meeting held on August 11.

He voiced four propaganda messages.

1. The Armed Forces fire at the ZNPP. Russian troops protect it. Russia does not use civilian infrastructure facilities for military purposes.

The statements of the Russian Federation that the Ukrainian army is constantly shelling the ZNPP do not correspond to reality. The Russian army repeatedly tried to pass off its shelling of Energodar residential quarters as shelling of the Armed Forces.

2. Russian military personnel at the ZNPP provide assistance to the station's employees and guard it.

The fact is that the Russian military has set up a military base at the ZANP where the personnel is being held, hostage. In mid-July, gunfights took place on the territory of the station. The risk of making a critical mistake in such working conditions is very high. Russian specialists cannot replace Ukrainian ones, as the ZANP has been modernized in recent years.

3. Ukraine obstructs the IAEA's access to the ZNPP.

The danger for the visit of the IAEA mission to the nuclear power plant is created by Russia due to the constant shelling of the station territory and nearby settlements. Nikopol and Margarets, which are under fire from the Russian military, are only 8 km from the station.

Ukraine sabotaged the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and forced personnel to work without shifts.

4. Ukraine sabotaged the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and forced personnel to work without shifts.

The units of the Russian armed forces, which carried out the forceful seizure of the facilities of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, committed an act of nuclear terrorism. Ukraine did not commit any provocations at its nuclear power plants - this fact was confirmed by international organizations for the regulation of nuclear safety.

The Center for Combating Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council has refuted three fakes about the dismissal of workers during wartime.

1. If an employee doesn’t show up for work and his phone is turned off, he cannot be fired.

Such information is incorrect because Article 36 of the Labor Code was supplemented by clauses 8-3 and now "the grounds for dismissal are the employee's absence at workplace and information about the reasons for more than four consecutive months". If the employee does not answer the phone and does not go to work, he will still be fired.

2. The owner of a non-working enterprise cannot fire anyone due to a lack of raw materials.

This is not true, because according to Clause 6 of Article 41 of the Labor Code "the impossibility of providing an employee with a job is an additional reason for terminating the employment contract at the initiative of the employer." An employee can be fired if he does not have a job.

3. If a person has not received a copy of the order within a certain period, then he/she is dismissed illegally.

Russian propagandists called the Ukrainian attempt to trade from the Odesa port a crime against Ukrainians, who "could get a real Holodomor-2". At the same time, they are distributing a video that allegedly shows a queue of several hundred Odessans for bread. In other videos, the queue is mistaken for the Mykolaiv queue, writes the project "On the other side of the news".

On August 1, for the first time in more than five months, a ship loaded with Ukrainian food (26,000 tons of corn) left the port of Odesa. The export of Ukrainian grain is, first of all, another step towards preventing world hunger. Unblocking the ports will provide at least a billion dollars in foreign exchange earnings for the economy and an opportunity for the agricultural sector to plan next year's sowing, fact-checkers write.

Secondly, export is an annual routine, and Ukraine is among the top ten grain exporters. In the ports of Odesa, 16 more ships blocked by Russia are waiting for their turn.

Russian media wrote that Egypt canceled contracts for the purchase of 240,000 tons of Ukrainian grain, which were supposed to be delivered in February-March, but was never shipped due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Allegedly, this was decided after the visit of the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, to Egypt. The reason, they say, is Ukraine's unreliable information about the volume of grain storage.

According to Reuters, Egypt canceled the contract because Ukraine did not fulfill its contractual obligations in March-April 2022 due to the blockade of the ports by Russian troops. Egypt officially assured the Ukrainian ambassador that it does not refuse cooperation and is ready to continue purchasing grain, writes StopFake.

"Egypt will conclude a new contract with Ukraine for the grain supply, as the Ukrainian side was unable to fulfill its contractual obligations in March-April, 2022, due to the blockade of the ports by Russian troops," said Mykhailo Nepran, the first vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He added that the previous agreement did not provide for a force majeure clause, so they canceled the contract, which cannot be fulfilled, to conclude a new one and make the purchase under it. 

The occupiers distribute invoices with allegedly new details of the water utility and send them to the heads of condominiums. Screenshots of tariffs and requisites were published by the Deputy Chairman of the Kherson Regional Council Yuriy Sobolevskyi. These accounts do not exist, writes the "Nota Yenota" project.

"The information stated in the material regarding the opening of accounts in rubles does not correspond to reality. It is forbidden to open accounts in rubles in Ukraine. We checked the details indicated in the material. Such does not exist. Details are fake. We ask you to remove the mention of Alfa-Bank from the material and use only verified information, not to mislead readers," Alfa-Bank's press center replied to Kavun.City journalists. In addition, the IBAN (International Bank Account Number) account format is not used in Russia and for the Russian ruble.

Fact-checkers assumed that the goal of the occupiers was either to discredit the utility company or to assure the people of Kherson that "Russia is here forever." We will remind you that earlier propagandists tried to discredit Khersonoblenergo. 

Russian propagandists continue to talk about Russia's invincibility in the war, including because of its economic power. The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes that Russia is a mediocre player in the international market. In particular, more than 75% of Russian exports are raw materials, more than 53% are energy carriers, and only 8% are high-tech products. A raw economy is a feature of a colony, not an empire, the Center summarizes.

Russian propaganda will spread the news that The New York Times (NYT) has stated the failure of anti-Russian sanctions. He said, "the West's attempts to stifle the export of Russian oil are returning to him with a boomerang." But it is manipulation, writes VoxCheck. In July, the NYT published an article analyzing the effect of anti-Russian sanctions. In reality, they have not worked as well or as quickly as Western governments had hoped. But this does not mean that the sanctions do not work at all or will not affect the Russian economy in the future. The authors of the NYT article admit that it has not yet been possible to stop the war, as hoped in the West. But not all sanctions have already started to take effect, and the action of some will be effective in the future. Therefore, the thesis of Russian propaganda about the "recognition of defeat" of the sanctions policy is another manipulation.

At the same time, Russian publications spread the news that it is claimed that three companies - Vanguard, Blackrock, and Blackstone, the main capital of which belongs to American funds, bought 17 million hectares of agricultural land in Ukraine. But it is a fake.

All Russian publications refer to the news of an unknown Australian site called Australiannationalreview.com, which does not provide any evidence to prove these claims. The news on the Australian website refers to material on the Auckland Institute, which is devoted to changes in legislation in Ukraine regarding the sale of agricultural land. However, in the report, there is no information about any of the three companies that allegedly bought a third of the land in Ukraine. Moreover, the material of the Auckland Institute appeared on August 6, 2021, and already the news with the names of these three campaigns and the thesis about "a third of the land sold" was published on May 27, 2022, on the Australian website. But it was reprinted in the Russian mass media only on July 26.

According to the State Service for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre write StopFake, 0.26 million hectares were sold in Ukraine during the year of operation of the land market. This figure is about 0.8% of the area of ​​agricultural land (32.6 million hectares) entered into the geocadastre. Thus, the data on 17 million hectares operated by Kremlin propagandists is 65 times greater than the area of ​​agricultural land actually sold in Ukraine.

The Russians have created a "Handbook for Ukrainian citizens on organizing resistance to the Kyiv puppet leadership," in which they advise to sabotage work in socially significant areas - in administrative positions, office workers, employees of government bodies, in the medical and educational fields, law enforcement activities, etc. It is reported by the HUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The manual has 14 pages, which repeatedly use terminology that reinforces the propaganda of hatred towards everything Ukrainian: "Kyiv hunta," "puppet leadership," etc.

The Main Directorate of Intelligence the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine claims that the "tips" encourage people to promote the Russian language (pretending not to understand Ukrainian), slow down the pace of work of state organizations, send various incorrect requests to state structures, make mistakes in the documentation and use more materials, including the number of medical, than required.

Such a thesis is spread on Russian social networks and the Kremlin's propaganda media pages. The reports claim that panic has allegedly started in Europe after Gazprom announced a cut in gas supplies.

Propagandists draw such conclusions after reading columnist Jacob Paul's column for the Express publication. But it is manipulation. In fact, there is nothing in the article on the Express website that there is panic in Europe due to the reduction of Russian gas supplies. As StopFake writes, the author of the material describes Russia's current situation with "gas blackmail" and writes about the European Union's plan to reduce dependence on Russian energy carriers gradually. The article analyzes the case of Germany, which received 55% of its gas from Russia. Still, at the same time, the article discusses ways to get the country out of energy dependence.

The Russian media spread this thesis after the occupiers restored power lines between the Kherson region and Crimea, blown up in 2015 during the energy blockade of the occupied peninsula. Petro Kotin, president of the national energy generating company Energoatom, said that Ukrainian electricity, particularly from the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP, does not reach occupied Crimea. "If there is a threat of stealing electricity from the Ukrainian power system or supplying it from the Zaporizhzhia NPP (to Crimea), appropriate measures will be taken in advance and will need to be carried out by our Armed Forces so that this never happens," he explained to Radio Svoboda. Kotin specified, "Crimea is connected to the Russian energy system; its frequency does not coincide with the Ukrainian one, so the automatic connection is impossible without additional expensive equipment."

In addition, Russian propaganda calls the restoration of power lines "an important step towards the economic integration" of the occupied territories of southern Ukraine in the Russian Federation. The representation of the President of Ukraine in Crimea reported that despite the statement of the occupiers about the readiness of Crimea to "become a transit region" for the supply of electricity to the captured territories of southern Ukraine, the situation would likely be the opposite. "The energy system of the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula was never self-sufficient and always required the supply of electricity from other regions. It is extremely likely that in the conditions of the occupation of certain territories of southern Ukraine, particularly the city of Energodar and the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the restoration of high-voltage power lines between the Kherson region and the occupied Crimea can be used precisely to meet the needs of Crimea at the expense of the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP," the Representation noted and added that the theft of electricity by the occupiers could create a shortage of electricity for the needs of the population of the region.

Anonymous Telegram channels promote the message of Ukraine's inability to rebuild, showing how the Russians are allegedly repairing the Melitopol-Berdyansk highway and building houses "even without a referendum."

The purpose of such a message is likely to be psychological pressure on the residents of the occupied territories, as well as to spread the message that Ukraine will not have enough funds to rebuild the country.

Russian media spread information that the Germans are demanding the launch of Nord Stream 2 by the German authorities. Russian propagandists note that the demands of German citizens are caused by alleged fears after Vladimir Putin's statement that the freezing of the gas pipeline took place at the initiative of the German side. This article consists of comments on a German newspaper Die Welt report.

In fact, it is manipulation and one of the tactics of Russian propaganda - to publish comments under foreign publications articles for society's " opinion. " In 2021, Cardiff University's Institute for Crime and Security Research investigated this operation of the influence of Russian propaganda and concluded that the comments of readers who published pro-Kremlin content showed signs of "inauthenticity and coordination." So, the work of the commentators is organized and supervised. This study shows that Russia uses provocative pro-Russian or anti-Western comments in response to articles in Western media, including Die Welt, for its propaganda. "Then these comments are used by many Russian-language mass media, which take them as a basis for materials about politically controversial events. "Marginal mass media" and websites with experience spreading disinformation and propaganda also write about them. This influence operation was uncovered as part of an investigation into online activity amid tensions between Ukraine and Russia in early 2021. But researchers believe that the use of this tactic has been spreading since 2018," the Institute said.    

The Center reported it for Combating Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council in a telegram.

"On the fake Facebook page "Ukraine 24", which has visual features of the official Facebook page of the "Ukraine 24" TV channel, an edited video of one of Zelenskyi's speeches was posted with a call to transfer the person's data; transfer of the bank card number," the message reads.

As noted in the fake video, "all this is necessary for a guaranteed payment of UAH 8,000 to every citizen who has registered."

Such messages and video materials are elements of fraudulent schemes aimed at acquiring personal data and funds of trusting citizens.

Such information is distributed on social networks by blogger Serhii Gula. He published a video that warns Ukrainians not to apply for humanitarian aid from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). For example, the organization does not request permission to process personal data, does not set restrictions on the transfer of collected data to third parties, and does not provide data security guarantees. It is not true.

To apply for assistance from UNICEF, Ukrainians must consent to process personal data. UNICEF has the right to share this data only with other humanitarian organizations, the Ministry of Social Protection of Ukraine, and banks for making payments under the program.

The monetary aid program from UNICEF "Together" is additional support during the war for Ukrainian families with many children (three or more minor children) or families with at least one child with a disability under 18 years of age. As VoxCheck fact-checkers have investigated, to receive financial assistance under this program, it is necessary to provide family members' personal data to check compliance with the program's criteria. Received UNICEF will store personal information for no more than five years from the moment of its last use. The organization claims to store information on a secure server using data encryption methods.

Such information is distributed on social networks. However, it is not true.

PJSC "Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo" denied the report about the disconnection of energy supply in the temporarily occupied territories. The company emphasizes that there are currently no planned power outages in the Zaporizhzhia region, and there will not be any. A similar message was published by the press service of "DTEK Donetsk Electric Networks." The enterprises confirm that there are problems with energy supply in certain territories. Still, they are connected exclusively with damage to power grids due to military actions or difficult weather conditions. However, if there is an opportunity, energy workers have been working around the clock since the first days of a full-scale invasion and restoring electrical equipment as soon as possible.

Earlier, propagandists spread fakes about the disconnection of gas supply in the temporarily occupied territories. In this way, they try to convince the residents of the temporarily occupied territories that they have been "abandoned" or "forgotten" in Ukraine and the occupiers "care" about their well-being.

On Facebook, messages about a fake raffle from the "ATB" supermarket chain were spread, supposedly for the 29th anniversary of the chain for residents of Volyn.

The participants of the so-called raffle were promised several HP laptops and iPhone 13. Fact-checkers of the Brekhunets project discovered another fraudulent scheme.

Fraudsters offered everyone to register to participate in the draw through a special form. Moreover, you need to select "free gift card" and download a document with unknown content, probably a virus or other software tweaks that attackers use to gain remote access to personal devices and their information.

The information about the fake raffle was denied on the official Facebook page of the "ATB" trade network. "ATB" representatives call for vigilance and attention, not to participate in fraudulent promotions, and advise to look for trustworthy information about promotional offers on the company's official website and official pages on social networks.

Previously, we wrote about a fraudulent scheme that allegedly guaranteed Volyn residents payments of UAH 9,800 from the European Union, but instead, criminals tried to steal bank card data.

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine refutes the main fakes about the return of customs duties and taxes on imports.

The Center explains that cars from the EU do not become more expensive, but customs clearance costs return because many people have abused the "zero" rate. That is why the Verkhovna Rada returned customs duties and taxes on car import and customs clearance.

Information about products from Europe. In connection with the restoration of logistics systems, from July 1, the Verkhovna Rada resumed taxation for goods imported by taxpayers of the single tax's first, second, and third groups. This step will help cheaper goods from domestic producers to compete in the consumer market.

They are spreading a fake that returning customs duties and import taxes will do nothing but corruption. In fact, it is expected that the return of the customs duty will allow replenishment of the budget by at least UAH 3.5 billion every month. These funds will support the Armed Forces and create new jobs for citizens who lost their jobs during the war.

Mykhaylo Onufriyenko, a pro-Russian journalist and blogger from Ukraine, said this on the TV channel of Kremlin propagandist Volodymyr Solovyov "Solovyov Live." He believes that "the Anglo-Saxons, of course, are ready to fight to the last Ukrainian, but Europe does not want to fight." And allegedly, the West does not want to help Ukraine because it thinks about the heating season and whether there will be gas. However, it is not true. Even though the EU is preparing for a complete gas blockade by Russia, support for Ukraine does not stop. Western countries help Ukraine defend itself against Russia and provide humanitarian aid. In addition, the other day, Ukraine received a German grant of 1 billion euros. On July 7, the European Parliament supported the provision of European macro-financial assistance to Ukraine for 1 billion euros.

Such a statement was made by the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council and former President of Russia, President of Russia Dmytro Medvedev.

It follows from Medvedev's words that the previous history of post-Soviet Russia was not taken seriously in the West. He gave the example of the meeting of the leaders of the states in the G8 format turned into the G7 because Russia was not invited there.

"If they ignore you, things are bad as in childhood, when neighbors came to fight in your yard. If you get scared and run home, you are nobody and will not be called anywhere else. And if you hit first, the chances of defending your position become significantly higher," wrote the former president of Russia.

Russian mass media cite the statement of Thierry Mariani, a member of the European Parliament, who is known for his pro-Russian views and visits to the occupied Crimea as part of a fake EU delegation that wrote the StopFake project. Fact-checkers drew attention to the fact that a different position does not reflect the position of the entire European Parliament and the EU, and generalization is a technique for manipulation. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, the EU has mobilized about 4.1 billion euros in emergency aid. In addition, in May, the European Commission offered to provide Ukraine with additional macro-financial assistance: 25-year loans with a 10-year grace period for the return of the principal amount, writes Bloomberg regarding three EU officials. EU funds will also cover the interest on these loans. More details.    

In social networks, a manipulative thesis is being spread to a foreign audience that the British are allegedly being deceived about the increase in fuel cost after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. As an "argument," they use a comparison of the price of fuel in Ukraine and Britain, and they also call to "wake up and do something."

Fuel prices in Ukraine are lower than in Britain. However, according to Reuters Fact Check, it is due to fuel taxes. At the same time, in both countries, retail fuel prices rose after the outbreak of the Great War. Head of the research department of The Global Economy Project Neven Valev, RAC spokesperson Simon Williams, and Wood Mackenzie chief analyst Isabelle Gilks ​​explained that countries with lower excise taxes on fuel have lower prices. Williams added that Ukrainian gasoline "currently has no excise tax and only 7% VAT." According to Gilks, taxes on petrol and diesel in Britain "include 20% VAT and fuel duty of almost 53p per liter". So the difference in the cost of fuel in Ukraine and the UK is affected by taxation, which does not prove that the public is being deceived about the prices in the UK. This manipulation is being spread to fuel the message of "general war fatigue" and cause the British to mistrust their government, and in the future to encourage them to oppose the government's initiatives to support Ukraine.    

The first deputy chairman of the Kherson Regional Council, Yuriy Sobolevsky, said that the Russian occupiers were dispersing such "news" in the region. However, it is not true.

"The Orcs are spreading misinformation that Ukraine has refused pension provision for the Kherson region. It's fake! All pensions will be accrued," Sobolevsky wrote on Facebook.

He noted that all pensions would be transferred: Ukraine has fulfilled and continue to fulfill all social obligations to its citizens in the Kherson region.

"The problem of issuing money to pensioners who do not have bank cards has not been physically solved because the occupiers have refused the practice of allowing humanitarian convoys from Ukraine from the first days, and now they have suppressed the work of Ukrposhta in the region," explained Sobolevsky.

On June 30, the Kherson City Council confirmed that the Kherson Directorate of "Ukrposhta" ceased its operations in the occupied territories. Resumption of work is possible only under the Ukrainian authorities.

"Ukrposhta survived for four months under the conditions of occupation. Pensions and social benefits were paid to people. From the first days of the occupation, we stopped receiving monetary support for the payment of pensions. It became increasingly difficult to collect money at the expense of paying utility bills and remittances," says a representative of the Kherson directorate of JSC "Ukrposhta."

The City Council stressed that pensions will not be canceled but will be accumulated in accounts at Oshchadbank, and they can be obtained in the controlled territory at any branch of this bank.    

Russian media reports that "specialists of the Center for Special Information and Psychological Operations of the Armed Forces" conducted another "operation." They allegedly took out the grain and blew up an empty granary in Zelenodolsk, Dnipropetrovsk region, to accuse the Russian army of destroying civilian infrastructure. It is not true.

The local authorities denied the information. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk RMA, Valentin Reznichenko, said that on June 30, the Russians shelled the Kryvorizka district and targeted the agricultural enterprise of the Zelenodol community. As a result, a warehouse containing 40 tons of grain was destroyed. The local authorities provided photo and video evidence of the events. The occupiers called the evidence "another fake" that "is being replicated by Ukraine with the help of the West."    

This manipulative thesis, spread by the Russian media, is part of the fakes about the supposed "ineffectiveness of Western sanctions against the Russian Federation" and that "anti-Russian sanctions hit Europe more painfully than the Russian Federation." This time, Russian propagandists used the New York Times article as "proof" that "Russia was almost unaffected by the sanctions." However, this thesis is not there.

"News" under this title was published by Russian and Belarusian publications concerning the mayor of Riga, Martins Stakis. Allegedly, he stated that the hotels in the capital may soon stop accepting Ukrainian refugees for free and that on July 1, the agreement between the Latvian government and representatives of the hotel business may terminate. On June 15, Martins Stakis gave an interview to Latvian Television (LTV) and spoke about Ukrainian refugees.

He said the state should provide more compensation for hosting refugees in hotels. Otherwise, they will no longer provide these services, and refugees will have to find new accommodation.

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine denied the fakes about receiving a Ukrainian pension abroad.

Pensions are accrued to all retirees! The bodies of the Pension Fund of Ukraine and the social protection of the population carry out monthly accrual of pensions and social benefits for both internally displaced persons and citizens who went abroad due to the war in Ukraine.

The funds of those who received a pension from Ukrposhta will not be lost. If you still want to receive payments abroad, you need to change the method of receiving funds and transfer the charges to the card.

Russian media are actively spreading the news that the Americans have accused the United States and Ukraine of stealing $ 40 billion in military aid. In particular, RIA-Novosti wrote about it. Do reports say that under the news of allocating a new tranche of aid, Americans ask the authorities where the previously given money went? Also, Americans under this post seem to be concerned about the use of taxpayers' funds and financial responsibility for government actions. Russian propaganda turned the comments of anonymous users into loud headlines such as: "Where did the money go?", "Ukrainians spent the previous 40 billion too quickly!" etc. However, all this is manipulation. According to StopFake, the news was made based on the comments of seven anonymous users of the social network Twitter. Their authors are not opinion leaders, experts, or analysts. In addition, comments were added almost simultaneously, which is a sign of the activity of bots. Therefore, it is evident that such an opinion cannot reliably reflect Americans' views. Russian media often use this technique to create news and mislead readers artificially. It is not the first time Russian propaganda has tried to discredit US aid to Ukraine. Earlier, we wrote about how similar attempts were made based on extracted citations from an article published in The Wall Street Journal. Similarly, during the week, propaganda used comments from individual social media users from France and Germany to spread the idea that citizens of these countries did not support and "dislike" Ukraine.

Fake accounts spread on social networks that, despite the situation in Ukraine, the hotel administration wants to give guests a happy summer vacation. "Payment can be made both in rubles and in hryvnias. Our position is neutral; we do not choose either side. We are for peace and summer vacation by the sea," the swindlers wrote online. Earlier, similar ads could be found for the Crimean hotels of this chain.

Russian propagandists spread such information. In particular, she appeared in pro-Russian telegram channels. Such reports say that Ukraine has stopped paying salaries to public sector employees in the occupied territories and has stopped paying pensions and other social benefits. The authors of such reports claim that there will be no more payments from Ukraine for Energodar residents. However, this is a fake. It was refuted by the mayor of Energodar, Dmytro Orlov. "Dear citizen of Energodar, all this information is not true! The rashists and their collaborating henchmen in the occupied territories are increasing the number of fakes, the main purpose of which is to "stimulate" people to obtain Russian passports. After all, they saw that fewer people were willing to receive this dubious paper in Energodar and other territories than they had expected. That's why they use almost everything: persuasion, blackmail, intimidation, and artificially created feelings of hopelessness. Do not succumb to provocations! We understand that with limited access to the Internet, it is difficult to obtain timely information. But you should know: Ukraine will never voluntarily give up its citizens and is doing everything to bring the day of your liberation closer," the mayor of Energodar wrote.

This message was spread by the Russian media and social networks concerning an article in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), published on June 13. Russian propaganda has traditionally exaggerated information and speaks of "ordinary sawing" and "expected theft." However, the quotes announced by the Russian media are taken out of context and distort the opinion expressed in the original source. The fact-checkers from StopFake drew attention to the manipulation. The WSJ published an article about how much money the United States spends daily on military aid to Ukraine under the headline: "Since billions go to Ukraine, officials are concerned about the possibility of fraud and waste." It reports that the United States sends about $ 130 million a day in aid to Ukraine (including the cost of weapons, not just money as such). The US Congress has also allocated nearly $ 54 billion to Ukraine, exceeding annual aid to any other country, including aid sent to Afghanistan at the peak of US military involvement there. The article's authors, referring to the opinion of American politicians, draw attention to the need to establish an effective mechanism for controlling the allocated funds, which did not happen at the beginning of the war due to the need to respond quickly to challenges. That is, Americans want to be sure that the money allocated goes to their goals. And this is natural, given the amount of funding.

On Facebook, the attackers launched an old fraudulent scheme of alleged "compensation for VAT paid," which now was combined with "assistance from EU countries." This advertisement is promoted on Facebook, using the Ukraine 24 TV channel logo. The message is illustrated by a photo of Volodymyr Zelensky with the "signed decree" captions and "urgent check of cards for payments to each citizen from UAH 9,800" to draw attention to the information in it. The post's description states that "Ukrainians will receive financial assistance from EU countries" and about "VAT refunds for the last three years." To receive "compensation," social network users are offered to go to a third-party site, where they are asked to provide all the card data, they say "for verification." With this card information, attackers will appropriate all the money in the account. A similar scheme was distributed in 2021 when photos of the host of "1 + 1" Alla Mazur were used.

This manipulative thesis is spread on Facebook to foreign audiences. German-language reports claim that while "at home [German] pensioners are starving," the government has provided 22 billion euros to Ukraine and plans to pay even more.

Fact-checkers discovered this manipulation from the German publication Correctiv. According to a government spokesman, Germany has allocated about 1.83 billion euros to Ukraine since 2014, about 1.6 billion euros for various aid programs since February 2022, and about a billion euros for military purposes. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that since 2014, Germany had supported Ukraine for more than two billion euros. "Comparing assistance to Ukraine or refugees with the situation of pensioners in Germany, as they are presented in a Facebook post, is not new. It has only recently been rumored that Ukrainian refugees can receive a pension ten years earlier than Germans, which is not true," Correctiv added.

Information was spread on social networks that Kyiv was allegedly calling for the abandonment of the metro because it was a legacy of the Soviet Union. To such posts are added photos with stickers that contain this appeal and are allegedly pasted in the subway.

Georgian lawyer Irakli Zakareishvili published a post on Facebook claiming that "US President Joe Biden deceived Europe and forced it to give up Russian oil, while the United States buys twice as much oil from Russia as before the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict." The claim that the US doubled its oil purchases from Russia after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine is fake. Fact-checkers from Myth Detector refuted Zakareishvili's words. In fact, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US imposed an embargo on Russian oil, natural gas, and coal on March 8. Canada, Great Britain, and Australia joined the initiative. On May 30, the European Union banned seaborne imports of Russian oil with a six-month phase-in period for crude oil, accounting for 90% of the country's oil purchases. The volume of Russian oil sold in Europe in April increased significantly compared to March. According to The Wall Street Journal, Russia can sell increased volumes of oil by resorting to fraud — tankers loaded with Russian oil indicate in official documents: "Destination unknown." The oil is then loaded onto large ships in the middle of the sea, and as a result, its origin is concealed.

As for the USA, we can talk about the increased demand for Russian oil from Indian companies that process Russian crude oil into gasoline and diesel fuel, mixing it with products purchased in other countries. The US does buy some oil products from India, but it is impossible to determine which ones contain Russian oil. Experts claim that even in the case of Russian fraud, the volume of oil products of Russian origin on the market in the United States is insignificant.

The Russian media is constantly speculating on the food crisis, which all international organizations warn about. Most often, they write that Ukraine itself blocks ports and therefore does not export grain to countries that usually buy Ukrainian agricultural products. Are they claiming that Ukraine is selling its grain in exchange for weapons, or is it exporting grain to Europe to create an artificial famine in Ukraine itself? But there is a new thesis - there is not enough Ukrainian wheat at all, so the lack of exports can not affect most people worldwide.

For example, Soloviev and other propagandists write about it on telegram channels. In fact, it is a manipulation. First, the 16 million tons Russian propagandists write about is only an approximate level of wheat exports. But Ukraine does not only export wheat - in 2020/2021, the state exported almost 60 million tons of grain. And among them - barley, beans, corn, flour, and oil. And Ukraine cannot export all these products to Asia and Africa due to Russia's blockade of ports.

Secondly, Ukraine had convenient transport links with the countries it supplied grain, making it cheaper. Now, due to the impossibility of delivering them there from Ukraine, they are becoming more expensive - and therefore, countries are forced to buy less. Several countries, including Egypt and Lebanon, are a quarter dependent on grain supplies from Ukraine. The figures are as follows: 25 million tons of corn and wheat are equivalent to the annual consumption of all the world's least developed economies. And it was Ukraine that met the grain needs of these countries. In addition, recent years have been dry in many countries, so grain production has declined altogether - and this could lead to famine in the world's poorer countries. Ukrainian grain is now in dire need of Ukrainian grain.

  Information about this is spreading on social networks. Allegedly, all pensions and social benefits received or stored on the bank cards of Mariupol will be directed in favor of the Armed Forces if they are not urgently withdrawn from the accounts. However, this is a fake. According to Mariupol Mayor's Adviser Petro Andryushchenko, all money in the bank accounts of Ukrainian citizens is kept and not transferred without their consent, either to the Armed Forces or anywhere else. "The property right of Ukrainians is unconditional and protected by the state. The purpose of the fake is to form anti-Ukrainian sentiments, encourage Mariupol residents to refuse to evacuate, and provoke the use of conversion centers run by the occupation administration, ” Andryushchenko wrote. 

Such information was disseminated on social networks during May. In particular, such messages were published by Kherson activist Viktor Totsky, the lead of the housing cooperative, candidate for Kherson City Council in 2020, and candidate for People's Deputies in 2019. The messages claim that the occupiers control the Kherson budget, and private individuals must pay taxes to them. However, this is not true. According to the fact-checking project Bez Brekhni, if the Kherson business can and wants to pay taxes and contributions, it may well do so on the accounts published by the State Tax Service. In addition, the Kherson budget is fully controlled by the legitimate city authorities - the executive committee of the Kherson City Council. "Relevant expenditures in the form of salaries, contributions, etc., are carried out regularly, but if there are funds in the budget. A significant problem is a lack of funds in the Kherson budget due to reduced revenues (this is due to the occupation). However, still, it is completely under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, "the fact-checkers write.

Pro-Kremlin media are spreading lies, according to The Guardian economist Larry Elliott. In a May 3 report, Elliott expressed concern about the humanitarian catastrophe and suggested that sooner or later, an agreement should be reached between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, the journalist added that it is difficult to compromise with the Kremlin due to the terrible atrocities committed by Russian troops. There is no support for the Putin regime in the text. The author believes that negotiations could be the best option for the world.

Based on the assumptions and reflections of an individual journalist, Russian propaganda created dozens of materials about the alleged recognition of power and invincibility of Russia by Britains.

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine reminds us that the Kremlin's use of experts who express a personal opinion is manipulation. In this way, Russia is trying to impose its point of view on the world.

After the ambassadors of the European Union approved the sixth package of sanctions against Russia on June 2, the pro-Kremlin media intensified the thesis that it would not affect Russia as much as the West. Russian propagandists write that the European Union has analyzed who is harmed by anti-Russian sanctions and decided to reconcile with Russia. Due to specific sanctions against Russia in the EU, inflation has been breaking all records recently, with grain and vegetable oil prices rising significantly. Therefore, the sanctions imposed by the European Union under the sixth package could lead to a "price shock," an increase in interest rates, and a decline in the population's purchasing power.

One of the sources of the manipulative idea of ​​reconciliation was a column by scholar William Moloney in the American publication The Hill entitled "Can Russia win a PR war against the West?". A writer citing the New York Times suggests that the United States and its allies are no longer staunch supporters of "victory" for Ukraine and harsh "punishment" for Russia as they were at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And that now they are trying to find an acceptable way to compromise to end the war. But nowhere in the column does the author claim that the European Union has decided to reconcile with Russia. Even though the European Union has approved the sixth package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus in connection with Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. In particular, the EU has decided to ban the purchase, import, or transit of crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia. Excluding the use of Russian oil will take six months for crude oil and up to 8 months for other refined products.

If restrictive political and economic measures against Russia had not destroyed its economy, Putin would not have had to repeat as a mantra that "sanctions against Russia are largely provoking a global crisis." He has recently blackmailed the EU and the US by unblocking Ukrainian ports for grain exports after anti-Russian sanctions are lifted. And on June 4, he came up with another option, if Ukraine wants to export grain, it can do it, but not through ports, but through Belarus, and for this, the EU will need to lift sanctions from Minsk.

And if in Russia, an analog of McDonald's was invented, Russian companies have already faced a technological crisis due to Western sanctions. According to the Financial Times, they can not replace their electrical and computer equipment from global manufacturers who have completely stopped doing business in Russia.

In fact, Russia's real place is a lot of noise out of nowhere. All of Russia has less GDP than one state of California or Texas. The only valuable contribution of modern Russia to the world economy is oil and gas. 

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has spread fake information that Ukraine will receive only 15% of the $ 40 billion allocated by the United States to help Ukraine. Most of the money will go to the United States and other countries - but Ukrainians will have to return all 40 billion US dollars.

In fact, it is not the case: indeed, $ 6 billion - or 15% of the total - will go directly to the Ukrainian army. And, for example, more than 8 billion - to restore weapons stockpiles for the US Army itself, which has already handed over a lot of equipment to Ukraine. But other programs for which the United States allocates 40 billion are humanitarian aid, including refugees from Ukraine to the United States and other European countries; these are funds for stabilizing inflation, economic recovery, etc. You can read in detail what the funds will be allocated for this assistance here. And all these programs, in different ways, help Ukraine and Ukrainians - both in the country and abroad. Another part will go to strengthening NATO troops in Europe.

Volodin's manipulation was spread by many Russian media simultaneously, claiming that this assistance would need to be returned. However, this is an aid, not a lend-lease - a program of a simplified system of purchasing weapons for Ukraine in the United States. It means that you will need to return the money - just later, not at the time of purchase and delivery.

Russian Telegram channels and the media controlled by the occupiers write that the Ukrainian government plans to refuse social benefits to residents of the occupied region. It is a lie that StopFake has refuted.

All social benefits continue to be paid in the oblast, but in some cases, the payments have been blocked due to technical conditions. Local authorities have repeatedly reported these delays.

Deputy Chairman of the Kherson Regional Council Yury Sobolevsky previously said that social benefits in the region would not be canceled. Besides, the deputy of the Kherson regional council, Serhiy Khlan, noted on May 19 that all social payments across the Kherson region, which were blocked till today, managed to be unblocked. And by May 22, all-region residents must receive social benefits.

It will be recalled that the Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Maryna Lazebna, stated that all pensions and social benefits to those Ukrainians who find themselves in temporary occupation zones are accrued properly.

Facebook users are sharing a video claiming that Zelenskyy is working for the United States and Russia at the same time. The video is based on various Russian propaganda theses, such as "Ukraine is ruled by America," "Ukraine will soon cease to exist," "Zelenskyy received billions of dollars from the United States," and others. For example, the video claims that "Zelenskyy disarmed NATO, united the Russians around Putin, and expelled foreign companies from Russia to do Russian work."

It is another attempt by Russian propagandists to discredit the truth and disrupt plans to seize Ukraine in 72 hours - victory: NATO is not disarmed, Putin's support is important only to Putin and the Russians, Zelenskyy did not receive billions from the West, Russia in isolation, and so on. The war started by Russia is destroying Ukraine, but it is also reducing the economic performance of the aggressor country itself.

You can read more about the facts that contradict the allegations in the video in the Delphi article.

Pro-Russian online publication in Ukraine "Strana.ua" regarding the words of the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Housing Oleksiy Kucherenko scared Ukrainians that "Naftogaz" raised natural gas prices and now for heating, a two-room apartment will have to pay up to 10000 hryvnias. Several other media outlets have spread this manipulation.

On May 10, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the draft Law of Ukraine "On the peculiarities of regulating relations in the natural gas market and the field of heat supply during martial law and subsequent recovery." The bill provides a moratorium on rising natural gas prices and tariffs for heat and related services.

However, the gas supply company Naftogaz of Ukraine reassured: "It will not affect the payments of Ukrainians." The company keeps the gas price within the annual tariff plan "Fiksovanyy." This decision was made due to martial law. The gas price is UAH 7.96 per cubic meter with VAT, without the cost of distribution (supply). Contracts between 2.2 million Ukrainian households and the company will be automatically renewed.

Russian propagandists are spreading a fake story about "small arms depots" that were allegedly sold during the war, and it was because of this sale that Artemsil was shut down. Fake was analyzed in detail by StopFake.

The only thing that is true in the report of Russian propagandists is that warehouses in the mines where salt was mined in Bakhmut (former Artemivsk) existed. Weapons from the First and Second World Wars during the Soviet era and then, already during independence, kept some guns from the disbanded Ukrainian units.

But back in 2014, 95% of these weapons from warehouses were transported to Western Ukraine when there were fierce battles around Bakhmut. First of all, modern weapons were exported, but old ones were also moved - for example, Maxim machine guns and other historical weapons. For instance, Yuri Biryukov, an adviser to President Petro Poroshenko, wrote about this in 2015 and inspected warehouses. From a military point of view, warehouse values ​​don't matter. And one of the largest producers of salt in Europe - the company "Artemsil" can not work due to constant shelling. That is why salt has become so expensive in Ukraine, and there are interruptions in the supply of salt in Europe. "The company is not working, idle, according to the order, indefinitely. The shelling is constant; the administrative building is partially destroyed. There were direct hits in the mine, in the warehouse. The production process is impossible. We will not endanger people. Moreover, most of the residents of Soledar and employees of Artemsil have already been evacuated. Most of the employees of the administration, engineering, and technical workers are not on-site, " acting director of the enterprise Viktor Yurin told Radio Svoboda. That is why the "salt crisis artificially created by the Kyiv regime," which the propagandists write about. The sale of the "shooting failure to sell it to Africa" ​​is a fiction of former Verkhovna Rada deputy Ilya Kiva, who was the first to spread this lie.

With the start of the war, Ukrainian anti-vaccination groups in Viber decreased Kremlin propaganda, but over time it returned. Texty.org.ua writes about this in their research.

Information, that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station captured by Russian troops held 30,000 kilograms of plutonium and 40,000 kilograms of enriched uranium, was first spread by a Wall Street Journal journalist on social networks; from where it was picked up and disseminated by the Russian media. Russia can use this fake to spread the message that Ukraine is allegedly preparing to "resume nuclear weapons production" because enriched uranium and plutonium could potentially be used as raw materials for nuclear weapons.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned about attempts by scammers to get rich at the expense of relatives of the Ukrainian military. "Relatives of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have started receiving suspicious phone calls and messages," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. - Using the emotional state of relatives and friends, the attackers call from hidden numbers and offer to "provide information" about the military and "facilitate the release from captivity" for a monetary reward. The scammers are also trying to find out the personal data of Ukrainian defenders, allegedly as clarification. "

A fake is being spread on social networks that Viber messenger will allegedly be paid "next Saturday." The message also says that this information should be "sent to your ten friends so that it remains free." In fact, messaging on Viber, like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, is free. The fake about the alleged "paid Viber" was spread at least since 2018, and since then, the message's text has not changed. Such statements do not mention the date when the messenger is supposed to be paid, which indicates untruthfulness or manipulativeness. Also, this intrusion has other features of a fake: the lack of a primary source and a call to spread messages between your contacts.

Read more.

The Russian media spread this manipulative thesis, StopFake reports. It is part of a widespread message that Ukraine allegedly "abandoned" the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, saying that "people are forced to survive on their own, cook food in makeshift field kitchens." In fact, gas supplies to these areas have been cut off because shelling by the Russian military has damaged the main gas pipeline. On May 23, the gas transmission system operator of Ukraine announced that the damaged section of the gas pipeline had been located. Still, it was currently impossible to resume gas transportation due to active hostilities. The Luhansk Regional Military Administration clarified that the gas pipeline was damaged when the Russian military tried to cut off the Luhansk region from the Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway. In Donetsk Region State Administration added that the central hub through which gas went to the Donetsk region is now in the temporarily occupied territory of the Luhansk region.

Such a statement by the chairman of the State Duma of Russia, Vyacheslav Volodin, was spread by the Russian media and pro-Kremlin telegram channels. According to him, 35 percent of the 40 billion will be used to finance the US military, 45.2 percent will be spent on other countries, 4.8 percent will be used to help refugees, reopen the USA embassy in Ukraine, and additional diplomatic support.

On Saturday, May 21, 2022, USA President Joe Biden signed a law providing $ 40 billion in aid to Ukraine. According to the document, the funds should be used for military and humanitarian aid. $ 20 billion of these funds will go to armaments, and the rest is direct budget and humanitarian aid.

 According to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Russia uses Croatian MEP Mislav Kolakusic to spread the Kremlin's message that "sanctions against Russia will not stop the war in Ukraine." "The other day, during a speech in the European Parliament, M. Kolakusic said that if the European Union does not want to finance the war, it should also impose sanctions on the United States, which supplies weapons to Ukraine. This statement is manipulative because Russia has waged war against the Ukrainian people and is trying to seize foreign territories. Periodically, a member of the European Parliament retransmits messages from Russia about the "dependence of the EU on the United States" and discredits Ukraine's allies in the international arena, "the statement said. Such a message is beneficial to Russian propaganda to discredit Ukraine's allies in this war, saying that the sanctions imposed by EU countries are not enough to stop it, while the United States is inciting aggression and doing everything to make the war last longer. In fact, the United States, as an ally, is providing Ukraine with weapons to defend its integrity and sovereignty, which Russia has encroached upon by starting a bloody war.

Russian propagandists spread such information. In particular, a message appears on social networks that Kharkiv is planned to be handed over to the occupiers because the city is allegedly firing the Kharkiv Heat Networks utility company. Employees "Kharkiv authorities, by all indications, are confident that the city will come under Russian control. Otherwise, why should they destroy the entire structure of Kharkiv heating networks? The municipal enterprise Kharkiv Heat Networks dismisses all employees without compensation for unpaid salaries for three months. Operators are being fired, without whom it is impossible to start the heating season. So, do they understand that they will not have to start it? ” - it is written in a fake, widely spread the message. However, this is not true. According to the fact-checkers of the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center, from the first days of the war, boiler operators, locksmiths, welders, and other employees of Kharkiv Heat Networks, risking their lives, saved the city's heating system. Currently, repair works are carried out every day. There are reports about the work almost daily on the city council's website. Also, work on preparing for the new heating season has already begun and is not ending. However, the number of residential buildings in Kharkiv decreases every day, which could not be connected to heat due to shelling. That is, not all communal workers are fired from the enterprise.

Another myth that is spreading about life in the Russian-occupied Kherson. However, this is a manipulation. This was reported by a Kherson journalist who is currently living in the occupation. She shared accurate information with the fact-checkers of the project "On the other side of the news." According to her, some regularly pay on time, and some payments, such as disability and alimony, are not paid. They are trying to solve the problem. Pensions are paid, but there are nuances: they receive only on time on the card, and there are often problems with cash - it is difficult to deliver it to the community due to the blockade of the region and the regional center by the Russians, but they try.

There are now a lot of myths and speculations about life in Russian-occupied Kherson. In particular, the myth is spreading that in Kherson it is necessary to pay in Russian rubles for all goods and services. However, this is not the case. The myth was refuted by a Kherson journalist who is currently living in the occupation. She shared true information with the fact-checkers of the project "On the other side of the news". According to her, the Ukrainian financial system continues to operate in Kherson and payment in rubles is simply impossible. In the Kherson region, in particular in Genichesk, the Russians are trying to introduce cash payments in rubles, but these are just attempts, and not very successful. Although if you try hard, you can still get cash, in particular on a bank card. Be that as it may, Kherson residents are very hopeful that they will not be able to pay in rubles.

Russian media took the adviser's phrase out of context to the head of the Office of President Mikhailo Podolyak to convince their audience of the "correctness" of his narratives about the "genocide of Russians in Donbas." According to StopFake, the agitprop, namely, the pro-Kremlin channel "Tsargrad TV" used Podolyak`s quote, in which he said during the national telethon: "Adviser to the head of Zelensky's office Podolyak wanted to organize a total genocide in Kharkiv region, as well as in LNR and DPR. Until the word 'Russian' is forgotten here at all".

In fact, Podolyak, commenting on the probable course of events in Ukraine, replied that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would talk about how the counterattack would occur. For him, it is a principle "to liberate the Kherson region and the Zaporizhzhia region, and it is not even discussed. We must also be tough on collaborators and Russian troops in those areas. We definitely need the aquatorium of the Azov Sea. I support the word "Russians" being forgotten in the Kharkiv region, and I am for the word "Russians" to be forgotten in Luhansk and Donetsk regions. And that all these criminal elements, who call themselves some kind of "power" there, will not exist anymore, even physically. Because they are ordinary bandits. "

This information was spread by the Turkish newspaper Aydınlık, which belongs to the pro-Russian Vatan party. The pro-Kremlin media widely spread this lie. They said that Ukraine does not release foreign ships from ports to prevent an attack on Odesa. "If the Russians launch an operation in Odesa and strike at Turkish ships, it is believed that tensions will arise in Turkish-Russian relations," the newspaper said.

The International Chamber of Navigation reported that as of May 5, at least 40 foreign civilian ships remained in the ports of the Odessa region. They are at anchor due to the blocking of shipping by Russia, according to the site "Suspilne. Media". Andriy Klymenko, project manager at the Black Sea Institute for Strategic Studies, said that Russia had previously mined the sea routes from the Bosphorus to Odesa. However, they said it was Ukrainian mines.

Russian propaganda media spread this message. Reports say that refugees from Ukraine who left for the Czech Republic will soon not have money for food due to the abolition of financial assistance from the state. The Russian media clarify that this situation will arise due to changes in the law Lex Ukraine, which regulates the residence of refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic. According to the publication Nashi Groshi, the changes have indeed been made, but not as reported by Russian sites. For example, the Russian newspaper Novy Den notes that humanitarian aid of 5,000 Czech korunas (about 200 euros) now will be paid only once and only after registration in one of the municipalities. "At the same time, the website does not mention that the aid will be canceled only if the refugees already have free housing and humanitarian aid (provided with food and hygiene). That is why Russian sites are full of manipulative headlines from the category "Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic will soon have nothing to eat" and "refugees will be deprived of benefits if they do not fall into a dizziness," Nashi Groshi wrote. Read more.

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the CNSD, this is the thesis spread by veteran U.S. intelligence officer Paul Pilar in the global information space. He also calls on Western countries to make concessions to Russia and stop a new so-called cold war.

This is the information disseminated by the Russian media. Reports claim that the hospital in Rubizhny, "neglected due to lack of funds and resources," was allegedly repaired with funds from Ramzan Kadyrov's mother's fund. A video showing a tour of the new hospital was also made public on the Telegram account of the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. In that video, the Chechen fighters claim that before their arrival in the city there was "not a single institution that could not provide professional care. However, this is a fake. As StopFake fact checkers write, the infectious disease department of the Central City Hospital in Rubizhne was rebuilt with funds from the United Nations Development Program and the Japanese government back in 2017. Serhii Haidai, chairman of the Luhansk Military Regional Administration, said that before the war, this infectious disease department of the city hospital in Rubizhne had modern equipment and was considered one of the best in Ukraine.

Russian propaganda is actively spreading such a thesis in its media. As writes StopFake, thus propagandists interpreted in their own way one of the new laws, which will soon be signed by President Vladimir Zelensky. "We are talking about the document, in the translation of the Russian agitprop it turned into 'legalization of the robbery of supporters of Russia,'" the fact checkers write.

In this way, they are trying to increase the audience of telegram channels, taking advantage of the current vulnerability of Ukrainians in terms of finances, the Brekhunets project fact checkers write. In particular, the "ads" for money attach links to which you need to click to receive funds - in one version it is the age of the person, in another - the bank. Once the link is clicked, no money is involved. In the case of "crypto" anonymous organizers without mentioning the beginning and end of the draw offer to fulfill simple conditions: subscribe to the channel and put "+" in the comments. On the channel to which they offer to subscribe, there is no mention of cash equivalents, the end date of the drawing is indicated (not a close date) and all the content is in Russian. Read more

  According to VoxCheck, users of social networks spread information about allegedly state subsidies at "OKKO" gas stations for 5000 hryvnia. In order to get the money, users are offered to take a short survey. However, this is a fraud. The company OKKO denied information about the state subsidies for 5000 hryvnia. As the factchecker writes, OKKO network reported that it had nothing to do with this action. You can find out about the campaign on the official website, in a message from loyalty program Fishka or on pages in social networks. More details.  

Telegram channels controlled by Russian intelligence are spreading the thesis that Kentucky Senator Paul Rand blocked a bill to allocate $40 billion to Ukraine, ostensibly because the West "sawed off" humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The thesis is also spreading that the West is tired of the war in Ukraine, so it has only started to pay lip service to the country - but will in fact block real aid to the Ukrainians.

This is manipulation. First, there is no doubt, that $40 billion will be allocated to Ukraine – Senator Rand did not block, but only delayed the vote for the bill. The U.S. media is confident, it will be voted on next week.

Secondly, Rand's proposal to amend the bill to create additional control over how that money is spent in Ukraine will not be accepted, political analysts and politicians in the US are sure: in general they consider such a mechanism useful, but it will take more time to develop, and Ukraine needs help as soon as possible. And one last thing: Rand has many times slowed down the adoption of any decisions in the Senate, adding his own amendments to the bills at the time. This has involved not only Ukraine, but also bills on sanctions against Russia, preventing a federal government shutdown, the U.S. defense budget, and enhancing the security of judges and their families. His position is related solely to the internal political struggle in the U.S.

This thesis is spread by telegram channels administered by Russian special services. Russian propaganda promotes the manipulative message that the Ukrainian political top brass is enriching themselves on agribusinesses while Ukrainians are forced to consume in short supply and spend a lot of money on food. At the same time, these propagandists do not mention the fact that Russia steals and exports food from Ukraine. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, stolen grain from Ukraine can be exported to Russia, occupied Crimea and Syria (from where it can be smuggled to other Middle Eastern countries).

In fact, back in March 2022 the government banned the export of oats, millet, buckwheat, sugar, salt, rye, cattle, meat and by-products from cattle, frozen brine, etc. because of Russia's war against Ukraine. This was done to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, market stability and meet the needs of the population in critical food products. Under certain conditions (with informing the government and issuing a free license) it is possible to export: wheat and a mixture of wheat and rye (meslin), corn, domestic chicken meat, domestic chicken eggs, sunflower oil.

According to the Anti-Disinformation Center, the Russian propaganda actively spreads this thesis. The messages also say that Pekin is a fierce critic of the sanctions against Russia and does not condemn Moscow. "Indeed, the Kremlin only dreams of such a partnership as the basis of a new anti-Nazi bloc against the U.S. and NATO. There is no alliance between the countries. Since the early 1980s China has followed a diplomatic policy of independent self-sufficiency and lack of alliances. Reluctance to condemn the "special operation" Russia has strained relations between China and the United States, its allies. This disrupted the supply of goods from the PRC and led to the cancellation of export orders from Chinese companies. The underlying principle of the China-Ukraine Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation states that China supports Ukraine's policy aimed at the unity of the state and its territorial integrity", the Center's statement reads.

Back in March this year, almost at the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Bloomberg agency wrote that China will rely on Russia's attempts to involve it in the war against Ukraine and will not provide substantial military and material assistance. At the same time, the Chinese government does not want to pressure Russia to end the war. But there is no reason to call China an ally of Russia in this war.

Pro-Kremlin media and Telegram channels spread information that "the Kiev government is once again engaged in a 'culture of cancellation,'" as the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture allegedly plans to withdraw Russian literature from Ukraine's library collections. In particular, the propaganda publication RIA Novosti reported that "works of Russian literature, which is considered propaganda," will be withdrawn. In fact, these statements are manipulation, reports StopFake.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said that Ukraine will launch a process of removing Russian books from libraries, but it is not talking about all works of Russian literature, but only those that promote war and the elimination of Ukrainian statehood. The Council for the Development of Librarianship under the Ministry developed criteria, according to which books will be withdrawn. First of all, the works that meet one of these criteria will be withdrawn:

• whose content is aimed at eliminating the independence of Ukraine, propaganda of violence, inciting interethnic, racial, religious enmity, committing terrorist acts, encroaching on human rights and freedoms;

• propaganda of war, national and religious discord, changing the constitutional system or the territorial integrity of Ukraine by violence; contain justification, recognition as legitimate, denial of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, including by presenting the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine as an internal conflict, civil conflict, civil war, denial of temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine; glorify persons committing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, present;

• publishers, as well as authors to whom restrictive measures (sanctions) have been applied in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Sanctions";

• authors who publicly supported the aggression against Ukraine, information about which is publicly available on the Internet.

Apparently, the Russian language of the work is not a criterion according to which the Ministry of Culture will withdraw literature from library collections.The Council for Library Development, founded in April 2022, is engaged in the process of developing the criteria according to which literature will be withdrawn. They regularly publish information about their meetings on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian Library Association. According to the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, libraries can create advisory bodies, which will give recommendations on how to update the library collection in the conditions of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Library Association says that the issue of removing propaganda literature from the libraries of Ukraine will be approached carefully and in a balanced way. Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy Larysa Petasyuk confirms this: "Propaganda is a dangerous weapon. Today Russian lies poison everything around us. We have all the means to fight this phenomenon. The Ministry has defined clear criteria according to which Russian literature will be withdrawn from Ukrainian library collections. We approach this question carefully and in a balanced way. We hope that all this will have a positive effect on the development of Ukrainian book publishing.The Ministry of Culture reports that the withdrawn books will be replaced by Ukrainian works and books of Ukrainian publishers.

According to the Center to Counter Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Russian propaganda spreads this thesis, confirming it by saying that Hungary will veto the embargo on the import of Russian oil, which the European Union plans to include in the sixth package of sanctions against Russia. The veto of the embargo was announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on May 3. Since 65% of Hungary's oil consumption comes through the Druzhba pipeline, and there are no alternative lines to the country, the draft sixth sanctions package includes exceptions for Hungary and Slovakia, which are allowed to extend imports until the end of 2023. ""But due to the prohibition of transit through the Hungarian territory of military aid to Ukraine, the EU has launched a legal process, the result of which could be the termination of Euro-donations for Hungary. The reaction of EU countries prompts the Hungarian leadership to withdraw its veto of the EU oil embargo against Russia," the Center said in a statement.

This is the thesis spread by the Russian propagandist media allegedly referring to The Washington Post. The reports claim that most Americans are "dissatisfied with Biden's policy toward Ukraine." As fact checkers at StopFake write, for example, propaganda resources presented the results of a poll conducted among Americans in late April 2022. The propagandists claim that Americans are dissatisfied with both the sanctions imposed against Russia and the amount of military aid to Ukraine. According to StopFake poll by The Washington Post-ABC News, the number of Americans who support Biden's activities related to the war in Ukraine has increased. The percentage of those who do not support the policy, however, has not changed. "This survey showed that a majority of Americans, despite concerns about the war, agree that Ukraine needs even more help. Other surveys conducted at different times and by other organizations also show broad support for Ukraine among Americans and assistance," - the fact checkers write.

This manipulative thesis is spreading on social networks along with part of the material of the German publication Redaktions Netzwerk Deutschland (RND). This is not the first attempt by Russian propaganda to show that anti-Russian sanctions hit the countries that imposed them more than Russia itself. In fact, as StopFake points out, the RND material tells of ways to save money, in particular listing ways to save water due to the country's rising inflation. The article also gives tips on how to use water sparingly when showering, washing vegetables and dishes, and doing laundry. There is no mention in the article that Germans suffer from "anti-Russian sanctions. Regarding inflation in Germany, it started rising long before Russia's war against Ukraine.

More details

Citing the results of an Ipsos study called "Worrying the World," anonymous telegram feeds write that the problem of war in Ukraine is only 11th in the rankings, with war-induced inflation at the top. The manipulation is based on several points.

First, the study, which has been conducted for years using the same methodology in 27 countries, reports that the item "War Between the Nations" did not exist before and was introduced because of the war in Ukraine.

Second, countries in Europe and the U.S. are in the top 50 of those who care about the war in Ukraine. South American and African countries express 1-2% concern, which is natural given the geopolitical features of the world. "Concern is greatest in Europe. Poland has the highest level of worry, with four in ten (38%) saying it is one of the biggest problems in the country. Other countries show high levels of worry: Germany (35%), Sweden (30%), Britain (28%), and Italy (26%). There is less anxiety in Latin America," the study said. It also noted that in none of the countries respondents named war as their main concern, but in Germany the figure is only 2 points behind inflation, which was among the biggest worries. Instead, according to a local Ipsos survey in Denmark, which is not part of the Worrying World rating, in March, war in Ukraine was second with 30 percent, and climate change was first. In April, both problems topped the rating; only the numbers changed. Instead, according to a local Ipsos survey in Denmark, which is not part of the Worrying World rating, in March, war in Ukraine was second with 30 percent, and climate change was first. In April, both problems topped the rating; only the numbers changed.

Third, according to the study, inflation was among the top five global concerns in March for the first time since January 2013. The global rate in March was 32%, although at the beginning of the year it was 20%. Argentina takes it the most - 64%, where the war in Ukraine worries 1%.

Social networks are spreading data that the Russian ruble has become the second fastest-growing currency among developing countries, and the reason for this strengthening is exports. Mesegee - sanctions are inactive or working in the opposite direction.

Since late March, the ruble has really begun to recover from the collapse caused by the outbreak of war and sanctions, says Yurii Haidai, senior economist at the Center for Economic Strategy, in a commentary for the DM. Although now its official exchange rate for world currencies corresponds to the pre-war values, and the rate on the black market is somewhat lower, in the long term artificial holding of the exchange rate will harm the Russian economy, the expert added. "The first reason for the paradoxical persistence of the ruble is the trade balance. 60% of Russia's foreign exchange earnings come from oil and gas exports, which have largely persisted. The EU cannot quickly bring these purchases down to zero, and the decrease in demand from the EU is offset by high prices and attempts to redirect some exports to other countries.

In the first two months of the war, Russia received 62 billion euros in energy exports alone, of which 44 billion came from EU countries. At the same time, against the backdrop of sanctions and declining consumption, imports to Russia collapsed, which means that Russia spends much less currency than before the war. The trade surplus in the first quarter of 2022 was 55 billion euros, twice as much as in the past.

Combined with other steps, such as the obligation for exporters to sell 80% of foreign currency earnings, a sharp increase in the discount rate of the Central Bank of Russia, and a de facto ban on foreign investors exiting assets in Russia, this has created a significant demand for the ruble, leading to its appreciation.

Artificial keeping of the ruble exchange rate on the medium and long term will additionally damage the budget revenues and the economy of Russia, as it was admitted publicly by Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Central Bank of Russia. But until the Western countries introduce a full-fledged oil embargo, one should not expect a significant depreciation of the ruble," explained Yurii Haidai.

Anonymous telegram channels spread information that in the temporarily occupied territories the Russian authorities allegedly write off debts for public utilities. The authors of such reports also claim that with the spread of rumors that the western regions of Ukraine may be ceded to Poland, Romania, Slovakia or Hungary, people living in these regions are also allegedly not allowed to pay utility bills, because then the debts will be written off, as Russia does.

First of all, there is no question of the annexation of the western regions to any other country. It is only Russia that has attacked Ukraine with a war and seeks to seize our territory. Second, Russia may be writing off debts in the temporarily occupied territories, but in cities where Russian troops were already present, there are significant problems with communications, because Russia is purposefully destroying Ukrainian infrastructure. In particular, it blows up water and sewage pipelines, etc., and electricity and gas disappear in cities due to rocket and other shelling. In addition, such a message is dangerous because it seems to tell Ukrainians that it is advantageous to surrender to Russia because they will not have to pay for utilities and will be able to save money.

Information about this spread on social networks. Such reports claim that CNN filmed a fire in the city of Edmonton in Canada and stated that the video depicts the aftermath of the Russian airstrike in Lviv. According to the logic of the authors of the report, the proof of the fabricated report allegedly is that the video shows a man dressed in a jacket with the inscription "Edmonton." However, this is not true, and the video was not made in Canada. "The video does indeed depict a fire at an oil depot and defense plant in Lviv, and the protective suit labeled "Edmonton" is donated firefighting equipment from a Canadian charity," VoxCheck writes.

Margarita Simonyan admitted that any propaganda videos produced by RT are deleted on average in two minutes on social networks.

"The problem is that we are blocked everywhere, everyone is under sanctions, so it doesn't matter whether it's our own brand or another brand, they immediately find where their ears grow from and immediately cover it up, two minutes is the average life of our video." To spread its own propaganda, RT plans to post videos of prisoners and civilians it records in Russian-occupied territories, translate them into European languages, and encourage Russians to spread them in personal messages to people living in Europe. She called this attempt to spread Russian propaganda a "people's information militia."

"There is no other way out - centrally on other platforms it doesn't work. We are being burned out." Recall that most of the recordings of captives and citizens forcibly removed to Russia were recorded under pressure and under the supervision of the FSB.

Russian media reported, citing sources, that the Vatican Bank paid the equivalent of 10 million euros for Russian gas in rubles. However, the only source of this information is a tweet by user Mariia Ledovska.

The user later wrote that her tweet, which went viral, was a joke. There is no evidence of the Vatican payment or any intention of the state to pay for gas in rubles.

The Russian mass media are spreading news with the headlines "Not discussed" and its variants, which have to refer to French President Emanuel Macron that the embargo on Russian gas is not discussed in Europe.

In fact, this is manipulation: first, Macron, in an interview with Corriere della Sera said that the issue of gas may not be on the table in the EU (or maybe not) "This issue that may be on the table, but not yet today. Coal and oil are already being negotiated, gas is not yet. We know what enormous difficulties it causes. That's why you've been hearing me insist on European energy sovereignty for years.

Secondly, the gas embargo is constantly being negotiated in the EU. Yes, Macron himself insists that France supports this embargo and does not actually depend on Russian gas. Lithuania has already completely abandoned Russian gas, even Germany, which has been increasing its dependence on Russian gas for the last 8 years, is planning to do this next year (although Germany and Hungary are the two countries most likely to vote against the gas embargo proposal this year, should such a project appear on the EU ballot. So giving up Russian gas is one of the issues constantly being discussed in the EU - and some countries are already refusing to use oil and gas from Russia on their own.

Anonymous telegram channels have spread the message that postwar Ukraine will be a poor agrarian country, losing its mineral deposits and its position on the raw materials market. DiXi Group analyst Serhii Yevtushok thinks the theses are manipulative. "On the contrary, there is reason to argue that it is highly likely that Ukraine will get an even bigger boost in the development of the extractive sector in relation to minerals such as uranium, titanium and other critical mineral products after the war is over," he said. The analyst added that over the past few years Ukraine has been developing programs for exploration and production of critical minerals and a list of them has been determined. The National Program for Development of the Mineral Resource Base of Ukraine until 2030 was updated in 2021, which provides for permanent financing of geological exploration and increase of production of critical minerals. Also signed a memorandum with the EU, according to which Ukraine will attract investment for the development of the industry of critical raw materials, primarily for the production of batteries.

"Given the sanctions and the withdrawal of many companies, including service companies, the raw materials extracted from Russia will eventually become uncompetitive and will be forced out of the world markets. And the development of Ukrainian subsoil will allow, over time, to replace Russia's niche in the market," he summarized.

This is the information spread by the Russian propaganda media. In particular, the publication RIA-news, as well as - pro-Russian telegrams on channels. The reports say that the euro exchange rate "fell" and the Russian ruble "strengthened" because Europeans seem to pay for gas in rubles. The Center for counteraction to disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council denies such information.

"The new scheme that Putin tried to sell to the EU countries provides for the buyers to open a new foreign currency and ruble account with Gazprombank. That is, European countries have to pay for gas to a "passthrough" company, which would convert the currency into rubles and transfer the "wood" to Gazprom's account. Most EU countries refused to participate in such a "scheme. In particular, Italy and Germany - the largest consumers of Russian gas in Europe - refused to pay in rubles, arguing that it contradicted the terms of existing contracts. Among the "European buyers," Hungary and Moldova agreed to the Kremlin's gamble," according to the Center.

This information is spread in the propaganda media and telegram channels. Propagandists claim that the U.S. will not be able to replace Russian gas supplies to the EU if Russia stops doing so. However, this is manipulation. According to the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, the total volume of liquefied gas production in the USA makes 120 billion cubic meters a year, and by 2025 it will increase by another 70 billion cubic meters. Projects with a combined production of 206 billion cubic meters of gas have already received federal permits in the U.S. Last month, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen announced an agreement with Joe Biden under which the U.S. will increase additional supplies of liquefied gas to the EU to 50 billion cubic meters a year. These supplies will gradually replace EU imports from Russia, which last year totaled 155 billion cubic meters of gas. The task set by Europe to eliminate dependence on Russian gas is designed to level out the intentions of the Russian leadership to use energy supplies to the EU as leverage," the Center said in a statement.

Messages with such content are distributed in pro-Russian telegram channels. In particular, such messages can be found on the "Skooy Woman" channel. The authors of the text seem to be asking what awaits Ukraine and the Ukrainians, when Russian troops start bombing thermal power plants or power lines, or destroying coal reserves. Thus, the authors lead to the idea that the enemy has not yet done the worst in Ukraine, because so far he allegedly does not destroy infrastructure facilities, but only "" Ukraine itself undermines its own bridges. There is also an element of intimidation in such reports, saying that Russia's real war against Ukraine has not even started yet, and that you "dread to think" what will happen when Russia does to Ukraine what we did to Crimea. For example, cutting off electricity and spicy water." In fact, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, February 24, Russia has been striking Ukrainian infrastructure facilities: these include oil towers, TV towers, airports, railway stations and tracks. The enemy is targeting facilities not only in those cities where combat operations are ongoing, but also in conditionally peaceful ones in the west of the country. In addition to the enemy destroying Ukrainian facilities, the Russian military also massively abuses civilians in Ukraine. Another claim regarding Ukraine's bullying of Crimean residents is crude manipulation like the messaging that the war began as a result of "'the Ukrainian government has been bullying the inhabitants of Donbass for eight years. Read more about such messages in the text of Media Detector.

Andrei Isayev, a State Duma deputy from the United Russia party, said that Ukraine will have problems with the supply of food for the population, "the sowing season has failed, the roads are destroyed," "the Kiev regime will not solve this problem, and the West does not care about the fate of ordinary Ukrainians." Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi said in an interview to "Ekonomichna Pravda" that Ukraine does not have and will not have any problem with food in the near future. We have reserves of basic products for several years, particularly oil - for many years. Sowing of spring crops continues in 23 regions of Ukraine, except Lugansk. As of April 14, the estimated sowing area of main spring crops for the harvest of 2022 on the territory controlled by Ukraine is 14 013 thousand ha, which is by 2 903.3 thousand hectares less than last year (16 916.3 thousand ha).

Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi said that there will be no shortage of basic foods, particularly eggs, poultry, milk and vegetables in the domestic market of Ukraine. There is no shortage of food in stores, except in cities that the Russians have blockaded or temporarily occupied. No humanitarian aid can be delivered there.

In addition, the World Food Program has already rolled out a large-scale humanitarian assistance to war-affected Ukrainians. So, in particular, contacts have been established with bakeries, flour mills and food industry enterprises in Ukraine to purchase goods in critical regions. We are talking about 40 thousand tons of food products. Seven warehouses were opened in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Odessa and Kropyvnytsky. And in Lviv, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts, cash assistance is provided to resettlers.

The Russian media have been reporting en masse over the past two days, April 14 and 15, that Greece has refused to supply weapons to Ukraine. On April 14, they referred to a statement by Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panayiotopoulos, and on April 15 to a statement by government spokesman Yanis Oikonomos. Both statements are interpreted in favor of supporting Russia, but this is not the case. First, Greece has already supplied Ukraine with weapons - Kalashnikov assault rifles and mobile anti-missile systems - and has no plans to do so in the future. Secondly, the defense minister explained that because of tense relations with Turkey, Greece could not supply Ukraine with additional weapons without risking weakening its own defense capabilities. Finally, Oikonomou's statement is related to publications in the Greek press, which claim that Greece has supplied weapons to Ukraine six times, and started doing so before the war began. It seems that Greece transferred "Stingers" and other weapons to NATO bases in Europe, and from there the weapons were already supplied to Ukraine. Oikonomou, answering questions from local journalists, stressed that Greece provided weapons to Ukraine once, after the start of the war - and actually refuted the inaccurate information.

Greece has also repeatedly stated that although no further arms supplies to Ukraine are planned, the country is trying to reduce its need for Russian gas as soon as possible. That is, statements by Greek officials do not indicate that their government supports Russia and its wars in Ukraine.

At the same time, both Ukrainian and Russian media selectively quote the results of a survey of Greek citizens, citing only the figure indicating that 66% of them are against arms supplies to Ukraine. But they don't cite other figures: 70% support Ukraine in this war, 60% support sanctions against Russia, 52% are in favor of creating an EU armed force.

Information about a new fraud scheme with an international scope under the guise of an American foundation and the name of the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany is spreading on the net. As factcheckers from "On the Other Side of the News" write, a fake fundraiser was announced to save poor children in Ukraine.

According to the reports, on March 26 Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, posted a profile on Facebook and on the 28th he started obsessively asking for money to support Ukrainian refugee children. The messages use emotional triggers like "urgency," "hunger," "disease," "human trafficking," etc., and there is also a link to a "rescue fund" page." It's all a scam, however. ""There is only an official page of the Ukrainian embassy in Germany on Facebook. The ambassador's account is actually only on Twitter. Through his profile Mr. Melnyk mostly appeals to world leaders, sanctions, embargoes and military support for Ukraine, but he does not collect donations from users of social networks and does not advertise any foundations.

As for the fund itself, it, like the ambassador's page, looks real, but in fact is fake. If the con artists used the ambassador from Germany for the deal, the foundation was stolen in the United States. The foundation page is carefully copied from the Save the Children organization. The logo, tabs, addresses, photos - everything imitates the real organization, which is now engaged in, among other things, helping children affected by war in Ukraine, Afghanistan and other countries where military conflicts are ongoing or may arise," the fact checkers report.

After pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk was detained, anonymous telegram channels controlled by the Russian special services launched a series of manipulative messages designed to undermine Ukrainians' trust in the authorities. For the most part, these messages and theories are built on assumptions, such as "Medvedchuk is wearing a new uniform, which means that his things are not suitable for photographing. In fact, the new uniforms can't prove that Medvedchuk's things are "unsuitable for photographing. Moreover, there is no evidence that he was dressed up on purpose. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Medvedchuk tried to disguise himself as a Ukrainian military man by wearing a uniform and crossing the Ukrainian border. It is noteworthy that the telegram channels avoid affirmative sentences and build messages on assumptions: "Zelenskyy knew about the start time of the attack on February 24, so the SBU could calmly take Medvedchuk to a safe place."

In addition, the telegram channels use the prefix "gossip" for their manipulations, after which one can write anything and retract his words if necessary. For example, "weaved in that the Russians knew that Medvedchuk was in the SBU, and negotiations on his exchange were unsuccessful. If Russia really did not plan to exchange Putin's cousin for Ukrainian defenders, it would mean that the Kremlin is not interested in Medvedchuk's future fate. If so, Russia, which keeps trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities, would benefit from publicly stating that Medvedchuk is being held by Ukrainian law enforcers, as opposed to fleeing Ukraine's official statements. Medvedchuk's wife, host Oksana Marchenko, who recorded an April 13 address to Vladimir Zelensky, may also have previously claimed that her husband had disappeared. She, like the pro-Russian TV channels, says that Medvedchuk is allegedly "illegally detained by the SBU." Recall that Medvedchuk was announced suspicions and the court selected preventive measures in the criminal proceedings on oil and gas extraction in the Black Sea and on aiding the activities of a terrorist organization through the supply of coal from the occupied territories of Donbass. He should be under house arrest, but escaped from his estate, thereby violating the obligations under the preventive measure.

This manipulative thesis was spread by former MP Oleh Tsarev, who fled to Russia and pro-Russian telegram channels. In fact, back in February 2021, it was Victor Medvedchuk and his wife Oksana Marchenko who were sanctioned for financing terrorism. Medvedchuk is not a hostage - he was announced suspicions and the court selected preventive measures in criminal proceedings for oil and gas extraction in the Black Sea and for facilitating the activities of a terrorist organization through the supply of coal from the occupied territories of Donbass. He should be under house arrest, but Medvedchuk fled his estate at the beginning of Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine. In addition, Tsaryov tries to present the proposal to exchange Medvedchuk for Ukrainian defenders captured by Russia as "proof" that "there is a civil war going on in Ukraine. This is refuted even by the Russian government, which, although it still calls the war in Ukraine a "special operation," confirms the presence of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory.

Russian media are spreading reports that EU chief diplomat Josep Borrel allegedly "wished for a military solution to the conflict. StopFake writes that Russian propagandists spread part of his tweet about the results of his trip to Ukraine: "This war must be won on the battlefield. In fact, the full version of the quote is: "This war will be won on the battlefield. We will allocate an additional 500 million euros. Weapons supplies will be tailored to Ukraine's needs." In the following tweet, Borrell explains that the reason for the increased support for Ukraine is Russia's war crimes, in particular the shelling of Kramatorsk by Russian troops. Borrel sees sanctions as the main means of "pressure on Russia." "We need to continue to increase the pressure on Russia. We have already imposed large-scale sanctions, but we need to do more in the energy sector, particularly oil."

The message spread by anonymous wiretaps after the UN reported a record 12.6 percent increase in food prices in Europe, especially for grain and oil. The price spike is clear, as Ukraine and the Russian Federation provided about a third of the world's exports of wheat, 20% of corn, and nearly 80% of sunflower oil. Trade was mainly through the Black Sea, now blocked. So the price increase is true, but the cause is not the Ukrainians, but the war started by Russia.

Russian media disseminated a quote from EU High Representative Josep Borrel that the Russian ruble allegedly "resists sanctions well. на своей специализированной радио COPE." Это , Borrel did не express a passion для российской экономики," Center explained.

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, such information cannot be considered true, because Russia is not "withdrawing" troops: the Kafirs are fleeing because they received stiff resistance from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainians. "In addition, the enemy is overturning its forces to the Donbass and is preparing to deliver a crushing blow to the territory of our country from there. Secondly, no agreements have been reached between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. All the stories about the alleged end of the "special operation" are just an attempt to avoid further implementation of sanctions against the aggressor country. In fact, the Kafirs are trying to organize incomprehensible structures on the temporarily seized territories and introduce the ruble into circulation there," the Center said in a statement.

Such messages circulated en masse in social networks during the air raid in the evening of March 31. People spread information like explosions and shelling. However, there was no shelling, said the head of the Regional Military Administration (OVA) of Lviv region Maxim Kozitsky.

"As it turned out, in one of the localities of the region workers of a gas extraction tower produced a controlled release of adjacent gases. During the release, a sound similar to an explosion was heard. There was also a partial fire. These events coincided with the announcement of an air alert," the Center for Strategic Communications reports with reference to the head of the Lviv OVA."

According to the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Russia continues to use recruited foreign politicians to form a mistaken public opinion about its own power. According to the report, experts record the promotion of the thesis that a new world order is now being formed, which, according to experts, will be led by Russia, China and India.

"The foreign experts include former Brazilian President Lula da Silva as well as Kremlin mouthpiece political analyst Rafael Ordukhanian. Putin's media rhetoric indicates that Russia expects sanctions to ease in the near future. This is probably why the Kremlin is making statements about the partial withdrawal of Russian troops in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions," the Center says. They add that all these statements are manipulation and because none of the previous Kremlin ultimatums have been executed, the enemy is trying to mislead the international community. That is why they talk about the completion of the offensive operation in the north of Ukraine.

Chechnya Leader Ramzan Kadyrov told that he is in Mariupol. However, on March 28, pro-russian groups shared a photo where Kadyrov, surrounded by numerous guards, is praying at Pulsar gas station that belongs to Rosnafta. There are no such gas stations in Ukraine.

Russian propaganda spreads these narratives in different languages, trying to sow panic among Ukrainians and convince them that the world can change its mind about Russia because of its dependence on Russian oil and gas. The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine refuted these reports and reminded that the world already has experience overcoming the oil crisis. In 1973, Europe and the United States successfully abandoned Arab energy. The Center also noted that Germany, Poland, the Norwegian company Equinor, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the German company Uniper have decided to stop financing the construction of Russia's Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.

Russian politicians and the media are spreading this statement, trying to further turn citizens in Russia and abroad, especially in Germany and France, against the "collective West".

НIn fact, this statement is manipulative, as most of the sanctions imposed on Russia are aimed at the country's political leadership, elites, defense and financial sectors, etc. And the purpose of these economic measures is not to undermine the so-called potential of Russia and Belarus, it is a response to aggression and full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This statement is spread in the Kremlin media with the emphasis that Ukraine is blackmailing the EU by cutting the transit of gas in order to obtain new arms supplies and air defense. According to StopFake, this is not true.

"Officially, representatives of the Ukrainian government say that any restrictions on gas supplies should be a part of a package of sanctions against Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine," the fact-checkers said.

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The telegram channels administered by the Russian services are widely spreading the message that Western countries will gradually abandon the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the attack on Ukraine. In particular, the Gossip Girl writes channel that while NATO "refuses to provide weapons and close the skies over Ukraine, the West does not even want to give EU candidate status. That's all you need to know about Europe's support!" There is a similar message about Great Britain.

There are no official grounds to say that Western countries refuse to help Ukraine and lift sanctions en masse. On the contrary, such a message is beneficial to propagandists to give the impression that "everything is gone" Ukraine was left without support in the fight against Russia.

Russian media outlets are spreading the information that the entire volume of gas, pumped to underground storage back in the summer, was taken away. This information is published with a reference to Gazprom and allegedly data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.

However, StopFake denies this information. "Europe's underground storage is indeed lower than usual. But the information that all the gas was taken is not true. The latest data on storage shows that in various European countries as of February 25, the volume of gas fluctuates within 20%," the statement says.

In Uzhhorod's city council this information was denied: "Infromation on suspension of delivery of chlorine for Uzhhorod's Vodokanal, due to what the dosage of chlorine is reduced and, accordingly, the quality of drinking water spoils, and therefore even brushing your teeth is safe only with boiled water - fake. Administration of the utility company assures: "There are enough reagent stocks for disinfection of water, in accordance with the requirements of the state sanitary norms for drinking water (DSanPIN) ", - was said in the message.