Anonymous telegram channels in the Polish segment report that one of the members of the Azov special forces brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine allegedly put on a T-shirt with a “Hitler quote” and took a photo in front of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. The quote is: “Where we are, there is no room for anyone else”.

However, Polish media specialists from Gazeta.pl investigated this case and found that the words quoted on the T-shirt come from one of the black metal albums of the Russian band M8L8TH. And they do not belong to Adolf Hitler. Moreover, the journalists did not identify the person in the photo. It is most likely that Russian propagandists simply invented the figure of the “Azov military”.

Russian propagandists are pushing the idea that “Azov military” supports ideas that the modern world sharply rejects: anti-Semitism, Nazism or other types of xenophobia. Azov residents are shown as those who devalue people based on their origin. In Moscow’s vision, “Azov” is ready to kill for “Ukrainian blood”. This is not the first time that the Kremlin has portrayed Ukrainians this way, namely aggressive, ultra-nationalist and valuing only “Ukrainian blood”. For example, Russian propaganda has already spread fake news that women Ukrainian fighters are complaining that their men are receiving “Moscow blood”; or that Ukrainians prohibit foreign citizens from becoming blood donors.

Read also: The West continues to pander to the “Aryans”. What does propaganda write about lifting the ban on the supply of weapons to Azov?

Propagandists claim that, according to them, only 173 military personnel returned to Ukraine in exchange for 248 Russian citizens. According to them, the exchange allegedly took place in the format of 173 people on both sides. At the same time, Russia additionally received 75 military personnel for those five Azovstal defense commanders, whom Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi took from Turkey in the summer of 2023. It is not true.

In fact, the Ukrainian side officially reported that 230 people returned to their homeland, including 130 military personnel, 55 national guardsmen, 38 border guards, one policeman and six civilians.

Propagandists spread such fakes to create distrust in the Ukrainian authorities. They say that Kyiv does not care about the fate of prisoners. They spread such fabrications whenever there is talk of an exchange of prisoners. So, in the summer, when the exchange of Azovstal commanders was called a violation of previous agreements. They say that the military should have remained in Turkey until the end of hostilities.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks are disseminating information that allegedly, during an IDF raid in the Gaza Strip, the book Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler was discovered, which was allegedly accidentally left behind by one of the Azov military units while staying at an Israeli clinic. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the original source of these statements is a Russian satirical telegram channel called “here is my Yandex wallet”. The authors of the channel define their publications as “a parody and satire of political reality, only verified fakes”. This “news” first appeared on the channel on November 13 and was circulated on the Internet, appearing to be true information. The photo accompanying this story is a screenshot from an address by Israeli President Isaac Herzog on November 12, 2023. In it, Herzog stated that the book Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler was found in the personal belongings of a Hamas terrorist in the northern Gaza Strip. The Ukrainian military has nothing to do with this incident.

By spreading such manipulations, propagandists want to justify Russian aggression against Ukraine and “denazification”. Detector Media continued to refute other propaganda materials in support of “denazification”.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the media claim that the Azov battalion allegedly started a campaign to find volunteers in France to participate in the war in Ukraine. Like, even a site with the necessary information indicates this. This is a fake.

Specialists of the Center of Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine drew attention to it. They found out that there is no information about the start of the recruiting campaign in France on the official pages of the battalion. What's more, the postal address and fax of the site, which is distributed by propagandists, is in Germany, which does not match the legend of the fake.

By spreading such fakes, the Russians are trying to discredit the Ukrainian military and individual brigades in the international arena. In addition, in this way they want to cause panic among foreigners. They said that Ukraine is in massive need of military personnel, and that is why it is looking for them abroad. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted other Russian messages, manipulations and fakes aimed at discrediting the Azov battalion.

This information is disseminated by pro-Kremlin media. The authors of messages on this topic note that on the day of the autumn equinox on September 22, Azov allegedly performed a satanic ritual. The Russians add stolen photographs from the unit’s social networks to the publication. However, this is fake.

The fact-checkers of the BezBrekhni (No lies) project found out that every year on September 22, soldiers of the regiment honor the memory of the dead. This is a tradition for fighters. Nothing satanic or forbidden happened during these events. There are days of remembrance for the dead in most religions of the world. And many of the unit’s customs are associated with ancient Slavic holidays, so the day of the equinox was chosen for celebration.

Thus, Russian media devalue and discredit the defenders of Ukraine. This is not the first time that the enemy has been promoting the narrative of Satanism and Nazism of the Azov regiment, which we have written about many times before.

Russian media are disseminating information that Ukrainian Serhii Dubinin, “associated” with the Azov battalion, stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In addition, propagandists claim that American intelligence services “have already discovered other Ukrainians who were near the Capitol that day. But none of them were brought to justice.” It's fake.

Analysts from The Insider project drew attention to it. They found out that the photo that is being distributed online as evidence of this thesis shows Inter TV channel operator Serhii Dubinin. He filmed reports at the Donetsk airport, in other places along the collision line in 2014, and was even put on the wanted list of the so-called LNR for “carrying out terrorist activities”. On January 6, 2021, he was reporting on the onslaught of the Capitol for the Details program. During the shooting, he took a photo with Jacob Chansley, a man with the pseudonym Shaman Q-Anonu, which is said to be evidence of his participation in the onslaught. In fact, Dubinin has nothing to do with either the Trumpists or Azov.

With the help of this fake, Russia wants to discredit the Ukrainians, justify its actions against them and indicate the “selectivity” of American justice. They say that the participants in the assault were convicted, but the Ukrainians were condemned not once because of the war.

In the Kremlin media and the Russian segment of Facebook they disseminate information that the commander of Azov, Denys Prokopenko “Redis”, who returned from Turkey after being extracted from Russian captivity, was allegedly taken prisoner again on August 18-19. They refer to the Russian propagandist Semen Pehov. Prokopenko was allegedly taken prisoner near the village of Mala Tavolzhanka. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. The telegram channel of the Russian propagandist, cited by social media users and pro-Kremlin media, does not contain information about the second capture. Also, there is no settlement with the name Mala Tavolzhanka, which is similar to the name Tavilzhanka, a village in the Dvorichanskyi settlement society of the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region. In addition, on August 23, on the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine, a fresh photo with Prokopenko appeared on the official pages of Azov.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic and discouragement among the Ukrainian military and civilians. The enemy is trying to demoralize the Ukrainians. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra will be populated by servicemen of the Azov battalion.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the Azovstal garrison allegedly surrendered without the order of Volodymyr Zelenskyi in order to save their own lives. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. The operation to leave Azovstal was coordinated with the leadership of Ukraine, the garrison carried out the order of the highest military command. On May 16, 2022, the commander of Azov, Denys Prokopenko, announced that the defenders of Mariupol had complied with the order of the top military leadership. On May 17, 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that the commanders of units at Azovstal received an order to save the lives of personnel.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Azov battalion and the defenders of Mariupol, saying that they themselves decided to leave Azovstal, and the top military leadership has no influence on them. Allegedly, the Ukrainians again made heroes out of traitors. Earlier, we refuted the fake that NATO could involve the Azov and Kraken battalions to suppress protests in France.

Anonymous telegram channels and Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are spreading reports that NATO is considering enlisting the Azov and Kraken battalions to quell protests in France. This was allegedly written on the official website of the Alliance with reference to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. It's fake.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation drew attention to the case. To spread it, Russian propaganda used a fake page of the Alliance. Moreover, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg did not make such statements.

In this way, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Azov and Kraken battalions, as well as to emphasize that Ukraine is a puppet in the hands of the West. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that in Poltava people sold Easter sets “with symbols of the Nazis” and the Azov regiment.

Propagandists spread information that the telegram channels of the Azov brigade allegedly publish racist messages and the authors of the messages rejoice at the deaths of children as a result of the earthquake in Turkey on February 6. Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric add: this is what kind of Nazism Russia is fighting against in Ukraine. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. The messages that the propagandists write about are published in the AZOV Ukraine Supporters telegram channel, which is conducted in English and has nothing to do with the Azov Brigade. In particular, the authors of the channel regularly publish their own messages and repost them from other channels. They are mostly conspiratorial in nature. For example, one can find unconfirmed English-language reports about supposedly “Ukrainian Nazis” in it. The creators of the channel also suggest that the earthquake in Turkey was artificially created by the United States.

At the same time, the brigade's official telegram channel is called “AZOV” and publishes content in Ukrainian. In addition, there are no publications on the earthquake in Turkey on the channel. Moreover, as of today, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Georgians, Russians, and Hungarians serve in the Azov Brigade. Accordingly, the brigade's claims of “racist views” are not true.

Thus, propagandists devalue someone else's grief in order to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and justify the crimes of Russians. Like, Russia started the war to fight such manifestations of Nazism. Russian media are actively using the tragedy in Turkey to create and spread fakes and conspiracy theories directed against Ukraine.

In social networks, reports are spreading that the Lviv clinic for reproductive medicine “Alternative” offers its clients “reproductive tissues of the defenders of Azovstal”. Like, for advertising, the clinic used the slogan “Restore the nation!” and the emblem of Azov. It's fake.

The clinic “Alternative” does not offer its clients “reproductive tissues of the defenders of Azovstal”. As the fact-checkers of the project “Beyond the News” found out, the screen of the clinic’s advertising post on Facebook was falsified in a photo editor. The name of the clinic was written incorrectly, despite the fact that the contact details are real: address, mobile number, license number of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Fake Ukrainian-language advertising was mostly shared on Russian resources, and English-language advertising was shared on Twitter. The photo of the boy used in the ad is most likely generated by ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to create photos of people that look as real as possible, but who never existed. The administration of the clinic did deny the existence of such services as well.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes in relation to the people of Azov, nazism and fascism in Ukraine, for which Russia allegedly has the right to punish.

In the Russian media, videos of captured Ukrainian soldiers who allegedly decided to stay in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions because of their reluctance to fight and the fear of being on the front line again are widely distributed. Oleksandr Zhizhyn is among the prisoners who talk about it. Russian propagandists distributed the video with him back in early April. Then he said that his team was at the Mariupol metallurgical plant named after Ilyich, which the Russians occupied on March 5. Zhizhin surrendered and since then became a hero in the Russian media with his fiction about the crimes of "Azov". On August 13, Zhizhyn once again became the hero of the Russian news that more and more Ukrainian prisoners of war are refusing to return home and, they say, are even declaring their readiness to act with weapons in their hands on the side of the occupiers of Donbas.

Russian propaganda spreads such messages from time to time to strengthen the opinion in society that surrendering is better than defending Ukraine from the invaders. And also that prisoners of war live much better in prison than in freedom. In this way, the Russians cover up the fact that hunger, abuse, and murder await Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The other day it became known that Russia is preparing a show trial of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Mariupol. For this purpose, the occupiers assembled prison cells on the stage of the Chamber Philharmonic.

Such messages are spread in the Russian media. They enter the Ukrainian information space through anonymous Telegram channels and social networks.

As the Center for Combating Disinformation writes, the topic of the "inevitable international tribunal" over prisoners of war from "Azovstal" has been systematically in the focus of propagandists since May 2022. In Russia, "Azov" has already been recognized as a terrorist organization and its activities have been banned on its territory. However, any attempt to "convict" the Azov people would be outside the bounds of international law, as the rights of prisoners of war are guaranteed by international conventions. Prisoners of war performed the duties defined by the state and the law to protect the sovereignty of Ukraine.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels write about this. He said that the goal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was to put psychological pressure on Ukrainian soldiers who "have already laid down their arms" or may become prisoners in the future. It is not true.

StopFake fact-checkers checked the quotes of the captive Serhii Volynsky, which are used by propagandists. In fact, he described the events in Olenivka as an explosion, not as shelling. Volynsky does note that the tragedy will affect the condition and psyche of the prisoners, but not in the context suggested by Russian propagandists. Volynskyi also says that he doesn't know the cause of the fire. There are no accusations against the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the prisoner's words.

Russian media and telegram channels report it. According to reports, Kostyantyn Nikitenko allegedly drove around Mariupol and "shot at people for a laugh." According to the Russian propagandist Dmytro Steshin, it seems that the Ukrainian military himself posted a video of this on the Internet.

As StopFake writes, the video from the cockpit of the armored personnel carrier shows how a group of people fall into the field of view of the armored vehicle. At first, the crew was unsure whether it was the Ukrainian or Russian military. Convinced that they were Russians, they opened fire. There is no visible evidence of the presence of civilians in the video. Only people in military uniform can be seen in the spot shots. The dialogues inside the armored car do not mention civilians nor reflect that this is "entertainment." It can also be seen that a group of soldiers, having noticed an armored personnel carrier, is trying to hide. The video was first published on April 24 on his Telegram channel by People's Deputy Yury Mysyagin, deputy of the VRU Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, as an illustration of the fact that a Ukrainian armored personnel carrier destroyed a group of Russian soldiers. The video metadata on Miyagin's channel indicates only the file's date of creation - April 24, 2022. Since the first publication of the video, there has been no evidence or mention of shooting at civilians in Mariupol.

For the first time, information about this emerged on July 9, after it became known about the verdict of the so-called tribunal on the death penalty for two captured Azov fighters. Kostyantyn Nikitenko allegedly shot civilians of Mariupol during combat missions, and his colleague Mykola "Frost" Kush allegedly killed captured marines. The so-called Minister of Justice of the "DNR," Yuriy Syrovatko, also stated that the fighters were "convicted" for their alleged crimes. But after that, there was no additional information about the "court" or the fate of the Ukrainian military.

Due to the spread of fakes, the so-called DPR is trying to justify crimes against Ukrainian service members captured by illegal military formations.

The fake, repeatedly refuted, is spreading on social networks again - about the crucifixion of an LPR soldier by the Azov Battalion. The VoxCheck project drew attention to this.

This video, in which a man is allegedly crucified and set on fire, has existed since 2015. Then the Russian media spread the video about the group "Kiber Berkut" - a Russian or pro-Russian hacker group - which allegedly received this video from the Azov fighters. According to the publication, there is no confirmation of the reality of this video or the fact that there is no Azov fighter in the video. Moreover, it is impossible to identify people on the video or confirm that it is not a production video.

At the same time, Kiber ​​Berkut has repeatedly disseminated fakes created by this group - non-existent orders, documents, fake videos, and photos allegedly obtained by Ukrainian hacking websites. The Azov Regiment reported in 2015 that it had nothing to do with this video. In addition, even the Russian media outlets that distributed the video wrote that there was no evidence that the video was authentic. But after the start of a massive information campaign against Azov in the Russian media in early 2022, this fake is again actively spread - and without the postscript "unverified video."

Another fake document was published by the Russian state publication RIA Novosti. It states that most (70%) of Mariupol residents are pro-Russian. And it also seems to contain an order in case of hostilities to create positions in populated areas.

According to fact-checkers from StopFake, the document has a lot of spelling mistakes. It is written in two languages ​​- for example, instead of the stamp "tayemno," on the document is written "sekretno." There are other mistakes. So, it is another attempt to accuse the Armed Forces of using the civilian population as a "living shield" and to prove to the Russians that many people in Ukraine support the war and are waiting for "liberators".

On social networks, the English-speaking audience is being spread photos of allegedly with the Ukrainian military burning the flag of the Netherlands, noting that they confused it with the flag of Russia. These posts are accompanied by cursing and ridicule of Ukrainian defenders. Apparently, this fake is intended to discredit the Ukrainian military among foreigners, encouraging them to give up their support for Ukraine and force their governments to do the same, which is highly beneficial for the Kremlin.

In fact, it's a double fake. After all, this video was shot in 2016, not after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the video entitled "Appeal of Azov fighters to the Netherlands regarding the referendum on the Ukraine-EU association," fighters in black balaclavas purposefully burn the flag of the Netherlands. They also threaten the citizens of the Netherlands with terrorist attacks if they do not support the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union in a local referendum.

This fake is double because "Azov" has nothing to do with this video. On the eve of the referendum in the Netherlands in 2016, it was distributed by Russian propaganda resources linked to the newly created site. The purpose of this fake was to damage Ukraine's international reputation. Representatives of Azov then denied the involvement of their fighters in the video. At first glance, it is immediately apparent that these cannot be Azov fighters, they have no symbol, and the uniform and shoes are not the ones worn by our soldiers. But the funniest thing in this video is the airsoft weapon these actors held, " said Andriy Dyachenko, then deputy commander of the Azov.

The explosion of a nitrogen tank at the Azot plant in Sievierodonetsk took place on May 31, when an orange-brown glow could be seen over the city. According to StopFake, the fierce battle between the Russian military and the Armed Forces occurred in Sievierodonetsk. According to the Luhansk Regional State Administration and the State Special Communications Service of Ukraine, the Russian military launched an air strike on the building of the Azot plant to drive the Armed Forces out of its fortified area. Around 19:00, the first reports of a nitrogen tank explosion began to arrive from Sievierodonetsk. According to StopFake, the version about the deliberate explosion of nitrogen tanks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the Azot plant in Sievierodonetsk to cover the occupied territories with a poisonous cloud seems unreliable. At the time of the explosion, a completely unfavorable wind was blowing, which would have blown away the toxic cloud on the Ukrainian military. We want to remind you that this is not the first time that Russian propaganda has tried to blame the crimes of the Russian army on the Ukrainian military. .

The Russian media are spreading another fake about Azov fighters. They claim that they found money from the Azov Regiment fighters who left Azovstal with them - euros, dollars, and hryvnias, as well as a lot of gold. The program "Vesti" even shot a story called "Gold of Azov," where he spread this fake, referring to a single statement by a "representative of the DPR." He did not provide any evidence of gold or money.

But at the same time, the plot has the usual logical gaps for propaganda. For example, the journalist says that the Azov military allegedly tried to hide among other military and civilians who were at the plant and also left its territory and were taken, prisoner. But, according to militants, the so-called "DPR," all Azov residents have a "distinctive feature: each has a large amount of money, and dollars, euros, hryvnia, and a lot of gold with tags." Why people who tried to "hide" among others had this "distinctive feature" all at once, the audience did not explain.

It is another attempt to discredit the Azov fighters and made according to "understandable" patterns for viewers of the channel. If the Russian military themselves are looters and constantly steal things in Ukrainian apartments or rob stores, they must believe that the Ukrainian army is doing the same.

The Russian media are spreading another fake about Azov fighters. They claim that they found money from the Azov Regiment fighters who left Azovstal with them - euros, dollars, and hryvnias, as well as a lot of gold. The program "Vesti" even shot a story called "Gold of Azov," where he spread this fake, referring to a single statement by a "representative of the DNR." He did not provide any evidence of gold or money.

But at the same time, the plot has the usual logical gaps for propaganda. For example, the journalist says that the Azov military allegedly tried to hide among other military and civilians who were at the plant and also left its territory and were taken, prisoner. But, according to militants, the so-called "DPR," all Azov residents have a "distinctive feature: each has a large amount of money, and dollars, euros, hryvnias, and a lot of gold with tags." Why people who tried to "hide" among others had this "distinctive feature" all at once, the audience did not explain.

It is another attempt to discredit the Azov fighters and made according to "understandable" patterns for viewers of the channel. If the Russian military themselves are looters and constantly steal things in Ukrainian apartments or rob stores, they must believe that the Ukrainian army is doing the same.

It is spread on social networks and media that the OSCE allegedly provided the Azov Regiment with communications and intelligence in Mariupol. According to StopFake, these reports refer to pro-Russian militants from the occupied parts of the Donetsk region, who are distributing photos and saying that they allegedly found a satellite phone with a sticker of the organization on Azovstal.

The OSCE denied allegations of communications and intelligence to the Ukrainian military at Azovstal, saying it had never provided any additional information other than open official reports. The organization says that since the start of hostilities on February 24, 2022, the Mission has recorded increasingly hostile public rhetoric against the OSCE SMMU, especially in areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government. "False, unsubstantiated, and increasingly outrageous allegations have been made about the SMMU, which the OSCE has refuted. As for Mariupol, the SMMU has not controlled its office in Mariupol since March 15 due to ongoing fighting, ” a spokesman told StopFake. The fact-checkers noted that there was no evidence that the phone with the OSCE sticker was found on Azovstal and that the Ukrainian military used it. They pointed out that the phone " with a high probability could be found in the building of the former OSCE office in Mariupol."

The Russian media disseminate such information regarding the statement of the Center for Defense Management of the Russian Federation. The reports say that the Ukrainian military, in particular soldiers of the Azov, allegedly forcibly detained civilians with children in a kindergarten in the village of Borova, Kharkiv region. There, the Ukrainian military allegedly equipped barracks and placed heavy military equipment, artillery, and multiple launch rocket systems on the institution's territory. According to StopFake, despite loud statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the information that the Ukrainian military forcibly keeps civilians in Borova kindergarten is not valid. This was stated by the local authorities of the village on their official Facebook page, "Borivska selyschchna rada." 

Such information is spread on social networks. In particular, the Russian-speaking and Georgian-speaking segments of Facebook. Such reports say that the Russian military captured American Admiral Eric Olson at the Azovstal plant. A photo of prisoners of war is attached to the posts. According to users, one of the militaries depicted is Eric Olson. However, according to the fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project, the allegation that US General Eric Olson was taken prisoner at Azovstal is unsubstantiated, and the photo related to his alleged arrest was actually taken on April 14 in Luhansk; therefore, Olson, in the post which the photograph was added is not mentioned at all. According to fact-checkers, a widespread photo, allegedly taken at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and showing captured US General Eric Olson, was actually published by the Kremlin-controlled Sputnik on April 14. The photo shows Ukrainian prisoners of war. Fact-checkers add that any official open-source does not confirm the information about the arrest of Eric Olson at Azovstal. The circulated photo was also checked by the Italian organization FACTA.

 This was the information disseminated by Russian propaganda media this morning. According to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Rospropaganda further reported that under the white flag came out the negotiators who are negotiating the surrender of most of the Ukrainian military. "In fact, this "information noise" was only a justification for the possible removal of wounded Ukrainian soldiers trapped on the territory of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works. Such information 'cover-up' is necessary for the Kremlin for two reasons: to destroy the image of the invincible defenders of Mariupol, who 'did surrender,' and to reassure Russians, who might have been outraged at such a concession by Putin to 'neo-Nazis,'" the Center said in a statement. Recall, the fake that Azov fighters came out with white flags, propagandists have already spread before - on May 8. At that time, Azov fighters explained that the white flag near the Azovstal plant was used to evacuate civilians, which by no means meant that the defenders were surrendering.  

Russian propaganda levels Ukraine's victory in the Eurovision song contest and points to the bias of Europe. The words "Please help Mariupol, help Azovstal, right now!" said by the soloist of the band Kalush Orchestra are considered by the Russians as a political slogan, which, according to the rules of the contest, leads to the disqualification of the participant. At the same time, the organizers of the contest noted that the uncoordinated statement was more of a humanitarian nature; this decision was also preceded by a similar statement by "UA: Public service broadcasting". Slogans in support of Ukraine were also voiced by other artists, in particular representatives of Georgia and Iceland.

Russian propagandists claimed that Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol allegedly surrendered. "Azov" fighters explained that the white flag near the Azovstal plant is used to evacuate citizens , that the defenders surrendered into captivity, the Telegram reported.

"Attention!" information is spreading from some Internet sources that the defenders of Mariupol came out to the Russian military with a white flag. In reality, white flags are used by both groups to implement the plan to evacuate civilians. This time, both groups used such flags to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant. We would like to note that this procedure has been carried out for the fourth time," Azov fighters said. As reported, on May 6, during the ceasefire on the territory of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, the Russian invaders used an anti-tank missile system and drove up a vehicle moving towards civilians. As a result of the shelling, one fighter was killed and six were wounded.

On May 6, the operation to evacuate people from the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works continued - 50 people managed to be evacuated. Today, May 7, the evacuation continues. Russia's aggression has caused one of the greatest humanitarian disasters in Mariupol. The invaders are bombing unarmed residents and blocking humanitarian aid. The Azov Regiment, National Guard, Ukrainian Marines, and motorized riflemen continue to defend Mariupol.

On May 5, Russian propaganda media, including RIA Novosti, RT, Vesti.ru, gazeta.ru, iz.ru, Sputnik Latvia, and others, as well as telegram channels, spread a new fake about Azov fighters: propagandists write that allegedly Ukrainian fighters demand to exchange Azovstal civilians hiding in the Maripuol for humanitarian aid - 15 people for one ton. No proof of this assertion was provided.

At the same time, Azov leaders repeatedly appealed to the international community and politicians to help evacuate civilians from Azovstal. Today, May 6, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said that during about another stage of the evacuation with the participation of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, 500 Mariupol residents were able to be removed from the territory of the plant.

Propagandists conduct a systematic disinformation campaign against Mariupol defenders and regularly spread false reports about Azov.

The Russian media, followed by the state-run Belarusian media, disseminated a statement by Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, that the Russian military allegedly "observes the silence regime," while "Ukrainian nationalists" allegedly "shell humanitarian corridors. In fact, there have been numerous recent instances of Russian troops shelling convoys of civilians, in particular, a convoy of volunteer vehicles that on May 2 evacuated people from the village of Russkaya Lozovaya in the northern suburbs of Kharkivwas hit by mortar fire. In addition, Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko said, on May 3 that Russia had blocked the evacuation of 2,000 Mariupol residents from seized Berdyansk for two weeks. Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhya regional military administration, also said that Russian kafirs blocked the evacuation of people from other places in Zaporizhzhya Region upon the arrival of convoys of civilians from the Azovstal plant.

Anonymous telegram channels controlled by Russian special services spread a manipulative thesis that the AFU General Staff allegedly decided to collect civilians in Severodonetsk in the basement of the Azot plant, where the AFU is located. In particular, "Legitimny" spreads this, comparing it to the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. This manipulation is part of the narrative that the Ukrainian military "uses civilians as human shields. Similar manipulations were spread about Kramatorsk, where the train station, from which civilians were being evacuated, was hit by the Russian military; as well as about foreigners and Mariupol. Regarding Azovstal, by the way, the Russian media spread fakes, assuring that there were no civilians at all at the plant in Mariupol. In general, Russian propaganda and official agencies then use these reports to justify strikes on civilian objects and civilian casualties. In fact, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Serhii Haidai, had previously warned, that Russia would try to encircle Severodonetsk. At that time, he said that the civilians had better evacuate the city.

Russian media spread a fake that soldiers of the 93rd "Kholodny Yar" Brigade refused to continue serving and fighting the Russian military. Russian media spread a fake that soldiers of the 93rd "Kholodny Yar" Brigade refused to continue to fight the Russian military." The news was spread with reference to a telegram channel called Nolodniy Yar, which masquerades as the 93rd Brigade's alleged communications channel. In reality, the 93rd Brigade "Kholodny Yar" does not have a telegram channel - it was not created due to the Russian origin of the social network. At the same time, it is possible to follow the brigade's news on their Facebook page. Representatives of the 93rd Brigade noted, that the telegram channel "Kholodny Yar" was created by Russians in order to try to demoralize Brigade servicemen and their families and to conduct information and psychological operations against the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, this channel often publishes documents found on the battlefield, gaps to the territory of the unit or patches with the names of our fighters, and pass them off as dead.

"This is done in order to sow panic among relatives and friends. Also, the enemy lays out lists of soldiers, as if they were in captivity. They post written complaints of soldiers who refuse to go to the front lines. Of course, in conditions of intense fighting in the many thousands of troops are the following. However, the Russians are trying to pass off individual isolated cases as a mass phenomenon, which is certainly false," said the 93rd Brigade.

Kremlin propagandists are spreading information that on Saturday, April 30, the Russian side reported the "evacuation" of 46 people from Mariupol.

"The Russian Defense Ministry reports that two groups of civilians, a total of 46 people, left the residential buildings adjacent to Azovstal on April 30 and were provided with lodging and food," RIA Novosti reported.

Later, Kremlin media outlets and channels telegraphed the evacuation of two groups of people, and one of them wanted to leave for Russia. After that, Russian media began to circulate videos of one of the evacuees complaining that the Ukrainian military, which she called "militants," "were not letting people out of Azovstal. Another allegedly evacuated man says that mines flew "only from the direction of the Azovstal plant," and was wounded as a result.

The pro-Kremlin channel of TV host Vladimir Solovyov distributed an exclusive video of the Azovstal evacuation on the morning of May 1, where a Red Cross representative says that there were 21 people in the party, among them several children and one woman with a bandaged arm. According to their information, the people were supposed to spend the night in a Russian filtration camp for refugees in the village of Bezimennoye and go to Zaporizhia.

Captain Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov regiment, confirmed that it was possible to evacuate civilians from Azovstal. A total of 20 people were evacuated, including women and children. There is no confirmation of the rest of the evacuated people either by the Azov Regiment or the Red Cross.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Xinhua news agency that 1.02 million people have been evacuated from Ukraine to Russia since February 24, including more than 120,000 third-country nationals, including more than 300 Chinese citizens.

He said the hotline of the Russian Federation's Interagency Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response had received a request for assistance to evacuate 2.8 million people to Russia, 16,000 of whom were foreign nationals and personnel of international UN and OSCE missions.

His statement was disseminated by a number of foreign media outlets, including Reuters. In fact, Lavrov isn't telling the truth.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 5.3 million refugees left Ukraine after Russia invaded. Most of them went to Poland - more than 2.9 million. More than 801,000 people left for Romania, more than 647,000 for Russia, 507,000 for Hungary, more than 439,000 for Moldova, more than 363,000 for Slovakia and more than 24,000 for Belarus.

Ukraine's permanent representative to the UN, Serhii Kyslytsia, said that more than 500,000 Ukrainians, of whom 121,000 were children, were forcibly removed to Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. He noted that about 20,000 Ukrainians are being held in filtration camps on the Mangush - Nikolskoye - Yalta line and about 5,000-7,000 in Bezimenne in the Donetsk region.

Liudmyla Denisova, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, said that after the camps, Ukrainians are taken by bus to Taganrog, Russia, and from there they are transported by train to Omsk and Tomsk regions and the Perm region of Russia. There are cases of Ukrainians being taken to Sakhalin.

"Unfortunately, we have no lists of these people. There are only individual testimonies of relatives or people themselves who called our hotline and told us that they were forcibly removed and they are there in some kindergarten in the city of Taganrog, sleeping on the floor... Well all these horrors of their movements as long as they have communication," Denisova said, responding to a question from Radio Liberty about the availability of lists of Ukrainians taken out to Russia.

According to her, some time after crossing the border with Russia, communication with the taken out is broken, their phone is taken away from them and "they are given a view that they cannot leave the territory of the Russian Federation home for two years." The Russian side does not allow or shoot up humanitarian corridors from the blockaded towns, including Mariupol. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, thousands of people - military and civilians - remain blockaded in Mariupol. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk added that the Russians do not want to go to any negotiations on the Azovstal enterprise, where there are more than a thousand women, children and more than 500 wounded. "Now it is impossible to go there, much less create a humanitarian corridor: Russia is bombing, rocketing, shelling the approaches," she said.

According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine the Navy, taking advantage of the emotional state of relatives and loved ones of military personnel, the attackers call from hidden numbers and offer to facilitate the release of their loved ones from captivity for a monetary reward. ""Thus, the attackers also want to know the personal data of Ukrainian defenders. Representatives of military authorities or state institutions do not collect funds! The issues of the release of prisoners of war are in the exclusive competence of the state authorities only," the message reads. "

Throughout April 19, the Russian propaganda media and pro-Russian telegram channels were actively spreading the video of "that terrible explosion at Azovstal." In particular, it appeared in the "Trukha-Ukraine" telegram channel. The short video does indeed show something exploding, but it is not an explosion at the Azovstal plant, but explosions at ammunition depots in Balakleya, which occurred in 2017. The fake video was brought to the attention of Toronto Television. Previously, the Russian occupants struck Azovstal with super-heavy air bombs. There were at least 1,000 civilians in the underground shelters of the steel mill. According to Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov regiment, the Mariupol plant was bombed and destroyed almost completely, Ukrainian fighters are pulling people out from under the rubble. As a reminder, Russian TV channels, including the Russian Ministry of Defense channel, are spreading information that there are allegedly no civilians hiding in the shelters of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. They try to convince us that the video with the civilians was not filmed at the plant, but "in other shelters. This is not the first time that Russia has assured that there are no civilians in the facilities it hits. In this way the Russian Ministry of Defense seeks to justify the crimes of its military on the territory of Ukraine. However, this always turns out to be untrue and peaceful people are killed by Russian strikes.

Russian propaganda media have been spreading information about this for several days in a row. Reports say that the Russian army in Mariupol "freed Turkish hostages from Ukrainian captivity" in a mosque in Mariupol. it is reported that the "special operation to rescue Turkish citizens" was carried out at the personal request of Turkish President Erdogan, who asked Russian authorities "to release people held by militants in the building of the mosque.

According to StopFake, the mosque in question is that of Sultan Suleyman Magnificent and his wife Roksolana in Mariupol, which in March served as a shelter for Turkish citizens and Muslims of other nationalities from Russian shelling.

Fact checkers note that the head of the Suleyman Magnificent Mosque Association, Ismail Hacioğlu, denied Russian statements about "rescuing Turkish citizens from Ukrainian captivity." According to him, there were no Turkish citizens in the Mariupol mosque and there was no one to "rescue" there. "Hacioğlu also said that a total of 24 Turkish citizens with their families are in the city, all of whom have been held in temporarily Russian-occupied areas of Mariupol for more than four weeks," writes StopFake.

Russian TV channels, including channels of the Russian Ministry of Defense, are spreading information that civilians are allegedly not hiding in the shelters of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. They try to convince us that the video with the civilians was filmed not at the plant, but "in other shelters. To this thesis, the propagandists add only some screenshots from one video, without recording. At the same time, they do not mention or add many other videos of hiding in the factory. In fact, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment, and Mykhailo Vershynin, head of the Donetsk Region Patrol Police, stated that hundreds of civilians were at the Azovstal plant. Moreover, the Center to Counter Disinformation pointed out that the day before, Russian propagandists themselves wrote that Azov plant seemed to be "holding civilians of all ages, including children, hostage. This is a manipulation that Russia often uses to justify many cases of violations of laws and customs of war by the Russian military (more than 7,000 criminal cases have been opened) - but it is also proof that Russia knows there are civilians at the plant when it shells Azovstal.

Ukraine's government emergency response team CERT-UA has warned that malefactors are sending emails to Ukrainians and Ukrainian government organizations with the subject line "Urgent! Azovstal Unblocking Urgent! Unblocking Azovstal." Sheets have an attachment in the form of an XLS document "Military on Azovstal.xls", which contains a macro. When you open the document and activate the macro, the computer will be affected by the Cobalt Strike Beacon malware.

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 propagandists called fake the statements of the Ukrainian side about the blocking and seizure of humanitarian aid for Melitopol by the invaders, attaching photos of white trucks with a red cross allegedly located at Azovstal in Mariupol. StopFake writes that the photos are fake, because according to Mayor Ivan Fedorov, the humanitarian aid was sent by other vehicles.

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service and numerous Russian media have spread false information that allegedly Ukraine has informed Great Britain that it does not intend to comply with the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war. the speaker of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleh Nikolenko, denied this fake:

"Russian intelligence does not stop spreading disinformation. Earlier it created fakes about allegedly thousands of Ukrainians seeking asylum in Russia, about inhumane treatment of Russian prisoners of war, about "workers" of Azovstal who "ask" to join the ranks of the Russian invading army. The SVR's claim about the Geneva Convention is another such fake," Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.

The purpose of the fake is to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of international humanitarian structures, says Nikolenko and reminds that Russia itself, unlike Ukraine, violates international law.

The Russian media spread a staged video in which an Azovstal employee in Mariupol allegedly talks about the "tyrants" from Azov, to whom he is going to take revenge for being left without a home. He also passionately thanks Vladimir Putin and intends to join the Russian army or police. According to the Center for Strategic Communications at the ICMP, Azovstal's personnel department denied that a man with this name and surname has never worked at the company. The Mariupol City Council called the man in the video an "actor".

Earlier, the Hrati newspaper reported that Mariupol residents forcibly deported to Russia upon arrival to the occupied territories are sent to filtration camps. There, they are photographed, fingerprinted, and their phone data is copied by FSB officers. The Russian publication Mediazone published proof that the video of the girl recounting Azov's crimes against civilians in Mariupol was recorded by an FSB officer and distributed to Russian media with the requirement not to specify the source of the video. The Russian media published it for their materials. The girl in the video also thanked Putin.

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 Patrol Police of Ukraine, such information is disseminated by Russian propaganda media. However, this is not true. "The occupiers do not control the city; they just arranged a photo session near the district prosecutor's office building in the Left Bank district. This area is separated from the central part of the city by a river and the industrial zone of the Azovstal plant. Policemen, fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the Territorial Defense give a worthy rebuff to the invaders and continue to defend the city heroically," the statement reads.