Propagandists continue to employ conspiracy theories to justify Russia's aggression against Ukraine and explain global events. One such theory, centered on Big Pharma, has long been used to accuse pharmaceutical companies of conspiring to manipulate healthcare systems for profit. In the context of school shootings in the United States, propagandists and conspiracy theorists have found new applications for this narrative, claiming that the perpetrators were allegedly under the influence of psychiatric medications, which led to their violent actions.

These claims divert attention from issues such as access to firearms and systemic mental health support, instead fueling anti-vaccine and anti-government sentiments. Such narratives are often amplified by media outlets promoting right-wing and conservative viewpoints, like Breitbart. The theory fosters distrust in science and medicine, inciting panic and rejection of medical treatment. This creates barriers to public dialogue about comprehensive solutions to violence and mental health challenges.

Russian propaganda leverages the Big Pharma conspiracy theory to undermine trust in Western medical systems and governments. Regarding school shootings in the U.S., Russian narratives portray pharmaceutical companies as villains, alleging they intentionally prescribe psychotropic drugs to young people, resulting in aggressive behavior. This aligns with a broader disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the West.

The theory is also used to support Russia's aggression against Ukraine, advancing several key narratives. Propagandists claim that Western pharmaceutical companies, as part of a global corrupt enterprise, have a vested interest in the war to boost profits. In this context, the West is depicted as indifferent to Ukrainian lives. Russia further disseminates messages that Western aid is being used for experiments on Ukrainian citizens, including soldiers. Claims about biolabs and supposed vaccine and drug experiments in Ukraine are part of this theory, aiming to erode trust in the Ukrainian government and healthcare system.

Propagandists also push the idea that Ukraine, with Western assistance, is spreading diseases that threaten both the Russian population and the world at large. All of this is part of a larger disinformation campaign designed to justify Russian aggression and demoralize Ukrainians and their allies.

In the Russian segment of the social network X (formerly Twitter), information is being spread that the speaker of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, allegedly received a positive test for HIV. Users of the social network allegedly refer to an article by Breitbart News, where they note that Sarah Ashton-Cirillo was previously under investigation due to accusations of pedophilia and rape of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the VoxCheck project. They found out that the article about HIV that Russian propaganda refers to is not on the website, social networks or web archive of Breitbart News. Moreover, the primary source of this publication is the Russian telegram channel. Breitbart News wrote an article that the speaker was suspended pending an investigation into her statements about Russian propagandists. So Russian propaganda created a fake photo based on this publication.

Moreover, the fact-checkers did not find information about the official being accused of pedophilia and rape. And HIV testing results are confidential, so if Sarah Ashton-Cirillo actually tested positive, the results would not be disclosed.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the speaker of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Troops Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, who belongs to the LGBTQ+ community. Russian propagandists nourish false information that LGBTQ+ people are the main carriers of HIV and AIDS, pedophiles and rapists. This is all part of a Russian campaign to discredit the LGBTQ+ community and Ukraine, which has allegedly moved away from traditional values. Previously, Detector Media published research on Russian LGBT disinformation on social networks and explained how Russian propaganda is trying to use LGBTQIA issues in the context of the war against Ukraine.

Russian propagandists on anonymous telegram channels and in the media claim that the weapons transferred from Western partners to Ukraine ended up in the hands of European terrorists. Referring to the American ultra-right conspiracy portal Breitbart, they report that the police in Northern Ireland allegedly confiscated these weapons from two radicals of the New Irish Republican Army. This is manipulation.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that on September 9, during a preventive counter-terrorism operation, the police actually confiscated several grenades and explosives from several members of the organization. The New IRA has been recognized as terrorist in the UK and the USA, and its members advocate continuing the armed struggle for the unification of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) into one state. However, the weapons that were confiscated from them are not Western-style weapons transferred to Ukraine as part of military assistance. The radicals were found to have a new type of grenade, which is used exclusively by the Russian army. StopFake analysts note that although the investigation does not exclude the possibility that these weapons fell into the hands of radicals from the front line in Ukraine, it is currently unknown how exactly this happened.

Using this manipulation, Russia wants to undermine its partners’ trust in Ukraine. They say that the weapons provided by Western states are sold by Ukraine as smugglers, so there is no need to provide them. Russian propagandists have repeatedly manipulated the topic of the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, as Media Detector has already written about.