Propaganda sources are circulating a screenshot from Donald Trump Jr.'s Instagram profile, allegedly sharing a publication from Newsweek. In it, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is quoted as saying he does not plan to attend Trump's inauguration. Trump Jr. is supposedly commenting that “the funniest thing is that he [Zelenskyi - Ed.] unofficially asked for an invitation about three times, and each time he was refused. Now he pretends like he decided not to go... what a weirdo”.

In reality, this screenshot is fabricated, reports the StopFake project. Donald Trump Jr. did not post anything like this. The Instagram page of Newsweek, from which the publication was allegedly shared by Trump Jr., does not contain a post with Zelenskyi's quote.

Additionally, publications such as Politico and The Economic Times, which have previously reported on Trump Jr.'s criticism of Zelenskyi shared on his Instagram, did not mention this incident. Had the publication been genuine, at least one of these outlets would have likely drawn attention to it.

Ultimately, the fabricated screenshot is being spread exclusively in pro-Russian segments of the internet, and it has not been published by any credible foreign or Ukrainian sources.

Earlier, in an interview with American journalist of Ukrainian descent Lex Fridman, Zelenskyi said he would not attend the inauguration without a direct invitation: 

“I would like to, but I will look at what is happening right now. I cannot come, especially during the war, unless President Trump directly invites me. It would just be inappropriate”.

This fake is part of an effort by Russian propagandists to claim that Trump supposedly does not care about Zelenskyi. In this particular case, they are portraying the Ukrainian president as excessively persistent.

Some pro-Kremlin resources have spread information that 58-year-old American Ryan Wesley Routt, suspected of the second attempted assassination of Donald. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

In fact, this information is not true. The International Legion of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote about this in an official message on its telegram channel: “US citizen Ryan Routh has never served in the International Legion of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and has no relation to the unit. The rumors spread about this in some media outlets are not true”.

Raut came to Ukraine after the full-scale invasion of Russia. In an interview with Romanian NewsWeek, he said his initial goal was to “come and fight”. But at 56, he had no military experience and, as Raut put it, “was not an ideal candidate for a real war”. So his plan B was to come to Kyiv and promote the idea of many others joining the International Legion. “We need thousands of people here to fight alongside the Ukrainians”, Raut said.

With this manipulation, Russian propaganda seeks to dissuade the United States from providing military and financial support to Ukraine in the war against Russia.

Similar theses were heard on Russian propaganda television channels. They say that the border with Estonia lies not far from Pskov and some strange sounds were allegedly heard from there. Russian propaganda states that “the question of Estonia’s participation remains open”. “Pskov is located on the NATO border. Where did the launch come from? From Ukraine or what? In any case! From the Baltic territory? Destroy the hell out of the Baltic countries if that’s the case”, the propagandists said on air. It's fake.

As EUvsDiDiNFo analysts note, on the night of August 29, a series of explosions occurred at Pskov airport. It later became known that four Il-76 military transport aircraft were damaged as a result of drone strikes, and at least two aircraft were destroyed. A spokesman for the government of the Republic of Estonia commented to Newsweek about Estonia's involvement in the attacks on Pskov and stated: “This is false information”. Also, the Latvian Ministry of Defense issued a similar statement, denying any involvement by Latvia, and condemned the accusations against the Baltic countries.

The drone strike on Russian territory is the result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. Thus, Kremlin propagandists are trying to accuse the Baltic countries of “provocation” and are using nuclear blackmail to intimidate the inhabitants of these countries. Earlier, Detector Media talked about manipulation, as the UN said that Ukraine threatens nuclear security in the world.

The American edition of Newsweek disseminated information that in Ukraine there is allegedly a possibility of “replacing the military leadership of Ukraine, headed by Valerii Zaluzhnyi”. The publication refers to sources close to the Ukrainian government. An anonymous person claims that this is allegedly due to “differences in the Ukrainian leadership on offensive strategy”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that this was a hoax, and there was a direct connection between the military and political leadership of Ukraine.

Such fakes are spread in order to undermine the credibility of the authorities and feed the narrative that there are alleged conflicts between the military-political leadership of Ukraine. Earlier, we refuted the fake about Valerii Zaluzhnyi who allegedly believes that the Ukrainian counteroffensive “turned into a clownery”.

American journalist Ann Garrison, who writes for The Grayzone and is known for her publications with anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and conspiracy theories, actively maintains her account on the X social network (formerly Twitter). These messages were analyzed by specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation.

They found out that the journalist actively criticizes US military assistance to Ukraine and distributes Russian propaganda in the Western media. In particular, in 2022 she wrote that the no-fly zone is equal to the “air war” between the US and Russia. In 2023, Garrison spoke about the alleged presence of the CIA on the territory of Ukraine and attributed the bias to the American edition of Newsweek due to its coverage of this topic in an insufficiently condemning form. Ann constantly repeats Russian propaganda clichés, such as US “willingness” to fight to the last Ukrainian, the abduction and sale of Western weapons by Ukrainians, and the “high threat” of nuclear war. Garrison blames the Ukrainian government and the United States for everything, without calling Russia the aggressor. She also does not add links and evidence to her publications.

The journalist is one of the “useful foreigners” for Russian propaganda. Using their comments, publications and statements, Russian propagandists nourish the false impression that the whole world really believes that they are right, and that Russia is not really to blame. By discrediting Ukraine and its Western partners, they want to create skepticism about support for Ukraine and stop it.

On July 27-28, St. Petersburg will host an economic forum within the framework of the Russia-Africa summit. The mention of the economic forum in the media began to appear a few days before the summit and only after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Agreement. Moreover, at first only niche media reported on the summit.

Brand Ukraine analyzed such world media as New York Times, Associated Press, The Washington Post, Politico, Independent, Newsweek, Voice of America, Financial Times, The Guardian and highlighted the main messages about this event.

Putin has a precarious position in relations with African countries.

The fact that Russia is under great pressure, writes Politico and Voice of America. According to them, Russia's shaky position in relations with African countries is due to three events that occurred the day before: Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Agreement, an attempted rebellion by the Wagner group, and the decision of the Supreme Court of South Africa to arrest Volodymyr Putin if he appears at the summit in Johannesburg .

Russia does not play an important economic role for Africa.

Despite the Kremlin's statements and high status in Africa, Russia invests little in this country and does not provide humanitarian assistance. And according to Steven Gruzd, an analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg, “China and the European Union are much bigger trading partners with Africa” than Russia. This was written by the Associated Press and Voice of America.

African countries strive to be full-fledged players in the political arena.

African leaders “cannot afford to look like they are sitting on the sidelines”, despite the fact that they have no leverage over Moscow or Kyiv. “They [African countries] should be seen as proactive”. This was stated by Priyal Singh, a senior fellow at the South African Institute for Security Studies, to the Financial Times. And analyst Cameron Hudson of the American Center for Strategic and International Studies told the Associated Press that “the continent of 1.3 billion people is becoming more confident on the world stage”, so if African countries leave the summit with the feeling that Russia does not hear them, they can distance themselves from it.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is using the summit to advance the peace plan.

The Financial Times wrote that “South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is using his presence at the summit to advance the peace plan”. It was this plan that Ramaphosa, along with three other African presidents, presented during his visits to Kyiv and Moscow. It implies not only free trade in the Black Sea, but also the importance of territorial sovereignty.

After withdrawing from the grain deal, Russia may be under criticism from African countries due to rising food prices.

Due to the withdrawal from the grain deal, world food prices will rise, so African leaders may begin to criticize Russia for this move. Also thanks to this, some African countries are becoming even more dependent on Russia. Politico wrote about it. The Guardian also wrote about the Russia-Africa summit and noted that Volodymyr Putin is afraid of public criticism.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are distributing a seemingly new cover of the French weekly Courrier International, in which Zelenskyi, with the words “Ukraine needs it more”, steals Easter eggs from French children. Like, the local taxpayers spend a lot of money on the whims of Zelenskyi to support Ukraine. However, this is not true.

According to experts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, the weekly Courrier International has never been published with such a cover. One can verify this by checking the official website of the publication. Another confirmation of the inauthenticity of the cover is that it was published in edition number 1692, although the edition with this number is planned to be released only on April 6, 2023.

This disinformation campaign is aimed at discrediting Ukraine and its President in the eyes of the world community. Let us recall that this is not the first time Russian propaganda has promoted fake covers to denigrate Zelenskyi's reputation. The French cartoon magazine “Charlie Hebdo”, the German satirical magazine “Titanic”, the American weekly “Newsweek”, the French magazine “FRANC-TIREUR” and others have already been used to spread such fakes.

Propagandists distribute photos, allegedly foreign publications, namely the American magazine Newsweek and the French magazine FRANC-TIREUR on March 21 came out with covers that ridicule the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Like, the meeting between the President of Russia and the leader of China left him behind the geopolitical trends. It's fake.

Analysts of the Georgian project MythDetector drew attention to it. They found out that the special edition of Newsweek, as stated on the fake cover, was not published on March 21st. Moreover, there are no regular editions of the magazine with this date, as the official website of the American Newsweek shows. On the FRANC-TIREUR website, it is also impossible to find a cover that is being distributed by propagandists.

Thus, they are trying to discredit the President of Ukraine and show that even in the West they supposedly understand what a geopolitical defeat Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow has become for them. This cover game is part of the disinformation campaign associated with this visit. Detector Media wrote about its main messages, including how Russia is trying to present it as a sign of a productive rapprochement.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Newsweek and Franc-Tireur have dedicated their covers to Zelenskyi, who is watching the meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping from a burning room or sitting on fallen Ukrainian soldiers, reports say. As proof, the authors add a screenshot supposedly from real magazine covers. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council explained that neither Newsweek nor Franc-Tireur published such covers. Fact-checkers were convinced of this when they went to the official websites of both publications. Fact-checkers did not find similar covers on the site. Experts also note that none of the publications printed editions were dated 21.03.2023 as indicated on the fake covers.

Propagandists systematically spread fake stories about Ukrainian officials, in particular Zelenskyi, in order to discredit him. Thus, Russian propaganda uses the tactics of ridicule and tries to create the illusion that the leadership of Ukraine is despised in Europe. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

Russian propaganda is spreading information that the United States seems to be supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia because of its interest in access to titanium deposits. This is manipulation.

The Russian media are spreading the news with reference to an article in the American edition of Newsweek called “The battle for Ukraine’s titanium”, which really discusses the prospect of investing by American companies in the development of deposits of this strategically important metal, including for the production of weapons. The article also says that Russia will receive a strategic advantage if it controls mining in the occupied territories, although it did not name the seizure of Ukrainian titanium deposits among the reasons for the war. The United States still depends on Russian titanium, and therefore does not impose sanctions on the oligarchs who own factories for the extraction and processing of titanium ore. And the occupation of Ukrainian titanium deposits can strengthen this dependence.

The article does not say anything about the fact that the United States supported Ukraine in the war precisely because of titanium reserves. The point is only that after the end of the war, American investors could meet the development of these deposits. But according to the authors of the article, Russia waging an aggressive war could hide behind fictitious reasons, pursue the goal and seize Ukrainian resources.

Russian propaganda media disseminate information that supposedly the Ukrainian ambassador Vadym Prystaiko, in an interview with Newsweek, acknowledged the “colossal losses” of the Ukrainian army and noted that people were dying “in the interests of the West”.

In fact, the enemy media refer to a quote taken out of context. The diplomat said that people are dying from Russian shelling and rocket attacks. There were no words of military losses “in the interests of the West” at all.

According to StopFake analysts, the quote, manipulated by the Russian media, was about the destruction and deaths from a full-scale invasion that has been going on for almost a year. In addition, he meant not only the military, but also civilians suffering from Russian occupation. Russian propaganda writes about the “interests of the West”, although in fact the diplomat did not mention them. This is a manipulation aimed at blaming Ukraine's allies for its losses.

Russian media often write about the West and its involvement in the war in Ukraine. In particular, they manipulate the topics of arms supply and call Volodymyr Zelenskyi a “puppet” in the West's war against Russia. Recently, the media of the enemy also wrote that allegedly Kyiv is not allowed to negotiate and stop the war, although Russia is trying to put ultimatums on the terms of the negotiation process.

This is written by Russian and pro-Russian information resources with reference to the materials of the American edition of Newsweek. Like, many countries condemned the actions of the West and supported the position of the Russian president on the “situation” in Ukraine. This is manipulation.

There is not a single mention in the Newsweek article that most countries took the side of Russia in the war against Ukraine. The author of the material writes that different countries of the world proceed from their agenda and their own interests in the context of responding to the war. Therefore, they do not always fully share the approach of the US and the EU. Many countries, for example, advocate a "diplomatic settlement" of the conflict, but do not necessarily side with Russia in this war.

As StopFake writes, Daniel DePetrice's article was published in the “Dumky” (“Opinions") section, so the author's opinion is also not necessarily shared by Newsweek. The author notes that, despite the fact that the events in Ukraine are cruel, each country primarily pursues its own geopolitical interests and does not always fully share the “approach of the West”. The article does not say that "most countries have begun to support Putin." Propagandists have distorted the idea that some countries do not want to completely lose ties with Russia and presented it as support for Putin.

This information was spread by Russian publications concerning the American magazine Newsweek. Allegedly, the military doesn`t agree with US President Joe Biden on deterring Russia exclusively by non-nuclear means. He said that the American military believed that it would be necessary to "hit the Russians with a hammer" and prepare "a blow to kill Putin in the heart of the Kremlin."

Russian propagandists took the quotes out of context. In fact, the Newsweek article said that “Biden believes non-nuclear threats will stop Putin. His military doesn't think so." It refers to a disagreement over the role of American nuclear weapons and the most effective way to deter Vladimir Putin. The article points out that Washington "told the Russians at a very high level that there would be catastrophic consequences for Russia if they used nuclear weapons in Ukraine."

Moreover, their unprecedented threats are just a reaction to Putin's equally unprecedented speech about a nuclear strike. Russian propagandists spread the thesis that the USA is preparing a nuclear attack on Russia and the assassination of Putin to justify any decisions of Putin and the crimes of the Russian army on the territory of Ukraine, allegedly for protection. More details.

Several Russian publications wrote that the Americans allegedly compared Ukraine to a black hole and criticized the supply of weapons by Western countries.

In fact, Russian propaganda published a commentary by an anonymous user spreading Russian propaganda narratives, in the opinion of all Americans. Such a generalization cannot reflect public opinion. As StopFake writes, in order to leave a comment under a Newsweek article, you need to register on the site, nationality is not important for this. Users from any country can comment on articles, following the rules of the site.

Opinion polls among Americans show a high level of support for Ukraine and support for the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

Propagandists systematically use the tactic of publishing the opinions of individual users according to the general opinion of the audience. Earlier, in this way, they reported that the Americans allegedly accused the United States and Ukraine of stealing 40 billion dollars in military aid, or they talked about the dislike of the French and Germans for Ukrainians.

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels are circulating a photo of empty storefronts allegedly from a supermarket in Great Britain, which had energy-saving light bulbs on them. It looks like the British bought up all the energy-saving light bulbs and think "that they will save utility bills for years to come." It is not true.

The original pictures were taken in the USA and posted on the popular online resource Alamy, where any user can purchase them. The photo caption says the empty shelves and rationing sign for this item were taken at a Target retail store in Contra Costa, San Ramon, California on March 12, 2020. Photos of the shelves on which there were hand sanitizers and other essential items were already published by the American media Newsweek on March 15. These goods were actively bought in the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the original photos, there is the following inscription on the banner: "The number of disinfectants is limited to six in one hand."

Fact Checks from Stop Fake revealed that the inscription was subsequently edited in a photo editor: the inscription on the banner was changed, packages with light bulbs were added, and price tags were changed. But the angle from which the shots were taken, the location of the shelves, even the size of the banner, and the creases on its margins are completely identical to the photos taken in the USA two years ago.