The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is spreading a statement about the alleged US preparations for holding elections in Ukraine with the aim of removing Volodymyr Zelenskyi, which is part of a large-scale information campaign against the Ukrainian government. This message, launched back in November 2023, has been reinforced since the spring of 2024 by fakes about the West's plans to remove Zelenskyi from power. This is reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

Such disinformation messages are part of the operation Maidan-3, aimed at destabilizing the political situation in Ukraine, in particular by discrediting the initiatives of the President of Ukraine, such as the Peace Formula and the Victory Plan. In light of these manipulations, the Ukrainian authorities have also repeatedly explained the legal impossibility of holding elections during martial law, refuting speculations about a change of power through foreign influence. The goal of this approach is to create the illusion of an alleged loss of support for Ukraine from Western partners, focusing on false claims about the “unrealistic” nature of Ukrainian peace initiatives.

The purpose of spreading this fake is to try to undermine Ukrainians' trust in President Zelenskyi and discredit him in the eyes of the international community. It also aims to sow doubts among Ukrainians about the stability of their government and relations with international partners.

A screenshot of a message on the Facebook page of the OCU priest Roman Hryshchuk has been circulated online, in which he allegedly cursed those who laugh at President Zelenskyi's Victory Plan.

“Such behavior means only one thing: the person has nothing human left, and Satan has already taken over his mind. Therefore, I curse everyone who lost their minds today and insulted the President of Ukraine”, the post says.

However, this is a fake photo. The fakers edited Roman Hryshchuk’s message, replacing the original text with “curses”. The real post was about what to do if a priest curses.

In fact, the caption to the post and the video itself were about what to do if a priest curses. Hryshchuk indicated that a subscriber approached him with this question, since, according to her, a local priest cursed some of the parishioners. He did not say the words that the propagandists cited, moreover, Hryshchuk did not make statements about Zelenskyi or the Victory Plan. Fake news sites replaced the original text of the message with “curses”.

The Internet is spreading alleged “announcements” about a poetry competition for the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language, which allegedly took place on October 27 in Ukrainian schools. In this announcement, schoolchildren are asked to write poems on the topics “We are ready to die for the Motherland” and “Volodymyr Zelenskyi is our immortal leader”.

But in Ukraine there is no holiday called “Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language”. On October 27, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language. In 1997, the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma supported the initiative of public organizations and signed decree No. 1241/97 “On the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language”, which was celebrated on November 9 until 2023. Considering that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine switched to the new Julian calendar style, the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language was moved to October 27.

Or the text itself contains many errors, indicating that the author of this “advertisement” has a poor command of the Ukrainian language. For example, the sentence “Poems glorifying Ukraine and fighting enemies!” is syntactically incorrect, since poems cannot “fight” enemies.

We have documented fakes many times, whether they involve fake graffiti, foreign magazine covers/newspaper columns, or advertising videos. In this way, propagandists aim to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. This may make readers think that the public is really unhappy with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, implying that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda is a reason for Europe to laugh.

Propagandists are spreading information on anonymous Telegram channels that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly deliberately destroying the Ukrainian people under the pretext of war in order to turn Ukraine into a camp for migrants from Europe and transfer all the country's resources to Western corporations. However, this is not true.

This message is a typical example of Russian disinformation aimed at undermining morale and creating panic. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was an act of aggression on the part of Russia, not a conscious policy of the Ukrainian authorities. Ukraine is defending itself against an aggressor that has violated international law and the country's sovereignty. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Ukrainian leadership are fighting to preserve the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, not to “destroy the people”. Their goal is to preserve the Ukrainian state and protect its population from threats from the aggressor.

The claim that Ukraine will be used as a “migrant camp” is a completely baseless conspiracy theory. Ukraine seeks to integrate into the European community as a full partner, and there is no indication that the country will become a hub for migrants deported from the EU. Such rumors are classic Russian attempts to stoke fears and social instability. The claim that Ukrainians are “fighting to give resources to Western corporations” is part of anti-Western propaganda. Ukraine receives aid from Western countries to protect itself from Russian aggression, not to give up its resources. This aid is aimed at supporting the defense and reconstruction of the country. The use of ethnic stereotypes and hints at “outsiders” who are supposedly going to take over Ukraine is an attempt to sow discord among Ukrainians and undermine the unity of society. Such narratives are dangerous and are intended to create an atmosphere of mistrust and fear.

Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Zelenskyi and his government in order to reduce public support and sow doubts about the motives of the war for Ukraine's independence. In this way, propagandists are also trying to present Western aid as a threat to Ukraine's sovereignty, which is not true. These types of messages are aimed at emotional influence in order to demoralize Ukrainian society, spread fear and doubt about the country's future.

A Polish pro-Russian Telegram channel has spread information that Hezbollah has struck Israel with “rockets” allegedly signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. A fragment of a 155-millimeter artillery shell found near the Israeli city of Haifa allegedly contains Zelenskyi's signature. In reporting this, the propagandists cite “local media”, in particular The Jerusalem Post.

The response message adds that Zelenskyi had previously visited a military ammunition plant in the American city of Scranton, where he inspected the work of the military-industrial complex and called for an increase in ammunition supplies to Ukraine. At the same time, as the propagandists report, ammunition from this plant was delivered directly to the Hezbollah warehouse or was resold by the Ukrainian side.

In fact, there is no real evidence that Hezbollah fired shells with Zelenskyi's signature at Israel. The Ukrainian president did visit the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in September 2024 during a visit to the United States and left his signature on some shells. However, these shells could not have reached Hezbollah, since the Scranton plant is fully loaded with Ukrainian supplies.

After all, The Jerusalem Post, which the propagandists cite, did not report on its website or social media that Hezbollah had fired shells at Israel with Zelenskyi’s signature.

Pro-Russian sources are distributing a photo of what appears to be the cover of the Scottish newspaper The National with the headline “Zelenskyi provokes nuclear crisis” on the front page. The newspaper also asks: “Why does Zelenskyi's victory plan pose a threat to the world's nuclear security?”

In fact, The National did not publish such material, and the newspaper's cover was edited. This is written about in the StopFake project. In its official account on the X social network, the publication published what the issue of The National for October 18, 2024 looked like. The front page did not contain any news about Volodymyr Zelenskyi or Ukraine in general. It was about the ceremonial farewell to former Scottish Prime Minister Alex Salmond, who died of a heart attack on October 12, 2024.

Russians have been speculating on the topic of nuclear weapons since the publication of the Victory Plan by Volodymyr Zelenskyi and his statement that the guarantee of security for Ukraine could be either nuclear weapons (which the state renounced in 1996) or NATO membership. Despite the fact that the president clarified that Ukraine is not developing and does not plan to restore nuclear weapons, Putin has already managed to accuse Ukraine of provocations. However, it is Russia that regularly uses nuclear blackmail as an instrument of foreign policy.

Previously, we analyzed the Russian message that Ukraine was trying to provoke Russia into a nuclear strike.

Russian Telegram channels are distributing a photo of graffiti that allegedly appeared in London. According to the propagandists, it was created on a wall under a bridge near Paul McCartney's house. The graffiti allegedly depicts The Beatles with Volodymyr Zelenskyi “stealing a wallet” from George Harrison.

In fact, this information is not true. This fake first began to spread in August 2024, and now it has been given a “second life”. This is reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation. There is no real evidence of the existence of such graffiti. Also, not a single reliable British publication reported on such a drawing in London. The fact that the graffiti image is fake is also indicated by the fact that it is being distributed mainly in the Russian segment of social networks and among pro-Russian foreign audiences.

With this disinformation, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian president, in particular, before a Western audience. We have already documented such fakes many times. For example, about graffiti with an F-16 aircraft lost in Ukraine, which allegedly appeared near the Pentagon.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly bought Hitler's ceremonial car for $15 million. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council reports on this. Its experts found out that this fake comes from the Seattle Tribune website, created just five days ago, and the article with this information does not have an indicated author. The material presents a photo of a car allegedly parked near the President's Office, and claims that it was published by a well-known Ukrainian Telegram channel. However, there is no such photo on the aforementioned Telegram channel.

This fake is one of many aimed at personally discrediting the President of Ukraine and his family. Propagandists are trying to present Volodymyr Zelenskyi as a person making wasteful and provocative purchases during the war, undermining his reputation and reducing the level of trust in him. By spreading fake news about the leadership's misconduct, propagandists are trying to sow distrust among Ukrainian society and reduce support for government institutions. The choice of Hitler's car in the fake is intended to evoke associations with Nazism, which is part of Kremlin propaganda that constantly tries to create an image of the Ukrainian government as “neo-Nazi”.

Propagandists claim on social networks that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly hid from the Russian army in bunkers for two days. They say it was impossible to reach him by phone. Russian propaganda is spreading this information with reference to a statement by former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. However, this is manipulation.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security draws attention to it. Its specialists found out that Russian propaganda distorted Stoltenberg’s words in an interview with the FT, in which he actually spoke about communication difficulties and enhanced security measures that had to be resorted to in the first days of a full-scale invasion, when Russian troops were in close proximity to Kyiv. Commenting on Zelenskyi’s behavior after the start of the full-scale invasion, Stoltenberg admitted that he “completely underestimated” the Ukrainian president.

Propaganda is trying to present the Ukrainian president as a weak, indecisive leader who allegedly hides at critical moments rather than acts. Russian propaganda is also trying to deflect criticism of Volodymyr Putin, who is often called a bunker dictator due to his isolationist tendencies and fears for his own safety. The spread of fake information about Zelenskyi aims to remove this image from Putin and reduce the severity of criticism directed at him.

Pro-Russian telegram channels spread information that almost no one came to see President Zelenskyi speak from the UN rostrum at the 79th General Assembly of the organization. The hall was allegedly almost empty, only a few people came. The propagandists explained this by saying that everyone was simply tired of the “Ukrainian crisis”.

However, this information is fake. If one watches the broadcast of the speech of the President of Ukraine, one can see the opposite. Representatives of delegations of many countries were present in the hall. In particular, this is clearly noticeable at 2:21 and 14:23 minutes of the video.

This disinformation was spread as part of a campaign to discredit Zelenskyi, also feeding the narrative of his “illegitimacy” after May 21, 2024. The propagandists fear the all-round support of Ukraine by its partners, so they claim that in reality everyone is already fed up with the “Ukrainian crisis”.

Read also: Show-off against the backdrop of global problems: how Russian propaganda portrays Zelenskyi’s visit to the US – MediaSapiens.

A number of pro-Russian internet users have spread the “news” that the newly elected Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum allegedly explained her refusal to visit Ukraine by saying that if she wanted to see a “drug addict” (allegedly referring to Zelenskyi), she would have taken a walk in the Mexican city of Tijuana.

However, this information is not true. This is reported by journalists from the StopFake project. The original source of the disinformation is social network user X Olha Bazova. She publishes and distributes pro-Russian messages, although the description of this profile in English states: “I specialize in humorous political analysis, exposing hypocrisy and satire”. In response to her post, the author of the account even noted that this was a joke and the President of Mexico did not make such statements. However, part of the audience perceived the statement as true (as was intended), and distributed the “news” without specifying that it was fake.

It should be noted that the newly elected Mexican president did indeed decline an invitation to visit Ukraine. However, she explained this by saying that she wanted to focus on the domestic political situation, and not “unwillingness to meet with drug addict Zelenskyi”. Claudia Sheinbaum does not plan to travel much in office, and therefore will only attend the most important international events. The president also added that she will continue her predecessor's policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries and will support the peaceful resolution of all conflicts.

Recently, the Mexican Foreign Ministry sent Putin an invitation to the inauguration of the new president, but another Russian representative will attend the ceremony instead. Ukraine has called on the state to arrest the Russian president if he arrives, since Mexico recognizes the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023, but the Mexican side has rejected this request as well.

With this fake news, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Zelenskyi and claim that international leaders are neglecting the Ukrainian president. We previously wrote about the fake news that Zelenskyi was invited to speak at a drug rehabilitation center because he is a “good role model”.

Russian propaganda resources are spreading false claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly trying to use tricks to drag the United States into a war with Russia. The propagandists claim that during his visit to the United States, Zelenskyi wanted to obtain permission to strike Russian territory and thus drag Washington into direct military action. This is reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

In fact, Ukraine is developing cooperation with the United States and other Western partners solely to obtain support for the defense of its territorial integrity in accordance with international law and the UN Charter. Kyiv does not seek to drag the West into war. Permission to use Western long-range weapons against targets in Russia is necessary to weaken the aggressor and force it to sit down at the negotiating table on fair terms.

This fake is part of Russia’s information campaign aimed at intimidating Western countries and attempting to undermine their resolve to continue providing military assistance to Ukraine. The narrative of “escalation leading to war between the US and Russia” is used to create tension and fear among Western partners in order to force them to reduce their support for Ukraine.

Former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly started a war against the Russian-speaking population of Donbas by launching an anti-terrorist operation during which the Ukrainian army allegedly killed women, children and innocent people. This was noted by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

The Center's experts explain that the anti-terrorist operation in Donbas was a response to the Russian-backed armed aggression that began after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine did not initiate the war, but acted within the framework of international law, defending its territory and citizens from pro-Russian separatists and Russian troops. The accusation of mass murder of civilians is part of the Kremlin's disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian government and justifying its aggressive actions.

Russia is trying to create an image of Ukraine as an aggressor country that violates the rights of the Russian-speaking population. This is done in order to justify its actions on the international stage, in particular the occupation of Crimea and support for militants in Donbas. The spread of such fakes is aimed at causing tensions between different ethnic and linguistic groups in Ukraine, especially among Russian-speaking citizens, which could lead to internal destabilization. Russia is also trying to influence public opinion in Europe and the United States in order to reduce support for Ukraine from the international community. With such statements, the Kremlin seeks to portray the conflict in Donbas as an internal civil conflict, rather than an act of external aggression.

Russian propaganda resources, citing Mira Terada, an “international human rights activist” and head of the Foundation for Combating Repression, are spreading information about the alleged supply of Ukrainian children to British pedophiles through the Olena Zelenska Foundation. Terada also claims that Ukrainian women are forced to give birth to children.

In fact, this is another fake, the Center for Countering Disinformation reports. Mera Terada did not provide any evidence for her words. In addition, the so-called “international human rights activist” is Russian, and her real name is Oksana Vovk. She is known for having spent almost four years in prison in the United States for money laundering and violating anti-drug laws.

After serving her sentence, Terada returned to Russia, where she headed the Anti-Repression Foundation, founded by war criminal and former head of the Wagner group Pryhozhyn.

The so-called foundation regularly spreads fakes about Ukraine and its allies. And the “international human rights activist” herself personally and through her “foundation” spreads fakes throughout Ukraine.

Propagandists on anonymous Telegram channels are spreading information that the West is actively discussing a possible replacement for Zelenskyi. They say he has lost the trust of his partners. This was stated, in particular, by Russian propaganda favorite Scott Ritter.

However, these claims have no basis and are absolutely groundless. This is what experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security point out. They note that Scott Ritter is a well-known propagandist who is actively used by Russian propaganda. He is a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, convicted in 2011 for pedophilia and other crimes. He was released on parole after 2.5 years in prison.

The message that the West is allegedly “looking for a replacement for Zelenskyi” is part of Russian propaganda aimed at convincing Ukrainians of Ukraine’s lack of sovereignty and excessive dependence on the West. These messages also aim to discredit the Ukrainian leadership by creating an image of the president as a loser who is about to be eliminated at the behest of his “overseas masters”.

Russian Telegram channels are distributing photos of ATMs with images of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi pasted on them with the caption “I eat your taxes!”. In the corresponding messages, propagandists claim that the photos were taken in the center of Barcelona (Spain).

The Center for Countering Disinformation, after verifying this information at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the Consulate General of Ukraine in Barcelona, reported that this was a Russian-ordered campaign. They took several photos and began distributing disinformation material about Volodymyr Zelenskyi. At the same time, the campaign did not become widespread.

The Center for Countering Disinformation adds that Russia is distributing such fakes as part of the “Black Hole” information campaign, the results of which can be found here.

Earlier, Russian propagandists distributed photos of leaflets with the image of the Ukrainian president asking for money in different languages of the world.

Trumpist Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene released a statement claiming that the war could have ended months ago, but Zelenskyi's calls for more weapons are only leading to the deaths of a generation of Ukrainian men. Propagandists are actively spreading this statement. However, it is manipulative.

This was noted by experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They claim that the assertion that the war could have ended several months ago is an outright lie. Moscow has not offered any peaceful solutions since the start of the full-scale war, only ultimatums, which are equivalent to Ukraine's capitulation. Russia is also trying to convince the world that military and financial aid to Ukraine allegedly increases the number of victims among Ukrainians, while its cessation will lead to peace.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is known for her statements that echo Kremlin propaganda and her ardent opposition to aid to Ukraine. She has previously also claimed that Ukraine is allegedly waging a “war against Christianity”, that “civilians are being tortured”, and that “Nazism is thriving in Ukraine”. Greene echoes the propagandists, distorting the reality that aid to Ukraine allows it to more effectively resist the aggressor, preventing even greater casualties, destruction, and terror brought by the occupier.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing the cover of the French newspaper Libération. On it one can see athlete Tyler Mislavchuk, who was bored during competitions at the Olympic Games, and a photo of Volodymyr Zelenskyi below.

VoxCheck project analysts investigated this case and found out that the column images had been edited. On the original binding, instead of a photo of triathlete Tyler Mislavchuk, there was an inscription about Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Iran.

On August 1, 2024, the Libération newspaper actually published a new issue, on the front page of which, in particular, there was a photo of Volodymyr Zelenskyi with the headline “Restore our territorial integrity, but not only with the help of weapons”. However, missing from this issue is an image of triathlete Tyler Mislavchuk, who was exhausted after swimming at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

In fact, we recorded many fakes aimed at discrediting Volodymyr Zelenskyi: propagandists used false advertising banners, magazine covers, graffiti, created individual cartoons, and placed Zelenskyi’s faces on various consumer goods (for example, condoms). With the help of Russian propaganda, Zelenskyi was able to appear in various roles, in particular: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction; theft of Western money; a puppet controlled by the West; a monster who throws “everyone in a row” to the front, etc.

A video allegedly published by the German publication DW is being circulated in the Russian segment of social networks. It allegedly talks about a “new Bellingcat investigation” about a plan to imitate an attempt on Zelenskyi’s children, which was allegedly developed by the Office of the President and the Main Intelligence Directorate. In fact, the Russian authorities and intelligence services planned to blame the terrorist act.

“The Ukrainian side allegedly contacted the US Central Intelligence Agency to talk about the planned provocation, but received a sharp refusal - after all, the American partners think that such a scenario, on the contrary, would escalate the confrontation”, they write in the messages.

StopFake specialists examined the case and found out that this story was completely made up. This news was not distributed by either Deutsche Welle or Bellingcat. Moreover, Deutsche Welle’s videos have a completely different format - in their videos they use original footage and voice-over of the announcer, while on the Internet they distribute cut-ups of stock photos with superimposed text and music.

Russian telegram channels, citing material from the Italian publication Database Italia, report that the Zelenskyi family acquired a wine estate from the English singer Sting. The text notes that the corresponding agreement was concluded on June 28, 2024, and the value of the property is about 60-75 million euros. Moreover, according to the publication, data about this agreement was published in the tax register of real estate in Italy.

However, this information is fake, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council. The Database Italia website, which became the primary source of the fake, was included in the rating of web resources disseminating misinformation in Italian in 2021. This pseudo-publication published a number of fakes about Ukraine, in particular about “American biological laboratories”. After all, the “news” from Database Italia has been repeatedly refuted by Italian fact-checkers.

This fake is being spread as part of Russia’s large-scale disinformation campaign to discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.

We have previously recorded similar fakes by Russians. In particular, Olena Zelenska’s purchase of a Bugatti Tourbillon for 4.5 million euros, as well as Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s purchase of one of the largest casino hotels in Europe, the approximate price of which was 150 million pounds sterling.

Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that one of the specific Ukrainian online stores of electronic cigarettes sells the “Chill up Zelenskiy” cigarette.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed the stuffing and found that the assortment of the online store indicated by the propagandists does not include products with the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Presumably, the screenshot was faked and replaced with a photo of the original product.

When searching using the keyword chill up, we were able to find original products that did not contain photos of Zelenskyi or other politicians.

However, in general, it is not prohibited to put images of politicians or any other figures on such products: only if the product itself does not violate Ukrainian legislation. For example, on the official website of Epicenter they sell a lighter with the image of Patron the Dog, a dog that inspires explosives. It's a common element of pop culture that arose in the context of a full-scale invasion. It can also be with a cigarette with the image of Ukrainian politicians.

Thus, anonymous people want to discredit the Ukrainian president, because they explain that in Ukraine they are beginning to “idolize” Zelenskyi and “push” his images everywhere: supposedly hinting at a dictatorial form of government. But for some reason, anonymous people, say, do not remember that in Russia there is an entire clothing brand dedicated to the dictator Putin, created by his supporters and participants in the Putin Team movement.

In fact, we recorded many fakes aimed at discrediting Volodymyr Zelenskyi: propagandists used false advertising banners, magazine covers, graffiti, created individual cartoons, and placed Zelenskyi’s faces on various consumer goods (for example, condoms). With the help of Russian propaganda, Zelenskyi was able to appear in various roles, in particular: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction; theft of Western money; a puppet controlled by the West; a monster who throws “everyone in a row” to the front, etc.

Propaganda telegram channels are distributing a video depicting packages of President cheese with the faces of the presidents of Ukraine, France, the USA and Russia. The consumer can choose which cheese to buy: “Zelenskyi on drugs”, “Macron with mold”, “Biden with dementia”, or “Adequate Putin”. It seems that one can now buy such cheese in Russia.

However, this information is not true. The video distributed by propagandists is operative. Its author simply printed out stickers and pasted them onto the original packaging of President cheese. Journalists from the StopFake project reported this.

First of all, the video clearly shows that only four items in the frame have the corresponding design. Immediately behind the cheeses that the author of the video shows on camera, there is a row of processed cheese “With mushrooms” in a standard red package. StopFake journalists also looked at several websites of Russian food delivery services that offer President products, and none of them sell cheeses with the faces of presidents and offensive signatures. And the President brand is owned by the French corporation Lactalis, which is the largest manufacturer of dairy products in the world, so it is unlikely that a multinational company would produce such controversial packaging designs. Moreover, these designs echo key Russian propaganda narratives.

In the end, even part of the audience of pro-Russian telegram channels did not believe the veracity of this news. Many commentators under messages from the video accused the bloggers who distributed it of publishing a primitive fake. Previously, we denied information that Zelenskyi was invited to speak at a rehabilitation center for drug addicts because he is “a good role model”.

Russian resources are distributing a video with the BBC logo, which claims that the personal endocrinologist of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly did not return to Ukraine after finishing a medical conference in London. He decided to take a bus to Paris, where he subsequently applied for refugee status. Despite the fact that the Office of the President of Ukraine allegedly diligently hid the escape of doctor Zelenskyi, the Bellingcat research group managed to find out the “truth”.

In fact, this information is fake. Journalists from the StopFake project reported this. The BBC has never published this video on its social networks or website. In addition, none of the reputable Western media reported such an incident either. Such information is not available on the official resources of the Bellingcat research group.

It is the Russian media that writes about the “flight” of doctor Zelenskyi to France, citing the BBC. However, when clicking on a link in a publication, the reader is taken not to the original source, but to the main page of the British media company.

The Russians deliberately used the BBC logo and its design for propaganda purposes. The video itself is a compilation of various photo and video materials, probably taken from stock sites, featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Hristo Grozev from Bellingcat, photographs of refugees and a train station in London. Finally, the video does not contain any information about “Zelenskyi’s doctor”, neither his photo nor his name.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that propagandists have used this format of fakes with links to the BBC and Bellingcat. Thus, we previously analyzed a fake video on behalf of Bellingcat about the funeral business in Ukraine, as well as another about how the head of the OP Andrii Yermak allegedly paid $27 million for a place in Time’s ranking of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Russian telegram channels write that graffiti with the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly appeared in Kyiv. As “proof”, the messages add a photograph of a wall on which Zelenskyi is drawn with a noose around his neck and the inscription “Zelia - get out!”

StopFake fact-checkers managed to find the location where such graffiti was allegedly painted. It turned out to be the wall of the private museum of the Yakubovskyi family in Kyiv, photographed from Oleh Koshovyi street.

But there was no similar graffiti on the spot, that is, the fakers created this graffiti using special programs.

An alleged cover of an issue of the German satirical magazine Eulenspiegel with the headline “His Finale” is being circulated online. It shows a footballer in a uniform with EU symbols raised to hit Volodymyr Zelenskyi's severed head.

VoxCheck analysts found that the German magazine Eulenspiegel did not publish an issue with such a cover.

Since on the Eulenspiegel website in the section with all published issues, as well as on the magazine’s pages on social networks, there are no issues with such a cover.

The cover circulated online states that this is the sixth issue of the magazine in 2024. However, the cover of the sixth issue for 2024 is different from the fake one. The actual cover features football fans.

Russian resources are disseminating information that the West allegedly twice transmitted to Russia the coordinates of the location of the President of Ukraine with the aim of killing him, since Zelenskyi is no longer “satisfied with the governments of Western countries”. In reporting this, the Russians refer to the pro-Russian political scientist Mykhailo Pavliv.

This is actually fake. They write about this in the Center for Strategic Communications and Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. Ukraine’s international partners recognize President Zelenskyi as legally elected by the Ukrainian people. At the same time, it was Russia, through its agents, that repeatedly prepared assassination attempts on him. By spreading this disinformation, Moscow is trying to shift responsibility to the West.

This fake Russian propaganda is aimed at damaging relations between Ukraine and its international partners. The Center adds that the spread of such lies occurs as part of a long-term Russian information operation on the “illegitimacy of Zelenskyi”.

At the beginning of July 2024, in an interview with Bloomberg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly said that in Ukraine a “Korean” or other scenario for ending the war could be put to a referendum, and the people in the referendum would say what is more important – “war fatigue” or “borders” 1991. Russian propagandists spread such information.

In fact, Zelenskyi’s words were manipulated, they write at the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. His answer to a Bloomberg journalist’s question: “Do the allies need to start thinking about the German model, that is, allowing Ukraine membership [in NATO. – ed.] while not the entire territory of Ukraine is under its control?”, is taken out of context.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Ukraine had never officially received such a proposal before. The President of Ukraine also referred to the Constitution, saying that any changes to Ukrainian territories are changes to the Constitution, and this is a crime. To this he added: “If we are offered a German model, or some other one, or a “Korean” one, etc.. In any case, we need to understand what is being offered to us, who is offering it to us, why it is being done, and after that understand the opinion of all of us. Not only mine, but above all society. Because society, the people of Ukraine, are the owners of Ukraine”.

By spreading this manipulation, Russian propagandists are trying to persuade Ukrainians to believe that Ukraine needs to begin peace negotiations to end the war as quickly as possible, and on Russia’s terms.

Propaganda telegram channels are disseminating information that the Ukrainian underground is allegedly setting fire to the cars of Ukrainian Armed Forces military personnel and the Territorial center of recruitment and social support workers. Thus, Ukrainians are allegedly trying to “fight Zelenskyi’s dictatorship”.

However, this information is not true. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

In fact, what propaganda is trying to pass off as the activities of the “underground” is the work of the Russian intelligence services. Thus, on July 10, 2024, the SBU and the National Police detained a resident of the Kirovohrad region who set fire to a National Guardsman’s car and was preparing sabotage against the Territorial center of recruitment and social support workers. As it turned out, her motivation was the money that the Russian intelligence services promised the woman. Also in June of this year, the SBU detained two men in Odesa after they set fire to a military vehicle. For this, the curator from Russia promised them two thousand dollars.

Russia is trying to pass off crimes committed by people it has bribed as acts of “popular resistance” in order to create the impression that Ukrainians are rebelling against the “Zelenskyi dictatorship”. That is, with such actions Moscow seeks to destabilize the situation within the Ukrainian state.

Russian propagandists spread the news, allegedly the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov wrote a letter to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi with a request to investigate the corrupt activities of the chairman of the Kharkiv city council Ihor Terekhov.

VoxCheck analysts explained that such a document is fake. In fact, a number of errors indicate a falsification of the document. The press service of the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration confirmed that the document is not real.

For example, some errors are recorded in the “document”:

The correct spelling would be in such words: “Supreme Commander-in-Chief”,  “heads”, “criminal proceedings”, “during” etc.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has transferred 17 million hectares of Ukrainian black soil into private ownership to several American corporations.

VoxCheck analysts determined that such information was false. But foreign companies cannot buy agricultural land in Ukraine. In total, more than 700 thousand hectares of land have been alienated in Ukraine since the lifting of the moratorium.

On July 1, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine lifted the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land. The land market opened, from that moment it was possible to freely buy, sell or bequeath agricultural land plots.

But foreigners, in turn, can only buy land for non-agricultural purposes if these areas contain real estate that belongs to them as private property.

Propagandists began to spread information on social networks that Olena Zelenska, the wife of the President of Ukraine, allegedly purchased a luxury car. One of the messages on this topic states: “Zelenskyi’s wife bought a Bugatti Turbillon supercar for almost 4.5 million euros”. The source of information is supposedly French media, and confirmation should be the words of one of the employees of the Bugatti car dealership in Paris. However, this is fake.

Fact-checkers of the Polish project Demagog drew attention to this. They found that the primary source of information about Zelenska’s purchase of a Bugatti is the French website veritecachee.fr. At first glance, it may seem like just another news resource. However, it turned out to be a tool to promote Russian propaganda.

Analysts at cybersecurity company Recorder Future discovered a media network called CopyCop in early March 2024. It operates in the US, UK and France, using artificial intelligence to plagiarize and modify texts from other sites. The purpose of such actions is to support the Russian perspective on issues such as a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine or the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

One such site is veritecachee.fr. It was registered on June 22, 2024, shortly before the first round of the French elections. According to the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, the site presents the war in Ukraine from the Russian point of view. In addition, fact-checker David Puente and Kyle Glen, an investigator from the Center for Information Resilience, noticed that the site still contains instructions on artificial intelligence on how to write texts.

The proof in favor of buying a Bugatti is the invoice that appeared in numerous messages with this fake. However, the document contains errors that significantly reduce its reliability. According to French law, the invoice must contain specific details about the transaction. This includes, in particular, information about the transaction currency and the seller’s identification number. None of this is on what propagandists present as a Bugatti purchase invoice.

One of the users noticed that the invoice was written in English. It also shows the wrong address for a car dealership in Paris. It is located on Neuilly-sur-Seine, and not on Neuily-sur-Seine, as it is written on the “invoice”.

The car dealership where Olena Zelenska allegedly made a purchase also joined the case. According to a statement he posted on Instagram, both the transaction information and the invoice are false.

A French article about “buying” a luxury car contains not only a photo of the invoice, but also a video with commentary from “Jacques Bertin”. He is an employee of the Bugatti car dealership, who spoke about the details of the presentation of the car to the Ukrainian presidential couple.

The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation drew attention to the fact that the account of the alleged employee on which the recording appeared was created several days before the publication of the video. This profile is no longer available. In addition, as Italian fact-checker David Puente wrote on Platform X, the photo of the corresponding Instagram profile is a frame from a video in which Bertin talks about the presentation of the car by Zelenskyi. According to Puente, the video was created using artificial intelligence.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and personally the family of President Zelenskyi.

Pro-Russian resources are distributing a video from Brussels showing a building on the walls which allegedly depicts graffiti with a caricature of the President of Ukraine and the caption: “Please invite another bankrupt to the EU”. The voice of a man behind the scenes, who speaks Ukrainian, leads to the conclusion that supposedly Ukraine is not welcome in the EU.

In fact, such graffiti does not exist in the Belgian capital, Ukrinform journalists report. Using Google Maps, they were able to establish that opposite the graffiti allegedly with a caricature of Zelenskyi there is a pet store called Zinneke&Kats.

After Ukrinform journalists contacted this pet store, its owners confirmed that the video distributed by propagandists is fake. At the same time, it was indeed filmed in Brussels, but there is other graffiti on the house, which can be seen in the photo above.

By the way, the fake video was first uploaded to the network on June 25, 2024 - precisely on the day when the first Intergovernmental Conference on Ukraine’s accession to the EU started in Luxembourg, which gave the official start to accession negotiations. Previously, we refuted the information that in Berlin they allegedly created graffiti with Zelenskyi in the image of a maniac.

Information is being spread on social networks that the President of Ukraine allegedly overdosed on cocaine during a flight to a meeting with the leader of Singapore. As proof, propagandists add a photograph where Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly cannot stand on his own and is supported by two high-ranking officials. However, this is fake.

Fact-checkers from VoxCheck noticed that the photo was processed in a graphics editor. In fact, the original photo was taken in Portugal on May 28, 2024. It shows Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Souso and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, with whom Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed a bilateral security agreement later that day. For the sake of creating a fake, the hand of Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the hands of Portuguese President Marcel Rebelo de Sousa were reflected and increased in size.

By the way, Volodymyr Zelenskyi was indeed in Singapore at a meeting with the President of this country Tharman Shanmugaratn on June 2, 2024, where the prospects for deepening Ukrainian-Singaporean relations were discussed. The President of Ukraine also took part in the Shangri-La Dialogue conference. However, the fabricated photo distributed by propagandists is not from Zelenskyi’s visit to Singapore, as we noted above.

This photo fake is part of a systematic distortion of the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi due to his alleged drug use, discrediting him as a person who cannot represent Ukraine and is an unreliable ally. Previously, we wrote about another fake, that Zelenskyi was invited to speak at a rehabilitation center for drug addicts “as a good role model”.

Russian telegram channels are distributing a news story from the Turkish media Oda TV. It says that in early May 2024, Zelenskyi's company Film Heritage Inc. acquired one of the largest casino hotels in Europe - Vuni Palace, the approximate price of which was 150 million pounds sterling.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed this case and concluded that the hotel did not change ownership or stop operations. And the news story itself is fake. As analysts note, this is not the first time Oda TV has spread fake news about Ukraine.

Turkish media Oda TV is one of the most visited online portals in Turkey. It was created as an “independent source of news and political analysis”, but now the media has actually become a mouthpiece for Russian propaganda in Turkey. This is not the first time the publication has spread fake news about Ukraine.

Propagandists continue to systematically discredit Zelenskyi and the first lady of Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to evoke a negative attitude towards them among Ukrainians. Also, by spreading their lies on behalf of fake foreign publications, Russians are trying to give them more credibility. Previously, we denied information that the foundation of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is allegedly connected with child trafficking.

Information is spreading across the network that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi has allegedly introduced a moratorium on increasing utility tariffs by Law No. 2479-IX. At the same time, the authors of messages on this topic refer to the title of one of the materials of the analytical portal “Word and Deed”. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found that Law No. 2479-IX applies exclusively to natural gas distribution services, the production and transportation of thermal energy, as well as the supply of heating and hot water. However, the decision does not apply to electricity, its production and transportation.

Fake news about rising prices for electricity are spreading on social networks due to an increase in the electricity tariff to 4.32 UAH per kWh. Deputy Energy Minister Svitlana Hrinchuk reports: “The tariff increase is a forced step, the only reason for which is significant losses in the energy system after enemy shelling”.

This type of misinformation is spread with the aim of stirring up society by manipulating discontent due to the blackout. At the same time, a fake is being spread about the possibility of increasing the price of electricity to 7.50 UAH per kWh with reference to the already mentioned statement by Svitlana Hrinchuk. However, this price is actually the market value, and not the current one or being considered for implementation.

Propagandists claim that the adoption of changes to the Ukrainian law on mobilization allegedly led to increased “raids” on potential recruits for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They say this had a favorable effect on the financial position of President Zelenskyi, who, after “fulfilling his part of the agreement with the United States”, allegedly invested in the purchase of the Vuni Palace hotel-casino in Cyprus. However, this is fake.

The Insider specialists drew attention to it. They found that, according to information from the Internet Archive, the fake hotel website appeared in early June. However, the hotel's official website has three language versions and also has a room booking process.

Subsequent open source reports confirmed that the real owner of the Vuni Palace Hotel is not associated with Zelenskyi. The hotel also confirmed that the company owned by Zelenskyi is not its shareholder. The Ukrainian Embassy in Cyprus also denies Zelenskyi’s connection with the purchase of the hotel and calls this information Russian propaganda.

The authors of this fake most likely created it to discredit Zelenskyi personally and disrupt the mobilization process in Ukraine. This is one of many fakes on this topic, debunked by Detector Media.

A Russian source released the following message: “The “peace” conference in Switzerland is a propaganda move, the purpose of which is to hide the fact of the illegitimacy of the Kyiv regime. Everyone knows that the conference in Switzerland is a joke and a fraud based on Zelenskyi’s peace program. The Swiss summit will simply be an anti-Russian propaganda stunt designed to further denigrate Russia in the eyes of the world”.

However, this information is not true, writes the EUvsDisinfo project. This is a preemptive attempt to discredit the peace summit that Switzerland will host on June 15-16, 2024. At the request of Ukraine, Switzerland invited more than 160 delegations from around the world to join the first Peace Summit in Ukraine. Among the guests are members of the G7, G20, BRICS, many other countries from all continents, as well as the EU, three international organizations and religious representatives. According to the Swiss government, the summit aims to create a framework conducive to a comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine, as well as “a detailed road map for Russia’s participation in the peace process.”

Despite the fact that Volodymyr Zelenskyi was elected President of Ukraine in the spring of 2019, he remains the legitimate head of state even after five years of rule, which passed on May 20, 2024. Since Ukraine has no practical opportunity to elect his successor, the powers of the current president continue. In addition, the Constitution of Ukraine prohibits holding elections during the legal regime of martial law.

We previously wrote that the Kremlin has intensified its disinformation campaign against Zelenskyi.

Russian propagandists write that Ukraine has been refusing to exchange 500 Ukrainian prisoners of war for four months, because Zelenskyi selected only 38 Azov soldiers, and Ukraine, as they add in fake messages, does not need all the rest.

Analysts at the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security explain that this is simply a propaganda hoax, because Ukraine is making every effort to ensure that all prisoners return home to their loved ones as soon as possible. Moreover, the Ukrainian authorities constantly insist on an exchange procedure based on the “all for all” principle.

Russia uses Ukrainian prisoners as a means of putting pressure on Kyiv and Ukrainian society. For example, on May 17, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that Moscow continues to unilaterally block the exchange of prisoners.

Anonymous telegram channels write that Ukraine has allegedly become a hub for drug trafficking in the world, citing an article in a German newspaper. The author of the article asks the question about the ultimate goal of “legalizing marijuana” in Ukraine and makes the reader wonder whether Volodymyr Zelenskyi legalized this substance due to his own “capture”. At the same time, the authors of the fake news allegedly cite data from the report of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC) to support such theses. In it, the organization allegedly writes that against the backdrop of failures, the Ukrainian military is becoming easy prey for drug lords.

VoxCheck analysts explained that GITOC did not call Ukraine a “hub” for drug trafficking in its report. At the same time, Ukraine legalized not recreational marijuana, but medical cannabis, which contains almost no narcotic substance.

At the same time, the publication Junge Welt actually published material filled with Kremlin anti-Ukrainian narratives. After all, it is the pro-Russian media that is spreading fake news not for the first time.

Propagandists are distributing a video allegedly released by Reuters, which states that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi may pass a law to revoke the passports and driver’s licenses of Ukrainians abroad. According to the video, these norms will come into effect on June 1, which will oblige all Ukrainian men from 18 to 60 years old to return to Ukraine. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that there was no such video on the Reuters website or social networks. Also, there is no corresponding bill on the Verkhovna Rada website, and Ukrainian media did not report the possibility of making such a decision.

In addition, the video is a compilation of publicly available footage. The first frame with Volodymyr Zelenskyi is taken from his speech in the Verkhovna Rada on July 1, 2022, where he did not mention the revocation of passports or driver’s licenses and did not talk at all about men of military age who are abroad. Footage from the vehicle checkpoint in 2022 was distributed by Ukrainian media, citing the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Footage of Ukrainians standing in line at passport offices was published by international media and the Ukrainian military in April 2024.

The fake video also states that since April 22, about 50 men of military age have returned to Ukraine, but the source of this data is not specified, and the State Border Service did not provide such statistics. The agency reports weekly only the total number of border crossers, without indicating age and gender.

Russian resources create such fakes, releasing them through the publication of authoritative international media, in order to cause panic among Ukrainians both in Ukraine and abroad, as well as to disrupt the mobilization process. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on this topic.

American intelligence agencies note that in recent months, Russian propaganda has intensified discrediting messages against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. This was reported by European Truth with reference to CNN.

Russian disinformation focuses on two topics - the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Avdiivka, as well as the postponement of the presidential elections in Ukraine. The Russians are trying to present the first not as a strategic decision, but as a defeat, and the second - that supposedly Zelenskyi is no longer legitimate. At the same time, we have repeatedly refuted reports about the illegitimacy of the current President of Ukraine.

US intelligence agencies believe that Russian intelligence services are behind the campaign and are spreading disinformation through pro-Kremlin media, fake websites and social networks.

A photo of a so-called advertising sign for the Roman pizzeria Locanda alla Romana is being circulated online, in which they present “Diavola Zelenskiy”  pizza stuffed with “ammunition and body parts of Ukrainian military personnel”.

VoxCheck analysts explained that there is no such advertising, and that pizza with that name simply does not exist. There is also no mention of this on the restaurant’s official social media pages. Also, checking the billboard photo using the FotoForensics tool found that the text and image of the pizza were most likely added to an existing photo.

Among other things, the restaurant department assured that they had never created such an advertising image.

Pro-Russian telegram channels promote the message that Kyrylo Budanov is a competitor of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, and for the Office of the President he is “like a bone in the throat”. The head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak, is allegedly so afraid of any competitor for Zelenskyi that “one should not be surprised at the poisoning of Budanov’s wife”.

In fact, this message is promoted exclusively by Russian propaganda and the anonymous telegram channels that relay it. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, in an interview with the BBC on April 22, 2024, denied any possibility of a political career during the war.

The accusation of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine in the poisoning of the wife of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate is an attempt to transfer the blame for this crime from Russian intelligence to internal Ukrainian civil strife, the Center adds. In the end, such messages are disseminated in order to create a picture of a conflict that in fact does not exist between Ukrainian intelligence and the political leadership.

Propagandists have been speculating for quite some time on the topic of holding elections in Ukraine, since the term of Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s rule will supposedly expire, so his rule of the state will be illegal. They say that Western countries will soon bring this issue up for discussion.

Experts from StopFake found that this narrative intensified in the late spring of 2024, when elections would have been held if there had not been a full-scale war. Also, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council emphasizes that this message is a construct of the Russian special services  disseminated with the help of bloggers who left Ukraine. This disinformation campaign, known as Maidan-3, is aimed at weakening Ukrainians' trust in the government and discrediting the current government, as well as strengthening distrust of Ukraine among its allies.

As for the EU's opinion in this case, there has not yet been any statement from Western politicians on this topic. However, the so-called presidential elections in Russia, held on April 15-17, were recognized by the European Parliament as a farce and adopted a resolution. “Since they were carried out in the illegally occupied territories of Ukraine and Russia, it was neither free nor fair”, the text of the resolution notes.

Russian propaganda uses this message to spread disinformation and create the impression that the Ukrainian authorities are false. This helps the Russian regime push the population towards internal strife and create conditions under which Ukraine can make concessions in the future.

A recently created Telegram group invited Ukrainians to join the protest on May 21 at 12.00 in the “central square”. They say that Ukraine needs changes, and the people should no longer remain silent.

One of the messages indicates that users are willing to pay 50 hryvnia if they refer a friend to the group. This indicates an artificial attempt to protest.

Also, in the group one can find a corresponding picture with a lexical error, which suggests that it was probably created by non-native speakers.

The date chosen for the “protest” also plays into Russian propaganda. Like, on May 21, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi will become illegitimate. However, in reality, the Ukrainian Constitution guarantees the legitimacy of the president during martial law.

This group is probably part of the Maidan-3 operation, which the GUR warned about.  Detector Media has already written about how propagandists are still trying to spread the message about Zelenskyi’s “illegitimacy”. In general, the essence of the messages about the “loss of legitimacy” by Volodymyr Zelenskyi is as follows:

At some point in the first half of 2024, Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s tenure in office will expire. And he will no longer be considered the plenipotentiary leader of Ukraine.

After this, unrest may begin in Ukrainian society. It can be avoided if Volodymyr Zelenskyi leaves the post of President of Ukraine. But he, they say, will do everything to stay in power.

Therefore, the oppositionists or ex-commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii  Zaluzhnyi or the oligarchs or partners of Ukraine will remove Volodymyr Zelenskyi from office by force.

A screenshot of an alleged Politico article is being circulated online, which states that on the sidelines of the White House they are beginning to doubt the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The reason for this is the cancellation of presidential elections. “The country lacks basic democratic procedures” - such phrases of dissatisfaction are allegedly heard in private conversations of American officials.

However, this is not true. None of Politico’s social media pages or media websites published a similar article. The same screenshot is distributed only by Russian and pro-Russian resources. Specialists from the VoxCheck project write about this.

Currently, martial law has been introduced in Ukraine, therefore, in accordance with Article 19 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law”, holding elections is prohibited. This means that for the duration of the martial law, the President of Ukraine will remain in office legally, and the next elections will be held after the martial law is lifted.

The problem with holding elections in Ukraine is the safety of citizens. After all, part of the country’s territory is temporarily occupied, some cities are within reach of enemy artillery, and the entire country is under the threat of missile attacks. In addition, in wartime, the costs of holding elections are unjustified, because Ukraine is fighting for its existence and funds for holding elections can be used to purchase military equipment.

After all, Zelenskyi did not lose his legitimacy after the elections were canceled. Despite the drop in ratings, the incumbent president maintains a relatively high level of support. Data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) show that as of February 2024, trust in Zelenskyi was 64%. Before the full-scale Russian invasion, 37% of citizens trusted him, and immediately after February 24, 2022, Zelenskyi's level increased to 90%. Also, the KIIS study shows that in February 2024, 69% of Ukrainians supported the opinion that Zelenskyi should serve as president until the end of martial law.

Anonymous people are disseminating information, allegedly an expert on constitutional law at the Center for Political and Legal Reforms (CPLR), Andrii Mahera, told Deutsche Welle that due to the refusal to hold presidential elections in Ukraine, Western partners may accuse Zelenskyi of usurping power. It's a lie.

VoxCheck experts came to the conclusion that in comments to Deutsche Welle, Mr. Andrii Mahera does not mention Western partners and their opinions on the legality of Zelenskyi’s tenure at all.

In the material, the expert also explained that, according to Article 108 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the powers of the president do not terminate upon expiration of the term; he remains in office until the inauguration of the next head of state. It will be possible to choose a new president only after the end of the war.

Former Constitutional Court judge Mykola Melnyk pointed out that although the Constitution does not directly prohibit holding presidential elections during martial law, this norm is specified in the current law “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law”.

Mahera also confirmed this opinion, noting that under martial law, some constitutional rights and freedoms, such as the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, may be limited.

Social media users are circulating a screenshot that allegedly shows Tucker Carlson. Like, it reports the capture and imprisonment of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. However, this image is a fabrication created using existing images of both men.

Fact-checkers from Reuters drew attention to it. A spokesman for Carlson told Reuters that the posts were fake and his name and image were used without his permission.

The screenshot appeared on social media with the caption: "SENSATION! TUCKER RELEASED VIDEO OF ZELENSKYI'S ARREST... HE IS TRANSPORTED TO BLACK DOLPHIN PRISON (RUSSIA) WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF SECURITY..." The fake screenshot contains an image of Zelenskyi holding a sign with the number “003856” along with the Ukrainian text “V.P. Holoborodko”. However, this is a scene from Zelenskyi's television series “Servant of the People”, which appeared in the first episode of the third season and was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the series on April 9, 2019.

Zelenskyi then played the role of Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko from 2015 to 2019 in the series “Servant of the People”, where, according to the plot, a school teacher is elected president of the country. The logo of Zelenskyi's film company Kvartal 95 Studio is visible in the modified image in the upper right corner. The image of Carlson, located at the bottom right of the fake screenshot, was taken from a video posted by his official social media account X on June 6, 2023. This video was the first episode of Carlson's new show on X.

The President's Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Propagandists spread such fakes in order to personally discredit Zelenskyi, using an authoritative figure among conservative circles. Detector Media has already written about how Tucker Carlson repeats the messages of Russian propaganda in his own content.

The first episode of the Zelenskyi Unmasked project was recently released: Who is Volodymyr Zelenskyy? (“Zelenskyi without a mask: Who is Volodymyr Zelenskyi?”). It was brought to the attention of journalist Serhii Mamaiev and a detailed analysis on his YouTube channel “Special Projects of Serhii Mamaev”.

The series is hosted by Ben Swann, who calls himself an investigative journalist. But it is not so. Mamaiev found out that he was actually a television sports producer, and later a news journalist, producer and editor-in-chief of the FOX network affiliates and Russia Today America. Based on the released analysis, Detector Media presents the main messages consonant with Russian propaganda, which can be found within the first series of the project.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi did not know Ukrainian and came to power dishonestly

The authors of the film made many inaccuracies in the biography of the President of Ukraine, which indicates that the material was not carefully prepared. In particular, they also noted that Kryvyi Rih is located in the south of Ukraine, although the map that was inserted into the video refutes this. According to the creators of the project, Zelenskyi allegedly did not know Ukrainian at all before his presidency. However, in fact, he only did not use Ukrainian in everyday life.

In addition, the authors demonized both the creation of Kvartal 95, the transition of Kvartal to 1+1, and the series “Servant of the People”, the creation of the “Servant of the People” party and Zelenskyi’s participation in the presidential elections. Like, he is not who he claims to be.

The situation in Donbas is expected as it is historically a Russian region

The authors of the project repeated Russian propaganda cliches on Euromaidan and the war in Donbas from 2014. They deliberately did not mention the true reasons for the Revolution of Dignity and the shooting of students. The presenter also kept silent about the annexation of Crimea and Russia’s orchestration of the creation of the so-called LPR and DPR. The authors of the project do not talk about torture and executions of pro-Ukrainian activists in Donbas by Russians. Instead, all this is summed up with the message that Donbas is in fact a historically Russian region. However, Mamaiev notes that most of the residents of the eastern regions identified themselves as Ukrainians in the population census.

Zelensky is spreading ultranationalism in Ukraine

The presenter says that Zelenskyi allegedly betrayed his native Russian language and turned Ukrainian society towards ultra-nationalism. They say that discrimination against Russian-speaking Ukrainians is also evidenced by legislation restricting Russian music and literature. Allegedly, this was one of the reasons for the invasion. However, the authors do not mention that the Decrees on quotas on Ukrainian music and acts limiting the distribution of Russian literature came after the full-scale invasion.

Russia only wants to restore the USSR, and NATO and the USA really provoked it to attack Ukraine and sabotaged the peace process

The authors justify Russian aggression by saying that Russia simply wanted to rebuild the Soviet Union and presented this statement in a positive sense, as if what Ukraine is against looks strange. In addition, according to the presenter, it was the United States and NATO that provoked Russia into invading Ukraine, since NATO allegedly surrounded Russia on all sides. But even here the authors contradict themselves, since they show a map where NATO members indicate states that joined the Alliance after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Next, the authors tell how in the spring of 2022, Ukraine and Russia almost agreed on a peace agreement. However, according to the presenter, the peace fell apart allegedly because of the United States and Europe, which pushed Ukraine to continue the war. They say that it is because of them that Ukraine allegedly thwarted all agreements and continued repression within the country. However, in fact, the negotiations were stopped after the criminal actions of Russian troops in Bucha. And Russia calls “repression” any actions directed against violations of the law on cooperation with occupiers, deliberately dramatizing the situation.

Propagandists as project experts

A number of people who regularly play along with Russian propaganda provided their comments for the first episode. Among them is Andrii Telizhenko, a former Ukrainian diplomat who was a frequent guest on Medvedchuk’s channels, where he promoted relevant narratives. At one time, according to Mamaiev, he also tried to help promote the idea of then-President Trump, who supposedly Zelenskyi was collaborating with the US Democratic Party.

Another character in the project is Gonzalo Lira, about whose history we have written more than once before. The project repeats the story about the “illegality” of his detention. Like, in fact, he is in prison because of his criticism of Zelenskyi. However, the SBU, during Lira’s imprisonment, emphasized that the main charge for this was the justification of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Zelenskyi destroys religion in Ukraine

The authors of the project repeated the Russian message, complaining that Zelenskyi is trying to usurp religion in the state for himself, trying to delegalize the UOC-MP. However, they are silent about the fact that the priests of this denomination justified the invasion of Ukraine and aimed missiles at civilians. And not a word that Ukraine has its own church. The authors create the impression that Zelenskyi bans Orthodoxy in Ukraine as a whole, although this is not the case.

The United States has already made films about Ukraine, where they disseminated messages in tune with Russian propaganda. In particular, director Oliver Stone at one time began making films about dictators. In particular, in 2016 he published the work “Ukraine on Fire”, where he interviewed Medvedchuk. A year later, he recorded an interview with Putin.

Conservative media in the United States further spread skepticism regarding Ukraine, including through the spread of conspiracy theories. All this has a special context, given that the first impeachment of then US President Donald Trump was announced due to the phone call scandal with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Since then, Trump fans have called the topic of Ukraine “toxic” and are trying in every possible way to reconcile Ukraine with Russia. This is clearly visible on Trump’s Truth Social, where we previously found a large amount of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric. This “information bubble” does not help Ukraine, and anti-Ukrainian messages are supported by the target audience of these media - recent polls from CBS News show that 61% of US citizens who identify as Republicans oppose assistance to Ukraine.

The air raids in Ukraine are supposedly in vain, because “the Russians are targeting exclusively military targets”. Russian telegrams began to disseminate such information. They say that sirens are beneficial only to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi in order to sow panic around the war among the people of Ukraine. As proof of their claims, propagandists are distributing a fake, allegedly unknown persons in the Odesa region covered with foam a siren informing the civilian population about the missile danger. However, this information has already been refuted by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council.

The assertion of Russian propaganda about the “inexpediency” of air raids contradicts reality, because Russia daily randomly fires missiles, bombs, kamikaze drones and artillery at the territory of Ukraine.

In particular, by spreading a fake story about covering sirens with foam, propagandists are trying to justify Russian missile terror and shelling of Ukrainian civilians. Previously, we refuted information that the air raid warning in Ukraine would be activated to supposedly make it easier to issue draft notices to men in shelters.

Propagandists are disseminating information on social networks, citing the German publication Deutsche Welle, allegedly graffiti has appeared in Berlin depicting the severed heads of the presidents of Ukraine and France, Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Emmanuel Macron. According to these reports, the author of the work is allegedly the famous German artist Van Ray. However, this is fake.

StopFake journalists, using a reverse image search on Google, discovered that this photo is being distributed exclusively through anonymous Russian telegram channels and websites expressing a pro-Russian position. They also found out that not a single reliable publication reported the appearance of such graffiti in Berlin.

To confirm this information, propagandists add a screenshot of news allegedly published on Deutsche Welle. However, StopFake journalists were unable to find material with that title on the publication’s website. The screenshot notes that its author is journalist Lucia Schulten, but there is no such thing among the materials she published on Deutsche Welle.

There is also no information about this graffiti on the artist Van Ray’s website or on his social networks. At the time of publication of this text, the artist’s representative had not yet responded to StopFake’s request.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to strengthen their message that Europe is supposedly tired of Ukraine and does not want to support it anymore. They say that the topic of Ukraine has become toxic, and all those who actively support it also suffer from public hostility.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that Ukraine has expressed its readiness to “give up Crimea and Donbas” by initiating peace negotiations. They refer to statements made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi during an interview with the American channel CBS. Propagandists claim that Country 404 proposes to begin a peaceful dialogue with Russia without demanding the return of the 1991 borders, although Kyiv previously insisted on this condition for resuming negotiations with Moscow. However, these statements are based on a distortion of reality.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this manipulation. They found that the actual content of the CBS News interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyi was reduced to incorrect conclusions to promote false narratives.

In fact, in an interview, Zelenskyi, answering a question about faith in the possibility of Ukraine returning all territories, including Crimea, emphasized that with sufficient support from partners, as well as a complete economic blockade of Russia, Ukraine will be able to restore its territorial integrity not only through military means. He expressed confidence that Russia’s defeat will lead to the loss of its support even by states that doubt Ukraine and will weaken positions within Russia itself, which will force it to dialogue. Zelenskyi called an important condition for such a dialogue the liberation of Ukrainian territories and the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within the annexation of Crimea by Russia.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to discredit the President and cause a split in Ukrainian society. Detector Media previously refuted other Russian lies about Zelenskyi.

Kyiv is allegedly massively filled with “posters” with the image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the words “expired”. A video with such content and three photographs is being distributed on pro-Russian telegram channels and on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

However, this is a fake, they write at the Center for Strategic Communications and Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The printouts were most likely made by the author of the photo and video material specifically to create political “content”. In addition, the video was created unknown where and when, and is presented as a sign of “mass dissatisfaction of Kyiv residents” with the lack of elections during the war. This is an exaggeration, as is calling A4 printouts “posters”.

This case of disinformation is part of the Kremlin’s special operation called Maidan-3 to destabilize the socio-political system in Ukraine. One of its components is speculation on the topic of Zelenskyi’s “illegitimacy”. At the same time, not a single Ukrainian political force questions the powers of the head of state. Previously, we refuted information that Zelenskyi was allegedly preparing to leave for the United States on Washington’s orders before March 31, 2024, that is, after he allegedly became illegitimate, but this did not happen.

An alleged cover of the Spanish satirical magazine El jueves is being circulated on social networks, which depicts Zelenskyi on a roller coaster and “rapidly sliding down”, thus hinting at the political future of the president. It is not true.

The Center for Countering Disinformation writes that information about the issue with such a cover was not published on the publication’s official pages on social networks. Moreover, it was supposedly the March issue No. 2.398, but then the issue for March under No. 2.397 had already been published.

Social networks are spreading information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is secretly negotiating with Russia to “surrender” Ukraine on dictator Putin’s terms. Moreover, propagandists refer to the words of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz  who allegedly said this. It's a lie.

VoxCheck project analysts took up the case and explained that Scholz did not say that Ukraine was conducting secret negotiations with Russia.

The Chancellor, in an interview with the Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung, only stated that decisions were being discussed that could begin the peace process. However, the German Chancellor did not say that the Ukrainian government was conducting secret negotiations with Russia to sign a peace agreement.

Russian telegram channels are disseminating information about the purchase by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi of the Highgrove House mansion from the British King Charles III. In asserting this, propagandists refer to the so-called British newspaper London Crier. According to this publication, the cost of the royal residence is 20 million pounds.

In fact, this “news” is just another invention of Russian propagandists, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council.

Firstly, the London Crier website was created on March 26, 2024 (a week before the mass dissemination of this news). Secondly, links to the newspaper’s social networks lead to an incomprehensible resource of a company selling website templates. Thirdly, materials in the London Crier are published by anonymous users - and this provides additional grounds for asserting that this British newspaper is fake.

In addition, in the corresponding article about Zelenskyi there are no photos of receipts or a purchase agreement - nothing that could confirm the purchase of the mansion. The “publication” covers Russia’s war against Ukraine exclusively from the position of Moscow.

In the end, during the monitoring, the Center also established that this “news” was also distributed by The Intel Drop, which had already been noticed in distributing anti-Ukrainian fakes, as well as the Russian network of Pravda news websites.

Russian propaganda telegram channels citing the words of the former Ukrainian ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko spread information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Office of the President planned to flee to the UK before a full-scale invasion. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that propagandists carried out this manipulation based on an interview with Vadym Prystaiko for Ukrainska Pravda, published on March 12, 2024. In it, he spoke about preparations for the invasion in his role as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK. In particular, they talked about discussing with the British government the possibility of finding premises in London for the Ukrainian authorities in the event of the fall of Kyiv. In addition, measures were considered to evacuate data from electronic registers, banking systems, television and radio broadcasting to cloud storage, and even move the gold and foreign exchange reserves outside the country in order to protect it from falling into the hands of Russian troops.

During the outbreak of the aggression, Zelenskyi was offered several times to leave Ukraine, including an offer from the US government and the British Prime Minister, but he refused. Propaganda accusations of Zelensky’s cowardice and plans to escape are not supported by evidence and are intended only to sow panic among the Ukrainian population. Previously, other fakes regarding Zelenskyi’s alleged plans to flee to the United States were refuted.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks citing an article by the NY Daily News, that the Paramount Pictures studio, commissioned by Kvartal 95, will begin filming the blockbuster “The Price of Victory”, dedicated to the life path of Volodymyr Zelenskyi from comedian to president. According to them, James Mangold will direct, and Sean Penn, Shia LaBeouf or Jeremy Renner are being considered for the lead role. The film's budget is allegedly estimated at 115 million US dollars. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the website that published this news was registered on January 18, 2024, shortly before the fake news appeared. At the same time, the site positions itself as a publication founded in 1975 by journalist J.R. McDouglas, information about which is not available in open sources. The name of the publication on the website is listed as New York News Daily, although the correct name should be New York News Daily. The fake resource is trying to imitate a real American publication with a similar name, founded in 1919, which has a good reputation. It is easy to confuse the two sites due to the similarity of domain names. The contact information on the fake site is incomplete or unclear, using placeholder text, highlighting its questionable reliability. The publication describes itself as the standard of journalism, however, it publishes contradictory articles that do not meet the standards of objectivity and honesty, and duplicate the fakes of Russian propaganda, especially on the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

They also discovered a “producer” profile on social network X, where the tweets that first shared the information likely originated. Access to the page was restricted at the time of writing, but an archived copy exists. Using facial identification tool PimEyes, VoxCheck analysts determined that the photograph was indeed that of Venezuelan surgeon Henry Garcia. So, a fake account allegedly produced by Paramount Pictures on platform X was created specifically to publish information about the non-existent film “The Price of Victory”.

The script of this film, which is given by propagandists, also looks rather implausible. For example, in one scene, President Zelenskyi is asked about the greatness of Ukraine, to which he responds with criticism of the situation in the country, in particular, recalling the years under the rule of the regime and the oligarchs, the restriction of freedom of speech and the violation of human rights. It’s hard to believe that a Ukrainian studio would agree to such a scenario in the current conditions.

In addition, propagandists recall that the cooperation between Paramount Pictures and the Kvartal 95 studio was allegedly facilitated by director Oleksandr Rodnianskyi through his company AR Content Studio, which previously worked with Paramount TV. However, there is no publicly available information confirming this collaboration. In 2022, Rodnianskyi did mention plans to make a film with the American company Anonymous Content about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, based on Peter Pomerantsev's article “We Can Only Be Enemies”, with Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi as director. There is no information yet about the implementation stage of this project.

Paramount Pictures, Kvartal 95, James Mangold, Sean Penn, and Jeremy Renner also did not announce the creation of the film “The Price of Victory” about the President of Ukraine. No reliable world or Ukrainian media confirmed this information. In addition, on the IMDb website, which is the largest resource about cinema, there is no information about the filming of such a film about Zelenskyi.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit Zelenskyi. They say that while things are difficult in Ukraine, the president is spending a lot of money on a film about himself. Detector Media also refuted other fakes aimed at discrediting Zelenskyi.

Such information is spread by propaganda telegram channels with reference to a survey by the British company GLPOR. In addition, pro-Russian sources write that in May 2024, a “campaign of civil disobedience against the Zelenskyi regime” will begin in Ukraine.

In fact, this information is not true. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council analyzed the GLPOR website and found it to be fake. According to the results of the Google search, it was not possible to find any information about the company with the abbreviation GLPOR, except for publications on Russian propaganda resources. Also, most of the links on the site are inactive. And the domain of the site was registered not so long ago - only in September 2023.

Russian propaganda uses the creation of fake websites of relevant world publications or sociological companies as one of the ways to spread disinformation. Such “surveys” as in this case are aimed at splitting Ukrainian society, undermining Ukrainians' trust in each other. Previously, we refuted the information that according to the results of an alleged “sociological survey” by the companies Global Service and the European Migration Support Bureau, a third of Ukrainian youth migrated to Russia. In fact, no such survey has ever been conducted.

Propagandists are distributing a photo of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi that allegedly appeared on a board of shame in an Odesa supermarket with a photo of thieves and the inscription “They are stealing from us!”.

Specialists of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. After conducting a keyword search, they discovered that the photo had originally appeared on a Russian Telegram channel. At the same time, no Ukrainian media and social networks spread this news about the photo of Zelenskyi in the supermarket.

The authors of the fake did not specify the name of the store where, according to them, the board of shame is located, so it is not known whether such a board really exists in one of the supermarkets of Odesa. The blue color of the board may indicate that it may be in the ATB chain of stores. However, representatives of this network said that placing such a photo in their stores is impossible.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit Zelenskyi. Detector Media wrote that Russian propaganda has already invented other fakes for this.

Pro-Kremlin resources are distributing online photos of leaflets depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who holds out his hands and asks for money in different languages of the world. According to propagandists, such leaflets began to appear in European countries.

In fact, these postcards were posted by the Russian community in Germany. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council after contacting the Ukrainian Embassy in Germany and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. They were posted solely to create propaganda content, after which the leaflets were torn off by the Russians themselves.

Thus, Russia continues to portray Zelenskyi as a “beggar”. Finally, the goal of such actions is to influence the reduction of international financial support for Ukraine. Previously, we refuted the information that graffiti with Zelenskyi was created in Munich, where Elon Musk beats him and forces him to “not whine for money anymore”.

Propagandists disseminated information in the Russian media that the President of Ukraine, according to them, during his last visit to Odesa allegedly revealed the location of a secret base in the port area of the city, where, according to them, drones were being prepared for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, these statements are not confirmed.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this. They note that the meeting between the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Greece was of an official nature and took place in the presence of many government officials and journalists. It is baseless to assume that a secret military base was included in the excursion program as part of such a visit.

The Greek Prime Minister confirmed that the delegation was near the port when the shelling occurred, but this has nothing to do with Zelenskyi's visit to any secret base.

Propagandists spread such fakes in order to discredit the President of Ukraine and quarrel between Western countries and Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted fakes directed personally against Zelenskyi.

Screenshots of an allegedly published article in the online edition of the Daily Mail are being circulated online, which has the following title: “Why Ukraine’s President wants to be more Charlie Chaplin than Churchill”. Russian propagandists, for their part, say that it is with this title that the Daily Mail is presenting Simon Schuster’s book about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council checked this information. As it turned out, the article with that title is not available on the official website of the online newspaper. In addition, the Center discovered a fake news aggregator, where the article was posted on behalf of the Daily Mail.

By spreading “news” or “articles” on behalf of reputable foreign publications, Russian propaganda is trying to make its fakes more believable. This is one of the tactics of Russian propaganda. Previously, we have analyzed such artificially created materials more than once.

An alleged screenshot of a message from Volodymyr Zelenskyi on X (former Twitter) is being circulated online, in which he allegedly made a statement in English: “I will sign a decree that will require all Western countries to deport Ukrainian men living there back to Ukraine”. It is not true.

VoxCheck analysts investigated this case and found out that it was satirical news. The X page from which the message was distributed is a parody and does not belong to Zelenskyi. On the real Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s X page,  there is no such message.

In addition, the colors of the verification checkmarks for X are different in both accounts. Thus, since 2022, the accounts of politicians and government agencies have a gray check mark; Zelenskyi’s account has it in exactly this color. In the fake screenshot, it is blue, which is the color of the checkmark that users who have an X Premium subscription may have.

Russian resources are disseminating information that the President of Ukraine promised the West that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will use long-range weapons provided by partner countries only against targets in territories that Ukraine considers its own. However, according to a recent presidential decree, the list of “ours” now allegedly also includes one area (krai) and five regions of Russia, propagandists say.

In fact, this information is distorted, as reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Zelenskyi’s decree on the territories of Russia historically inhabited by Ukrainians concerns exclusively the protection of the national rights of Russian citizens of Ukrainian ethnic origin, but propagandists pass it off as a demonstration of “territorial claims”.

The weapons transferred by partners are used exclusively to defeat Russian targets in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. The Defense Forces are destroying objects on Russian territory by Ukrainian-made weapons.

By manipulating information, in this case, Russian propaganda seeks to mobilize Russians for war against Ukraine and the “collective West”, resorting to demonization. Propagandists also want to intimidate Ukraine’s Western partners with “escalation” from Russia in order to disrupt further assistance. Previously, we denied information that NATO countries would try to capture “six Russian regions”.

Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that a female serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine born in 2006 died at the front. That is, at the time of her death she was not even 18 years old. As evidence, Russian propaganda uses a photo of the supposedly military badge of the “deceased woman”.

In fact, this information is not true. The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes that the badge in the photo is fake. Personal badges indicate the last name, first name and patronymic of the serviceman, his blood type, Rh factor, as well as a personal number assigned in accordance with his registration number. In addition, the name of the formation in which the soldier is serving is indicated on the badge. However, they never indicate the date of birth, much less the date of death, as on the “token” distributed by propagandists.

By spreading this disinformation, Russian propaganda seeks first of all to demonize Zelenskyi. Moreover, such rhetoric by Russians aims to cast doubt on the advisability of Ukraine to defend itself, because supposedly “the youngest are already going into battle”. After all, in Ukraine teenagers are not mobilized, and only citizens over the age of 18 are liable for military service.

• Read also: The first teenager from an orphanage mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly died in the war

Propagandists are distributing messages on anonymous telegram channels about the release of an energy drink called “Tears of Zelenskyi” by a Swedish company, along with a corresponding photo. However, this is a fake photo.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that OVRHYPD does not produce such a drink with the appropriate name and design. The fake makers edited the photo, replacing the original name of the drink with “Tears of Zelenskyi”.

A search under the name “Tears of Zelenskyi” did not return any results, but under the name of another drink, “Snot juice”, the fact-checkers found the drink company OVRHYPD. However, on their website and social networks there is not a single drink with the name “Tears of Zelenskyi” or the face of the Ukrainian president on the packaging. Russian resources mainly wrote about this “new” drink.

Using a reverse photo search on Google Images, the original image was found posted on the US website Reddit on December 27, 2023. There was not a single energy drink with Zelenskyi's face on it, but instead of the name “Tears of Zelenskyi” - “F*ck You You F*ckin' F*ck”. In addition, the propagandists made other changes to the photo, removing the drawing of a condom from the red and blue cans and the drawing of a penis from the white can.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

This information is disseminated by pro-Russian media. They argue that reaching the 1991 borders is an impossible goal. Even President Zelenskyi is now supposedly beginning to think about the reality of victory. In the corresponding “news”, the Kremlin media refers to Ukrainian political scientist Konstiantyn Bondarenko.

In fact, this information is not true. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. During a press conference on December 19, 2023, Zelenskyi stated that “the strategy cannot be changed, according to our Constitution - these are all our territories”. In a December interview of the same year for The Economist, the President of Ukraine also emphasized that only after the Russian army leaves the 1991 borders will it be possible to transfer the war from a military path to a diplomatic one.

It can be argued that statements about “Zelenskyi’s despondency” are just Bondarenko’s personal speculations, not supported by real facts. The political scientist himself has a rather dubious reputation. In 2021, he collaborated with the pro-Russian blogger Anatolii Sharii, recording a series of lectures in Russian about the OUN, UPA and Ukrainian nationalism for one of his YouTube channels. In addition, already on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he collaborated with the Russian propaganda online publication Ukraina.ru. Previously, we denied information that EU countries are seeking to take control of part of Ukrainian territories.

A video is being circulated on social networks claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly planning to move to the United States, and even showing a fake naturalization document. The fact-checkers from FactCheck.org refuted this fake.

The video begins with the text: “Will Volodymyr Zelenskyi soon become a US citizen and move to live in the sunny state of Florida?”

He was voiced by former Fox News host Clayton Morrison, according to FactCheck.org.

Reports of his alleged move are based on unconfirmed sources and contain numerous inaccuracies, such as the absence of a middle name on the naturalization document and a false name of the signatory.

Such documents require a clear indication of the full name and signature of the person who is not on the certificate shown in the video. This indicates its inauthenticity and an attempt to spread misinformation.

Steve Eil-Lohr, a professor of immigration law at Cornell University, also told AFP Fact Check that a real certificate of naturalization would include the person's signature next to the photo. This is not in the fake image.

Zelenskyi remains in Ukraine, despite the long war, and continues active international activities aimed at strengthening the country’s defense capability and international position. The spread of false claims about his upcoming move is part of an information war aimed at discrediting Ukrainian leadership and misleading the public.

This is not the first time that propagandists have attributed other citizenships to Volodymyr Zelenskyi. For example, in December 2022, they reported that Volodymyr Zelenskyi has a Russian passport.

Propagandists broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels are disseminating information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has stated that if assistance is refused, he will no longer consider the United States a strategic partner. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that Zelenskyi really didn’t say that. An excerpt from his speech was disfigured.

During the Munich Security Conference, Volodymyr Zelenskyi and US Vice President Kamala Harris held a joint briefing. When asked about “Plan B” if the US Congress does not support the bill on additional funding for Ukraine, the President of Ukraine noted that no alternatives are being considered.

He expressed hope for a positive decision by Congress, pointing out that Ukraine views the United States as a strategic partner, and therefore hopes for its further support. Zelenskyi stressed that an alternative position would mean instability in relations. These words have been twisted and used to create a manipulative “quote” that is being circulated online without proper context.

Kamala Harris also supported Zelenskyi, expressing confidence that the bill will be passed and called for a focus on “Plan A” - providing Ukraine with the necessary resources. She stressed the importance of avoiding politicization of the issue and the need to remain steadfast in supporting allies. The President of Ukraine also expressed his faith in the positive decision of Congress and said that he does not consider the adoption of the bill a treacherous position, because, in his opinion, the strategic partner will not leave Ukraine without support.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to undermine bilateral relations between the United States and Ukraine and stop US support. They say Zelenskyi is provoking America, which means we won’t see the money. Detector Media also refuted other manipulations regarding Ukraine’s relations with the United States.

Russian propagandists claim that in Ukraine, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of police officers per 10 thousand population has increased from 20 to 100. In asserting this, propagandists refer to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko, who allegedly made a corresponding statement. As a consequence, Ukraine allegedly “became a 100% police state”.

In fact, the information was manipulated. In an interview with the “We are Ukraine” channel, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko spoke about increasing the number of police officers fivefold specifically in the deoccupied territories, and not throughout the entire territory of Ukraine.

“On average, there were 23-26 police officers per 10 thousand population of Ukraine before the large-scale war. Today there are more than 100 in the deoccupied territories. Because the regime is much tougher, because there are many more tasks. I can say that the police began a large-scale war and increased their functionality by 80%. But we are not increasing the number of police officers”, the minister said.

For comparison, according to Eurostat, on average in EU countries there were 335 police officers per 100 thousand population in 2019-2021. That is, on average 33-34 police officers per 10 thousand people. In 2021, in Ukraine this figure was 287 police officers, and in Russia - 510, which was one of the largest figures in the world.

In 2014, Russia had 564 police officers per 100 thousand people, and that year it was recognized as the most police state. It is significant that over the past 10 years the number of police officers in Russia has remained at one of the highest levels in the world, while in Ukraine this figure does not exceed the European average.

By manipulating information, in this case, propagandists seek to create a picture of an authoritarian Ukraine led by Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Like, now it’s clear why people don’t oppose the “Kyiv regime”. However, Ukraine is a free and democratic state, and Russians’ reproaches about authoritarianism in their neighboring country have no basis.

• Read also: Police were allegedly allowed to use traumatic weapons, rubber truncheons and tear gas to disperse rallies

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing videos depicting discreditable posters of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and First Lady Olena Zelenska. This content is accompanied by the caption: “Rome, Italy. Our days. Zelenskyi is shown on all streets. Judging by the posters, he is not liked everywhere”.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council reports that such posters were posted by the Russian community in Italy to produce propaganda content. The Center learned about this after they submitted a corresponding request to the Ukrainian Embassy in Italy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The purpose of this slander is to create the illusion of fatigue from Zelenskyi and Ukraine. In addition, Russian propaganda systematically discredits the Zelenskyi family with the hope that Ukrainians will “eventually rise up against them”.

For now, the discreditable posters have been removed, and the Ukrainian Embassy in Italy is already working to prevent similar actions by Russians in the future. Previously, we refuted the information that the journalist who published the “investigation” of the purchase of a villa by the Zelenskyi family was allegedly “killed”.

On February 6, 2024, during an interview with pro-Russian journalist Tucker Carlson, Russian dictator Putin said that the father of the current President of Ukraine Oleksandr Zelenskyi was a front-line soldier and fought against fascism.

This information is not true. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Oleksandr Zelenskyi was born after the end of World War II - in 1947. Therefore, he could not possibly participate in the “fight against fascism”.

The dominance of neo-Nazism in Ukraine is the same fiction, while in fact its signs: the worship of symbols, the militarization of youth, the restriction of rights and freedoms, the seizure of foreign territories, are found precisely in Russia.

• Read also: Zelenskyi allegedly wore a sweater with Nazi symbols to a meeting with the Pope.

Russian telegram channels, with reference to Polish border guards, disseminate information that during February 5, 2024, 16,400 people left Ukraine for Poland. The reason for this is the alleged flight of Ukrainians from Zelenskyi.

In fact, Russian propagandists manipulate information. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. So, on February 5, 2024, 16,400 people actually left Ukraine for Poland, but on the same day 17,600 people returned from Poland to Ukraine. In addition, this does not mean that none of those who left will return back. These days, when the skies over Ukraine are closed to civil aircraft, one of the few options to get to any other country is to go through Poland. Ukrainians can visit their relatives abroad, travel or go on their own business, and then return back.

In this case, the Russians resort to one of the propaganda tactics called “selective truth”. Its essence is that a statement may be partially true, may be completely true but not include the whole truth, or may contain several deceptive elements. That is, in the message about the “flight of Ukrainians from Zelenskyi”, the Russians deliberately kept silent about the 17,600 people who returned from Poland to Ukraine on February 5, 2024, thereby providing one-sided information.

• Read also: Ukrainian refugees are caught on the Polish-German border to send them to the front.

Russian telegram channels are distributing a screenshot seemingly from the Instagram page of the German publication Deutsche Welle (DW) with an image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Chairman Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The screenshot shows provocative graffiti allegedly created by a group of Berlin artists of Sonice Development.

The Center for Countering Disinformation verified this “news” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and found out that it was a fake. Also, the relevant information is not available on the official pages of the DW newspaper, including on the website. In addition, Sonice Development creates its drawings in a different style, and there have been no mentions of this group of artists in the news since 2014.

By spreading this fake news, propagandists are pursuing the goal of discrediting Zelenskyi, as well as providing even greater publicity to the topic of the conflict that may exist between the current President of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Previously, Detector Media denied information that Ukrainian schools were allegedly campaigning for Zaluzhnyi as President of Ukraine.

Pro-Kremlin media write that Zelenskyi assured that he is ready to “make” Ukraine a new US state instead of Texas. The publications refer to Ukrainian media, supporting the messages with a corresponding screenshot. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck project specialists investigated this stuffing and determined that a screenshot of news from Ukrainian media was compiled. More precisely, the title of the material from “Zelenskyi’s Evening Address: What Important Things the President Said” was changed to “Zelenskyi’s Evening Address: Ukraine is ready to join the United States instead of Texas”. Although such material does not exist, opposite the first one, it was published by journalist Maksym Zhuravel on the TSN website. The publication date and photo match the propaganda screenshot.

It is most likely that propagandists used this publication to spread misinformation.

Anonymous telegram channels are spreading information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi, through proxies, bought two yachts - “Lucky Me” and “My Legacy” - for $75 million. In support of such theses, the authors add photographs of the “bought” yachts and relevant “documents” that supposedly evidence of a purchase. And they link to the English-language media The Islander. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts took on this case and found out that, first of all, the companies that own the yachts confirmed that no one bought them from them and they are still up for sale. Accordingly, the “documents” are fake and in no way claim to be authentic. In November 2023, The Islander media actually published an investigative material in which the authors establish the involvement of the Ukrainian president in the purchase of ships. However, the founders of this media are henchmen of the Kremlin. For example, the About Us section states that The Islander was co-created by Jerry Nolan and Chey Bowes. The latter works as a correspondent for the Russian propaganda television and radio company Russia Today.

Also, information about the purchase, in a traditional way for Russian propaganda, was published on an inactive YouTube channel, where the author allegedly talks about yachts that were bought by persons associated with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The author of the video calls himself Shahzade Nasir. But open sources also do not contain any other materials from the author of the “investigation”, Shahzad Nasir. The search engine returns only the mentioned YouTube channel. It is unlikely that this is a real name.

The so-called investigations into the property of Ukrainian officials are turning into a systematic campaign to discredit them. Thus, propagandists or proxies of Moscow seek to portray Ukraine as a cradle of corruption schemes - which in the future could harm Ukraine’s European integration path. After all, the fight against corruption and its reduction is one of the main tasks of the state in order to become part of the European Union.

Here are other cases related to the “taking” of real estate with “stolen funds”: how Zelenskyi allegedly bought the villa of Hitler’s propaganda minister Goebbels for 8 million euros; or how propagandists lied that Zelenskyi’s mother-in-law purchased a villa on the coast of Egypt using Western humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that Ukraine needs to escalate the conflict in order to receive help from its allies. That is why the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly ordered the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strike civilian infrastructure facilities in Russia.

In fact, this information is not true. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications. The President did not give any such orders or instructions. The priority task for the Ukrainian Armed Forces military is, first of all, the de-occupation of the Ukrainian territories seized by the Russians. To limit Russia's ability to wage war against Ukraine, the Defense Forces are also working to deny the terrorist country access to natural resources (oil and gas); destroy its military-industrial complex, military infrastructure, bases and warehouses with equipment and weapons. In addition, legal targets on Russian territory include oil depots, gas storage facilities, and research institutions, but not residential buildings with a civilian population - Ukraine understands this and acts in accordance with the laws of war. The blame for the deaths of Russian civilians lies primarily with the Russian air defense forces.

With this fake, Russian propaganda discredits Zelenskyi and tries to convince everyone around him that he has gone crazy, so Russia is now forced to defend itself - it is supposedly a victim of the current situation. However, the aggressor was and is precisely Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 in order to realize its imperial ambitions. Previously, we denied information that Zelenskyi is allegedly one of the richest politicians in the world.

Pro-Russian media are disseminating information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is preparing to travel to the United States on the orders of Washington before ending his presidency on March 31, 2024. It is noted that a house in Florida has already been prepared for him and his family. This theory, in particular, is propagated by American journalist Jessica Delvin in her article on The DC Weekly portal and by an anonymous informant from the American intelligence services. A video with similar accusations was also posted on YouTube by a user with the nickname John Doe, posing as a US Secret Service employee. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found that the evidence presented in the article was not true.

The photo of the naturalization certificate named after Volodymyr Zelenskyi, illustrating the article, is a fake. The absence of the seal of the US Department of Homeland Security and the signature of the owner of the certificate indicate its authenticity. Zelenskyi's photo was taken from open sources. The name John Doe is also listed as a placeholder name on such documents, used when the person is not identified. Note on the photo, copying the sample is prohibited; this is typical for fake documents, since there is no such note on real certificates. The height of Zelenskyi given in the document does not correspond to his actual height. In addition, it is noted that Zelenskyi applied for US citizenship on September 20, 2023, but this is not true, since the president spoke at a meeting of the UN Security Council, and not at a NATO summit. The article also provides information about the villa Zelenskyi is supposed to move into, but a reverse search shows that the price and availability of this villa are different than the propagandists claim.

They spread such fakes in order to personally discredit the President of Ukraine and question the legitimacy of his power. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other Russian fakes against Zelenskyi.

Information is being spread online that the fortune of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is $596 million, and his rating among the richest politicians in the world according to the YouTube channel Data Sets is 31st place, and according to the website CAknowledge - 36th. However, this is not true.

The VoxCheck specialists drew attention to the fake. They found out that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is not on the list of the richest politicians in the world. The anonymous YouTube channel Data Sets regularly publishes various ratings, including “The richest Jewish actors 2024”, “The richest women in the world 2024”, etc. In April 2023, they posted a video with a list of the richest politicians in the world 2024, but did not indicate the source on which they compiled this ranking.

The fake rating by the CAknowledge website was previously refuted by American fact checkers from PolitiFact. CAknowledge did not provide any sources determining the income of the President of Ukraine. The site attributes property and shares to Zelenskyi, but this information is not confirmed.

According to Forbes, as of 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s fortune was estimated at less than $30 million. The declaration for 2020 shows that the income of the President and his family amounted to UAH 22.7 million. In January 2024, information on income for 2021 was updated, where UAH 10.8 million was noted, and for 2022 - UAH 3.6 million. This is due to the temporary termination of lease agreements due to the Russian invasion.

Forbes also did not include Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the list of the richest people in 2023. The richest people in Ukraine remain Rynat Akhmetov, Victor Pinchuk, Vadym Novynskyi, Konstiantyn Zhyvaho and Henadii Boholiubov. Previously, the fake that Zelenskyi and other politicians became richer by billions of dollars in 2022 was already refuted.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit the President of Ukraine. Like, he makes a fortune from the war while people die. Detector Media also refuted other fakes directed personally against Zelenskyi.

Russian propagandists are spreading the message proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The bill on multiple citizenship is a preparation for the sale of Ukrainian territory. They say that the Ukrainian authorities will grant citizenship to Western businessmen so that they can buy Ukrainian land and enterprises and transport Ukrainian wealth to the EU or the USA.

This information is false. In fact, the Bill is intended to provide the opportunity to obtain Ukrainian passports, in particular, to representatives of the diaspora whose ancestors left Ukraine during various waves of emigration. Also, the proposed changes will allow a Ukrainian passport to foreigners who voluntarily defend Ukraine from Russian invasion. The bill does not provide for any preferences for the purchase of Ukrainian assets. This is stated by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council.

Thus, the Russians are trying to sow panic among Ukrainian society and split it. It should be noted that citizens of the aggressor country will not have the opportunity to obtain a Ukrainian passport. Previously, we analyzed the message that Ukraine would allegedly ask for new military loans and sell its lands at the economic forum in Davos.

On anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, they write that Zelenskyi plans to purchase uranium from Niger for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The authors of the fake explain that the purchase contract seemed to have been signed in November 2023 by the current Minister of Defense Rustem Umierov. At the same time, they cite the African publication Sene News, where journalists quoted one of their military personnel to support this thesis. It is not true.

The fact-checkers at the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council wrote that there were no official statements from Ukraine about the so-called “purchase of nuclear weapons”. And Rustem Umierov did not make any trips to Niger and did not sign such purchase contracts. That is, this is another stuffing of Russian propagandists who continue to replicate the Kremlin’s rhetoric about the use of “dirty weapons” against Russia including in order to justify unprovoked aggression and bloody war.

Read in our material why Moscow is implementing a disinformation campaign against Ukraine and why it lies about the use of nuclear weapons by Ukraine (and threatens nuclear bombing on its part).

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has issued a decree on the annexation of Russian territories to Ukraine. With this decree, he allegedly declared the right of sovereignty over the Krasnodar Territory, Voronezh, Kursk, Rostov, Briansk and Belgorod regions.

Thus, on January 22, 2024, Zelenskyi signed a decree “On the territories of the Russian Federation historically inhabited by Ukrainians”, but it does not talk about the “annexation” of these territories to Ukraine or the “declaration of sovereignty” over them. Propagandists resorted to yet another manipulation of facts, because the real purpose of the decree is to begin work to preserve the national identity of Ukrainians living in Russia. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

This decree, in particular, is about restoring and preserving the historical memory of crimes against Ukrainians in the past and present; on countering disinformation and propaganda; development of cooperation between Ukrainians and other peoples conquered by Russia; preparation and distribution of materials, as well as updating and inclusion in educational programs of information about the true history of ethnic Ukrainians in Russia.

With this media manipulation, Russian propaganda seeks to fuel its narrative: “Ukraine is the aggressor”, so Russia had no other option but to attack Ukrainian lands. They say that in this way Russia wanted to protect its territorial integrity, as well as Russian-speaking Ukrainians who were allegedly “oppressed” in Ukraine. However, the truth is that this is only a justification for Russian aggression by Moscow, which has been encroaching on Ukrainian territories for centuries and seeking to seize them, today committing a real genocide of the Ukrainian people.

• Read also: Map from a bar in Baghdad proves that Ukraine was going to conquer Russia and Georgia (photo fake)

Users of social networks spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are distributing a video where President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi expressed a proposal to suspend the Constitution. Some of them claim that he has already allegedly implemented this solution. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the quote was distorted by video editing and taken out of context. By performing a reverse quote search, they found the original of this speech by Volodymyr Zelenskyi, which took place on December 22, 2022 at the Conference of Ambassadors of Ukraine. Proof that the excerpt was taken specifically from this event is the same clothes of the president and the background, where part of the inscription of Ukraine and the coat of arms are visible. However, the quote, since, firstly, the President addressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the heads of diplomatic missions. Secondly, the speech said that in conditions of war they should work harder and more efficiently. “All those rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine are now on pause for you and me personally as representatives of our state”, Zelenskyi noted.

This is the only time the Constitution was mentioned in a speech, and the President did not make any decisions that “paused” the operation of the Constitution. Any changes to this document must be approved by the Verkhovna Rada, and in some cases, an all-Ukrainian referendum is held. In addition, according to Article 157 of the same document, changes leading to the abolition or restriction of the rights and freedoms of citizens cannot be made. Article 64 provides that conditions of martial law or a state of emergency may lead to the restriction of certain rights of citizens, but this also occurs within the framework of the provisions of the Constitution.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian government. They say that it restricts the rights of citizens and neglects the Basic Law of the state.  Detector Media also wrote about other inventions of Russian propaganda aimed at personally discrediting Zelenskyi.

Information about an allegedly new tattoo on the hand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi with the inscription “There is no God” was distributed by the Russian Foreign Ministry on the social network X (formerly Twitter). However, this is an absurd fake.

In the general photographs of Rishi Sunak with Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the military Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, it is clear that in fact the tattoo belongs to the Ukrainian serviceman standing next to Zelenskyi. This is especially noticeable in the frame where the President of Ukraine stands opposite the military man and photographs him together with the Prime Minister of Great Britain, writes the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. In addition, one can make sure that Zelenskyi has no tattoos on his hands by watching any of his latest videos.

Russian propaganda continues to systematically discredit Zelenskyi in the hope that the Ukrainian people will rise up against the President of Ukraine. Moreover, these photos were tied to the fact that, supposedly, “hence the persecution of Orthodox Christians”  (obviously, believers of the UOC-MP) in Ukraine. However, let us recall that at the beginning of a full-scale invasion, Patriarch Kyryl of the Russian Orthodox Church blessed Russian troops for a bloody war in Ukraine. Subsequently, the SBU began to conduct searches at the facilities of the UOC-MP throughout Ukraine and identify there Russian passports, St. George ribbons, anti-Ukrainian materials, party cards of the Communist Party of the USSR, etc. And all these things are evidence of a threat to the national security of Ukraine.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric through social networks claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi admitted that only 30% of American aid reaches Ukraine, with the rest remaining in the United States. They say that this indicates corruption schemes and kickbacks and therefore Zelenskyi will cease to be President. However, such statements are manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that the fact that a significant portion of US financial aid intended to support Ukraine goes to defense plants in the United States is not evidence of corruption or kickbacks. This is a legal procedure for providing military assistance to other countries, and information about it is publicly available.

During a press conference in Riga, Volodymyr Zelenskyi indeed noted that more than 70% of the allocated funds remain at American defense enterprises. The President explained that this is due to the fact that the cost of weapons provided to Ukraine does not include their free transfer, and American enterprises receive the funds for their services. However, this situation does not indicate any misunderstanding or misconduct, but is part of the normal procedure for providing military assistance.

The StopFake analysts point to an article by The Washington Post writer Marc Thiessen for more context on this process. In particular, this approach helps support the American economy by creating jobs and helping local businesses that support weapons production. This is not a corruption scheme, but a legitimate mechanism to promote defense production.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to reinforce their narrative of “corrupt Ukraine”. Detector Media has already written about other methods that Russia uses for this.

Russian propagandists are disseminating information that President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s visit to the Baltic countries is an attempt, through the “advocate countries” of Ukraine, to obtain a positive vote in the EU for the allocation of new military loans. They say that without this, Ukraine has almost no chance of receiving financial assistance from the EU.

This information is not true, as explained by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. The real purpose of the visit of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the Baltic countries is to deepen cooperation with these states in many areas. In particular, in the area of security, integration into the EU and NATO, and military cooperation.

It should be noted that Zelenskyi’s visit to Lithuania has already brought significant results:

- work began on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees, as provided for in the Joint Declaration of the Group of Seven and the Ukrainian Peace Formula;

- Lithuanian officials approved a new package of military assistance worth 200 million euros, which included ammunition, detonation systems, armored vehicles, and training for the Ukrainian military;

- new agreements in the field of military-industrial complex and military cooperation were signed, support for the renewal of Ukraine continues.

Russian propaganda seeks to convince everyone that Europe is already tired of the war in Ukraine, so they no longer want to provide financial assistance to it. In addition, in this way, propagandists are trying to discredit Ukraine in the international political arena, saying that the Ukrainian leadership is “grasping at the last straw” to receive money from the EU to continue the war.

A video is being circulated in the Bulgarian TikTok segment in which a seemingly barefoot Volodymyr Zelenskyi dances in an oriental costume. Mirella Petkova from the Facthceck.bg project drew attention to this video.

A video with Zelenskyi’s face appeared in December 2023 on a page on the TikTok network. However, this video is technically flawed. The original video, filmed in 2020, shows Russian dancer Vusal Mehdiyev, with Zelenskyi's face superimposed later.

The video from which the deepfake of Zelenskyi was compiled consists of two parts. The first part was first uploaded to TikTok on the profile of Vusal Mehdiyev on October 16, 2020. And the second – January 12, 2022. The second post received over 20 million views on TikTok.

In the original video, the music is different from the one put on by the fakers. In the initial videos, the music has oriental motifs, while in the fabricated version the Russian song “New Year” is played.

This is not the first time that artificial intelligence has been used to add Volodymyr Zelenskyi's face to dance videos. A similar video was distributed in July 2023. Then Zelenskyi’s face was put in place of the Argentine dancer and choreographer. This deepfake was debunked, in particular, by France Presse and Deutsche Welle.

The real Volodymyr Zelenskyi has many videos of him dancing. When he was an artist, he took part in many dance and singing performances of Kvartal 95 in KVN and on television, which were mandatory elements of the humorous program. And in 2006, he and dancer Olena Shoptenko won the first season of the Dancing with the Stars TV show.

Pro-Kremlin media are spreading information that allegedly after another scandal related to the “purchase” of the villa of Hitler’s propaganda minister Goebbels for 8 million euros, Zelenskyi decided to get rid of the so-called investigative journalist who had previously exposed the purchase of other real estate; namely, the villas of Zelenskyi’s mother-in-law. It's a lie.

Fact-checkers of the EU vs Disinfo project explained: firstly, just like the first case of buying a villa, the second one is not true. Let’s say, with regard to the so-called villa of Zelenskyi’s mother-in-law, the “investigation material” includes many factual errors. The authors provide a photo of an alleged document about the purchase of real estate, where the future owner of the house is indicated. So the document says that Olha KIYASHKO owns the house, although according to the current standards of the state migration service, the transliteration on all documents would look like this: Olha KYIASHKO. The authors did not prove the authenticity of such a “document” and did not explain where they got it from. That is, the contract for the purchase of the villa at least definitely does not concern Olha Kyiashko.

And the identity of the investigative journalist himself raises many questions. Since, upon request in the search engine, Mohammed Al-Alawi investigative journalist gives only a link to the material about this villa and no additional information about the person - it is most likely that this name was invented. That is, they killed no one, because such a person simply does not exist and no one bought the villa.

Also with the second example of “taking possession” of real estate: quite recently, Russian propagandists were convincing people that the Ukrainian president allegedly acquired the former villa of the main propagandist of the Third Reich. In support of such theses, a video of a “former employee” of a Berlin real estate company was attached. The woman called herself Sabine Mels.

However, it was not possible to establish a connection between the so-called Sabine Mels and the Berlin real estate company. And when asked in a search engine, “Sabine Mels” gives just a link to material about this villa and nothing more. In this case, the situation is repeated: most likely, the name of this person was also invented.

As for the “investigation” video, it was published on an inactive YouTube channel, where there are only three videos. One of these videos is dedicated to the ultra-right movement. The author posted a story from the Indian news service WION about the growing number of sympathizers of the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The second video is called “anti-fascists agreed to tell” and the author himself, throughout the third video, talks about the “purchase” of a villa, wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “Antifaschistische aktion” (anti-fascist action). According to the German Federal Service for the Protection of the Constitution, this movement belongs to left-wing extremists. Anti-fascism (opposition to Nazism and fascism) as an ideology can have different “dimensions” of development: left, liberal, etc. The Federal Service, among other things, cited cases of violence from members of such communities: you can read here.

In the end, Russian propaganda is trying to portray Ukraine as a cradle of corruption in order to devalue and neutralize Ukrainian intentions to combat corruption and further European integration measures. Allegedly, Ukrainian officials are buying up real estate with misappropriated funds from Western partners. In addition, the fight against corruption is one of the requirements of European integration. By spreading such fakes, propagandists are trying to show that corruption in Ukraine allegedly cannot be corrected, so it will not be accepted into the EU or NATO.

Pro-Kremlin media are distributing a photo of a French supermarket, on the window of which a Zelenskyi sticker with the “beggar” inscription was allegedly placed. It's a lie.

This case was investigated by Myth Detector fact-checkers - and first of all, they contacted the store administration to refute the information. Indeed, in the distributed photographs one can see the name of the store, namely Franprix. The company administration denied the fact that such a sticker was placed on the doors of any stores in the French chain. In addition, the image of Zelenskyi, that is, the sticker on the window, was created using graphic editors and inserted into a regular photo of the Franprix store.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines, newspaper columns or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

With the help of Russian propaganda, Zelenskyi was able to appear in various roles, in particular: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction; theft of Western money; a puppet controlled by the West; a monster who throws “everyone in a row” to the front, etc. This is how the Kremlin uses the tactic of imposing shameful epithets.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that in 2023, interest in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the Internet fell by 63%. People became less interested not only in Zelenskyi’s profiles on social networks, but also in content related to the president, interest in which allegedly fell by 47%. Claiming this, Russian propaganda is distributing a video containing the logo of the American online publication Politico, and the information on the video is apparently based on a report from the SocialBlade service.

In fact, the information about a 63% drop in interest in the president on the Internet is false, write fact-checkers from the StopFake project. The same situation applies to the “47% drop in interest” in Zelenskyi-related content. Politico has never disseminated similar information on its official website or on its social networks. Other reputable media outlets also did not report such information. Information about the rapid decline in interest in Zelenskyi, like the fake video with the Politico logo, is distributed exclusively on pro-Russian telegram channels and Facebook groups. Real data from the SocialBlade service regarding the president’s social media profiles can be found on their website. On the platform, you can notice that the number of new subscribers on Zelenskyi’s pages has remained at approximately the same level since July 2022.

Propagandists spread fake information in order to create a picture that Zelenskyi has already got everyone, so foreign media “tend to talk less about Ze”. In addition, Russian propaganda is trying to convince Ukrainians that the West is already tired of the war in Ukraine, so its military support will only weaken. Previously, we refuted information that Zelenskyi was allegedly going to “escape” to the United States in the spring of 2024.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that Diia, the online government service, has begun selling tickets to the commercial show Evening Kvartal (“Evening Quarter”). Propagandists claim that in this way the state is promoting business, in the creation of which the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is involved. “Proof” of such information is a screenshot from the phone, which shows that the Diia mobile application offers the user to buy tickets, also at a discount.

This case was analyzed by the fact-checkers from the StopFake project and they found out that the information was not true. There is only one service in the official Diia app that could potentially offer a concert ticket purchasing feature: Entertainment. However, you can only watch TV, listen to the radio or play the game Drone Army. There is no “buy tickets” option there. It was also not possible to find the corresponding service on the official website of the Diia and the online service’s Facebook page.

In addition, specialists from StopFake contacted the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which is responsible for Diia, with an information request whether Diia really offered users to buy tickets for the Evening Kvartal concert. The press service of the Ministry responded that it was “undoubtedly fake”.

This information dump is intended to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi, as well as the online public service service Diia, which allegedly cannot be considered trustworthy under these conditions. Moreover, according to Russian propaganda, such a “service” as selling tickets through Diia allegedly appeared in addition to another “service” of the mobile application - sending out draft notices for those liable for military service. However, the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly denied information about “draft notices in Diia”. 

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Chalyi said that Ukraine has once again “confirmed the peaceful intentions” of Volodymyr Putin in the Russian-Ukrainian war. This is manipulation.

StopFake project specialists took on the case and determined that the basis for creating this manipulation was the speech of Oleksandr Chalyi during a discussion about the Russian-Ukrainian war in Geneva, which took place in early December 2023. Among other things, the diplomat said that dictator Putin “very quickly” realized his mistake and tried to resolve the conflict with peace treaties - which he ultimately failed. At the same time, anonymous telegrams distorted the context and demonstrated Mr. Oleksandr’s statements as if the head of the Kremlin was trying to end the war “peacefully”.

The Russian dictator developed his public activity in December 2023 - this included his “Direct Line”, where he summed up the results of the year and found it difficult to answer awkward questions and also a meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense. With all this, he demonstrated that his unhealthy desires are unchanged: to take over Ukraine, occupy and seize other territories, and turn it into a satellite of his empire. And it also gives a clear signal that nothing will stop him on the path to capturing Ukraine.

Russia continues to terrorize the Ukrainian civilian population: for example, on the night of December 29, Russia carried out a massive attack on Ukrainian cities. It literally ran everything: it used Daggers, ballistics, S-300, cruise missiles, Shahed type drones, etc. In Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Sumy and Cherkasy regions there are casualties and deaths.

That is, they are not talking about any peaceful ways to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war; Volodymyr Zelenskyi, in an interview with The Economist, assured that he does not see “any fundamental steps towards peace on the part of Russia”.

On anonymous telegram channels they are distributing a photo of the church calendar of the OCU, which supposedly states: January 7, they say, one cannot celebrate Christmas, since then only “Russians and their accomplices” celebrate. And on January 25, the calendar allegedly (at the state level) marks the birthday of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. At the same time, May 25 is the “day of Saint Javelin”. It's fake.

Analysts from the StopFake project investigated the case and found out that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine did not publish such a calendar; it was created by Kremlin minions and then presented as the work of the Ukrainian church. The real church calendar was published on the official website of the OCU - and there is no mention in it of the Ukrainian president or the so-called Saint Javelin. The calendar indicates that on January 25, Orthodox Christians commemorate St. Gregory the Theologian, and on May 25, the Third Finding of the Head of John the Baptist.

Moreover, the false calendar contains numerous errors: the author of “Saint Javelin” is considered to be Christian Borys, and not Chris Shaw, as the fakes wrote; There was also a mistake in writing the surname of the head of Ukraine - they wrote “Zelinsky” instead of “Zelenskyi”. And the word “accomplice” is in most cases used in criminal or judicial contexts. The literary version is “supporter”.

And “Saint Javelin” was never canonized to mark the day in church life. Even during the creation of a mural in Kyiv dedicated to the concept of Our Lady holding a Javelin in her hands, the Ukrainian Council of Churches - an association of Ukrainian religious leaders - opposed its creation. Subsequently, they had to sketch the halo at the request of the local administration.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distributed a video with an advertising banner that appeared to be located in New York. The likely video says, “If Snoop Dogg gave up drugs, you can do it too”. Subsequently, a photo of Volodymyr Zelenskyi appears on the screen. It is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts were able to analyze the case and found out that the video is not real. After all, while watching a video with an advertising banner, they noticed the logo of one of the rehabilitation centers for people with various types of addictions in the United States - namely Wish Recovery. That is, the fake news suggests that it was this establishment that distributed the video on its own behalf. The VoxCheck specialists checked whether the rehabilitation center used a video with Zelenskyi in its advertising communications. It turned out that the Ehab clinic did not publish a similar video on its pages on social networks and it was also not possible to find any mention of it either. Essentially, the “advertising” was compiled using special editors.

Other advertising banners placed alongside the fake video of a rehab clinic indicate that the area itself was filmed at least in the fall. For example, on the screen one can see an advertisement for the song Lollipop by Darell, which was released back in July 2023, and the video was published on October 8, 2023; Allegedly, the song has been advertised for two months. Or an advertisement for the cosmetics brand Charlotte Tilbury, a collection dedicated to the festive period, starting with Halloween 2023. That is, the advertising banners were filmed in advance, and then a video with Volodymyr Zelenskyi was inserted.

With the help of Russian propaganda, Zelenskyi was able to appear in various roles, in particular: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction; theft of Western money; a puppet controlled by the West; a monster who throws “everyone in a row” to the front, etc. This is how the Kremlin uses the tactic of imposing shameful epithets.

This information is disseminated by pro-Russian telegram channels. According to the real estate purchase agreement, the villa was purchased by Film Heritage Inc, a company associated with the current president of Ukraine. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council established that the primary source of this information is allegedly a former employee of the BIM consulting company, Sabina Mels. However, it was not possible to establish the identity of Sabine Mels and her affiliation with BIM, which casts doubt on the existence of such a person. Then the fake news about the villa was spread by pro-Russian resources: the Nigerian publication Independent and the website OKV e.V., the content of which corresponds to pro-Russian rhetoric. It should be noted that previously, Nigerian publications were already involved in the dissemination of fakes about Zelenskyi, in particular, the publication PUNCH.

Propagandists continue to systematically discredit Zelenskyi and the first lady of Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to evoke a negative attitude towards them from Ukrainians. Also, by spreading their lies on behalf of fake foreign publications, Russians are trying to give them more credibility. Previously, we denied information that the foundation of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is allegedly connected with child trafficking.

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing a video that allegedly states that Volodymyr Zelenskyi supported the so-called petition of Ukrainian linguist Iryna Farion for the “dismissal” of Russian-speaking fighters from the Ukrainian Defense Forces. “From now on, we will mobilize only Ukrainian-speaking citizens”, Zelenskyi was quoted. It's a lie.

The Voxcheck specialists analyzed the case and found that there is no such petition on the website of the official Internet representation of the President of Ukraine, and the quote from Volodymyr Zelenskyi was completely invented. Analysts also checked the social networks of the former deputy of the 7th convocation - they did not find any information about the presentation of the petition. And the original source of this video is a TikTok account in which the author systematically disseminates fakes about mobilization, humanitarian aid and creates deepfakes with the participation of Ukrainian politicians. The author also runs a telegram channel, where, according to analysts, he relays Kremlin narratives: for example, he does not call Russia an aggressor.

This fake is most likely spread against the backdrop of Iryna Farion’s scandalous statements about Russian-speaking military personnel on the air of the program “Rendezvous with Yanina Sokolova”. Then she stated that “she cannot call Russian-speaking military personnel Ukrainians”. After all, according to her, if there is no discipline in the army (to study the Ukrainian language - DM), then it is a rabble. Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets appealed to law enforcement officers and the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting to verify Farion’s statements about Russian-speaking military personnel.

Subsequently, on November 8, 2023, she released an email from a Crimean student, which supported his position on the importance of using the Ukrainian language among the military. At the same time, Farion published the letter and did not hide the student’s personal data. Anonymous and pro-Russian telegram channels “thanked” the linguists for the information provided and a few days later they published a video in which the guy confirms that it was he who sent the letter to Farion. In the video, he also said that he was at the Center for Combating Extremism of the Russian occupation Ministry of Internal Affairs and they had an “intelligent conversation” with him. As a result, Dmytro Lubinets contacted the Security Service of Ukraine regarding the disclosure of confidential information.

Now criminal proceedings have been opened against Farion under several articles, in particular, violation of the equality of citizens depending on their race, nationality, regional affiliation, religious beliefs, disability and other characteristics.

Russian propagandists are spreading information in the media that Egyptian investigative journalist Mohammed Al-Alawi, who published material about “Zelenskyi’s mother-in-law’s villa”, was allegedly killed. They say that the relatives of the “deceased” are sure that he was killed because of his professional activities. However, this is fake.

This was found out by specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. In fact, the information about the “murder” is as fictional as the very existence of the so-called Egyptian “investigative journalist”, since there is no information on the Internet regarding such a person, except for the above-mentioned fake article about the “villa of the mother-in-law of the President of Ukraine”.

By disseminating such fakes, according to the Center, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Ukraine and, in particular, President Zelenskyi personally, and is also spreading the myth about the “absence” of freedom of speech in Ukraine and large-scale censorship.

Propagandists are circulating a cover on social media that they claim is a special issue of The Nation magazine. It depicts Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Joe Biden and Henry Kissinger. It is noted that the issue is timed to coincide with the death of Kissinger, who, according to the cover, went to hell and is trying to take Biden with him. In the picture you can see the publication date – November 30, 2023. However, this is fake.

The VoxCheck team noticed it. It found out that The Nation magazine had not published a single issue with such a cover. The publication's website and its pages on social networks do not contain the mentioned issue. In addition, the publication does not have a November 30, 2023 issue.

Propagandists continue to create and distribute fake covers of global publications to create a false impression of resistance to support for Ukraine among foreigners. Thus, they also want to personally discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.  Detector Media also refuted other propaganda fabrications directed against him.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing what appears to be a new cover of the American political publication Washington Monthly. It depicts a Thanksgiving dinner. Volodymyr Zelenskyi is at the table with the Americans, who seem to have eaten all the food, sitting with a full belly and saying: “Thank you! But I need more!”. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated this case and found that none of the issues of Washington Monthly magazine had such a cover. For example, the fake cover states that this is a November-December 2023 issue. The actual cover from this period depicts American President Joseph Biden. There is no mention of Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the cover of this issue.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also repeated in the West.

An audio telephone conversation is being distributed on social networks in the Russian segment, in which Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly criticizes Ukraine’s allies in a conversation with Olena Zelenska. He allegedly claims that his allies are forcing him to fight corruption in the country, but without corruption the presidential administration will supposedly collapse, because “everyone in Ukraine is stealing now”. The messages refer to The Intel Drop. However, this is a lie.

The VoxCheck specialists were able to analyze the case, explaining that the “primary source” of the recording is indeed The Intel Drop - this publication publishes anti-Ukrainian materials containing disinformation or manipulative theses. Moreover, the site quotes statements of Russian politicians. That is, the recording of the “telephone conversation” between Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Olena Zelenska was compiled. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian language is supposedly spoken during the conversation, the characters make numerous spelling and grammatical errors and mostly use Russian words.

For example, such Ukrainian words as “finished”, “wink”, “homeland”, “you understand”  in the interpretation of the hero who pretended to be Volodymyr Zelenskyi were pronounced like Russian ones. And here are Olena Zelenska’s alleged phrases: “it’s in their interests that you wink”, “impossible”, “I understand”. Both the first lady and the Ukrainian president speak Ukrainian at a high level.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing a video allegedly from Euronews, which depicts “graffiti” with Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the image of a maniac from the film “The Shining”, in the interpretation of the creators of street art demanding money. The reports also refer to material from the publication Der Tagesspiegel, which allegedly cites this graffiti as evidence of the growth of anti-Ukrainian sentiment. It is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated this case and found out that Euronews did not publish the video on its social media pages. This means that the probable plot is compiled. In addition, there is no material about the caricature and the growth of so-called “anti-Ukrainian sentiments” in Germany on the Der Tagesspiegel website or on the publication’s social networks.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines, newspaper columns or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Social media users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are disseminating information that allegedly during a telephone conversation, President Zelenskyi expressed a negative attitude towards US President Joe Biden, calling him a “hypocrite” and US Secretary of State Blinken a “clown”. However, the audio recording of this conversation is fake.

This was brought to the attention of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They found out that the audio recording of the conversation was fake and that it was mainly distributed on the X network (formerly Twitter). This is a recording made with the participation of actors with a distinct Russian accent and pronunciation vaguely reminiscent of Zelenskyi and his wife.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists aim to antagonize world leaders and create preconditions for the withdrawal of financial and military support for Kyiv.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks and media about blogger Gonzalo Lira, who is allegedly illegally detained in a Ukrainian pre-trial detention center. They say that Lira was detained because of “criticism of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi”. However, this is fake.

The specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that this information was first published on his X page by American presenter Tucker Carlson, who is a supporter of Donald Trump and criticizes any assistance to Ukraine. Detector Media has already written about dangerous narratives in his author’s program. After Carlson’s statements, American billionaire and head of X (Twitter) Elon Musk demanded an explanation from the Ukrainian side in connection with the arrest of an “American citizen” on Ukrainian territory. Musk also accused Ukraine of torturing Gonzalo Lira.

There is no evidence that Gonzalo Lira was subjected to torture. In addition, in Ukraine there is no criminal liability for criticizing the president. The American blogger was arrested on May 1, 2023 in Kharkiv for violating Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine). In a commentary for the Ukrainian publication NV.ua, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the actions of Ukrainian law enforcement officers to arrest the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira occurred exclusively in accordance with the law. In particular, Gonzalo Lira argued that Ukraine seems to be shelling its own territory, and that the country is led by a neo-Nazi regime.

The SBU documented Lira's activities and handed the blogger a suspicion. In May 2023, the court chose a measure of restraint for him in the form of detention with the possibility of bail. He was initially released under house arrest after posting bail, but in July Lira was arrested again while trying to cross the border into Hungary on a motorcycle. Lira is in a pre-trial detention center in Kharkiv. Court hearings in his case are scheduled for December 12 and 21, 2023.

It should also be noted that Gonzalo Lira denied the facts of the massacre of civilians in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities, disclosed the location of Western journalists and Ukrainian military personnel, and also disseminated their personal information. In addition, Lira defended Putin's motives, arguing that the Russians allegedly take special care to avoid destroying civilian infrastructure or harming civilians. On his social media accounts, the blogger spread a number of previously debunked conspiracy theories, including Russia's claim that there are American laboratories in Ukraine for the production of biological weapons. The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications, in its article “What’s wrong with the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira, for whom Carlson and Musk stood up”, spoke in detail about Gonzalo Lira’s months-long anti-Ukrainian activities. Detector Media previously wrote about other ways Russia uses the opinion of foreigners in the media field.

This information is disseminated by pro-Kremlin resources. As proof, propagandists attach a photo of a “certificate” addressed to Volodymyr Zelenskyi granting him US citizenship. In addition, they add that the President of Ukraine plans to escape not alone, but with his family. For this purpose, it seems that all the relevant documents have already been prepared. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council examined this information. The center has established that the primary source of this “news” is the fake publication The DC Weekly, which has repeatedly spread lies about the President of Ukraine and the First Lady. The photo of the so-called certificate of US citizenship is also not real - its number cannot be found in the database. After all, the author of the material is a fictitious person named Jessica Devlin, whose profile generally contains a photo of actress Judy Batalion.

Accordingly, this fake, within the framework of the narrative about the alleged insignificance and treachery of the Zelenskyi family, aims to discredit the President and First Lady of Ukraine. Another motive for creating this type of disinformation is the desire of propagandists to awaken panic among Ukrainians regarding the future of the country. Previously, we refuted information that the foundation of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is allegedly associated with child trafficking.

Users of social networks that spread pro-Russian rhetoric are distributing a video claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly called on Commander-in-Chief Valerii  Zaluzhnyi to resign from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Allegedly, Zelenskyi said that Zaluzhnyi is involved in politics and elections. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. In fact, such statements are not true, but they are consistent with Russian propaganda narratives that there is a conflict between the president of Ukraine and the commander-in-chief. It has been spreading since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and was accompanied, in particular, by the appearance of a deepfake with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, where he allegedly called Zelenskyi a traitor and called on the military to march on Kyiv. However, there were no statements by the president in which he blamed Zaluzhnyi, and especially with instructions for his dismissal. There were also no decrees on the dismissal of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the website of the President of Ukraine. On November 30, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podoliak, said on Radio Svoboda (Liberty) that the conflict described by Russian propaganda does not exist.

Propagandists spread such fake news to create distrust in the Ukrainian government and create the impression that the situation is not under control. They say that Ukraine is approaching failure due to internal contradictions among those in power. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other fakes about Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Anonymous telegram channels spread information that a monument in honor of Joseph Biden would be erected on the site of the recently demolished monument to Pushkin in Kyiv. The authors of the messages add to the publication a plan for creating the monument and its estimate: they explained that they plan to create a monument with Joe Biden shaking hands with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. They also named a real company that would create such a project and added a number of “documents” to the messages. It's a lie.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project investigated his case and determined that the company, which, according to fake documents, is the likely executor of the project, denied the report about the production of a monument to Joe Biden. Their press service explained that they are not working on the construction of the monument and at the same time they have not received such requests.

According to propagandists, the project was allegedly ordered by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. In general, this is an institution that is subordinate to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. However, on the government procurement website Prozorro, for example, there is not a single tender for the installation of a monument to Joe Biden from this government agency. Neither the Ministry of Culture nor affiliated structures mentioned such a project on their social networks.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly silent about the “colossal losses” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Propaganda media write about this with reference to a video from the YouTube channel of Oleh Soskin, a former adviser to the ex-president of Ukraine Kuchma. However, this is a fake.

Specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security undertook to analyze this case. The fact is that information about the number of killed and wounded Ukrainian military personnel during martial law constitutes a state secret. This is at least due to the fact that Russia can use this data to calculate possible further actions of the Defense Forces. That is, we are talking about the military’s demand, and not about Zelenskyi’s personal desire to hide important information from society.

By spreading disinformation on a sensitive topic for Ukrainians, Russian propaganda is trying to once again discredit the current President of Ukraine and undermine the trust of Ukrainian society in him. After all, the approximate number of Ukrainian military deaths in the war against Russia will only be known after its end. Previously, we analyzed the propaganda message that the Ukrainian authorities are allegedly lying to the Ukrainians, that there are no losses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the media began to disseminate information based on an interview with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the British publication The Sun. Like, he admitted that Russian aggression is “supported” by most of the world, and the interests of Ukraine are defended by “at best 14 countries”. In addition, according to them, Zelenskyi allegedly admitted “Ukraine’s inability to resist the military actions waged by Russia”. This is manipulation.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that in fact, the President of Ukraine, in an interview with The Sun, accused Putin of “fuelling a fire” around the world that risks spiraling out of control, and added that a Hamas attack on Israel was Russia’s “great desire”. According to Zelenskyi, Russia plans to continue destabilizing the situation in the world, and the Balkans may be next to come under attack. According to him, this will continue until the Russian regime is stopped and punished.

Zelenskyi did note that Russia does not yet “feel that the whole world is against it”, but he did not claim that Russian aggression is “supported” by most of the world. The UN General Assembly condemned the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine by an absolute majority: the resolution “Aggression against Ukraine” was supported by 141 countries, and only five delegations - totalitarian Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea - voted against. In addition, on November 23, 2022, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for its large-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine. A month earlier – on October 13, 2022 – PACE adopted a resolution in which it also declared the Russian regime terrorist. In addition, on October 13, 2023, PACE recommended that member states of the Council of Europe recognize Putin as illegitimate at the end of his current presidential term and cease all contacts with him. All these decisions of international institutions are the consequences of Russian aggression, which clearly demonstrate the unprecedented support for Ukraine by leading democratic countries.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi also did not make any statements in this interview about Ukraine’s inability to resist Russia.

Propagandists spread such manipulations in order to personally discredit Zelenskyi and accuse him of betraying the interests of Ukrainian citizens. They say that the war must be stopped on Russia’s terms, and even the President of Ukraine admits this. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted the fabrications of propagandists aimed at personal attacks against Zelenskyi.

On social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, photos of campaign leaflets calling for “voting” for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and against Volodymyr Zelenskyi are being distributed. The authors add that such leaflets are distributed in Zhytomyr. It's a lie.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project investigated this case and explained that these leaflets are not real, because not a single local or national media has received such news. At the same time, information about the campaigns was disseminated only on social networks in the Russian segment. Moreover, there can be no official campaign under martial law. The fact-checkers add that according to the law “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” it is prohibited to hold elections. And on November 6, Volodymyr Zelenskyi stated that there was “no time” to hold elections.

But the absence of an official propaganda campaign does not indicate that anyone, including the Kremlin’s minions, is ready to create such a leaflet using graphic editors and then create news about the “distribution” of propaganda. Analysts have not determined the authenticity of the photo itself.

We recently analyzed the message of Russian propaganda, where they claimed that the West is allegedly preparing a coup against Zelenskyi: and they want to put Valerii Zaluzhnyi in his place, who is supposedly more favorable to Western leaders. Such stories are generally intended to convince consumers of disinformation that there is a split in the military-political leadership of Ukraine.

Propagandists broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks are distributing a video allegedly filmed recently at protests against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Zhytomyr. Like, slogans such as “Get out!” were heard on them. But in fact this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the video being distributed was recorded during a protest on Independence Square in Kyiv on October 1, 2019. In particular, analysts point out that in the video one can recognize the architectural ensemble of Maidan Nezalezhnosti. In addition, StopFake specialists found in the Russian search engine Yandex a video from the then Kyiv protest, where protesters can be seen chanting “Get out!” and holding the same posters and flags as in the video distributed by propagandists. This all confirms that both recordings show the same Kyiv action from four years ago.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to create internal tension and conflicts in Ukraine. Detector Media also noted the intensification of this narrative and refuted a number of fabrications of Russian propaganda aimed at personally discrediting Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Russian media are spreading information that the West is planning to carry out a coup in Ukraine and wants to deprive Zelenskyi of power. The authors explain: on November 1, 2023, the British edition of The Economist “not without reason” published an article by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and an interview with him - supposedly the West is trying to show its commitment to Zaluzhnyi, and not to Zelenskyi. After all, on October 30, 2023, the American magazine Time dedicated the cover of its new issue and an article to the Ukrainian president. “No one believes in our victory as much as I do. The lonely struggle of Volodymyr Zelensky”,  said the cover. In fact, the authors of the propaganda correspondence explain that the West is hinting at the “mediocrity” of the Ukrainian president.

Specialists from the EU vs Disinfo project investigated the case and explained that this is a typical conspiracy theory that has no confirmation. Such theses are aimed only at undermining the authority of Zelenskyi, who is allegedly losing the support of the West. And nothing indicates that Zaluzhnyi’s interview once shows the West’s “favor” for the commander-in-chief.

Detector Media analysts analyzed materials from The Times and The Economist - one  can read about it here. In short, the article about Zelenskyi contains manipulative signs, because “all betrayal goes through the stamp of anonymity”. And Russian propaganda  really gloated about this, explaining by this the so-called incompetence of the Ukrainian president.

Russian Foreign Ministry representative Mariia Zakharova is promoting the narrative that turbulence in Ukraine is growing, and that election campaigns are even starting to gain power in the country. Officials and those in power allegedly do not take into account ordinary Ukrainians, many of whom are on the brink of survival, and think only about their own benefit.

This message was recorded by the Center for Countering Disinformation. Such statements from a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry are nothing more than an attempt to root the opinion in Ukrainian society about internal conflicts among the top leadership of Ukraine. On the other hand, propaganda resources continue to discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and refer to the statement about the inappropriateness of elections in Ukraine under martial law. Finally, the enemy aims to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt among the Ukrainian society regarding the possible course of action in the country, using one of the propaganda tactics.

Media and social media users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi ordered the Ukrainian military to “immediately leave” the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, supported by a corresponding video. However, this video is fake.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the video used old footage and a voice similar to the voice of the Ukrainian president. In addition, it is distributed only by users of social networks, pro-Russian sites and Telegram channels. Not a single authoritative Ukrainian or English-language media reported such a “loud” order from the Ukrainian president. In addition, this video distributed by Russian propaganda is not on Zelensky’s official pages on social networks, where he usually publishes his addresses.

Secondly, with a detailed review of the fake “video message”, it is noticeable that Zelenskyi’s facial expressions do not correspond to his language. StopFake specialists discovered an identical video with Zelenskyi dated October 31, 2023. However, in the original video, the president does not issue any “orders” regarding Avdiivka, but talks about the situation in the Black Sea, the work of the “grain corridor”, international support, and so on. To create a fake, audio with an artificially created voice of Zelenskyi about the order to leave Avdiivka was simply superimposed on this video, using the corporate style of the 1+1 TV channel for greater credibility.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to cause panic among Ukrainians and personal distrust of Zelenskyi. Like, Ukraine is losing. However, Detector Media also refuted other fakes and manipulations on a similar topic, where propagandists manipulated the President of Ukraine.

Florian Philippot, the leader of the French Patriots party, said on a social network that, by refusing to hold presidential elections in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly staged a coup. They say this is due to the fact that citizens probably would not re-elect him.

Analysts from The Insider project drew attention to this message. They note that Filippot is the leader of a Eurosceptic party that has not done well in elections. He is already known for his speeches with anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, and his theses are actively disseminated by Russian media.

The very idea of a coup d’etat is that Zelenskyi adheres to Ukrainian laws prohibiting elections during martial law. Analysts of The Insider note that the chances of Zelenskyi’s hypothetical defeat in the elections are difficult to consider as a high one, since he remains the most popular politician in the country. For example, the results of a survey by the PolitiKum telegram channel indicate Zelenskyi’s electoral rating at 45%. According to data from the Razumkov Center published in October, the president's trust rating is now the highest in the country - 75%.

Propagandists spread such statements in order to personally discredit the President of Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted other Russian accusations against Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Pro-Russian resources began distributing a video in which supposedly Ukrainian military personnel, introducing themselves as fighters of the 3rd battalion of the 110th separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, complain to the President of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief about poor command and heavy losses in Avdiivka.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project processed this case. They found out that the 110th separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces responded to this video and refuted it. On the brigade’s official Facebook page they write that the video is not of their Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers, but of occupiers dressed in Ukrainian uniforms. In addition, suspicion was also aroused by the fact that the “military man” who complained on behalf of the battalion did not name his company, unit, position, surname or call sign in this “appeal”, although the video was recorded with open faces.

Propagandists are trying to demoralize Ukrainian society by spreading fake news like this video. They do this cynically, insidiously and resort to peculiar methods. Previously, we refuted the information that allegedly Hamas representatives recorded a video in which they thanked Zelenskyi for providing the weapons.

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. The messages add how Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly stated that Israel should fight terrorism “without laws and rules” - in fact, he allegedly called for the commission of war crimes. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project managed to process the case: they explained that the basis for creating this manipulation was most likely an interview with the Ukrainian president on the American television channel NBC News on November 5, 2023. During the live broadcast, the interviewer asked whether Volodymyr Zelenskyi is confident that Israel is subject to international law in the war with Hamas. Zelenskyi responded that it is Russia, Iran and North Korea that are trying to scale up the war in Israel:

“This is a fire that is burning between Israel and Palestine, and some people are still throwing matches into this fire, and I am sure that Russia is not far behind in sponsoring Hamas. And Iran too. That's who is to blame. When we talk about laws and rules, where there are terrorists, there are no rules [terrorists don’t care about rules ed.]”.

Actually, Volodymyr Zelenskyi meant that Russia and other “friendly countries” - Iran, North Korea, etc. — do not support the norms of international law, especially directly or indirectly incite discord. These countries, for example, actively block any legislative initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine in the UN General Assembly. And according to Zelenskyi, they may also be interested in scaling up the war in the Middle East.

But propagandists twisted the statement and began to claim that it is the Ukrainian leader who seeks to sow discord and calls for committing war crimes, regardless of the cost. Thus, propagandists demonize Volodymyr Zelenskyi and label him: let's say, he is an aggressor and a provocateur who wants wars around the world.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the English-speaking segment of social networks claim that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, has surrendered, and Ukraine has been under the complete control of Russia since this weekend. The primary source is an unknown tweet with the following content: “Zelenskyi surrendered. Ukraine has fallen. Israel is next”. This is a fake.

Specialists of the Associated Press drew attention to him. They found that the tweet had been shared/liked more than 10,000 times as of Monday, November 5. A number of high-ranking officials, especially Volodymyr Zelenskyi, emphasize that there is no question of a truce, just like there is no draw in the war. Russian aggression against Ukraine over the weekend did not stop, as evidenced by Russia's air attack on 10 regions of Ukraine, which led to the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

By spreading such fakes based on the statements of Ukrainian high-ranking officials, propagandists want to distort reality and create a false identity between Russian aggression against Ukraine and the war in Israel and Palestine. In addition, they use the increased level of coverage of events in the Middle East to try to convince foreigners that they are right. Detector Media refuted other Russian messages, manipulations and fakes on the topic of events in Israel.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that VICKS allegedly launched an ad for a nasal spray in New York City featuring an animated character who “looks like Volodymyr Zelenskyi”. The authors of the message add a video where the hero strongly inhales air and then explodes. The video ends with the slogan: “VICKS helps increase the capabilities of your nose!”. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck fact-checkers analyzed the case and found that the VICKS company reported that they did not run this advertisement, but rather a compiled video. After all, no media came out with this news, and the video was only distributed on social networks in the Russian segment. In fact, experts used a reverse search on Google to discover the location of the likely advertisement. The fake video also contains other advertisements: for example, on the screen nearby they advertise the Amazon Freevee platform, where one can watch the series Jury Duty. Although the film was still released in April 2023. It is unlikely that it will be advertised 6 months later.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines, newspaper columns or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are mocking the situation in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that representatives of the Hamas group allegedly recorded a video thanking Volodymyr Zelenskyi for the transferred weapons, which help resist Israel. It's fake.

Fact-checkers at the Center for Countering Disinformation analyzed the video and determined that it was fake. It is this video that is being distributed by Russian propaganda resources and fake foreign accounts, the time and place of filming are unknown. Moreover, the video cannot be verified because Hamas representatives have their faces covered.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and reduce the assistance of Western partners. This is a continuation of the disinformation campaign about Ukrainian weapons in the hands of Hamas. Previously, Detector Media refuted the fake that Ukraine sells weapons to Hamas and debunked the fake that Hamas militants use weapons from Mukachevo.

Russian telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umierov allegedly “gave consent to same-sex marriage in Ukraine”. Russian propaganda also reports that because of this decision, a “blue brigade” consisting of LGBT+ representatives will be created in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is not true.

The case was examined by the fact-checkers from the Center for Strategic Communications and the BezBrekhni (No Lies) project. They note that Article 51 of the Constitution of Ukraine states that “marriage is based on the free consent of a woman and a man”. That is, the president cannot give permission for marriage, and the minister of defense has nothing to do with legislative initiatives.

Russian propaganda presents people belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community as something wrong, unacceptable, which is coming from the West. Russian propagandists justify a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by arguing that they are fighting for traditional values and protecting our country from Western propaganda of LGBT culture. Previously, we conducted a study of the Ukrainian segment of social networks, where we identified the key trends in rhetoric directed against LGBTQIA people and their sympathizers: “Homophobia in social networks: about values between Russian propaganda and Ukrainians’ disputes”.

Russian information resources, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, are distributing the cover of the supposedly German satirical publication Titanic, which depicts the President of Ukraine and people wearing Zelenskyi masks, with the headline “This time there won’t be enough candies for everyone”. This is a hint that the world's attention is focused on Israel, and not on the war in Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was examined by the fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. They determined that there was no actual issue of Titanic magazine with such a cover. On the publication's website one can find the latest issue for October, number 10, with a different cover. On the cover, which is distributed by Russian propaganda, the number is indicated - 11, the magazine itself is published once a month, so this is another confirmation that it is fake.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to promote the message that the West is tired of the war in Ukraine and has reduced support and will supply less weapons. All this is to sow panic among Ukrainians. Previously, we refuted the fake that the French magazine Charlie Hebdo dedicated its cover to the Hamas movement.

Russian telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are allegedly distributing the cover of the Turkish magazine Le Man with the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi “furious at the whole world”. The President of Ukraine is irritated allegedly because the attention of the world media is focused on the conflict between Palestine and Israel, while there is also a war going on in Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was examined by the fact-checkers from the Center for Strategic Communications and the BezBrekhni (No lie) project. They found that there was no such cover either on social networks or on the official website of the publication. Moreover, the last issue of the magazine was published on October 11 (No. 1646), and the date on the fake binding is October 16 (No. 1647).

Thus, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and create the illusion that the whole world is tired of the war in Ukraine, and therefore has switched to the conflict between Palestine and Israel. Previously, we refuted the fake that the French magazine Charlie Hebdo dedicated its cover to the Hamas movement.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that secret agents will soon begin working at stations and trains in Ukraine, who will allegedly look for people “disloyal to the authorities and the Zelenskyi regime” among passengers. This is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that on October 9, the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia announced the start of work of the first railway safety marshals. Today, departmental security workers work on one of the popular western routes, which requires more attention for better passenger safety. According to representatives of Ukrzaliznytsia, the main task of the marshals is to control the situation in passenger transportation and respond in a timely manner if necessary. They note that such work is normal practice for passenger transportation companies. For example, this practice is used in the USA, Canada, India, Israel, Great Britain, Singapore, etc. Innovations are related to military operations on the territory of Ukraine.

By spreading such manipulations, propagandists want to personally discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. They say he establishes a dictatorship in Ukraine and destroys his critics even during normal passenger transportation. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other fakes and manipulations about Zelenskyi.

An alleged report from the Israeli publication The Jerusalem Post began to spread online, in which Avi Melamedson, a pastry chef from Israel, accuses Volodymyr Zelenskyi of the fact that, due to corruption in Ukraine, Ukrainian weapons fell into the hands of Hamas militants. Thus, the President of Ukraine “undermines the trust” of the Israeli people and seems to be handing over weapons to the enemy. As a sign of protest and “punishment”, the pastry chef baked a cake with Zelenskyi on the gallows, and also published an angry video on Instagram about this. It's fake.

Users of social networks and authoritative publications are discussing where Hamas got such a large number of weapons from the Russian-Ukrainian war. Experts from the Center for Countering Disinformation analyzed the cake report and found that The Jerusalem Post did not actually create such a story. Yes, Avi Melamedson recorded a video and distributed it on Instagram, but its subject was not Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the accusation against him of Ukraine’s support for Hamas, and in the publication the pastry chef spoke about hate speech against Jews.

In this case, Russia uses discredit tactics - undermining the authority of an institution or person to reduce trust and legitimacy. Previously, we also wrote about how Russian propaganda systematically uses the topic of corruption in Ukraine to achieve its goals. Russia is trying to maintain the image of Ukraine as “the most corrupt state in Europe” and emphasize that the anti-corruption policy of the Ukrainian government is more like an imitation of pro-Western reforms.

This information was disseminated by pro-Kremlin media. Reports say that in Germany they created graffiti with Zelenskyi, where Elon Musk beats him and forces the Ukrainian president to “no longer whine for money”. Photos are added to publications. It is not true.

The fact-checkers from the Myth Detector project investigated the case and determined that such graffiti does not exist. They identified the likely location of this graffiti and first analyzed the location using Google Maps. There was no graffiti in the photographs, although the last photographs were taken two years ago. But based on the results of an on-site inspection on October 11, 2023, analysts came to the conclusion that there was no graffiti at this place. They add video confirmation to the refutation.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines, newspaper columns or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Volodymyr Zelenskyi, while on a visit to Romania, allegedly boasted about the large amount of money that Ukraine “received from Western leaders”. The authors refer to the president’s interview with Romanian journalists. It's a lie.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and found out that Zelenskyi did not say this in an interview. At the very least, there are no phrases that would hint at “bragging about Western money”. The fact-checkers add that during the president’s conversation with journalists, they discussed the war in Israel and how this could affect the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president responded, in particular, that one cannot compare one war with another, and whoever starts these wars is “crazy”. In addition, he gave answers about the Russian-Ukrainian war itself. He said that Ukraine has enough fears about money and weapons, but, in his opinion, the war is now in its last and most difficult phase.

The fact-checkers suggest that Russian media misinterpreted a quote from the Ukrainian president, where he noted that there are fears about money and weapons. At the same time, Russian propaganda passed it off as “bragging”.

In the Russian segment of social networks Facebook and TikTok, propaganda media and pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing videos with fortune telling on Tarot cards about Volodymyr Zelenskyi. At some point, the fortune teller’s online stream is interrupted, allegedly because the police came. According to propaganda, law enforcement officers detained the fortune teller because of her regular negative Tarot spreads for the President of Ukraine. The reason for the arrest was criticism of the president. “Having opened the cards, the woman said that the head of the independent state was becoming more and more aggressive and obeying his mind less and less, being exposed to emotions”, the Russian propaganda wrote. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. The circulated video does not mention the name of the fortune teller, and there is also no link to her Twitch. Russian propaganda refers to the “original source” posted on the YouTube channel under the nickname “Lera”. It was created on June 9, 2023. The fact-checkers analyzed the content and concluded that its purpose was to spread Russian disinformation.

In a comment to StopFake, representatives of the National Police of Ukraine said that the Cyber Police Department does not have information about such a detention. However, they established that the original source where the video was posted was probably the pro-Kremlin telegram channel Sheikh Tamir.

Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Ukrainian authorities; they have already begun to arrest people for allegedly criticizing the President of Ukraine. Russian propaganda is using deflection tactics to portray Zelenskyi as a dictator whose criticism could land him in jail. That is, propagandists accuse Ukraine of what Putin is really doing. Previously, we talked about the message that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is introducing “Nazism” into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian publications broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, the speaker of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mariia Zakharova, distributed a video with the Fox News logo, where allegedly during Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s visit to the United States to participate in a meeting of the UN General Assembly, he was greeted with a billboard in yellow and blue and the inscription “Glory to Urine”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the MythDetector project. An NBC investigative journalist determined that there is no such billboard in Times Square, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, where the billboard video was allegedly filmed. This inscription was added in the video editor, like the Fox News logo. Opposite the billboard is a McDonald's, which is not visible in the video. So, the propagandists used an old fake video, filmed in 2022, when there was no McDonald's in this place.

Fox News confirmed to Reuters that the video was not posted on its platform. And Erin Watkins, the chief lawyer of the Big Outdoor media company, which owns and manages part of the billboards in Times Square, commented to Reuters that photographs and videos with a banner and the inscription “Glory to the Urine” are 100% fake.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the West and humiliate Volodymyr Zelenskyi, saying that his Western partners do not respect him and the whole world is against Ukraine. Previously, we refuted the fake news that an advertising banner with Zelenskyi was installed in New York with the inscription that “he earned more than the Barbie movie”.

A number of anonymous telegram channels with pro-Russian rhetoric are disseminating information that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi invited the “Satanist” Maryna Abramovych to become the Ambassador of Ukraine so that she would “be involved in Ukrainian schools”. It's fake.

The specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the article on the British media The Telegraph, to which the propagandists refer, has already been deleted. Its author, in turn, refers to an interview with Maryna Abramovych, a shareholder of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, but the fact-checkers were unable to find it. They also note that the English term ambassador, used in the article, can mean both a diplomatic rank and an unofficial representation of the interests of a specific group of people without a government appointment. Ukrainian-language media have no mention of this, and foreign media, such as The Jerusalem Post, refer to the Italian publication La Repubblica, which has no open access publications on this matter. There are no messages about the invitation on the website of the Office of the President of Ukraine, its official telegram channel or Facebook page. Abramovych’s official accounts make no mention of this either.

Propagandists also do not detail why they consider Abramovych a Satanist, not only in messages on this topic, but in all messages where the name of the shareholder appears. According to the VoxCheck analysts, they refer to the situation since 2016, when WikiLeaks published part of the emails from the broken account of John Podesta, who then headed Hillary Clinton's election campaign in the US presidential election. Among them was a message from Abramovych expressing her joy that Podesta's brother, an art collector named Tony, would be attending the spirit cooking. This can be translated as both “spiritual cooking” and “spirit cooking”, which is the more threatening version. In response to this, the shareholder noted in an interview that it was an ordinary dinner with a regular menu, which she calls “spiritual cuisine”. In addition, Maryna Abramovych has a poem called Spirit Cooking, which does not contain satanic motives. From the very beginning of her career, her performances involve testing the boundaries of her own body, which is why they are considered Satanic rites.

Maryna Abramovych has publicly supported Ukraine since February 25, 2022, but there is no evidence that she has received offers to be an embassy or ambassador for Ukraine.

By resorting to such fakes, propagandists aim to discredit the Ukrainian government and those who support Ukraine. They say that it can only be supported by Satanists who grab the opportunity to stay in the headlines on current topics. All this is in order to justify its aggression against Ukraine; it seems that Russia is fighting against the “Satanists” and those who support them.

This thesis was spread on social networks in the Russian segment. The messages told how Volodymyr Zelenskyi assigned the 131st separate reconnaissance battalion of the Ukrainian Ground Forces the name of Yevhen Konovalets. Meanwhile, propagandists, in response to this, added that such actions emphasize the true “Nazi” essence of Ukraine, where officials are no longer afraid to “glorify Bandera’s supporters”.

Russian propaganda is once again speculating on the topic of Ukrainian nationalism and distorting it into “Nazism”. It seems that being a Ukrainian, taking care of one’s own state interests, is already grounds for receiving accusations of Nazism from the Russians. The authors appeal to Ukrainians and call them “nationalists” to hint at supposedly radical views among civilians. Russian propaganda deliberately exaggerates the weight of bearers of nationalist views in Ukrainian society, describing them as sharing opinions with representatives of Nazi Germany and mocking supporters of Russia. And propagandists also reduce the approval of historical figures in the Ukrainian context to “Nazism”.

And there is nothing wrong with the fact that the Ukrainian president named the reconnaissance battalion after a historical figure. Yevhen Konovalets is one of the most famous figures of the Ukrainian national movement of the twentieth century. Over the course of his 47 years, he managed to go from a student at the Faculty of Law of Lviv University to a colonel in the UPR army, commander of the Sichovi Striltsi, chairman of the Ukrainian Nationalists, founder and first leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. The basic principle of nationalism is the value of the nation as the highest form of social unity and its primacy in the processes of the state. The term “nationalist” itself is not something bad, but is characterized by loyalty and devotion to one's nation.

Read more about the ideas of Ukrainian nationalism here. A researcher of political history of the early twentieth century, Doctor of Historical Sciences Oleksandr Zaitsev, spoke about how the nationalists of that time saw Ukraine. In particular, he explained that the Ukrainian version of nationalism is characterized by the fact that in the 1920s and 30s it was the nationalism of a stateless nation. Or a nation that lost its statehood during the Ukrainian Revolution, having suffered defeat in the creation of a single, integral state.

By the way, read the case in which Zelenskyi allegedly put on a jumper with an embroidered OUN coat of arms, although first of all it is the coat of arms of Ukraine.

This thesis was spread on social networks in the Russian segment. Reports say that during one of his public appearances, Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly said that all Ukrainians should wear military uniforms so that Russians would be afraid of them. Propagandists cultivate the opinion of the so-called total militarization of society, because Zelenskyi, in their opinion, strives to achieve one thing - thus reducing the population to “minimum critical indicators”. Among other things, the authors noted that such actions of the Ukrainian president were caused by allegedly excessive drug use. And they called him a “connoisseur of white powder”. This is manipulation

The VoxCheck fact-checkers investigated this case and found that the official’s words were taken out of context. First of all, it is about a meeting of the Ukrainian president with students who are studying sports. The event is dedicated to the Day of Physical Culture and Sports and is celebrated on September 9. Thus, one of the students asked how Zelenskyi maintains his physical shape and how this helps maintain psychological stability. And Volodymyr Zelenskyi replied that sport allows him to get rid of excess energy and then it is easier for him to negotiate with people, making rational decisions during the conversation. He also added that “we need to be in shape so that the Russians are afraid of us”. From the context it is clear that they are talking about physical fitness, health, etc. But nothing was said about military uniforms, as the propagandists tried to convince us of.

Propagandists often turn to the image of Zelenskyi and describe him in all sorts of ways. This is a traditional tactic of “disgraceful epithets”,which consists of using abusive or offensive words in order to form the “correct vision” of a phenomenon or process according to Russian propaganda. For example, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has already played such roles: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction, etc. Read more about this propaganda tactic here. Such “epithets” are intended to form a negative image of Zelenskyi among the public, allegedly reinforced by his actions.

And Russia is systematically engaged in distorting quotes. This helps it promote its own theses, and if they are “consonant” with the statement of authority, the information acquires legitimacy in the eyes of users of anonymous telegram channels. Read the latest denials of manipulation:

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the German satirical magazine Eulenspiegel recently published a cover featuring Zelenskyi outraged by the Polish president. At the same time, Andrzej Duda says on the cover: “it is obvious that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is a failure”. It is not true.

The fact-checkers from the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found out that the German magazine did not publish an issue with such a cover. The fake cover of the magazine states that this is the eighth issue, although the magazine of the eighth issue looks completely different - and this can be checked on the official website of the publication.

We have repeatedly debunked fake news regarding fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines/newspapers or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing a video where on his Instagram the bassist of the rock band System of a Down, Shavo Odadjian allegedly calls on Volodymyr Zelenskyi to stop drinking alcohol and drugs. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the VoxCheck project. The video distributed by Russian propaganda shows the name of the Instagram account shavoodadjian. This page really belongs to Shavo Odadjian, but there is no such video on the musician’s Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. In the video message, Odadjian addresses a certain “Volodymyr”, but does not give his last name. Shavo Odadjian has an account on the Cameo website, where one can order videos from stars, most likely, Russian propaganda took advantage of this.

Also, at some point, the video message is interrupted and the inscription appears: “after watching this in rehabilitation, you will understand that your problems are nothing compared to what problems Thomas Bach and his dirty corrupt officials will have”, and below is a QR code. It leads to the channel in the Telegram OLYMPICS HAS FALLEN, which is promoting a series allegedly directed by Tom Cruise from Netflix about the scandals surrounding the International Olympic Committee and its leader Thomas Bach. There is no such series.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fake news about Volodymyr Zelenskyi in order to discredit him. They say that the President of Ukraine is a drug and alcohol addict, so he makes decisions in a state of altered consciousness. Previously, we refuted the fakes that American boxer Mike Tyson and American actors Elijah Wood, Dean Norris and John McGinley, and actress Priscilla Presley called on Zelenskyi to seek treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly delivered an ultimatum to Poland: if Warsaw does not lift the grain embargo, hundreds of thousands of well-armed refugees from Ukraine will organize Maidans in all Polish cities. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. Volodymyr Zelenskyi did not threaten Poland - there is no information about the allegedly issued ultimatum in any of the official channels of the President of Ukraine. And among the quotes in the interview there are no such statements either.

Moreover, the majority of Ukrainian refugees are women and children. They are not “well armed” as Russian propaganda claims.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and create a quarrel between Ukraine and Poland. By spreading such fakes, Russian propagandists are trying to reduce the support and assistance of the Poles. Previously, we refuted the fake that NATO is preparing for the defeat of Ukraine and the occupation of the western part of Ukrainian territories.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric and Kremlin propagandists are distributing a video of an employee of Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s security service allegedly accompanying him to the UN General Assembly allegedly starting a fight in New York at a local bar, The Campbell Bar, not far from the UN building. In the low-quality video, we first see footage of the visit of the Ukrainian delegation to the United States, and then the crush of a group of men. Russian propaganda refers to the American publication USA Today, which apparently published this video. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. The video published by propaganda is a forgery. It is impossible to identify the men in the video, and the text accompanying the video is riddled with errors. Fact-checkers analyzed the bar in the video and compared it with The Campbell Bar - they are visually different. Also, the bar administration, authorized representative of the company Scott Gerber, said in a comment to StopFake: “This video is a fake. This was not the case at the Campbell Bar”.

Moreover, the American publication USA Today did not publish material about the fight that Zelenskyi’s security guard allegedly started. There is no information on this case on the publication’s website or on the company’s social networks.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Ukrainian delegation in the United States and reduce Western support. Previously, we refuted the fake that Suspilne compiled a video of Zelenskyi’s speech at the UN General Assembly.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that on September 20, Volodymyr Zelenskyi spoke at a special meeting of the UN Security Council dedicated to Russia’s war against Ukraine. At the same time, propaganda telegram channels promoted messages that the Ukrainian president was not supported and was not listened to during his speech; that Western officials “ran away” from the Security Council meeting room in protest against Zelenskyi. But in support of this thesis, the authors added video evidence - supposedly an excerpt from the live broadcast of the United News marathon, where Ukrainian media workers allegedly resorted to editing. So, at one of the moments in which Zelenskyi was giving a speech, they inserted what seemed to be a shot from the audience, as the president was already sitting and listening to someone. That is, they hinted that the Ukrainians were deceived in this way, just to create the impression that the hall was full during the official’s speech. And the anonymous telegrammers summed it up: “such a product will only be useful to the Ukrainian viewer”. However, this is a lie.

In fact, Zelenskyi’s speech was broadcast live at the Marathon with a completely different translation. This can be checked by comparing two video excerpts - a fake one and one from a real broadcast. That is, at least Suspilne has nothing to do with the probable compilation of the broadcast. But we managed to find a video with exactly the same translation as in the propaganda passage. It was published on the official TSN YouTube channel. However, the fake legacy here also differs from the broadcast: it does not record the moment when, during the delivery of a speech, the synchronization with Zelenskyi sitting in the hall is superimposed. It’s easy to determine this by starting from a fake video and finding that moment already in the TSN broadcast. Most likely, the video was edited by the authors of the fake publications. Information about the “editing” of the live broadcast was subsequently picked up by the Kremlin media.

Thus, propagandists are trying to portray Zelenskyi as an unsuccessful politician, whose opinion is not listened to or who is ignored at international events, “running away” from the meeting room. Among other things, fake makers are also trying to convince people that the President of Ukraine has usurped and owns the entire Ukrainian media space: it is known that the public broadcaster is financed from the state treasury and should not be influenced by political forces. And if journalists allegedly indulged Volodymyr Zelenskyi and compiled the moment for broadcast, the Ukrainian authorities are ready to direct the agenda, seemingly in places beyond the reach of the state, and impede freedom of speech.

This thesis was spread in pro-Kremlin media. The messages added that it was as if it had become clear that Volodymyr Zelenskyi was a protégé of Britain. Namely, he is a member of the secret British intelligence organization - MI6. The publications also promoted the opinion that all decisions of the Ukrainian president seem to be made in London. That is, they claim that Ukraine is under external influence.

Analysts from EU vs Disinfo began to analyze this case and found out that such a thesis is a conspiracy thesis, because the propagandists never provided any evidence that Zelenskyi belonged to that organization. But using the rhetoric of “external influence”, propagandists show that all political decisions in Ukraine are supposedly made by Western officials while Ukrainian politicians are subject to these decisions, without the right to appeal them. Any events occurring in Ukraine that are not in favor of Russia are allegedly caused by external control. This is how the authors strive to create an image of a puppet country that cannot exist on its own. Let's say Ukraine constantly needs “protection”.

But such messages are generally beneficial for Russian propaganda in order to deny the existence of statehood in Ukraine. They say that Ukrainian officials are not in charge there, but all powers are transferred to a third party, especially to Western politicians. Russia sees such actions as a potential threat to its existence and presents it as one of the reasons for a full-scale invasion - a fight against the “collective West”.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a rally against Volodymyr Zelenskyi was organized in Odesa. They say they hate him, and the townspeople decided to demonstrate this by going to a rally. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found out that the rally did take place, but not against the Ukrainian president, allegedly with the aim of expressing dissatisfaction with him. The peaceful protest took place as part of the demand to cancel tenders for the reconstruction of the buildings of the Kyiv District Court and the Theater for Young Spectators. People came out with posters: “First the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then everything else”, “Deputies, my taxes are for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.  That is, people held a peaceful rally, calling for funds (from tenders) to be better directed to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. At the same time, propagandists used the context of the rally itself and distorted it: they explained that people were initially opposed to Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Thus, Russian propaganda seeks to create the impression that the country is dissatisfied with the Ukrainian president and is striving for his speedy resignation. They say he is hated everywhere.

By the way, read the latest fake news on this topic, where Russia turns a blind eye to false works of mass art and pop culture. That is, those that were created by human hands. For example, a rally can also serve as an expression of the will of the Ukrainian people to take action. Or as if graffiti was created in The Hague, the capital of European justice, with the image of Zelenskyi hanging on the gallows; or about the fake cover of the allegedly British newspaper The New European, where the Ukrainian president is sitting on the lap of the Dalai Lama. Or about the fake cover of the numb Volodymyr Zelenskyi from the figure of the dictator Putin and Jesus Christ.

In the Russian segment of Facebook, information is being spread that during Volodymyr Zelenskyi's speech at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, most people left the hall. “The whole world is with them”, social network users add ironically. This is allegedly confirmed by two photographs: in one, Zelenskyi is standing behind the podium, and in the other, the hall is not completely filled. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. People did not leave the hall during Volodymyr Zelenskyi's speech on September 19. There is a video from the meeting on the official UN YouTube channel, which clearly shows that the room was filled only at the beginning of the session. The President of Ukraine spoke at the end of the first half of the six-hour session, immediately after the President of Turkmenistan. Immediately after his speech, the cameraman showed the hall not completely filled. Having compared the speeches of the King of Jordan, the presidents of Poland and Turkmenistan, the fact-checkers came to the conclusion that during Zelenskyi’s speech the number of people in the hall almost did not change.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit UN members and spreading the opinion that the West is tired of war, and Western partners are disdainful of the President of Ukraine. Previously, we talked about the manipulation that Zelenskyi would not be allowed to speak before the US Congress.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi will not be allowed to speak in the US Congress on September 21. It seems that meetings between the President of Ukraine and representatives of the US authorities are planned in the White House and the Pentagon, and Congress at this time will consider the issue of assistance to Ukraine. When making such statements, Russian propaganda refers to an article by The Financial Times. This is manipulation.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Strategic Communications and the No Lies Project. The Financial Times did indeed publish an article with the headline “Volodymyr Zelenskyi to meet Joe Biden in Washington in quest for more aid”. However, the material does not contain information disseminated by Russian propaganda, supposedly Zelenskyi will limit himself to a meeting with UN representatives.

Moreover, Volodymyr Zelenskyi will speak in the US Congress and this speech was initiated by representatives from the Democratic and Republican parties.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the United States and show that the West is allegedly so tired of the war that it does not even want to listen to Zelenskyi. Previously, we refuted the fake news that graffiti with “Zelenskyi the cannibal” was created in Berlin.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Volodymyr Zelenskyi recently allegedly signed a law allowing members of the LGBTQIA community to travel abroad freely. In the publication, the authors add a screenshot of “news” from the Public website. It is not true.

The case was examined by StopFake analysts who first checked the authenticity of the screenshot itself and found that it was not real. The authors of the fake publication simply used another piece of news with an image of Zelenskyi and changed the name in the photo editor. In addition, on the official website of the president and in the special “Decrees” section there is no information about such a legislative initiative. If one searches there for the LGBTQIA community itself, there are only petitions with various calls, including for permission to travel abroad. And yet, petitions are an attempt by private individuals to appeal to the authorities and advocate for some initiatives. Volodymyr Zelenskyi has nothing to do with the creation of this petition.

The fact-checkers reminded that men aged 18 to 60 years are prohibited from leaving the country according to the Law of Ukraine “On mobilization preparation and mobilization”. If there are documents confirming the condition of such persons as incapable of military service, for example, this category of people can go abroad. But this, of course, is not the only condition. Transgender people also have the right to travel abroad if they have a number of documents. This is stated in the report of the LGBT rights center “Our World”. One needs to have a certificate of transgender transition, contact the civil registration authorities and get a new birth certificate and then a biometric passport. Human rights activists explained that without the appropriate documents and the conclusion of a medical commission - if transgender women have the gender “husband” indicated in their documents - such a person will be subject to mobilization.

Russian propaganda once again instrumentalized the LGBTQIA community and portrays people as weak, unlucky and wanting to “flee abroad” and not perform military service. In this case, the Kremlin appealed to the entire community—lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender people, intersex people, and others—and thus hinted at the “frailty” of these people. That even Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly ready to send them out of the country. But the presence of LGBT people in society, and in the army in particular, testifies to the opposite attitude towards the community in Ukrainian discourse.

For example, back in 2018, the association “Ukrainian LGBT Military for Equal Rights” was created in Ukraine. The founder of this organization was the then volunteer of the Donbas battalion, and now a fighter of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade, Viktor Pylypenko, who made his first coming out as a veteran combatant. The organization itself says that it has 300 LGBTQIA military personnel, including 20 couples, and these are only those who have an active social position.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that graffiti with “anti-Ukrainian overtones” was painted on a residential building in Berlin. According to the authors of the fake message, graffiti depicting Volodymyr Zelenskyi eating the hand of a Ukrainian fighter. The hand itself is torn from the body and a Ukrainian chevron is depicted on it. And the inscription on Zelenskyi’s figure is cannibal. The authors refer to a number of German publications, in particular the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper and the national broadcaster Deutsche Welle, and add screenshots of supposedly news from the official pages of the publications. However, this is not true.

StopFake fact-checkers began to analyze this case and found out that such graffiti does not exist. But the German media did not come out with similar news and no mention of “Zelenskyi the cannibal” was found. Accordingly, propagandists used image editors to create images of graffiti. Experts also verified the authenticity of screenshots from fake publications - “news” on the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung website and “story” on the official Instagram account of Deutsche Welle with a photograph of graffiti. Thus, the compilation of photographs is indicated by numerous errors in the design of the German-language text. For example, propagandists wrote “Zelensky” and “Zelinsky”, although according to the German-Ukrainian transliteration the sound “z” is rendered by the letter “s”. Not all German-language publications adhere to these rules, but the Allgemeine Zeitung media workers use the “Selenskyi” form in their materials. On the contrary, Deutsche Welle resorts to international transliteration and is indicated as “Zelenskyy”. But they definitely don’t write like in the previous fake versions.

Regarding the publication of stories in Deutsche Welle, no information about “graffiti” was found on the website or other resources. It is most likely that this story was also made using Photoshop, since the same screenshot is constantly distributed in the Russian segment of social networks: this is indicated by the time of the probable publication of the story. All screenshots indicate that the stock was published 18 hours ago.

We have repeatedly refuted fake news related to fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines/newspapers. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Read the latest fakes on this topic, where Russia turns a blind eye to false works of street art and pop culture:

It’s as if in The Hague, the capital of European justice, they created graffiti depicting Zelenskyi hanging on the gallows. 

Or look at the fake cover of the allegedly British newspaper The New European, where the Ukrainian president was sitting on the lap of the Dalai Lama. 

And about the fake cover of the numb Volodymyr Zelenskyi from the figure of the dictator Putin and Jesus Christ, read here.

Anonymous telegram channels disseminating pro-Russian rhetoric and Russian media claim that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly admitted the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive. Like, he made such a statement in an interview with CNN. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that in the interview cited by the propagandists, one of the topics was counteroffensive. However, in response to a request to evaluate its pace, Zelenskyi said that it was “not a film with a happy ending” and that it “will not have a happy ending” because the country has already “lost a lot of people”. This quote was taken out of context by the creators of the manipulation. The president did not once call the counteroffensive a failure throughout the interview.

With this manipulation, Russia wants to strengthen its narrative about the “failure of the counteroffensive” and discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In addition, in this way she wants to force Ukraine and its population to make concessions. They say that the Ukrainian military cannot cope and it is time to end the war on Russia’s terms. Detector Media has more than once debunked other fakes related to the topic of the counteroffensive.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric disseminate information that “most likely, the strike was carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in order to beg for more weapons”. Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly decided to “put pressure on Blinken”. They also call Kostiantynivka a “large village”. It's fake.

The case was studied by fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. On September 6, 2023, the Russian military shelled the city of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, as a result of a missile attack by Russians on a market in Kostiantynivka, 16 people were killed and 33 were injured.

During a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Matte Frederiksen in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyi emphasized: “This is yet another deliberate terrorist attack by the Russian Federation”. He also commented on Russian statements about an allegedly Ukrainian plane that “got to the wrong place”: “This is an absolute lie. We understand what is happening there and what types (of weapons) they hit us with”.

Russian propaganda is trying to shift responsibility for the actions of the Russians onto the Ukrainians, saying that it was Ukraine itself that launched a missile strike on Kostiantynivka, in order to intimidate the citizens of our state. Also, in this way, Russian propagandists intend to encourage Ukrainians to put pressure on the authorities to stop the counter-offensive or demand peace negotiations. Earlier we wrote that the Russians disseminated information that the missile attack on Kostiantynivka was allegedly carried out by the Ukrainian military.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing the cover of the supposedly French publication Franc-Tireur with the headline “The House That Zelenskyi Built”. It depicts Volodymyr Zelenskyi standing at the door of the building, and the bloody bodies of Ukrainian soldiers. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. There is no edition with this cover, and the cover of issue 95 looks different on the magazine's website.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Russian propagandists systematically publish fake covers of famous foreign publications to show that the West is allegedly laughing at Ukraine, and Zelenskyi is to blame for the war because he does not want to stop it. Previously, we refuted the fake news that the American publication Chronicles published a cover story about Russia’s superiority over Ukraine in aviation.

In the Russian segment of Facebook and TikTok, a video allegedly from a protest in Odesa was distributed. People went to the rally allegedly to demand “Ukraine without Zelenskyi”. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the MythDetector project fact-checker. They found that the people in the video did not demand Zelenskyi's resignation, but took to the action against the allocation of funds from the budget for the repair of the Kyiv District Court and the Theater for Young Spectators. People gathered for the action in Odesa for several days in a row, starting from August 28. On September 2, they came out with posters “First the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then everything else”, “My taxes for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, “The Armed Forces of Ukraine in the first place”. The Facebook users themselves who shared this video are posting posts broadcasting Kremlin narratives.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to spread the opinion that Ukrainians do not support Volodymyr Zelenskyi, but rather demand his resignation. Like, they are dissatisfied with the president of the country and the decisions they make. Earlier, we talked about the manipulation that in Polish online stores Zelenskyi's book is sold in the section about the Nazis.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the book with the speeches of Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly sold in Polish online stores in the same section as books about the Nazis. “In the “You may like” section, the store automatically offers books about the Volyn massacre, the UPA and, unexpectedly, Mein Kampf”, the telegram channel says. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. The book on the screenshot from the online store belongs to the author Wojciech Rogachin and is called Zelenskyi  Biography, it was published by the publishing house Wielka Litera, it is about the life path of Zelenskyi. Also, on the screenshot distributed by the propagandists, the site allegedly says “Może i się spodobać” – “I might like it”, although the correct word would be “Może ci się spodobać” – “Perhaps you will like it”. Fact-checkers have established that, probably, Russian propaganda distributed a screenshot from the website of the Tania Książka bookstore. There are also differences in the recommended books, and in the price, and in the title of the headings. Moreover, the site does not sell Hitler's book Mein Kampf, but only a critical edition with comments by the Polish historian Eugeniusz Krul.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Poland and continues to promote the narrative that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is a Nazi, like all Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that a stamp with Zelenskyi in the image of Hitler was issued in Poland.

The Kremlin media are spreading information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in his interview that he is “afraid” to transfer hostilities to the territory of Russia, therefore he “will not attack the Russian Crimea”. Russian propaganda concluded that the President of Ukraine allegedly “hinted that he was ready to give up” the peninsula. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Russian propaganda fabricated statements by Volodymyr Zelenskyi about Crimea by combining two different excerpts from an interview he gave to the 1+1 TV channel. The President of Ukraine did not make statements about the “Russian” status of Crimea, the “belonging” of the peninsula to Russia and about Ukraine's readiness to abandon Crimea.

Zelenskyi said that Ukraine does not need to transfer hostilities to the territory of Russia, because only the de-occupation of Ukrainian lands is important for the Armed Forces. And on the de-occupation of Crimea, Zelenskyi noted that the liberation of the peninsula and its demilitarization by political means would help Ukraine save the lives of its citizens.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and cause mistrust among Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Zelensky had “usurped” power in Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are circulating a video message from American actress Priscilla Presley to Volodymyr Zelenskyi, in which she allegedly urges him to seek help for drug addiction. The actress allegedly posted the video on her Instagram page. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. There is no video message to Volodymyr Zelenskyi of Priscilla Presley's social networks, and the only source where this video was distributed are pro-Kremlin telegram channels.

This fake is part of an enemy campaign to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Like, the president of Ukraine is a drug addict, so he makes a decision in a state of altered consciousness. Earlier, we refuted fakes that American boxer Mike Tyson and American actors Elijah Wood, Dean Norris and John McGinley called on Zelenskyi to be treated for alcohol and drug addiction.

Such information is disseminated in the Nigerian media segment. Reports say Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly purchased a villa for his mother-in-law, Olha Kyiashko. In the material, the media provide evidence of the purchase of the villa, in particular, they show the relevant documents on the purchase. They also add a “video of investigative journalist” Mohammed Al-Alawi. Subsequently, this information was disseminated by anonymous Russian propaganda telegram channels, reporting that Zelenskyi makes all purchases “from the pockets of taxpayers”. It's a lie.

First of all, the “material-investigation” includes many factual errors. The authors provide a photo of an alleged document on the purchase of real estate, where the future owner of the house is indicated. So the document says that he owns the house of Olha KIYASHKO, although according to the current standards of the state migration service, the transliteration on all documents would look like this - Olha KYIASHKO. The authors did not prove the authenticity of such a “document” and did not explain where they got it from. What the authors were asked more than once in the comments under the video. That is, the contract for the purchase of a villa, at least, does not exactly apply to Olha Kyiashko.

Moreover, regarding the “journalistic investigation video”, it was published on a YouTube channel created a few days before the information about the purchase was thrown out. And the post of the investigative journalist himself raises many questions. Since, upon request in the search engine, Mohammed Al-Alawi, the investigative journalist gives only a link to the material about the purchase of the villa and no additional information about this person. In general, the text is full of value judgments and false information.

Russian propaganda is trying to portray Ukraine as a cradle of corruption in order to devalue and level Ukrainian intentions to fight corruption and further European integration measures. Allegedly, Ukrainian officials are buying up real estate for misappropriated funds from Western partners. In addition, the fight against corruption is one of the requirements of European integration. By dispersing such fakes, propagandists are trying to show that corruption cannot be fixed in Ukraine, which is why it will be taken into the EU or NATO.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that allegedly the European Union is abolishing the visa-free regime for Ukraine. The introduction of a special permit ETIAS is the abolition of visa-free travel and Zelenskyi is to blame for this. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. In fact, the introduction of ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) is a system of long-term permits for crossing the EU border, is not a visa-free abolition. It will come into force only in 2024, not only for Ukraine, but also for other countries that are not members of the EU. Volodymyr Zelenskyi is not associated with this decision.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow discouragement among Ukrainians, saying that the West is tired of Ukraine, and to discredit President Volodymyr Zelenskyi they say that  allegedly because of his actions and decisions, Ukraine's relations with the West are deteriorating. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Zelenskyi admitted that the United States started a war in Ukraine.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric published a video on Instagram and YouTube in which American actor John McGinley, who played the role of Dr. Cox in the TV series Clinic, allegedly urges Volodymyr Zelenskyi to start drug addiction treatment and take care of himself. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Actor John McGinley does not have an Instagram account and did not publish his appeal to Volodymyr Zelenskyi. To create this fake, Russian propaganda used the cameo.com website, where one can order a celebrity appeal for a certain amount. The video only mentions the name Volodymyr, but there is no mention of Ukraine.

This is not the first time propagandists have been spreading the message that Volodymyr Zelenskyi has a drug addiction, and the whole world is trying to call him for treatment. Earlier, we refuted fakes that American boxer Mike Tyson and American actors Elijah Wood and Dean Norris called on Zelenskyi to be treated for alcohol and drug addiction.

Pro-Kremlin media are spreading information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly a war criminal. Russian deputy Sheremet said that the whole world knows about this: “I am sure that in the near future we will see, I hope, Zelenskyi alive in the dock”. The President of Ukraine allegedly destroys peaceful infrastructure in order to justify the financial resources invested in the “terrorist” regime of Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. Not a single institution recognized the President of Ukraine as a criminal. At the same time, Russian President Volodymyr Putin was recognized, and a warrant for his arrest was issued by the International Criminal Court. The strikes on the Kerch bridge, which Volodymyr Zelenskyi commented on, are used by the Russian military. This is a military target, illegally erected by the occupiers.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the President of Ukraine and shift the responsibility for Russia's crimes to Ukraine. Russian propagandists use the tactics of reflection and bring charges against Volodymyr Zelenskyi the same as they bring against Putin. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Zelenskyi admitted that the United States started a war in Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distribute the cover of an ostensibly German edition of Eulenspiegel, which depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Polish President Andrzej Duda and the text of the Volyn tragedy. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. They determined that there was no issue with that cover, and that the barcode on the cover was from another issue.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to spoil relations between Poland and Ukraine and create the appearance that there is tension between the countries supporting each other. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the manipulation that Poland officially demands an apology from Ukraine because of the Volyn tragedy.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a banner advertising Volodymyr Zelenskyi was installed in New York with the inscription: “I made 10 times more than a Barbie movie”. The authors add photo evidence to the messages. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council determined that such a banner does not exist. The propagandists used a real photo of the banner and put a photo of Zelenskyi on it. Specialists of the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York confirmed to fact-checkers that the banner about Zelenskyi is not real, and explained what is now depicted on it: an advertisement for the Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter Exhibition.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also repeated in the West, so that people get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine and supports Russia.

Russian media that spread pro-Kremlin rhetoric and in the Russian segment of Facebook distributed a video with American actor Dean Norris, where he allegedly calls on Volodymyr Zelenskyi to go to Hazelden Betty Ford, a rehabilitation center for alcoholics and drug addicts. This video was allegedly posted by the actor on Instagram and tagged the official account of Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the rehabilitation center. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. Actor Dean Norris did not post this video on social media, nor did it get circulated in reliable media. The videos were probably bought on the cameo platform, where you can buy personal videos from celebrities. Also, there are no details in the video indicating that the actor is referring specifically to Volodymyr Zelenskyi, just as there is no mention of Ukraine. In the video, Dean Norris refers to a certain “Volodymyr”. And the background and clothes of the actor are similar to those in other cameo videos. Moreover, after the start of the full-scale invasion, actor Dean Norris supported Ukraine and tweeted about it.

Thus, propagandists are trying to promote the thesis that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly has problems with drugs and alcohol, therefore, he is inadequate, and the whole world is trying to call him for treatment. Earlier, we refuted the fake that American boxer Mike Tyson and American actor Elijah Wood urged Zelenskyi to be treated for alcohol and drug addictions.

Such information was disseminated in social networks and propaganda media. Reports say that the US is unhappy with Zelenskyi’s policies “because of the constant shelling of Moscow”. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi is engaged in arbitrariness and lawlessness reigns in Ukraine. The authors add that Western leaders dream of “getting rid of and eliminating” Zelenskyi. They assure that the United States is already looking for the next president of Ukraine. The publications also cite Politico publications. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project took up this case and determined that the Politico material does not refer to the “liquidation of Zelenskyi”, that is, the assassination or removal from power. They are talking only about possible scenarios in the event of an attempt by Russians on the President of Ukraine. The material itself is called "Ukraine's plan if Russia assassinates Zelenskyy”. In his column, an American journalist analyzed the situation with the likely murder of Zelenskyi.

Indeed, at the beginning of a full-scale invasion, there were several unsuccessful attempts to eliminate Zelenskyi. The journalist described the course of actions of the Ukrainian authorities in such a situation. That is, the material did not talk about the murder or removal from power of Zelenskyi. In the author's column, the media worker described his thoughts and predictions. At the same time, the propagandists distorted the context of the material and invented the theses that were beneficial for themselves.

By spreading this manipulation, the authors seek to show that the world is dissatisfied with Zelenskyi and they want to get rid of him. Thus, propagandists present the President of Ukraine as an “incompetent” leader who is engaged in arbitrariness.

Users of the American segment of the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook and in the Russian segment of TikTok, are distributing a video with a digital billboard image with the alleged inscription: “Stop Zelenskyi, stop the war”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of The Reuters paid attention to the case. A video circulated online allegedly featuring Zelenskyi on a billboard in Japan has been edited. Russian propaganda took a long video filmed 2 years ago as a base; before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it was posted by the verified YouTube account “Virtual Japan”, a streaming channel that shares videos of everyday life in Japan. At 21:22, pedestrians and passing cars can be seen in the background in the edited video. The video was filmed in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the support of Western partners and convince Ukrainians that tabroad they believe that it was Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyi who started the war with Russia. In fact, Japan supports Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor, that is, Russia. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that the West is supplying weapons to Ukraine and thereby allegedly violates international law.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are circulating a cover allegedly published by the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo depicting Volodymyr Zelenskyi against the backdrop of the burning Crimean bridge. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. No issue of Charlie Hebdo had such a cover. On the fake cover it is indicated that this is a special issue of July 18, 2023, the number of which is 1579. The publication’s website has an archive of all issues, so the fact-checkers found the magazine under the number 1579. It was released on October 26, 2022 and had a different cover.

Russian propaganda systematically distributes fake covers of famous foreign publications. Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to laugh at Volodymyr Zelenskyi and show that the President of Ukraine is not respected all over the world. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the American magazine The Nation dedicated a cover to Zelenskyi calling him an “evil boy”.

On August 1, 2023, the American publication Politico published an article that talks about Ukraine's plan in the event of the death of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. In this case, the “governing council” will supposedly include the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, the head of the Office of the President Andrii Yermak, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. At the same time, Valerii Zaluzhnyi will remain the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The publication refers to the comments of the Ukrainian MP from the opposition party “European Solidarity” Mykola Kniazhytskyi and senior researcher at the Eurasian Center of the Atlantic Council Adrian Karatnytskyi. Ukrainian businessman Yaroslav Azhniuk ruled out the possibility of a Russian assassination as “the realm of alternative history”.

The case was studied by the Center for Strategic Communications. On August 1, on the air of the telethon, NSDC Secretary Oleksii Danilov commented on Politico's article and called it nonsense and stuffing. “We have a Constitution, we have laws, we know how to do it. But why do some representatives of our country do such information stuffing providing [journalists] with absolutely non-validated information, this is a question”, Danilov said.

Oleksii Danilov also noted that recently Russia has stepped up information attacks, and it can use Western media to spread lies.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. American boxer Mike Tyson is reportedly suggesting that Zelenskyi “fight drug addiction”. The authors add that the whole world already “knows” about the dependence of the Ukrainian president and world leaders are trying to turn him, they say, onto the right path. An alleged video of the Reuters news agency is added to the publication.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council explains that the video has been compiled. First of all, it is without sound, which means it is impossible to determine what the athlete was saying. Moreover, with the help of a reverse Google search, fact-checkers managed to find out that Reuters does not have exactly such a video with Tyson, where he tells something live in the studio. It is most likely that the news agency badge was superimposed on the video sequence, because this is not the original video.

That is, the authors of the messages did not provide hard evidence that the athlete called on the Ukrainian president to be treated for drug addiction. They posted the video without sound and the alleged source. This makes it easier for propagandists to manipulate and simply promote the thesis they want.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an Indian magazine recently ran a cover featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyi as Lord of the Rings character Gollum the Hobbit. Also on the cover there is an inscription: “No ring can help hide the truth”. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fake cover states that it is scheduled for release on August 2, 2023. The announced magazine has a completely different cover as the official website of the magazine published the announcement of the magazine. 

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric and the Ukrainian segment of Twitter spread the advertisement allegedly filmed by the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party. In the video, people in uniform come to a German family and begin to take everything of value out of the apartment. Then they hang a portrait of Volodymyr Zelenskyi and say, “Heil Zelenskyi”. The main opinion of the video is that Ukraine is robbing the inhabitants of Germany. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. They determined that there was no such video on the website of the Alternative for Germany party. It is not mentioned in the German press, moreover, the video is actively distributed in pro-Kremlin blogs. Radio Liberty journalists found that Russian actors played the roles in this video, which suggests that the video itself was probably also filmed by Russians.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Germany and show that Ukraine is draining the resources of other countries. All this to reduce Western aid. Previously, we talked about the manipulation that Latvia transferred all the air defense systems to Ukraine and was left without protection.

In the Georgian and Russian segments of Facebook, an alleged cover of the American edition of The Nation is being distributed, in which Volodymyr Zelenskyi holds three frightened leopards on leashes, mines lie next to them, and a little further under a tree there are Russian military men in helmets with the letter “Z”. The leopards allegedly personify the Leopard tanks handed over to Ukraine, which seem to be unable to break through the Russian defense line. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. They determined that The Nation had never published such a cover. Moreover, fact-checkers contacted the publication, where they confirmed that such a cartoon was not published in any issue of the magazine.

Russian propagandists systematically distribute fake covers of foreign publications. Thus, they are trying to ridicule Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Ukrainian authorities and show that the West does not support Ukraine. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the humorous magazine LeMan depicted Zelenskyi on the cover, who was tied to a pole with burning military equipment.

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.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. American actor Elijah Wood allegedly recorded a video addressing President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi with words of support and an invitation to “go to treatment centers for alcoholism and drug addiction”, reports say. The authors add a screenshot and a video supposedly from stories on Instagram. It is not true.

StopFake's fact-checkers managed to analyze this case, and they determined that there is no such video on the actor's official social media pages. It is most likely that the video was compiled using special programs. Experts explained that the video contains obvious editing facts, because it is sketchy. That is, the continuity of the video (one of the signs of the originality of the video, shot live without pauses) is broken. Moreover, on the fake screenshot of the story, the name of the actor's Instagram account is false. He also repeatedly stated that his Instagram page is now non-public and closed. Now only Twitter is an open and public page on the actor's social networks.

Fact-checkers also found out that the actor has a page on cameo.com. Here you can order an appeal from a star with any text for a certain amount of money. Elijah's address costs £265. Experts suggest that the authors of the fake message used this particular resource.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that during a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyi and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, he gave Zelenskyi a robot - a military man who is capable of “fighting”. This happened during a visit of officials to one of the British military facilities. The authors add videos to the publication. It's a lie.

The case was analyzed by Reuters fact-checkers, which determined that the video was edited. That is, a robot was superimposed on the original video, it “goes” along with Zelenskyi on the territory of a military facility. All shared videos had a special TikTok watermark.

That is why the fact-checkers additionally decided to check the account where the video was first downloaded. Therefore, on the original video there is a caption that the robot is made using 3D technologies. It is not real. The author of TikTok himself creates similar videos with the participation of robots.

Users of the Russian segment of Facebook and TikTok are spreading a video in which a man in a shiny suit dances a belly dance and claims that this is Volodymyr Zelenskyi. One user put an emoji with the flag of Ukraine and wrote: “Every time you need more money… you should put on a good show for them!”, alluding to Western partners. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Reuters media drew attention to the case. In fact, it is not Volodymyr Zelenskyi who is dancing in this video, but belly dancer Pablo Acosta. The dancer posted similar videos on his Instagram on July 1.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to humiliate and laugh at Volodymyr Zelenskyi, saying that the President of Ukraine has to go even to such extremes in order to get weapons from Western partners. Earlier, we wrote that the Spanish magazine El jueves published a cover on which the Ukrainian military allegedly abandoned the counteroffensive and refuted the fake that the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote that Zelenskyi was a “naked clown”.

Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, spread the information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi, in an interview with ABC News, allegedly stated that “the United States was in charge of the Ukrainian aggression” and allegedly added that “the United States could end the conflict in Ukraine at any second, since they [the Americans] unleashed it”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has not made any statements that the United States has unleashed a war in Ukraine. He confirmed that Ukraine itself decides on the occupation of its territories. Zelenskyi commented on Donald Trump's words that he could end the war in 24 hours. The President of Ukraine said that Trump already had his 24 hours, but then he had other priorities. He also added that the option of ending the war with Russia through trade in its own territories is unacceptable for Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propagandists are once again trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and worsen relations with Western partners, hoping that they will reduce military assistance to Ukraine. Earlier, we refuted the manipulation that Jens Stoltenberg refused to shake hands with Zelenskyi.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric have circulated a video showing a man posing as a priest trying to obstruct Volodymyr Zelenskyi's motorcade during his visit to Bulgaria. He said: “anathema” and “fascist Ukraine”, and also rushed at other officials getting out of the car. The video shows how this “priest” is detained by the police.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated the case. They note that the Bulgarian media Telegraph wrote an article about the man. The video shows Atanas Stefanov posing as a priest. In fact, he is the head of the public association “Friends of Russia” and a supporter of Patriarch Kiril.

Earlier in March 2023, during a visit to Yordanka Fandakova, mayor of Sofia, Atanas Stefanov dropped the Ukrainian flag. Such actions discredit Bulgaria, as if it supports Russia and is against Ukraine. It may be concluded that Ukraine is not welcome in the West, and the country itself is considered Nazi.

Earlier, we refuted the fake that during a visit to Bulgaria, Volodymyr Zelenskyi was denied the supply of weapons.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. In the Dutch city of The Hague, someone drew graffiti depicting Zelenskyi hanging from a gallows, reports say. Like, the whole world wants to get rid of him. The authors add that this was done, they say, by Polish male and female artists. It is not true.

The German fact-checkers of the Correctiv project worked through the case and found out  that such graffiti does not exist. First, they analyzed the area of The Hague and found that the street depicted in the graffiti does not exist in this city. This was determined by using the location of paving stones, trees and other markers. Subsequently, they found out that the photo shows a Swiss city, not far from Zurich.

So the fact-checkers approached the local building authority to see if such graffiti existed in the Swiss city. There, the fact-checkers were told that such graffiti did not exist. Most likely, the photo was created using Photoshop.

The information was disseminated in the Georgian segment of Facebook. Reports say that during the NATO summit, Zelenskyi met with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. As a result of the meeting, Zelenskyi extended his hand, while Jens Stoltenberg allegedly refused to shake hands. The authors add that hundreds of cameras recorded this moment, and as evidence they cite a photo of one of the photojournalists. This is manipulation.

Georgian fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project investigated this case and found out that the photo was taken not at the NATO summit, but on April 20 in Kyiv. It was also a meeting of officials. In the video meeting, you can see when Zelenskyi extends his hand to Stoltenberg, he looks at the cameras, and as soon as he notices the outstretched hand, he crushes Zelensky's hand. That is, the propagandists used the old video of the meeting and took a screenshot of the moment that was beneficial to them. However, as a result, Jens Stoltenberg did not refuse Zelenskyi to shake hands.

By spreading this manipulation, the authors seek to show that allegedly Zelenskyi is not respected in political circles and that he is generally ignored. Thus, they seek to undermine the authority of the President.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that during a visit to the Czech Republic, Zelenskyi “adjusted Ukrainian symbols with his shoe”. As proof, the authors add a freeze frame from the Czech media video. It's a lie.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project investigated the case and found out that Volodymyr Zelenskyi did not fix Ukrainian symbols with his foot. And the freeze frame does not reflect what actually happened. On July 7, Zelenskyi, together with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, laid flowers at the Velvet Revolution Memorial in Prague. The event was filmed by many Czech media. The authors stopped the video at the moment when Zelenskyi approached the Memorial and his toe was raised. Subsequently, from that moment they took a screenshot and passed it off as Zelensky's “careless attitude” to Ukrainian symbols.

However, the President simply came close to the monument and laid flowers. Then he immediately got up and walked away from the monument. He did not make any additional movements with his foot.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Zelenskyi allegedly deliberately ignores Ukrainian refugees during foreign visits and does not try to solve their problems. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi visits foreign countries only for self-promotion, forgetting about the Ukrainians and the war.

StopFake's fact-checkers analyzed this case and explained that Zelenskyi often addresses Ukrainians abroad, thanks other governments for asylum, and also repeatedly talks about the need for a strategy to return refugees home. The President himself makes trips abroad for tete-a-tete talks with allies, with whom he discusses the challenges of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Experts cited as an example the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to Poland, where during a meeting with the President and First Lady of Poland, Zelenskyi thanked the Poles for providing asylum. Fact-checkers explain that this is not an isolated case.

This message is beneficial to propagandists in order to discredit Zelenskyi and show as if he does not care about Ukrainians, but thinks only of himself. Thus, the authors seek to show the “indifference” of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the Ukrainians.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a Turkish humor magazine recently published a cover featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyi tied to a pole with burning military equipment. Also, on the cover was an inscription, as if Zelenskyi was exclaiming it: “How great that we will soon be in NATO!”. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. On the fake cover it is indicated that this is the 26th issue of 2023 (2023 \ 26). Although this number belongs to another cover, released on July 12th.

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports describe how, on June 10, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada registered a bill on medical cannabis that regulates its use in various areas. At the same time, the authors added that already on June 28, during his speech, Volodymyr Zelenskyi noted that he would legalize marijuana so that people “endure pain, stress and trauma”.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case, and found out that during his speech the President really spoke about the need to develop the field of rehabilitation assistance in Ukraine. One of the steps is the legalization of the drug based on cannabis. He also noted that he is promoting this idea so that, first of all, people do not have to endure pain, stress and injury. That is, the propagandists simply distorted the context of Zelenskyi's quote.

Zelenskyi does not want Ukrainians to “be patient”, on the contrary, he spoke about improving the rehabilitation sector in Ukraine: opening centers, rehabilitation departments, and training specialists. The legalization of cannabis-based medicine is just one step towards improving the rehabilitation conditions for the military and war victims.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric on July 12 published a selection of British tabloid covers featuring a sex scandal involving a BBC journalist as the main topic. Russian propaganda asks a rhetorical question: “Find at least a word about Ukraine and the NATO summit …”. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications paid attention to the case. They note that The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Star and others “traditionally prefer the “yellow” theme”. And some of the most popular and authoritative socio-political publications, such as The Times, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian, not only wrote articles, but also covered the announcements of materials about Ukraine and the NATO summit on the first pages.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the UK and promote the view that the West is tired of the war in Ukraine and ignores the news related to it. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that the German edition of Handelsblatt published a cover with Volodymyr Zelenskyi who cannot get into the NATO door.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that Polish President Andrzej Duda and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi met in Lutsk and implemented the first stage of the Warsaw Union. Like, then the Poles will seize part of Ukraine. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the “Brekhunets” (Liar) project drew attention to the case. Andrzej Duda and Volodymyr Zelenskyi did meet on July 9 and led the events to perpetuate the memory of all the victims of World War II and the 80th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy. The President of Poland wrote on his Facebook page to “demonstrate friendship in the face of a complex history”.

Russian propagandists systematically spread disinformation about Poland to convince Ukrainians that they want to take over Western Ukraine. Russian propaganda is trying to sow discord between Poland and Ukraine. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that NATO could agree to send troops to the territory of Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distribute the cover of the German satirical publication Handelsblatt featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The President of Ukraine goes to the doors, on which the NATO emblem is painted. The propagandists are promoting the message that Ukraine will never get there. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation. There is no such cover on the official website of the newspaper. The barcode marked on the issue with Volodymyr Zelenskyi belongs to another issue. Moreover, this issue allegedly came out as number 134, but no such issue exists.

Russian propaganda systematically distributes fake covers of foreign magazines and newspapers. Thus, Russian propagandists seek to show that the West does not really support Ukraine, does not respect and ridicule Zelenskyi, and the Ukrainian agenda is a good reason to laugh. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that the American magazine The Nation dedicated the cover to Zelenskyi calling him an “evil boy”.

In the Polish segment of Facebook, a video recording of the visit of the President of Ukraine to Prague is being distributed. During a meeting with Czech President Petr Pavel, Zelenskyi was booed. The video is also accompanied by the caption: “Television will not show this! Zelenskyi was booed in the Czech Republic”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Demagog project drew attention to the case. Volodymyr Zelenskyi did meet with Czech President Petr Pavel on July 6, 2023, but no one booed him. The video shared on Facebook is edited. The original footage of the meeting was posted by CNN Prima News, with only the music in the background.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the assistance of the Czech Republic, to convince everyone that the West is already tired of the war and is not on the side of Ukraine. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Zelenskyi turned to the French amid protests and said that peace would return with Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels and Bulgarian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that during a visit to Sofia, Volodymyr Zelenskyi “rose claims” against  Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. As a result, Radev allegedly refused to supply weapons to Ukraine. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. The meeting of the Presidents of Ukraine and Bulgaria was held on July 6. During the meeting, Radev expressed his opinion that “this conflict has no military solution” and Volodymyr Zelenskyi replied that Ukraine is defending itself.

According to the Bulgarian Constitution, the Bulgarian President does not determine foreign policy - this is the responsibility of the Cabinet of Ministers. Bulgaria promised additional military supplies, assistance in strengthening Ukraine's energy system, and support for joining NATO.

Earlier in December 2022, the People's Assembly (Bulgarian Parliament) voted to provide military and military-technical support to Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propagandists promote the narrative that the West is tired of the war and does not believe in the victory of Ukraine, and also discredit the authorities in Bulgaria. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that in Finland they want to deprive Ukrainian refugees of social assistance.

Propagandists on social networks spread information that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and President of France Emmanuel Macron are allegedly depicted on the cover of the new edition of the French weekly Courrier international. In particular, it shows Macron pumping out a woman with the words: “Stop the riots! My wife has heart problems”.  Zelenskyi seems to be saying: “Stop the riots! All the money will go to repairs, but it has to help Ukraine”. It's fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They could not find a similar cover either in the publication's social networks or on its website. Although the propagandist's publications list the issue number of 1705, in fact this number of the magazine had a cover titled “France: The Roots of Wrath”. Courrier international is a French weekly that translates and publishes fragments of articles from foreign publications, websites, blogs and newspapers. Its website, according to VoxCheck analysts, has a “War in Ukraine” section, where the publication condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine and ridicules the Russian leadership.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists regularly try to convince everyone that the foreign audience and the media community are no longer on the side of Ukraine and openly oppose it. Detector Media has repeatedly denied such “covers”, as recently in the case of the humor magazine Humor Times.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing the cover of the allegedly Spanish satirical magazine El jueves, which depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and eco-activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg scolds Zelenskyi because of the large number of losses during the counteroffensive. It's fake.

The case drew the attention of experts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation. On the official pages of El jueves in social networks, it is impossible to find an issue with such a cover. The cover of the latest issue of the magazine, published on June 28 under No. 2.389 - 03, depicts Russian President Putin and the leader of the Wagner group  Pryhozhyn.

By ridiculing the President of Ukraine, Russian propaganda is trying to show that he is despised in the West. Also, Russian propagandists seek to sow panic among Ukrainians because of the counteroffensive, which is allegedly laughed at in Europe. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that El jueves magazine published a cover on which the Ukrainian military refused to counteroffensive.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric and on the Russian segment of Twitter spread information that Zelenskyi allegedly turned to the French amid protests in France. He allegedly said that for many years Ukraine tried to join NATO, and now he is looking at the burning Marseille and wants to ask: “How do you feel without Ukraine? Are you doing well? Forget about pride, accept our help and peace will return to the streets of your cities”. It's fake.

The fact-checker of the Stop Fake project drew attention to the case. This quote is fictional. There is no reference to the source in the text, and there is no such appeal on the official pages of the President of Ukraine. The last time Volodymyr Zelenskyi spoke with Emmanuel Macron was in early June, and the protests in France began on June 28.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and worsen relations with Western partners. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that, according to a Polish article, 95% of Ukrainian refugees will not return home.

Propagandists in social networks are spreading information that they have placed an advertising banner in New York with the words: “No Zelenskyi - no war”. It's fake.

Specialists of the Beyond the News project and the Center for Countering Disinformation drew attention to it. They found out that the video, which allegedly depicts a banner, is the result of video editing. Based on footage from Fifth Avenue, however, it was filmed before the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Analysts have noticed that the banner is missing from recent street panoramas on Google Maps and video footage of the street. In addition, they note that in the video there are black traffic lights, while since 2021 there have been yellow traffic lights on this street. The absence of the banner was also confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists continue to try to personally discredit Zelenskyi and create the false impression that they no longer want to support Ukraine abroad precisely because of the behavior and rhetoric of its president. For a similar purpose, they create fake covers of foreign publications, as Detector Media wrote about more than once.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an American magazine recently ran a cover featuring Zelenskyi and journalists called him an “evil boy”. And against the background of the President, TV screens are shown, where they broadcast news about the sunken bathyscaphe. The authors of the publications add that Zelenskyi is allegedly evil, because all attention is not focused on his figure. It is not true.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fact checkers explained that this magazine is a two-week edition and the last available issue went on sale on June 26, 2023. The next issue will be released on the 3rd. Actually, on the fake cover, the date of the issue is June 26 - May 3, 2023. For this date there is a completely different, real cover.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is worthless and incompetent) is also repeated in the West. So, readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric circulated a photo of Volodymyr Zelenskyi during negotiations in Moldova and stated that a personal bomb shelter had been built for him. Russian propaganda also claims that the meeting itself took place underground. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. In fact, the negotiations took place not underground, but at wineries, in one of the rooms of the ancient Mimi castle. Propagandists use photos taken at the second meeting of the European Political Community, which was attended by 45 heads of states and governments.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi saying that he is afraid of Russian missiles even abroad. Previously, Detector Media talked about the tactics of reflection, which the Russians use to divert attention.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distributed a screenshot of Zelenskyi’s video message, which allegedly shows the chevron of the Nazi 14th Waffen-SS division “Galicia” in the form of a lion with three crowns. Russian propaganda allegedly noticed it on a board with military chevrons behind the back of the President of Ukraine. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. A board with military chevrons really hangs behind Volodymyr Zelenskyi's back. However, the chevron that Russian propagandists passed off as the emblem of the SS division “Galicia” actually belongs to the 1st separate tank Siversk brigade, and it depicts a horse in armor. For the fake, Russian propaganda used a video message from the President dated June 20.

Russian propagandists are systematically spreading the narrative that Ukrainians, and President Zelenskyi in particular, are Nazis. Russian propaganda transfers responsibility for Russia's crimes from the aggressor to the victim of aggression. Earlier, Detector Media denied fakes that Zelenskyi wore a sweater with Nazi symbols to a meeting with the Pope, and Valerii Zaluzhnyi allegedly has a “bracelet with a swastika”.

Propagandists in the Russian media claim that President Volodymyr Zelenskyi refused to hold elections in Ukraine. Like, in this way he “usurped” power and “weaved” on democratic norms. In addition, they also note that Ukraine does not go to peace talks with Russia, allegedly in order to “preserve Zelenskyi's power”. It's fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They argue that the holding of any elections during martial law is prohibited by the Constitution of Ukraine (Article 83 Section IV) and the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” (Article 19). Propagandists distorted Zelenskyi's comment in a recent BBC interview. Zelenskyi said in it that there can be no elections during the war according to the law, but he wants peace next year.

Project analysts also note that holding elections during the war is not possible for a number of other reasons, including, in particular, infrastructure destroyed by Russia, the difficulty of organizing voting for Ukrainian refugees abroad, as well as security risks in the event of a missile attack on voting day. With the lifting of martial law, the next parliamentary elections should be held in October 2023, and presidential elections in the spring of 2024.

By spreading messages about the “usurpation” of power, propagandists want to personally discredit Zelenskyi and cause distrust in him. In addition, in this way, they want to shift the responsibility for the actions of the Russians to the victim of Russian aggression. They say that only Zelenskyi and his political ambitions are to blame for the fact that the war continues. However, it is the Russian criminal regime that is a true example of the usurpation of power, because it neglects its own legislation for the sake of one person being the head of state.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say Volodymyr Zelenskyi has allegedly admitted to being disappointed with the events of the counteroffensive. Like, he admitted failure in the war. The authors refer to Zelenskyi's interview with the BBC British Service. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project took up the case and found out that Volodymyr Zelenskyi did not make any statements about the “failure” of the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces or about his “disappointment” with the military operations of the Ukrainian army. The propagandists simply distorted the context of the interview and came up with non-existent phrases. In an interview, Zelenskyi, on the contrary, expressed optimism about the effectiveness of the Ukrainian army against the invaders and stressed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would advance on the battlefield at their own pace. There is no information about “disappointment” or “admission of failure” in this interview.

By spreading this message, propagandists aim to demoralize both civilian Ukrainians and the military. Like, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine despaired of victory and expects nothing from the counteroffensive.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say an American humor magazine recently ran a cover featuring Zelenskyi lying on the hood of a car in motion. The cover itself has the caption: “before the future, one needs to get rid of something now”. Allegedly, they hint at the death of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. It is not true.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fact-checkers explained that the last available issue of the magazine is 374 while the fake cover is already 375. There is no information on the official website about the 375 issue of the magazine, since it has not yet been released.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi should be eliminated) is also repeated in the West. So readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Kremlin propaganda media disseminate information that PACE allegedly insists on the need for Ukraine to hold parliamentary elections, despite the martial law. Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, said that this would “tear the state apart”, moreover, in the current conditions it is very difficult to organize elections. Russian propaganda also writes that experts believe that “Kyiv is not interested in organizing voting as soon as possible, since it can blow up the position of the current government”. It's fake.

Fact checkers from The Insider investigated the case. The PACE position was expressed on June 12 in an analytical article by Olena Davlikanova, a project coordinator of the Representation of the Foundation of Friedrich Ebert in Ukraine. She explains that parliamentary elections should be held in October 2023, and presidential elections in March 2024, but due to the Russian occupation of Ukraine and the flooding caused by the actions of the Russians, “the expediency of a popular vote is in question”.

From the legal perspective, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, elections in Ukraine cannot be held under martial law. From the point of view of security and practicality, there are also a number of reasons why elections cannot be held now - the occupiers can fire at polling stations along with voters, about 20% of Ukrainians have become refugees and it will be difficult to organize voting in other countries, part of the territory is under occupation, and part is destroyed.

As for the thesis that they allegedly do not want to hold elections in Kyiv, because this will undermine the position of the current government, the article, on the contrary, notes that holding elections could help both Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the ruling “Servant of the People” party. Zelenskyi exceeds the popularity of the party, and this could play into the hands.

Russian propagandists use the tactics of substitution of concepts and try to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Like, Zelenskyi is holding on to power, because elections in Ukraine will not be held. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Ukraine is postponing parliamentary elections in 2023 due to Zelenskyi's political ambitions.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, including the Russian segment of Facebook. Reports say that allegedly during a working trip to the Kherson region on May 8, people met Volodymyr Zelenskyi badly: he was insulted and cursed. The authors add that Zelenskyi was indifferent to the reaction of the public and he continued his “tour of the regions”. They also add video to the post. It is not true. 

The case was noticed by the Georgian fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project, who explained that, first of all, Volodymyr Zelenskyi came to the Kherson region as part of his working trip to establish the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. Fact-checkers checked the video and found out that it was compiled. A different sound was superimposed on the video, where people scold. Meanwhile, they also managed to find the real video with a reverse Google search. So, in the original video, Ukrainians are chanting the phrase “Glory to Ukraine!”, and Volodymyr Zelenskyi and his delegation answer “Glory to the heroes!”. Moreover, the video was published back in November 2022, when Zelenskyi visited the liberated Kherson. That is, the authors used the old video to spread false information. 

By spreading this fake, propagandists seek to show how the public is dissatisfied with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Allegedly, in Ukraine, everyone does not respect him and is ready to scold him in the face. Thus, the authors undermine the authority of the President.

Such information is disseminated by Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, and in the Russian segment of Facebook. At the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Moldova, Zelenskyi allegedly said that hopes for Ukraine's accession to NATO “are becoming more and more distant”. This is manipulation. As the fact-checkers of the Stop Fake project note, the quote used by Russian propagandists is inaccurate, shortened and taken out of context. But Zelenskyi did not declare “fading hopes” for Ukraine's entry into NATO. However, the president did talk about the prospect of Ukraine and other countries joining NATO. According to him, every European country that borders on Russia and wants to be protected from it should join the European Union and NATO. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the President of Ukraine, sow panic and despondency among the population. Russian propagandists systematically spread fakes that Western partners do not want to help Ukraine and do not want to see it in NATO. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Ukraine is not expected to join NATO.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, including the Georgian segment of Facebook. Reports say Zelenskyi has renounced NATO membership, saying he no longer wants to pressure Western officials. The authors of the messages convince readers that Zelenskyi was making concessions to Russia. They also refer to France 24 material. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case, who found that Zelenskyi did indeed say that he would not insist on joining NATO, although he did not indicate that this was because of Russia and pressure on him. The authors of the messages simply distorted the context of the material, which does not even indicate that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is making concessions.

In the material itself, journalists wrote that in the context of NATO membership, Zelenskyi said that he did not want to be the president of a “begging country on its knees”. That is, there are no concessions to Russia, Zelenskyi only said that he would not try to whine about membership and would not insist.

This message is circulating in the Russian segment of Facebook and Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. As proof, they cite Stephen Bryen’s article What happened to Ukraine’s General Valerii Zaluzhny? posted on the Asia Times website. Zelenskyi seems to have doubts, despite the Ukrainian Armed Forces being equipped with American and European weapons, including Leopard tanks, because “Ukraine will have to go mostly without air cover for any advance and will face a heavily electronically jammed battlefield where Western smart weapons may not work”, as the article notes. This is manipulation.

Stop Fake experts drew attention to the case, noting that this article in Asia Times is an outright manipulation. The author of the article, Stephen Bryen, is spreading fake Russian propaganda about the allegedly missing Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Earlier Detector Media denied this information.

Bryen also writes that the United States is allegedly pressuring Zelenskyi to launch a counteroffensive, and then adds that “There are other rumors pointing to an ongoing struggle in Ukraine between military and civilian leaders”. The opinions expressed in the article spread Russian narratives.

Detector Media found out that on May 13, 2023, in an interview with Italian media, Zelenskyi said that the issue of a counteroffensive is the most popular in Ukraine, but the president cannot disclose details so as not to do harm.

And on May 29, he wrote on his telegram: “I just finished the Headquarters. Important questions. Important decisions. The main thing is timing. And most importantly, there are answers regarding the timing”.

Russian propagandists continue to spread narratives about an upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive that is supposedly doomed to fail. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to demoralize the Ukrainian military, discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and sow discouragement among Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that NATO military experts are confident in the failure of the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian military, and also that the West is allegedly preparing for the loss of Ukraine in the war.

Propagandists in anonymous telegram channels with Russian rhetoric are spreading information that Marilyn Manson has allegedly published a new version of the cover of his album Antichrist superstar on his Instagram stories. It has the word superstar crossed out, a blurry trident in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi with red eyes. Manson allegedly released the cover, along with lines from the song: “I don't like drugs. But drugs love me”. It's fake. 

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They looked through the official accounts of the performer and did not find such a publication, as well as other publications of an anti-Ukrainian nature. In addition, they did not find any material from Ukrainian or foreign media on this matter. The original version of the 1996 album Antichrist superstar features Marilyn Manson himself.

By writing such stories, propagandists want to personally discredit the President of Ukraine and make the population doubt his actions. Allegedly, he continues to wage war, because he is constantly under drugs, and therefore it is necessary to surrender to Russia. However, in this way, Russia also wants to divert attention from its crimes, playing with religious sentiment.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Zelenskyi attended the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19. At the same time when Zelenskyi was delivering his speech, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad allegedly removed his simultaneous translation device “in protest”. Like, the Syrian president ignores Zelenskyi when he talks about Russian war crimes. It is not true.

Reuters fact-checkers took up the case, explaining that Bashar al-Assad was fluent in English and did not need a device to translate into Arabic. At the same time, within the framework of the summit, there was direct communication between officials, which means that no one “ignored” Zelenskyi. Moreover, information about the “protest” of the Syrian president is only published in the Russian segment of social networks.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to show how Zelenskyi is allegedly not favored in diplomatic circles. Like, his speeches are ignored and protested against him. Thus, Russian propaganda distorts reality, portraying the image of Zelenskyi as a failed president.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular on Twitter. Reports say that during Zelenskyi's recent visit to Rome, he wore a jumper with an OUN emblem patch. The authors claim that Zelenskyi supports “Nazism”.

Fact-checkers of the Reuters news agency took up this case and found that the coat of arms of Ukraine was embroidered on Volodymyr Zelenskyi's sweater. That is, it is the Ukrainian national symbol. Fact-checkers also explain, it is quite understandably that the OUN may have used symbols historically associated with Ukraine. Since, first of all, this is the coat of arms of Ukraine, and not the symbols of some organizations / associations. Moreover, the trident was recognized as a Ukrainian symbol long before the existence of the OUN.

By spreading this fake, the propagandists once again speculate on the topic of Ukrainian nationalism and distort it into “Nazism”. It seems that being a Ukrainian is already a reason to receive accusations of Nazism from the Russians. Like, even Europe began to indulge the tricks of Zelenskyi who, without any fear put on “Nazi symbols”.

Pro-Russian users of social networks on Facebook and Twitter are spreading a screenshot allegedly from the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. In a tweet published on December 22, 2018, before the presidential elections in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense allegedly calls Volodymyr Zelenskyi a “naked clown” and an “American puppet”  and urges not to vote for “this piece of shit” because he will “destroy our country with the help of NATO”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Reuters media drew attention to the case. This tweet was not found in a Twitter search on a verified account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Google. Also, searching for news by keywords in English and Ukrainian in Google did not bring any results. Also, Reuters specialists did not find this tweet in the archived versions of the confirmed Ministry of Defense Twitter profile.

Fact-checkers found out that the screenshot was edited. After all, photos posted on Twitter have rounded edges. However, in the screenshot they are square.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, humiliate Volodymyr Zelenskyi and show that even representatives of the Ukrainian authorities allegedly do not respect him.

Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Zelenskyi allegedly sold Ukraine to a Western fund.

Kremlin propaganda media and a network of Twitter bots are spreading the information that Zelenskyi came to a recent meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican wearing a sweater with supposedly Nazi OUN-UPA symbols. It's fake.

The case was noticed by specialists from the StopFake project. Volodymyr Zelenskyi did indeed wear a black sweatshirt to the meeting at the Vatican, but it features a stylized white coat of arms on a black chevron. This image is not the symbol of the OUN-UPA, which was drawn by the Ukrainian graphic artist Robert Lisovskyi and approved in 1932 (yellow coat of arms with a middle element in the shape of a sword on a blue background). The Ukrainian trident has been used in state heraldry for hundreds of years.

Stylization of the emblem of the OUN 1932 and the Ukrainian trident are not Nazi symbols and are not prohibited in the world. Moreover, during the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-1946, none of the national liberation movements, in particular the OUN and the UPA, were found guilty. Nazi and fascist symbols are prohibited in Ukraine by the law “On the condemnation of the communist and national socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols”.

Propagandists systematically spread the narrative that Ukrainians are Nazis and the real killers that Russia is fighting. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to justify Russia's crimes by shifting responsibility from the aggressor to the victim of the aggression. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that Zaluzhnyi had a “bracelet with a swastika”.

We, analysts of Detector Media, repeatedly noticed this thesis while monitoring social networks, in particular, on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Again, the message appeared in the information space as a reaction to the interview of the President of Ukraine for the American edition of The Washington Post, in which he stated: “if there is martial law in effect, we will not be able to hold elections. The constitution forbids holding any elections during martial law”.

Russian propaganda is not in vain raising the topic of elections in Ukraine, because in Russia itself they are now feverishly trying to find a way to hold elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories - ORDLO, Kherson region, Zaporizhzhia, where, according to Russia, martial law has been in effect since October 2022.

Parliamentary elections in Ukraine are to be held on October 29, 2023. However, after the declaration of martial law and in accordance with Article 19 of the Law of Ukraine “On the legal regime of martial law", elections of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada and local governments are prohibited. To hold elections, one must either declare the end of martial law, or make appropriate changes to Ukrainian legislation and obtain the consent of the Constitutional Court on the legality of holding elections under martial law.

Active hostilities and constant attacks by Russians against peaceful cities and villages of Ukraine make it impossible for an act of will to be expressed - polling stations can become easy prey for Russian missiles or drones. In addition, part of the territorial communities are under occupation, so the potential elections would not take into account the votes of local residents. Millions of Ukrainians are out of the country, and if the problem of lack of polling stations near the foreign constituency arose before, now the voting process would be simply impossible. There is also a question about the current voter lists due to the increase in the number of IDPs. A separate issue is the Ukrainian voters who ended up on the territory of Russia. For security reasons, Ukraine liquidated all of its polling stations in Russia back in 2018. Whether this category of citizens will be able to get into the embassies in Georgia, Kazakhstan or Finland to vote is an open question. In addition, it is unlikely that a sufficient number of international observers will be able to come to a warring country. Moreover, elections are billions spent from the state treasury, of which, in the current realities, almost half goes to war. Finally, during martial law, freedom of speech and information may be significantly more restricted than during times of peace. The Russians are well aware of these arguments, but still resort to the tactics of substitution of concepts. Like, elections are impossible not because of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, but because of Zelenskyi's personal whim. Allegedly, he deliberately slows down various processes, impedes the holding of elections in order to stay in power. However, it is Russia that really contributes to the postponement of elections in Ukraine, which continues to conduct active hostilities against Ukraine.

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.

The third episode of the Ukraine Inc. cartoon series about Volodymyr Zelenskyi was released by an allegedly French animation studio. The authors write that the cartoon shows the “strict everyday life” of Ukraine, and Zelenskyi sends the Ukrainians to the “meat grinder”. In the third episode, the president of Ukraine changes his face to ask for money from partners, and at the end of the series he tries to escape with this money. It's fake.

According to specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation, it is impossible to find a mention of the French studio on the Internet, and news about the series is spread by the Kremlin propaganda media. Therefore, it follows from this that the Russians themselves created the animated series.

Russian propaganda uses ridicule tactics to create the illusion that the President of Ukraine is despised in Europe. Thus, propagandists are trying to manipulate the feelings of Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the first episode of the Ukraine Inc. cartoon, which says that Zelenskyi, at the request of the West, launches a “military meat grinder”, meaning that he is escorting Ukrainians to death.

Telegram channels spreading propaganda rhetoric reported that Zelenskyi allegedly said he was carrying a gun with him to shoot himself. “It’s even scary to imagine where he wears it”, propagandists write. This is manipulation.

The case drew the attention of specialists from the VoxCheck project. Volodymyr Zelenskyi did say in an interview with Dmytro Komarov that he carries a pistol with him and knows how to shoot, but he needs it for self-defense. In the film “Year. Behind the scenes”, when Komarov asks why he needs a gun, Zelenskyi replies: “No, what are you talking about, we are not killing ourselves. But shooting - yes”.

Russian propaganda is systematically trying to discredit Zelenskyi and sow discouragement among Ukrainian society. Like, Zelenskyi is ready to commit suicide at any moment, and left without a head of state, Ukraine will lose the war. Earlier, Detector Media denied fakes that Zelenskyi allegedly has a Russian passport and allegedly is supporting Russia, because he wears shoes with the letter “Z”.

In the Lithuanian segment of Facebook, information has spread that Volodymyr Zelenskyi wears shoes with the letter Z, a symbol of the Russian invasion. As proof, they added a cropped video from an interview with the President of Ukraine to the German TV channel ZDF, where this letter is clearly visible on his shoes. Also behind the scenes, a man swears and allegedly asks for shoes. This is manipulation.

The journalists of the 15min project drew attention to the case. The sound superimposed on the video is from the meme and does not concern Zelenskyi's shoes. As for the shoes themselves, the President of Ukraine wears New Balance sneakers and the letter N, the brand logo, is embroidered on them. In the video, the President of Ukraine crossed his legs and leaned on the floor with the toe of his sneaker. That is why the letter N became similar to Z.

Russian propaganda is systematically trying to discredit the President of Ukraine, to convince Ukrainians of his insincerity and to impose the opinion that he supports Russia and does not believe in the victory of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Earlier, Detector Media denied fakes that Zelenskyi allegedly has a Russian passport, Ukrainians allegedly protested against him, and he himself seems to be dreaming of uniting part of the territories of Ukraine with Poland.

Propagandists are spreading a photo according to which the British magazine The New European allegedly published a cartoon on the cover of one of its issues, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi sits on the lap of the Dalai Lama who put forward his tongue. Zelensky seems to be saying “I'll suck it if you pay me!”, which is a parody of the situation with the Dalai Lama and the boy to whom he offered to “suck his tongue”. In the drawing, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak glares at the other two characters, and at the top of the drawing is the title: “How much is Britain willing to pay to solve the Ukrainian crisis?”. It's fake.

It was noticed by many fact-checking projects, by particular, in Mythdetector. Project specialists found out that the cover is not real. The real cover of number 337, shown on the fake, features a photo of the current British Prime Minister with the heading: “Rishi Sunak's war on the elites”. In addition, the publication on its Twitter published a photo from the printed issue of the magazine, which, under the heading “Lies of the Week”, depicts the mentioned cartoon.

By publishing fake covers of foreign publications, propagandists want to show that the West seems to understand and support Russia's actions, while Ukraine seems to have tired everyone. Detector Media has already debunked such reports, in particular, “covers” of Charlie Hebdo.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Offensive Guard is a “group of evaders to defend the regime of Zelenskyi”. Like, the brigades of the Offensive Guard are subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which means that they will protect Ukrainian officials from civilians and from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Allegedly, the Offensive Guard will work in the event of mass protests by Ukrainians, hindering freedom of speech.

The fact-checkers of VoxCheck drew attention to the case, and found that the brigades of the Offensive Guards were created to conduct combat operations since the National Guardsmen, policemen and border guards fought at the front even before the full-scale invasion of Russia. The main goal of the Offensive Guard is to form assault brigades that will liberate Ukrainian territory. Currently, 9 brigades are being formed. All these units participated in the fighting, but under a different name or in a different structure.

That is, the Offensive Guard, like the Armed Forces of Ukraine, serve Ukraine and the Ukrainians. This is not an initiative of “individual officials” to introduce their own agenda. The military, on the contrary, protects every Ukrainian man and every Ukrainian woman, and does not interfere with their freedom.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an art object dedicated to Volodymyr Zelenskyi has been created at the Paris City Museum of Modern Art - a nose that “sniffs white powder”. It is not true.

The case was noticed by the specialists of the VoxCheck project, who investigated that it was an object of an exhibition in Italy in 2018, the author devoted it to dependencies. There was no mention of Volodymyr Zelenskyi at the exhibition.

The art object was created by artist Tom Palluh and first presented in September 2018. The exhibition was held in Parma (Italy), at The Mori Center. Palluh’s Instagram account has a selection of stories about this installation, one of which contains photos and videos that are now being circulated online.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that after meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyi, many politicians allegedly “retired or died”. The authors add photos of politicians and military personnel who previously met with Zelenskyi to the publication. The authors of the message add that, for example, Xi Jinping does not want to repeat the fate of his predecessors and meet with the head of Ukraine because of Zelenskyi's “damned handshake”.

The VoxCheck project specialists worked on the case and found that the allegation of “Zelenskyi’s damned handshake” is unfounded. At the same time, in the photo, the propagandists brought both active servicemen and former ones. That is, there is no “certain pattern” between the meeting with the President and the “further fate” of another person. For example, the photo shows the following current politicians: President of the State General Reserve Fund of the Sultanate of Oman Abdulsalam al-Murshidi, Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas, etc. Others remained in office long after meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

That is, the resignation of politicians is not connected with Zelenskyi, they resigned for various reasons and at different times after the meeting with the President of Ukraine.

Propagandists spread information on social networks that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly owns a villa in Florida (USA) worth $35 million, a total fortune of $1.2 billion, 15 houses, three private jets and $11 million of monthly income. It's fake.

Analysts of the CheckYourFact project drew attention to it. They could not find any confirmation of the data indicated by the propagandists. According to Forbes, Zelenskyi's total net worth as of April 2022 reached $20-30 million. There is no evidence of private jet ownership, and his real estate portfolio is valued at $4 million. Zelenskyi owned a $4.6 million villa in Italy but sold it in 2020. Forbes Ukraine and Presidential speaker Serhii Nikoforov, in comments to AFP Fact Check in March of this year, stated that the propagandists' information on this matter was not reliable.

Thus, propagandists want to discredit the President of Ukraine. Allegedly, the Ukrainians are fighting, and he earns in the war. Personal attacks against Zelenskyi often appear in Russian propaganda. In particular, Detector Media has repeatedly written about fake covers of various world publications, directed personally against the President.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the vain Zelenskyi is once again cashing in on the Ukrainians. This time, according to the authors of the messages, Zelenskyi “appropriated”  400 million dollars, which in fact the United States allocated to help the Ukrainians. As proof, the authors of the messages refer to journalistic material published in the “authoritative” media. It's a lie.

The case was noticed by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project, who found out that the thesis about the theft or misappropriation of money by Zelenskyi is unfounded, since the White House did not reveal any violations by Ukraine regarding the use of Western weapons or material assistance. As for the so-called “journalistic material” in the “authoritative” media, this is also not true. This material is published on the author's platform, where everyone can register and publish arbitrary messages. That is, the material was not published in the media, it is only part of the personal blog of journalist Seymour Hersh. At the same time, the information about the misappropriation of money in Seymour's material is not supported by any facts. The journalist refers to sources anonymous to him. Consequently, the fact of misappropriation has not been proven, and the journalist expressed his own opinions and observations.

By spreading this fake, propagandists seek to once again discredit Zelenskyi and show that he does not care about Ukraine and Ukrainians. Allegedly, Volodymyr Zelenskyi is looking for profit in the war and earns on it. In this way, Russian propaganda wants to cause people to distrust high-ranking officials who are dismissive of Ukrainians.

Let us remind you that analysts of Detector Media recently refuted a fake about Zelenskyi having 10 “golden trains”, on one of which he travels to Poland.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say British weekly newspaper The New European has published a cover purporting to show Volodymyr Zelenskyi sitting on the Dalai Lama's lap with a disgruntled British prime minister standing by. Also, on the cover there is the inscription: “How much money is a Briton willing to pay to end the “Ukrainian crisis””. This is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to the case, and determined that such a cover does not exist. Fact-checkers went to the official website of the publication and found that the indicated number of the newspaper on the fake cover (No. 337) had not even been published yet. Now on the official website there is only a newspaper under the number 336.

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.

For example, earlier analysts of Detector Media refuted the fake about another cover with the image of Zelenskyi who was numb from the evil Jesus and Putin.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a stand with Zelenskyi has been set up in Milan, which “absorbs money” through the nostril. As proof, the authors attach a shot to their messages, in which people try to move money through the nostril, and a special mechanism “absorbs” them. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council says that the video is not real, since there is no such stand that “takes money” from behind a nostril in Milan. In particular, experts cite a number of signs of a fabricated video:

One of the fragments clearly shows how a couple of venerable age has an “unnatural look”;

The “video material” itself is glued together from many frames, since in this way the authors sought to hide the ongoing manipulations with the video. There was no clear shot from start to finish.

This thesis was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. Reports say that the vain Zelenskyi is spending money inappropriately and has left for Poland on “his golden train”. The authors of the messages add that Zelenskyi has a “dozen more” such trains. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and found that Volodymyr Zelenskyi really went to Poland by a high-class train. However, the so-called “golden” car is not the property of the President of Ukraine. Such cars are provided by the Ukrainian railway company “Ukrzaliznytsia” for more comfortable transportation. In addition, everyone can use the services of such a VIP carriage by paying the appropriate amount for a ticket. For example, a trip from Kyiv to Odesa in November 2021 cost UAH 24,000. At the same time, saloon cars can be ordered from the following cities: Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Dnipro.

That is, Zelensky’s thesis about the “golden train” is untrue, but he really used the services of Ukrzaliznytsia, which provides such cars for everyone to use.

By spreading such manipulation, propagandists want to discredit Zelenskyi. Allegedly, he is wasteful and vain, that instead of helping Ukraine and Ukrainians, he travels on “ten golden trains”. Thus, the authors wanted to oppose the incumbent president and the ex-president, the fugitive and traitor Yanukovych, allegedly Zelenskyi is “nothing better”.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo featured Zelenskyi on the cover, numb to the “evil Jesus” and Putin trying to “keep” Jesus from attacking Zelenskyi. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council says that such a cover does not exist. Fact-checkers went to the official website of the newspaper, and did not find a similar cover. Also, the unreliability of the column is confirmed by the fact that on April 05, 2023 No.1602 was published, but not No.1603, as indicated on the fake cover.

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.

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.

Against the backdrop of news about the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to Poland, disinformation messages appeared in the information space, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, with the help of which propaganda is trying to advance its agenda. A team of analysts of Detector Media has identified the most common of them.

1. Zelenskyi dreams of uniting part of the territory of Ukraine with Poland

Pro-Russian telegram channels spread the message that the main purpose of Zelenskyi’s visit to Poland is to “bring together state institutions”, because “Zelenskyi wants to assimilate with Poland”. The authors of the messages convince readers that the Polish leadership “does not cease to be interested in the western part of Ukraine”, and Zelenskyi will gladly help them and give up the territory.

This is not a new message of Russian propaganda as they systematically claims that they want to tear Ukraine apart and cut off its territories. Like, first of all, Poland wants to seize the West of Ukraine, because it is important for the Poles to restore “historical justice”. Russian propaganda spread a number of fakes and manipulations on this topic. For example, about the recruitment of Poles into the Ukrainian army or about Poland building up its military force to seize the territories of Ukraine.

In fact, the head of the international policy bureau at the Office of the Polish President, Marcin Przydacz, said that the negotiations between Zelenskyi and Duda would cover “the entire spectrum of Polish-Ukrainian relations, starting with security policy”. He even assured that historical issues would be raised during the talks.

However, propagandists need such messages in order to expose Poland as an aggressor and level the assistance that Poland provides to Ukraine in the conditions of war. Allegedly, in fact, Poland is helping Ukraine not because of good intentions.

2. Zelenskyi’s arrival in Poland means the formation of an “anti-Russian coalition”

This thesis was propagated by propagandists to feed the narrative of the existence of a “collective West”. Allegedly, all the actions taken by the Ukrainian leadership are aimed at discrediting Russia. According to the authors of the messages, during the meeting with Andrzej Duda, there were “mentions of Russia”.

It is not about any “anti-Russian coalition”. Of course, the leaders of Poland and Ukraine probably gathered to discuss security issues first of all. However, such negotiations are caused by unprovoked Russian aggression. The so-called anti-Russian coalition is a response to Russia's criminal actions against Ukraine and its civilians. Russian propaganda claims that Zelenskyi is only looking for a reason to convince the whole world that Russia and Russians are bad, but in fact “Western countries are sick with Russophobia”. However, global condemnation and sanctions against the aggressor are the consequences of Russia's criminal actions, and not vice versa, as Moscow wants to present it.

3. Zelenskyi's words should be interpreted as “preparation for the surrender of Bakhmut”

Anonymous telegram channels spread the thesis about the so-called “surrender of Bakhmut by Zelenskyi”. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi deliberately left for Poland in order to divert the attention of Ukrainians and the rest of the world from the “situation” with Bakhmut. According to propagandists, Zelenskyi does not want to receive a stream of negativity in his direction, so he “runs away to Poland”.

As proof, the propagandists quote Zelenskyi from a joint press conference with the President of Poland that “if there are even hotter events and the danger of personnel losses due to the encircling of the city, the appropriate correct decisions will be made on the spot”. However, these words do not indicate that the President of Ukraine is running away from problems. Volodymyr Zelenskyi assesses all the risks and does not talk about the alleged withdrawal of troops from Bakhmut.

Moreover, the authors do not add any evidence confirming the thesis about the “surrender of Bakhmut” in their publications. Thus, they shift the responsibility for what is happening in the city from the Russian army to the Ukrainian president. It was Russia that attacked Ukraine, and it is precisely because of the actions of the enemy army that the situation in individual Ukrainian cities and villages is difficult. However, Russian propaganda whitewashes itself and demonizes the Ukrainian president, who allegedly is not interested in events in his country.

According to the latest data, as of April 4, the Russian army continues to storm the city and concentrate its main efforts for the offensive, in particular in the Bakhmut direction.

4. Most Western leaders meet with Xi Jinping, while Zelenskyi is “only” going to Poland

In this case, the authors of the messages contrast the meeting between the leaders of China and Russia with today's event. Like, Zelensky’s meeting with Andrzej Duda is “window dressing”, and Xi Jinping “meets only influential politicians”, attributing such a title to Putin in particular. So, Zelenskyi “only took advantage of the possible option”.

China expressed its position on Russia's war against Ukraine when, on February 24, 2023, their Foreign Ministry presented a plan to resolve the war. The document contains 12 points, which, according to Beijing, will contribute to the end of the war. Among them are a ceasefire and hostilities, the start of peace talks, and an end to unilateral sanctions.

At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was skeptical about China's plan, arguing that Beijing “does not deserve much credibility” because it “failed to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine”.

China formally recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine and has never declared Russian recognition of Crimea or other Ukrainian regions that Russia wants to seize. However, for example, China is at the time of voting for the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, which provide for the recognition of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. And on the eve of his visit to Moscow, in an article for “Rossiiskaya Gazeta” (Russian Article), Xi Jinping called the war “a total aggravation of the Ukrainian crisis”. In addition, China can supply Russia with weapons to help it continue the war against Ukraine.

However, by spreading such a message, propagandists want to devalue the role of the President of Ukraine and show who really “leads the agenda”: Xi Jinping and Putin. Allegedly, Zelenskyi is not so “influential” to meet such “politicians”.

Propagandists are spreading a video that allegedly in the morning program of the American CBS television channel, during a report on a new concept for toilets that allow one to spend less time in the toilet, they accidentally included footage with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, from which the host of the program starts to laugh. It's fake.

Analysts of the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They claim that in the video that propagandists are distributing, footage with Zelenskyi was added over the original video due to editing. In the original version, there is no video with the President of Ukraine at all, and the presenter starts laughing after the remark that new toilets will save the lives of millions of people. This news program aired on December 19, 2019 on the Boston Regional affiliate of the CBS News network and was hosted by Diana King Hall.

In this way, propagandists want to once again raise doubts about the sincerity of American support and personally discredit Zelenskyi. Like, why does one need such a president, even if they laugh at him during reports about toilets. This is far from the first personal attack by propagandists against the President of Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly debunked fake covers of foreign media, where Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly ridiculed.

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.

Propagandists are spreading information that the Russian news service BBC allegedly reported the following: the Security service of Ukraine (SBU) prevented another attempt to poison Zelenskyi with psychotropic substances due to an overdose. It's fake.

VoxCheck analysts drew attention to it. They found out that there was no such message on the website and social networks of the Russian service of the BBC. There is no such news in public access either, even through translation in Ukrainian and foreign media. The SBU did not comment on the attempts on the life of the President of Ukraine. Secretary of the National security and defense council Danilov and adviser to the head of the Office of the President Podoliak did not talk about the ways in which somebody tried to kill Zelenskyi.

Thus, propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities again. Like, the President of Ukraine is a drug addict, and the war only aggravated the problem. Detector Media has already written about the invention of propagandists, according to which Zelenskyi was invited to speak at a rehabilitation center for drug addicts.

Propagandists distribute a photo, allegedly a screenshot of the Russian version of the BBC news website. According to it, the President of Ukraine said that allegedly he personally will feed the fish at the pier in Crimea this summer. It's fake.

Analysts of the Georgian project MythDetector drew attention to it. They could not find the full version of the material mentioned in the “screenshot” in the public domain. In addition, they asked the representatives of the news program if they had published such an article. Correspondents of the Russian news BBC confirmed that the image is fake. In fact, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said at a press conference on February 24 that Ukraine is mentally prepared and is getting ready in a military sense for the de-occupation of Crimea.

Thus, propagandists are trying to personally discredit the President of Ukraine. Like, he does not understand what he is talking about and has lost a sense of reality. Detector Media has already written about how the Russians are trying to destroy Zelenskyi's image with the help of manipulations and fakes.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say Volodymyr Zelenskyi was invited to speak at the Belgian drug rehabilitation center Trempoline. The authors of the publication add screenshots from the Belgian news site that allegedly published this appeal. At the same time, the appeal says that “workers of the rehabilitation center admire Zelenskyi’s resilience, and people in treatment want to be like him”. The authors of the messages say that Zelenskyi can become an example of a “successfully rehabilitated” one. It is not true.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found that the Trempoline rehabilitation center did not create such advertising, and the ads with an appeal to Volodymyr Zelenskyi were edited. A photo search on Google Images showed that only Russian news sources distributed the ads. There is also no information on the Trempoline website and social networks about the appeal to the Ukrainian president.

Propagandists systematically spread fake stories about Ukrainian officials, in particular Zelenskyi, in order to discredit him. Thus, propaganda uses the tactics of ridicule and tries to create the illusion that the leadership of Ukraine is despised in Europe. Hinting that Zelenskyi is “successfully rehabilitated”, and people who are on drug addiction treatment “want to be like him”, the authors of the messages once again call the President of Ukraine a drug addict. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an advertising campaign for washing powder with the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi has allegedly been launched in Poland. The authors of the messages add that the commercial is broadcast on all national channels in Poland. As evidence of the publication, a likely screenshot from the commercial was attached. It is not true.

Analysts at the VoxCheck project drew attention to this case and determined that the image was edited using a graphics editor. They also checked the photo in a special tool with which one can make sure that some elements were previously added to the image. The specialists were convinced that the “screenshot” was fake, because after checking they noticed the added elements in the image. In addition, according to analysts, there was no mention of an advertising campaign or the existence of such washing powder in the foreign segment of social networks. Analysts emphasize that they came across the photo only in the Russian segment of social networks.

By spreading such a fake, propagandists want to discredit Zelenskyi, who is allegedly despised in Europe. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

There are messages disseminated to both Ukrainian and foreign audiences that allegedly Volodymyr Zelenskyi believes that the United States is not helping Ukraine enough. Allegedly, America like Ukraine should send its daughters and sons to war. Allegedly, if NATO “does not want to give enough weapons”, they should take part in the war. They say Zelenskyi made such a statement during a press conference on the anniversary of the great war. It is not true.

The video circulating online is edited and taken out of context. Volodymyr Zelenskyi does not call on the US or NATO to enter the war. StopFake fact-checkers explain that the video shows a fragment of the President's answer to a question from a BBC journalist about what Volodymyr Zelenskyi would like to say to those Americans who do not support military assistance to Ukraine. The response stated that if Ukraine did not win the war, Russia would start a war with NATO countries, primarily with the Baltic countries. In this case, all NATO countries, including the United States, will have to send their military to war. From this answer, the propagandists compiled the text they needed. The fact-checkers of the MythDetector project came to the same conclusion.

Since the beginning of the war, Russian propaganda has been promoting the narrative that Ukraine is trying to draw other countries into a war with Russia.

Propagandists spread information that Italian Prime Minister George Meloni called the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to Brussels on February 9, 2023 inappropriate. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact Meloni had in mind a visit to Paris. In her comments to the media, she criticized not Zelenskyi, but France and Germany, who organized a meeting with him separately from other European countries. Meloni said that such an invitation “was more inappropriate” and that community and unity in this case are above domestic political issues.

Thus, propagandists are trying to convince Ukrainians that even the closest allies in Europe are turning away from Ukraine. Allegedly, Ukraine is gradually left alone with the problems that “the West started”. Russian media are actively using Zelenskyi's recent visit to Europe, spreading a number of narratives harmful to Ukraine.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that during the visit of the President of the United States of America Joe Biden to Kyiv, he met with Zelenskyi's “double”. Like, the real president is hiding from possible Russian missile attacks. The authors of the messages add to the publication a photo from the meeting of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Olena Zelenska and Joe Biden near the Mariinskyi Palace. According to the authors, one of the photographs shows how the “real” Zelenskyi is hiding in the premises of the Mariinskyi Palace during the air raid alert. At the same time, the “double” along with the first lady greets Joe Biden. It is not true.

Analysts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National security and defense council investigated this case and found that this statement is unfounded, because the photos show Zelenskyi’s bodyguard who is following the course of events during the meeting. Analysts are sure that this is another stuffing and conspiracy theory from Russian propaganda.

By spreading such a fake, propagandists want to discredit Zelenskyi, who allegedly creates doubles for himself. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that allegedly in one of the Texas private zoos, one can take a picture with a monkey named Zelenskyi for $5. Users publish photos of the monkey and tables with information about it. The authors of the report add that the monkey is dressed in “characteristic for Zelenskyi’s clothes”: a green sweater with an embroidered coat of arms of Ukraine, in this way drawing a parallel with the military uniform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It's a lie.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found that the photo with the monkey data was edited using a graphic editor. Analysts tried to find the photo due to a reverse search on Google Images. Among the search results are only publications in Russian media and messages in Russian social networks that are blocked in Ukraine. In the Ukrainian segment or foreign, such a photo was not published.

Fact-checkers also found the original photo and made sure: the photo was reflected in the photo editor, the color of the monkey's outerwear was changed and the State Emblem of Ukraine was added.

By spreading such a fake, propagandists want to discredit Zelenskyi, who is allegedly despised in the West. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

Russian media are spreading information that during his visit, US President Joe Biden ordered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to step up the actions of the Ukrainian army and launch a counteroffensive. At the same time, propagandists refer to the material of the publication Politico. Allegedly, its authors indicate that Ukraine should launch a counteroffensive now, since the pace of assistance from the West will slow down significantly. This is manipulation.

Analysts at the StopFake project found that the Politico article made no mention of the slowdown in aid to Ukraine and Biden's orders. The material is devoted to the results of the Munich Security Conference and the then upcoming European tour of the US President. The authors of the article argue: “U.S. officials believe that the defense of Ukraine is about to reach a critical phase, when Russia will launch its long-awaited offensive. The Biden administration is strongly urging the administration of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to build on the gains made and perhaps launch a counter strike”.

The Russian media do not correctly quote the publication and give an inaccurate translation of the phrasing from it. For example, if we are talking about the pace of arms deliveries, the word “freely” is used in the original material. And propagandists translate it as “slowly”.

Thus, Russian propaganda wants to re-emphasize Ukraine's “inability” to make independent decisions. The propagandists also want to convince their audience that the West is tired of helping Ukraine, but recent decisions to provide new military and financial aid packages prove otherwise. The Russian media is still spreading disinformation about the US President's visit to Kyiv. Detector Media has already published a selection of the main messages spread by propagandists on this issue.

Such a fake was spread on social networks and in propaganda media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly “confessed that he did not plan to implement the Minsk agreements” and that “peace was not part of Ukraine's plans”. The authors of the messages refer to the interview with Zelenskyi in the French edition of Le Figaro and the German magazine Der Spiegel. It is not true.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to this case and found that during the interview, Zelenskyi did not make any statements that peace was not part of Ukraine's plans. On the contrary, the Ukrainian President once again emphasized that it was Russia that did not comply with the agreement and gradually aggravated the conflict.

Answering a question about the effectiveness and expediency of the Minsk agreements, Zelenskyi noted that the document was drafted in such a way as to freeze the Russian invasion in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In his opinion, the agreements cannot be completed without the loss of Ukrainian territories. Therefore, it was not possible to fully adhere to the Minsk agreements to meet the needs of both parties. In addition, Zelenskyi did not say that he wanted war and tried to provoke it.

By spreading this fake, propagandists justify Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Allegedly, the Ukrainian leadership, led by Zelenskyi, wanted to fight and provoked Russia to invade. Thus, the Russians seek to present Ukraine as an aggressor, from which they had to defend themselves.

We recall that the Minsk agreements are a series of three documents that were signed during 2014-2015. The documents provided for steps to resolve the war in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In particular, it included clauses on a ceasefire, granting a special status to the territories temporarily occupied by Russia. Detector Media also analyzed the message of Russian propaganda, which said that Ukraine could have avoided war if it had followed the Minsk agreements.

A video allegedly from the news program of an American TV channel is being distributed on social networks. On it, the hosts talk about “a puppy from Ohio who got the attention of the whole country”. Against the background of their conversation, there is a story about the trip of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the UK. In the comments, social media users write that Zelenskyi is openly ridiculed already on American television. This video is fake.

A video montage of a news story with a video recording of Volodymyr Zelenskyi is being distributed on social networks. According to the fact-checkers of MythDetector, in this video, the hosts of the KCCI TV channel talk about a puppy that signaled to its owner from the car. It went viral on social media in February 2017. The propagandists intentionally edited it with a video recording of the President of Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda uses the tactics of ridicule to discredit the President of Ukraine. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

This thesis is spread by the Russian media. Like, “without Western curators” Zelenskyi finally “told the truth” and turned to the Ukrainians. The authors of the messages claim that the President of Ukraine “does not understand what they (Ukrainians – ed.) are fighting for”, since they only have “loans”, and now also mobilization. It's fake.

StopFake analysts claim that Zelenskyi did indeed use such a phrase, but it did not refer to Ukrainians. The President addressed it to the Russians. In his appeal on September 28, 2022, he said:

‘If you want to live, run. If you want to live, surrender. If you want to live, fight in your streets for your freedom. Everything has been taken from you. Or do any of you have oil rigs? Any palaces? Any vineyards? Maybe you have yachts? Or any bank? What are you fighting for? You now only have loans, something to eat in the evening and now - mobilization. Fight for yours! Don't meddle in our land, in our soul and our culture”. Russian publications that distribute this fake deliberately do not leave a link to the full version of the appeal, because then it becomes clear what Zelenskyi really means.

Russian propaganda often takes the phrases of Ukrainian politicians out of context. Thus, they seek to demoralize the Ukrainians and show them that supposedly the Ukrainian authorities are indifferent to the people, unlike the Russian ones. Also, propagandists are trying to shift the responsibility for the crimes of the Russians to Ukraine.

Telegram channels circulated reports that allegedly after the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to London, the British newspapers Evening Standard and The Times published cartoons of him on the front pages.

Like, the Evening Standard newspaper published how Zelenskyi was pulling the plane after the visit, and The Times published a cartoon showing the hypocrisy of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron. Allegedly, their “yes” to Zelenskyi’s pleas for the provision of fighter jets really means one big “No”.

In fact, none of these British newspapers published cartoons of Zelenskyi on their front pages.

The Evening Standard newspaper published on the front page how Rishi Sunak warmly hugs Zelenskyi. In another photo, they are walking together in London.

The Times on its front page on February 9 published a portrait of Zelenskyi with the victory gesture once shown by Winston Churchill. On February 10, The Times published an op-ed by Ros Clarke in the “Comments” section, illustrated with a cartoon depicting Zelenskyi with European leaders, but it was not brought to the front page.

With these fake first columns, Russia is imposing its own interpretation of Zelenskyi's visit to the UK, France and Belgium on the audience. Immediately after the visit, propagandists wrote on telegram channels that Zelenskyi was photographed against the backdrop of a British tank - this is the maximum that he can get from the trip; a visit to the European Parliament will not bring results; Zelenskyi will travel more in Europe in 2023, in particular because of the elections; Zelenskyi’s trip to Europe “extinguishes” the corruption scandal in Ukraine.

Detector Media has collected images of all the front pages of British publications, which depicted the visit of the President of Ukraine to London.

Against the background of news about the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the UK, France and Belgium, pro-Russian anonymous telegram channels have been spreading a lot of disinformation messages, with the help of which Russia imposes its own interpretation of events on the audience. Analysts of Detector Media have identified the most common of them.

Zelenskyi's visit diverts attention from the situation in Bakhmut

In December, during Zelenskyi’s visit to the United States, propagandists wrote that Zelenskyi deliberately flew out of the country in order to “hang” the surrender of Bakhmut on the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Like, there is a long-standing conflict between Zelenskyi and Zaluzhnyi and such a decision is the consequences. Allegedly, “guilt” will allow them to change the commander-in-chief. However, Bakhmut is still under the control of the Ukrainian army. This time, the propagandists also take advantage of the difficult situation that has arisen in the city due to the Russian invasion. In their opinion, Zelenskyi wants to look like a hero, so he personally left to negotiate for weapons. However, to do this, he allegedly needs to convince Western partners that at least three hundred thousand more people will be mobilized into the Ukrainian army. Allegedly, such a figure is “justified” by the losses of personnel. However, such statements are only the assumption of propagandists. They don't provide any evidence. In this case, Russian propaganda is promoting several manipulative messages at once: Western support for Ukraine is waning; there are huge losses in the Ukrainian army, which will be covered by forced mobilization; Zelenskyi is “playing the hero”. In fact, Volodymyr Zelenskyi is acting president of a country at war and is negotiating with partners for further cooperation.

Zelenskyi’s trip to Europe “extinguishes” the corruption scandal in Ukraine

They say that the corruption scandal with procurement by the Ministry of Defense undermined the image of Ukraine. As if Ukraine now needs to create a positive “motivational” picture for the Europeans. According to the authors of anonymous telegram channels, Zelenskyi's visit, they say, will be able to change the headlines on the front pages of the Western press. Such theses are manipulation, because they do not have a causal relationship. Of course, the media will cover the visit of the President of Ukraine, we see a lot of positive feedback, but there are no guarantees that there will be no negative headlines for Ukraine either.

Zelenskyi is no longer a “bunker ruler” after debunking the myth that Putin wants to kill him

In such reports, anonymous authors refer to a recent interview with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, which Russian propaganda used to spread disinformation. Propagandists claim that Putin showed mercy and promised not to kill Zelenskyi. However, propagandists invented this statement, distorting the meaning of what Bennett said.

In spreading this message, Russian propaganda uses the tactic of substitution of concepts. In fact, the Russian president is called the “bunker old man”, and not only by Ukrainians, but also by Belarusians and Russians. Unlike Putin, who rarely attends any events, Volodymyr Zelenskyi from the first days of the great war recorded videos in front of the building of the President's Office and showed the Ukrainians that he was in Ukraine. Trips to the liberated Bakhmut, Kherson, Izium and other cities, a visit to the United States also refute the version of the propagandists about “concealment” of Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Zelenskyi will travel more in Europe in 2023, in particular because of the elections

Anonymous telegram channels write that Zelenskyi is allegedly preparing for the upcoming elections, so there will be more foreign work trips in the near future. Thus, propagandists are trying to be proactive and try to convince Ukrainians that the authorities are supposedly more worried about the upcoming elections and their continued tenure than about the war and the current problems of Ukrainians. However, according to Ukrainian legislation, elections are not held under martial law. So far, martial law has been extended until May 20, 2023. That is, elections to the Verkhovna Rada, presidential elections in Ukraine or local elections will take place only after the end of the war.

In Britain, they took a photo of Zelenskyi in front of a tank - this is the maximum that he can get from the trip

Reports say that the British allegedly allowed Zelenskyi to be photographed in front of the Challenger 2 tank solely to advertise the tank in the world media. As if these tanks will never appear on the front lines in Ukraine. Like, they promised to give them within a month, but only when placed in the capital for “PR”. Tanks will not be sent to the front. In fact, the Ukrainian military has already arrived in the UK and is learning how to operate these tanks. Moreover, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured Volodymyr Zelenskyi that the UK would expedite the dispatch of its and allied equipment to Ukraine “to ensure it reaches Ukraine’s frontline in the coming days and weeks, not years”.

Visit to the European Parliament will not have results

There are also messages in anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric, the authors of which claim that “except for the applause of insane senile people” a visit to the European Parliament will not give Ukraine anything. Like, they applaud Zelenskyi, take a picture with him, and that will be the end of it. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to promote messages about “insignificant Europe” and “the absurdity and helplessness of European institutions”. Like, in fact, they do not solve anything and are not capable of anything. However, the head of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, in her speech noted that the European Union should take the next step and consider providing fighter jets to Ukraine. The visit of the President of Ukraine is still ongoing, so it is too early to sum up the results, as propagandists do.

Messages aimed at ridiculing Volodymyr Zelenskyi personally

In anonymous telegram channels, propagandists also use the tactics of ridicule and discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi. This is necessary for propagandists to devalue the results of a foreign visit. In particular, they write that Zelenskyi was allegedly brought to the UK “like an amazing monkey” for the British monarch. Like, Zelenskyi, as a “beggar”, went to beg for help, moreover, he cried in the European Parliament, and this is a sign of weakness for propagandists. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to make Ukrainians feel ashamed of their leader and his behavior abroad.

The second foreign visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyi since the beginning of the full-scale invasion has already become historic: the British monarch honored the Ukrainian president with an audience. Against the backdrop of Zelenskyi's visit, the UK imposed new sanctions against Russia. The President of France also awarded Volodymyr Zelenskyi with the Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest award in France that can be received for civil merit.

Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels are circulating a photograph allegedly taken in Brussels. Like, a group of artists from Poland made a new drawing that continues the series of their work on the streets of cities. It's fake.

There is no such graffiti. Propagandists write that a “group of Polish artists” had previously created graffiti about Zelenskyi in Madrid and Warsaw. However, the photos of these graffiti were created with photo editors. Just like the fake graffiti in New York and Paris.

Thus, Russian propaganda uses ridicule tactics to discredit the President of Ukraine. Like, Zelenskyi is despised and ridiculed abroad, so Ukrainians should be ashamed of their leader. Propagandists also stir up internal disputes because of the likes and dislikes of Ukrainians towards Zelenskyi.

This message was circulated on social networks, in particular in the French segment of Twitter. The report says that Volodymyr Zelenskyi calls on NATO to launch a preventive nuclear strike on Russia. The authors of the messages cite an episode from Zelenskyi's online speech at the Australian Lowy Institute and add a short video. The tweets were shared by the propaganda media, who called Zelenskyi's words “a call to start a world war with unpredictable horrific consequences”. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts at the StopFake project investigated this case and found that the meaning of the quote was distorted, because in fact Zelenskyi did not call for a nuclear strike on Russia. In the short video, the president says that NATO needed to launch “preemptive strikes” on Russia to keep it from using nuclear weapons.

However, on the same day, press secretary Serhii Nykyforov explained his words, saying that Volodymyr Zelenskyi had in mind the period until February 24. Because then, according to the president, it would be worth taking preventive measures to prevent escalation. And there was no talk of a nuclear strike from Ukraine at all.

By spreading this manipulation, propagandists are trying to promote the narrative that Russia is allegedly fighting not only with Ukraine, but also with large organizations, such as NATO. Like, the Russians are protecting the world from the war that Ukraine allegedly unfolds.

This message was circulated on telegram channels and pro-Kremlin media. It says that American businessman Bill Gates allegedly said that the government of Ukraine is “one of the worst in the world, it’s really unfortunate for the nation”. As evidence, propagandists cite an interview with Bill Gates that he allegedly gave to the Australian Lowy Institute think tank, which discussed the war against Ukraine and how it affects the situation in the world. However, Bill Gates did not say this, it is a lie.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and carefully reviewed the interview and determined that the propagandists distorted Bill's quote-answer to the question of how Zelenskyi conveys the main messages to society.

To which Gates replied that, in his opinion, “the Ukrainian government was one of the worst in the world: it is corrupt and controlled only by a few wealthy people”. However, now he is amazed with how the Ukrainian leadership conveys important messages to the public.

Bill Gates did not mean the current government in Ukraine and spoke about the government “before the war”. Russia launched a war against Ukraine in February 2014, annexing Crimea and starting a war on the territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Gates was referring specifically to the years of Yanukovych's rule, which were precisely characterized by the dominance of total corruption in Ukraine and the concentration of power in the hands of a few oligarchs. It was these factors that led to the revolution of dignity and the change of government in the country.

Kremlin media are spreading a photo of a sign purporting to be in a Berlin zoo asking them not to feed the leopards with “Zelensky’s empty chatter because the animals might vomit”.  This information was also shared on social media. Some users are convinced that the zoo is protesting against the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. In the picture distributed by the propaganda media, there is a man with a signboard with the corresponding inscription behind him. However, this is fake.

StopFake analysts conducted an investigation and found that the photo was actually edited. Due to a search using the hashtag #berlinzoo, it was possible to find the original image. There really is a sign there, but it only has the name and logo of the zoo.

Recently, the West agreed on a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, so Russia reacted to it by new falsifications. Prior to this, the Kremlin media called arms supplies to Ukraine a “theatrical performance” and insisted that the West was actually sending scrap metal to the battlefield. By spreading such fakes, propagandists seek to create the appearance that the level of support for Ukraine in the world is declining. Allegedly, everyone is against new arms supplies to Ukraine.

Such a message is spread by pro-Russian telegram channels in the context of the fact that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recognized that Russia's aggression against Ukraine began in 2014. Russia, thus, uses the tactics of substitution of concepts and shifts the responsibility for the events in Ukraine to the Ukrainian authorities.

Russia in 2014 sent troops to the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Russian President launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This has been recognized by the whole world. Russia is trying to divide Ukrainians with such messages, sow internal discord, playing with sympathies or antipathies for the current and former president.

Russian propaganda is systematically trying to shift the responsibility for the full-scale invasion and war crimes of the Russian army to Ukraine. They say that it is not Russian missiles that are guilty of civilian deaths, but the work of Ukrainian air defense; the Americans are guilty of provoking Russia to attack Ukraine; Ukrainian officials are to blame, because they are allegedly “asking” Russia to deliver a new strike to the Ukrainian energy system.

Russian propaganda media are spreading an excerpt from a video from an interview with a German Bundestag deputy, where a bus with the inscription “Zelensky is a black hole” is allegedly visible. According to the Kremlin media, such transport appeared on the streets of Berlin.

Also, messages on the network say that the driver has already been fined for the inscription on his transport. However, this whole situation is a fiction of Russian propaganda.

According to Vox Ukraine analysts, the video shows an interview with German MP Nina Scheer for Die Welt, which she shared on her Facebook page. The clothing and location are identical to those in the bus video. In the recording from the interview, at about the third minute, the bus already known to us appears, but it is clearly visible that the inscription there is completely different: Busmobil 24.

Also in the German media there is no mention of the existence of a bus with the inscription “Zelensky is a black hole”, as well as no reports of a driver's fine.

With such fakes, Russia is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities. With the beginning of a full-scale invasion, this happens all the time. Recently, the enemy media spread information that the Minister of Defense allegedly rejoiced that the Ukrainians had become a “shield” for NATO. The Russian propaganda does not ignore Volodymyr Zelenskyi either, reporting on cartoons on the covers of foreign magazines or that he and other officials increased their fortune in 2022.

Such a message is being shared by propagandists in their telegram channels and in the Kremlin media. The report says that during his speech in Davos, Zelenskyi allegedly “revealed Ukraine's weakest point” and assured that it was the air defense system. However, this is manipulation.

In fact, StopFake's fact-checkers examined the case and found that propaganda resources omitted the context in which it was said and reduced Zelenskyi's response to just this phrase.

The propagandists distorted the president's quote. In fact, it was an answer to the question of how Ukraine defends itself from the destruction of civilian infrastructure by Russia. This is what the actual quote looks like:

“Defend our weak points. Defend places with partners where the enemy hits. Air defense system. This is our weak point. Maybe this is not a weak point in Ukraine compared to other states,”. That is, we are talking about the fact that, in general, our air defense is quite powerful, however, unfortunately, there is a hit on civilian infrastructure. Therefore, it does not cope with all enemy missiles or drones.

In addition, earlier Volodymyr Zelenskyi repeatedly said that the air defense in Ukraine is strong enough, and in 2023 it will become even more powerful.

By spreading this manipulation, the enemy is trying to prove that the means of Ukrainian defense or, for example, weapons are meaningless and can be quickly destroyed. Allegedly, not a single Western technique can be compared with the domestic Russian one.

This is the message propagandists use on social networks and telegram channels that broadcast pro-Russian rhetoric to the Polish audience. It says that Zelenskyi signed the act of surrender during his visit to the United States. Like, one of the officials took an autograph from the president, but in fact it was not just a piece of paper with a signature, but a real act of surrender. Thus, Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed it without even knowing it, and at the same time admitted defeat in the war. It seems that the president will soon stand down. The authors of the messages add a probable act of surrender to the publication. However, this is not true.

In fact, not a single act of surrender was signed. Ever since the start of the full-scale invasion, Volodymyr Zelenskyi has been saying that Ukraine will not capitulate. At the same time, a series of talks held between the Ukrainian and Russian sides in February-March 2022 convinced the Ukrainian leadership that Russia wanted one thing, namely, a quick surrender of Ukraine and recognition of the Russian victory. However, Ukraine disagreed and called for an immediate Russian ceasefire. The so-called document, attached by the propagandists, contains spelling and lexical errors, indicating that it was compiled.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to nourish the narrative that America wants to get rid of Zelenskyi and is ready even for such tricks. It seems that this is all a secret plan, a conspiracy against the president, and he does not even suspect how, as they say, his most devoted partners actually support him.

A photo of graffiti allegedly taken in New York is being circulated on social networks. It depicts locusts, which allegedly symbolizes the President of Ukraine, who “feeds” at the expense of the American budget. It's fake.

In fact, there is no such graffiti. According to MythDetector, the photo was created using special programs. Eyewitnesses confirmed the absence of such graffiti as well. According to experts in 3D-drawing, even after erasing such graffiti, traces remain on the surface that are not in the place where the graffiti should be. Thus, Russian media and propaganda telegram channels are trying to discredit the Ukrainian president. Like, in the world he is considered a clown and is not taken seriously.

Previously, Russian propaganda spread fakes to associate Volodymyr Zelenskyi with Hitler. In addition, propagandists systematically spread messages about fake graffiti and covers of satarian magazines that make fun of Zelenskyi.

A photo of graffiti allegedly from Berlin is circulating on the network, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is depicted as a pimple that needs to be squeezed out. The reports say that the graffiti was allegedly painted by artists from the Polish group Typicaloptical. It's fake.

The MythDetector project fact-checkers checked the information about the graffiti and found that it doesn't actually exist. The place shown in the photo is indeed in Zurich, not in Berlin.

The fact-checkers then contacted the communication manager of the Department of Civil Engineering and Waste Management of the city of Zurich, who confirmed to the specialists that there were no drawings or traces of paint on the square.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian president and create the appearance that the world community does not support Zelenskyi. Allegedly, if not only Russian propaganda talks about the absurdity of the Ukrainian leadership, but also others, including activists who make caricatured graffiti, then this is true.

In addition, Russian propaganda regularly spreads fake graffiti or, for example, covers with Zelenskyi to humiliate and distort reality as if he is not fully supported.

Such a thesis is distributed in pro-Russian and propaganda telegram channels, which claims that relations between the Ukrainian army and Zelenskyi have deteriorated significantly. Like, all this is due to the constant defeats of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and, as a result, Zelenskyi's discontent. Russian propaganda claims that Zelenskyi is losing his authority and his power.

With this message, the propagandists are trying to reach several goals. First, to discredit the President and expose him as an incompetent head of state. They build the image of an evil, greedy to victory leader. Allegedly, Zelenskyi demands constant victories and no defeats from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at the same time, the army suffers from tyranny. Secondly, to undermine the confidence of the army in the President, who is allegedly under pressure from the leadership and is trying in every possible way to please the top.

Reports are circulating on social media that a sculpture in the shape of a nose has been installed in Milan, around which white powder is scattered. Like, the Italians called the sculpture “Zelenskyi's nose” because it reminds them of the Ukrainian president. This is not true.

In Milan, indeed, they placed a sculpture in the shape of a nose, but it has nothing to do with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. A sculpture with a nose and cocaine is located in the Corso Como shopping mall in Milan. It was created by the Italian activist and artist Christina Donati Meyer. The activist sought to use the sculpture to protest the increase in drug trafficking in Milan, especially cocaine. MythDetector fact checkers note that this sculpture is actually called Bianco Natale, Milano-Medellin (White Christmas, Milano-Medellin).

Russian propaganda systematically creates fakes to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi both in Ukraine and abroad. To do this, propagandists use cartoon graffiti and fake covers of satirical magazines.

Telegram channels from a network supervised by Russian intelligence spread the message that President Zelenskyi allegedly could have held talks with Putin during the Beijing Olympics as early as February, so the war would not have started. But Ukraine's Western partners seem to have banned Zelenskyi from going to Beijing, because they “had their own plans for Ukraine”. This is manipulation.

The information that Zelenskyi was supposedly banned from going to Beijing is spread with reference to an article in the Financial Times, which, citing sources, says: Putin did not warn Chinese President Xi Jinping about plans for a Russian invasion of Ukraine. And Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng was even demoted because he could not foresee the invasion. This Financial Times story denies the earlier notion that China has asked Putin not to go into war in Ukraine before the Olympics are over.

In this material, there is no mention of a possible visit or negotiations between Zelenskyi and Putin at all. And there are no facts or arguments in favor of the theory that Zelenskyi wanted to leave for Beijing or planned to do so, but someone or something prevented him.

At the same time, it is known that before Putin's trip to Beijing, his press secretary Pieskov reported that Putin did not plan to meet with anyone other than the head of China, including due to COVID restrictions. A few days before Putin's visit to China, Russian Foreign Minister Serhii Lavrov offered Zelenskyi to meet with Putin in Moscow, St. Petersburg or Sochi, but immediately warned that Donbas or Crimea's ownership could not be topics of discussion. Zelinskyi refused such an offer, and later said that he did not plan to visit Beijing - instead, he had meetings scheduled in Kyiv with representatives of Ukraine's allied countries.

The allegedly new cover of the comic magazine Humor Times is being circulated online. The cartoon depicts locusts, symbolizing the President, who is eating all the money. However, this is fake.

A photo is being circulated on Twitter and Facebook of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in a suit and tie greeting World Economic Forum (WEF) President Klaus Schwab. In the captions to the photo, users note that Zelenskyi came to a meeting with US President Joe Biden and a speech in the US Congress in a “T-shirt” (actually in a sweater).

One example of such messages is: “Zelenskyi was in a camouflage T-shirt in the Oval Office and during his address to Congress. But he wore a tie [to meet] Klaus Schwab. Does this need any comment at all?”

This was noted in Reuters Fact Check. They write that the photos of Zelenskyi and Schwab were taken in January 2020 at the annual WEF conference in Davos. The fact checker also added that Zelenskyi met with Biden in September 2021, before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and then the Ukrainian president was in a suit.

In addition, users are spreading manipulation around this photo, noting that Zelenskyi's clothes during meetings may indicate disrespect for the president and the US Congress, or that this photo is allegedly evidence of “who really controls everything”. Such manipulations are aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian president in the eyes of a foreign audience, primarily American users.

These are attempts to undermine the confidence in the Ukrainian authorities among citizens of other states, including the United States, in order to further influence the support of Ukraine from international partners.

Russian telegram channels are spreading reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi “has officially abandoned the Christmas truce”, which, propagandists say, demonstrates the “inhumanity” of the Ukrainian authorities. But this is manipulation.

In reality, no one offered Ukraine a Christmas truce. Only the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kyryl (Hundaiev), called for a ceasefire on Christmas Day, and he addressed “all parties involved in the conflict”, that is, the military-political leadership of both Russia and Ukraine. And Russia did not respond to these proposals at all. But the adviser to the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Polodoliak answered and called these calls of Hundaiev “a cynical trap and an element of propaganda”.

And he reminded: since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyrylo has supported this war, calls it “sacred” and “metaphysical”, promises forgiveness of sins for those who died in this war, and even blesses those who go to kill Ukrainians.

In addition to the fact that Kyrylo is one of the propagandists of this war (for which he was sanctioned by some countries), he also, together with state propaganda, divides Ukrainians into varieties on religious grounds since many people in Ukraine (Catholics, Greek Catholics, and part of the Orthodox) celebrate Christmas according to a different calendar, that is, on December 25. But two weeks ago, Kyrylo didn't care whether people would die under shelling on Christmas Day on December 25 or not. And the Russian army shelled the Ukrainians both on Christmas and New Year - massively launched rockets, drones, shelled infrastructure and destroyed houses, hospitals and kindergartens.

And, finally, it is known in advance that the Russian side that actually makes the decision (that is, the military-political leadership of Russia, and not the head of its church) is not interested in a truce for the holidays. This was announced on December 14 by Putin's press secretary Dmytro Pieskov. Then, answering the questions of propagandists, whether a truce is possible for the New Year or Christmas holidays, he replied: “No proposals have been received from anyone, and such a topic is not on the agenda”. That is, the very idea of a truce for the holidays was rejected by Russia back in December.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading the news about the attack on the priest of the Moscow Patriarchate Church in the Vinnytsia region and accusing the “politics” of Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the “tacit consent” of Ukrainian society with it.

Russian propaganda is using reports of an attack on Archpriest Antonii Kovtoniuk to promote a disinformation message about the “persecution” of the Moscow Patriarchate church in Ukraine. There is no official information about the motives of the attacker yet - an investigation is underway. Propagandists are trying to give greater significance and “systematicity" to a single crime, so they write about “attacks in temples”.

This information was disseminated by Russian resources. Allegedly, Oleksii Arestovych, adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, called for the creation of a monarchy.

Russian propagandists took the words out of context and presented Orestovych's quote as the official position of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

In fact, on January 1, 2023, Arestovych was visiting Oleh Skrypka on the Apostroph tv channel as a mystic and esoteric, and not as an adviser to the head of the President's Office. The whole conversation was about mythology, magic and dreams in the history of Ukraine and the present. Skrypka asked Arestovych about the magical scenario of the present, to which he replied that he suggested the provocative thought: “There must be a return of the king, he is walking somewhere”. Further, Arestovych pondered, “Is Ukraine ready for a monarchy?” However, Russian propaganda used this interview as a politician about the plans of the Office of the President.

Kremlin resources are spreading the thesis that after the de-occupation Crimea and Donbas will be given “as a sacrifice to russophobic foreigners”. Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly said this while speaking in the Verkhovna Rada. This is a fabrication.

In fact, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, during his annual address to the Verkhovna Rada, spoke about the restoration, development of the country and the temporarily occupied territories after the war, and that Ukraine should provide priority conditions for those foreign companies that were in Ukraine or came to Ukraine during war, or left the Russian market during the war.

A new stamp, which was released in Poland, is being distributed on social networks. It depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi with a mustache similar to that of Adolf Hitler. Social media users ask in the comments if one can send letters with such stamps to Israel. However, this is fake.

In Poland they really issued a stamp with the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. However, this is not an official stamp issued by the Polish Post. According to VoxCheck, the issue of such a stamp is an initiative of the deputy of the Krakow City Council Lukasz Wantuch, and not the Polish Post. The funds received from the sale of the stamp are planned to be transferred to humanitarian aid to Ukraine. But a modified image of this stamp is distributed on the web.

Russian propaganda has repeatedly spread fakes associating Volodymyr Zelenskyi with Adolf Hitler. And in such a way the disinformation narrative “Ukrainians are Nazis” is being promoted.

A photo of graffiti allegedly from Madrid is circulating on the network, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is depicted as a locust devouring the European Union. The reports say that the graffiti was allegedly painted by artists from the Madrid group Typicaloptical. It's fake.

MythDetector project fact-checkers checked the information about the graffiti and found that this photo was modified using software. In fact, there is no such graffiti in the photo from Plaza de las Cortes in Madrid on December 27th. The source of the fake photos is an Instagram account that continued to distribute fabricated photos of Zelenskyi's caricatured graffiti.

Russian agitprop is conducting a systemic campaign to discredit President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi with the help of cartoon graffiti and fake covers of satirical magazines.

Messages are distributed through social networks and instant messengers. Like, every Ukrainian can receive a one-time cash payment as a New Year's aid. The messages have got a link where you need to register ostensibly to receive money. They note that this is assistance from the state, which “by order was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi”.

Fact-checkers of the Brekhunets (Liar) project checked these reports. The link hides an anonymous telegram channel with the name “Payments from the state to every citizen of Ukraine”. The channel avatar has the logo of the Privat24 application. However, on the channel, the authors say that financial assistance can be obtained from three banks, the names of which are written with errors.

Under the name of each of the banks, there is a published link, allegedly to a “personal account”, in which you can apply for New Year's “help”. However, instead of a “personal account” there is a form in which they offer to enter a bank card number, password and pin code. That is, instead of “help”, scammers get access to bank accounts.

On the website of the President of Ukraine there is no information about financial assistance on the occasion of the New Year holidays. The press service of Privatbank confirmed to the fact-checkers that they do not pay any New Year's aid from the state. There is no information about these “New Year's payments from the state” on the websites of other banks as well.

Such messages are spread by pro-Russian telegram channels as a reaction to the first foreign visit of the President of Ukraine since the beginning of the big war. The message that “Ukraine is blackmailing the West to obtain weapons and other assistance” is part of Russian disinformation narratives.

In fact, the Kremlin media systematically tells Russians about possible strikes against Europe, in particular, against the capitals of France, Germany, Great Britain, and Poland. Recently, the propagandists in the video tried to intimidate the United States with the blows of the “Sarmatians”. So, the rhetoric about “attacks on allies” is typical of Russian propaganda.

Photos from the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the United States are massively distributed on social networks and telegrams. In the photo, the President of Ukraine is shot with the US presidential couple from the back. Each spouse hugs Zelenskyi, and Joe Biden's hand is allegedly placed indecently at the same time. This photo is fake.

MythDetector and Reuters fact-checkers checked the photo and found that it was altered using photo editors. In the authentic version of the photo, Biden's hand is placed on Zelenskyi's back, next to his wife's hand. The photo was published by the first lady of the United States on her official Twitter page.

This cover is distributed in social networks and instant messengers. Like, this is a special edition released on the eve of the festive period. The image shows the cover of December 22, 2022, the issue number 1588. The picture also has a text: “Stop whining, we need it more”. It's fake.

Reuters fact-checkers drew attention to the spread of the fake. At the time of checking, on December 23, the latest issue of the magazine was December 21, number 1587, with a cartoon of the World Cup in Qatar. There is no issue for December 22 on the pages of the publication on social networks. The fake cover was published against the background of the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the United States. Because of the text in the picture, they hint at a propaganda message that Ukraine is “begging” for help from Western partners.

This information was disseminated by Russian resources with alleged photo evidence.

Basically, it's a photo fake. Russian propagandists changed the original photo so that the signature of the 46th separate airmobile brigade of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine resembled the emblem of the armed formations of the National Socialist Workers' Party in Nazi Germany. The original image is depicted in such a way that the number 46 looks like the emblem of the SS.

The fact that propagandists spread the fake photo can also be understood from the fact that in it the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi is standing on the left, and US Vice President Kamala Harris is on the right. In the original photo, the opposite is true, and it was this photo of the Ukrainian president against the background of the flag that was published by many world media, depicting exactly how the politicians were. This episode can be seen in the plots of various TV channels, on the broadcast of Zelenskyi's visit to Congress.

Russian propaganda regularly disseminates “evidence” of the alleged adherence of the Ukrainian authorities to Nazi ideology in order to justify the need for their fictitious “denazification” of Ukraine. More details.

Against the backdrop of news about the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the United States, a lot of disinformation messages have appeared in the information field, in particular, in anonymous telegram channels broadcasting a pro-Russian position, with the help of which Russia promotes its agenda to the audience. Analysts of Detector Media have identified the most common of them.

1. Zelenskyi did not reach the goal of his visit to the USA The authors of the messages argued that Zelenskyi did not achieve the purpose of the visit to Washington. Like, he went to the United States to get more powerful weapons and intensify offensive operations at the front. However, according to anonymous telegrams, there is no sign that Zelenskyi managed to convince Biden to provide Ukraine with such weapons. The authors of the telegram channels do not provide evidence for their assertion, nor do they explain on what grounds they draw such conclusions.

2. Zelenskyi thinks about diplomacy and prepares for negotiations with Putin The authors of such messages argue that since "there were no signs" that he managed to "beg" from the United States for precision weapons that would help prolong the counteroffensive, the Ukrainian president is ready for diplomatic steps. In particular, for negotiations with Russia. The anonymous authors add that the US authorities seemed to be waiting for Zelenskyi to answer the question of what position Ukraine is in now in order to speed up the process of peace negotiations. Some reports claimed that US President Joe Biden allegedly persuaded Zelenskyi to negotiate with the help of his speech. However, in fact, Biden did not publicly voice the thesis that Ukraine should sit down at the negotiating table and agree to the conditions of the Kremlin. On the contrary, he once again expressed support for Ukraine in its struggle and said that he was convinced that Putin was losing the war.

3. Zelenskyi's goal in the US is to get more money Also, in anonymous telegram channels, the thesis was expanded that Zelenskyi was going to the United States solely to “beat out” even more money, but this, according to anonymous authors, would not be so easy, because American congressmen are hostile to Zelenskyi. They say that congressmen will force Zelenskyi to answer uncomfortable questions about the assistance that Ukraine has already received and there will be no “sweet welcoming” for the Ukrainian president. By spreading such theses, propagandists want to create the appearance that Ukraine will be left without support in the near future. Like, in the United States, Zelenskyi is already not willingly accepted and uncomfortable questions are asked. To further undermine the situation and sow a sense of despondency in society, such reports add that without Washington's money, Ukraine will face complete chaos.

4. Zelenskyi’s trip to the US was lobbied by the “armed lobby” This thesis also appeared in anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. They say that the so-called armed lobby became the initiator and sponsor of Zelenskyi's trip to the United States. This is how pro-Russian telegram channels call people who allegedly earn billions on the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. In such messages, Ukraine is called only a tool for the “armed lobby”, the purpose of which, according to the authors of the messages, is to promote their weapons in order to advance to the world market. By spreading such messages, Russian propaganda levels out the support, both armed and financial, that Ukraine receives from Western partners. Like, indeed, by the fact that the United States provides weapons to Ukraine, it does not support the Ukrainians, but only continues the war and promotes its weapons to the market, trying to force China out of it.

5. Zelenskyi flew out of the country in order to “hang” the surrender of Bakhmut on Zaluzhnyi Anonymous telegram channels also spread the thesis that during the visit of President Zelenskyi to the United States, Bakhmut will be “surrendered”. They say that everything was specially arranged in the President's Office so that upon his return Zelenskyi could accuse General Zaluzhnyi of negligence and the surrender of an important city. The reports also add that due to the fact that the president left the country, even more hell will begin in Bakhmut. In fact, this is not the first time propagandists have been stirring up the conflict between Zelenskyi and Zaluzhnyi and claiming that the Ukrainian president is not satisfied with the work of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and therefore makes various provocations in order to “have something to cling to” and remove him from office. However, no facts confirming this thesis are provided in messages in telegram channels. Also arguing that hell in Bakhmut will begin due to Zelenskyi's departure from the country, the authors of the messages shift the responsibility for what is happening in the city from the Russian army to the Ukrainian president. After all, it was Russia that attacked Ukraine, and it is precisely because of the actions of the enemy army that the situation in individual Ukrainian cities and villages is becoming hellish.

6. Zelenskyi was specifically invited to the White House to “test” the ground and understand how it can be deceived Another thesis of pro-Russian anonymous telegram channels. Like, the White House decided to call Zelenskyi in order to clarify the drafts and understand where they can “bend” Ukraine. The reports add that Biden and Zelenskyi allegedly have differences in the vision of how the war in Ukraine should unleash. It's as if Biden is worried that things won't go "too far". And, they say, Biden constantly hints at a peaceful settlement to Zelensky and asks him how it should look like. Spreading such messages, propagandists seek to stake out the opinion that the leaders of Western countries no longer want to support Ukraine in its struggle, but see the only way to end the war - with peace negotiations, because they are afraid of escalating problems with Russia. However, there is no reason to believe that the United States or any other country will soon stop supporting Ukraine if Zelenskyi does not sit down at the negotiating table. The heads of states did not make public statements of this kind.

7. Zelenskyi's visit to the US is a distraction Telegram channels broadcasting Russian rhetoric also reported that Zelenskyi's visit was beneficial to American Democrats. And besides the fact that the visit, according to anonymous authors, was organized by an "armed lobby", the Biden administration allegedly tried to shift some internal accents from problems within the country to global problems. That is, in such messages, Ukraine is once again presented only as a tool for the United States to achieve its goals. Also, such reports do not mention that Zelenskyi’s visit to the United States is, first of all, beneficial to Ukraine in order to make agreements according to which Ukraine will continue to receive assistance from the United States to fight the aggressor. Such reports are beneficial to Russia and its supporters, because they form the opinion that the United States is playing its game, only pretending to help Ukraine. We recall that earlier in the telegram channels they spread the message that Zelenskyi's trip to Bakhmut was a staging before his business trip to the United States. Like, he specifically wanted to demonstrate that he was allegedly going to a constantly shelled city, so that he would look like a hero in Congress the next day. 

This was stated by the former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov, who fled Ukraine during the Revolution of Dignity together with the ex - President Viktor Yanukovych.

Currently, Azarov is in Russia and regularly acts as an expert on the Ukrainian issue. In one of his last appeals, he assures that 50,000 women who served in the Armed Forces were allegedly killed in Ukraine during the war. And this happened through the fault of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. His words were circulated by pro-Russian telegrams and other Russian resources.

Based on an article in the AR about women who volunteered to serve in the Ukrainian army, Azarov calculated that out of 57,000, only 6,000 remained alive today. “Where have over 50,000 women gone?”, Azarov asks rhetorically.

In fact, AR journalists told how volunteers help female servicemen with various equipment. They cite information that 57,000 women serve in the army, “at least 6,000 Ukrainian women are at or near the front line in such roles as paramedics and intelligence officers, as well as snipers and artillery”. Based on this quote, Azarov concludes that if 6,000 Ukrainian women are at the front, then the remaining 51,000 “died, were injured or were captured”. But it's not like that.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in November of this year provided the following data: “59,786 women are currently serving in the Armed Forces. At the same time, 18,000 women are civilian workers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 41,000 women occupy precisely military positions and 5,000 are right at the front lines”.

Reznikov clarified that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 101 female soldiers have died in the war against Russian invaders, another 50 female defenders are missing, and 100 have been injured.

Russian propaganda promotes such fakes to show the weakness of the Ukrainian army, they say, women and teenagers are fighting there, Zelenskyi sends them to their deaths. Such “facts” are thrown into the information space in order to show a professional Russian army against this background and hide Russia’s failures at the front.

Pro-Russian telegram channels write that Volodymyr Zelenskyi did not go to Bakhmut. They say that with the use of Western editing technologies, he can be “organized” anywhere, even a “trip to the Kremlin”. They also say that the residents of Bakhmut allegedly did not recognize the building on the video. Moreover, as if this is not Bakhmut, but the outskirts of Kharkiv.

Russian propaganda spread similar messages during Zelenskyi’s trips to the liberated territories, namely to Izium and Kherson. In particular, propagandists wrote that Zelenskyi deliberately visited Russia when he traveled to Kherson. The fake that Zelenskyi uses chromakey has already been debunked, but propaganda again resorts to such manipulations.

Such a message appeared in Russian propaganda media and anonymous telegram channels. Reports say Ukraine's current president, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, has Russian citizenship. They say that he received it in Orikhovo-Zuievo, Moscow Region, 21 years ago, namely in 2001. As evidence, the propagandists allegedly add a screenshot of a document provided by ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Illia Kiva, who fled in the spring of 2022. Kiva said that "the Investigative committee of Russia should prosecute and put on the wanted list a Russian citizen Volodymyr Zelenskyi". However, this is fake. The photo of the president's supposedly Russian passport is not real.

On December 19, after another nighttime mass drone attack on Ukrainian territory, Russian propagandists began to praise the effectiveness of drones. They say that the Ukrainian authorities hide the real scale of damage to the energy system of Ukraine and are silent about the hit, forbidding Ukrainians to publish photos / videos from the places of “arrivals”. It seems that this is due to the fact that there is no panic and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi could address people with a victorious accent on New Year's Eve.

Russian propagandists distribute such messages after virtually every attack on Ukraine in order to provoke them to take pictures and immediately publish the consequences of hitting energy systems and other strategic facilities. Such evidence would become for the Russians a "report" of their aggression and an opportunity to correct subsequent hits. This time, the propagandists emphasized that the consequences of the hits are hushed up because of the need to record Zelenskyi's “heroic” speech on New Year's Eve.

Russian media write about this with reference to the words of Dmytro Medvediev. Like, Zelenskyi is less sorry for the Europeans, so he is ready to use them at infrastructure facilities as "cannon fodder" instead of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Center for Countering Disinformation drew attention to the spread of the message. Such a reaction was caused by Volodymyr Zelenskyi's appeal to the European Union with a proposal to send special missions of international control to Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure facilities. Such statements, according to the Center, indicate that international control will make impossible the Russian tactics of massive shelling of Ukraine's critical infrastructure.

Russian propaganda uses the tactics of information support of massive missile strikes to further pressure and intimidate Ukrainians. They say that massive rocket attacks are revenge for the explosions in the Russian rear, for Kherson, for the drone attack in the Sevastopol Bay, etc. Also, the Russians shift the responsibility for their crimes to the Ukrainian authorities, saying that the Office of the President exaggerates the effectiveness of air defense and “invents” missile attacks.

Pro-Russian anonymous telegram channels write about this. Allegedly, Zelenskyi said that he would remain the president of Ukraine until victory in the war, and he was not yet ready to talk about future plans. Like, this indicates that Zelenskyi wants to use the war to stay in power as long as possible.

In fact, propagandists are manipulating a quote from an interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the Netflix project. They used a quote taken out of context to promote the narrative that the Ukrainian authorities benefit from the war in Ukraine.

In fact, according to Ukrainian law, elections are not held during martial law. That is, according to the law, Zelenskyi will remain the president of Ukraine until the end of the war. In turn, Russian propaganda adds its own unsubstantiated interpretation of the "motives" of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Thus, propaganda also “heats up” internal emotional discussions among Ukrainians regarding the assessment of the actions of Volodymyr Zelenskyi as president, further destabilizes the situation and shifts responsibility for the war from the Russian president to the Ukrainian one.

Russian resources have spread information that allegedly in Ukraine they predict the end of the rule of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. As proof, they cite the words of the former People's Deputy of the “Opposition platform - for life”, pro-Russian politician, collaborator, separatist Illia Kyva.

Allegedly, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be subordinate to NATO, and it is the United States on the territory of Ukraine that will plan attacks on Russia.

This is not the first time Russian propagandists have been spreading lies that Russia is not fighting against Ukraine, but with NATO, and that Zelenskyi does not make any decision, he is led by “third forces”. Disinformation has been regularly spreading on social networks lately that Ukrainians are massively protesting against Zelenskyi and against the fact that he refuses to negotiate with Russia on its terms. Like, if Zelenskyi remains in power and continues the war that the United States is fighting, this will lead to a direct provocation of the use of weapons of mass destruction. In fact, no one provokes Russia, and Putin demands to make concessions to him, blackmailing the world with nuclear weapons.

Such information is being disseminated on social networks. In particular, in the Georgian language segment of Facebook. Brazilian company Platinum Studio allegedly released a condom ad featuring a caricature of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, reports say.

Such messages are supplemented by a photo of the advertisement and the inscription: “Some people should not have been born”. However, this is fake. The Brazilian company did not run such advertisements featuring Zelenskyi, although it did produce cartoons of other politicians wrapped in a condom. In 2017-2019, Platinum Studio created caricatures of only three people: Volodymyr Putin, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un.

As analysts of the Myth Detector project write, there is no cartoon depicting Zelenskyi either on the company's pages or among the authors' works. Also, in the three original cartoons, both the clothes of the characters and their poses are different. Also, all three politicians are trying to get out of the condom and have angry facial expressions. In the cartoon with Zelenskyi, his pose and clothes are identical to the Trump’s, only the color of the tie has been changed.

This is not the first time Russian propaganda has been spreading fake cartoons of Zelenskyi. Thus, the propagandists want to demonstrate that the attitude towards Zelenskyi in the world is changing, because allegedly he is already portrayed not as a hero and a respectable president, but as a clown, they despise him, etc.

Russian propaganda media, including Pervyi kanal (Channel One), Russia Today, Vesti (News), Ukraina.ru, Izvestia (News reports), Arguments and Facts, FAN and others, have distributed a photo of a 3D graffiti caricature of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They wrote that this graffiti was made in Paris, and the authors of the picture posted on social networks with the following description: "Hello France, give me all your money!" and a response from supposedly France: "I'm sorry, but I don't care".

As the fact-checking project Myth detector found out, this picture is a fake. Investigators found out that the photo shows the exit from the Saint-Mande metro, next to it you can see the La Florangerie flower shop. The project asked its own employee to go and see if there was graffiti there: as of December 3, there was none there. The project also contacted a representative of the flower shop and he confirmed that the store has not had any graffiti at all lately.

The photo of the fake graffiti was posted on an Instagram account that only has two posts. The previous one is also a photo of graffiti with Zelenskyy allegedly made in Warsaw. Three fact-checking projects at once found out back in November that this was a fake and there was no such graffiti in Warsaw either. Such graffiti is part of the propaganda messages that allegedly the Ukrainian authorities “demand money” from the West in order to wage “a war that no one needs” or “get rich”. They also constantly try to send a message that “Ukraine, like a black hole, absorbs money and weapons”, that is, spends it on both without control. But propaganda efforts are in vain: the EU, the US and other partners continue to support Ukraine.

To downplay the successes of the Ukrainian air defense forces, anonymous telegram channels run by Russian intelligence spread the following message: "The President's office exaggerates the number of missiles launched by Russia". And therefore, "air defense successes" are also exaggerated. They also spread the fiction that the Office of the President itself gives orders to turn on air raid alerts in regions “which Russia did not intend to shell,” and then allegedly the authorities inform citizens that they shot down “non-existent” missiles.

This is an obvious lie since even the Russian military admits the massiveness of their own rocket attacks, and each time they rejoice at every report about the blackout of electricity, water and heat as a result of these missile strikes. Independent experts also regularly report on the number of missiles that Russia has fired at Ukraine, and also calculate how many missiles the aggressor state has left after each such shelling. In the days leading up to the strike, both foreign and Ukrainian experts also warned that Russia was stockpiling a large number of missiles and that at least 50 missiles were needed to basically break through the Ukrainian air defense system. By the beginning of November, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defense was from 60 to 80%. This time, about 60 out of 70 missiles were shot down during the shelling, the air defense reported. This fully confirms the message of the Ukrainian military about the ratio of downed missiles and those that hit the target.

Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels write about this. Like, Zelenskyi got scared and abandoned plans for the military de-occupation of Crimea. Allegedly, Zelenskyi was convinced that the Russian army would not leave Crimea just like that, and therefore "they should not waste time on forceful methods". Allegedly, Crimea should be de-occupied through diplomacy. Like, the "collective West" advised Ukraine to "more realistically" look at the de-occupation of Crimea. This is not true.

In fact, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, in an interview with the Financial Times, did not say anything about his intentions to refuse to return Crimea. Moreover, he noted that Ukraine will return all its territories. As long as the occupation of Ukrainian territories continues, there will be no peace in Ukraine. The president also noted that Russia is trying to force the Ukrainian authorities to make concessions due to systematic attacks on critical infrastructure and the energy system.

According to StopFake, the propagandists took out of context Zelenskyi's phrase that he would support the non-military de-occupation of Crimea, if any. Crimea, according to the President, should be de-occupied, and everything else is a waste of time.

Russian propagandists are shocked by how courageously and unbendingly all of Ukraine is going through the third day of blackout, as Ukrainians, instead of criticizing the authorities and blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi for all the troubles, share tips on social networks on how to survive in dark times and help each other.

In this regard, Russian anonymous telegram channels launched messages that the Ukrainian authorities allegedly record the growth of rebellious moods in society due to the blackout, but in order to muffle them, they convince people to be silent and endure. Like, the one who meekly accepts the lack of electricity, communications and water is the best patriot.

With such messages, propagandists want to incite Ukrainians to take to the streets and protest against the authorities, and not to be obedient. It seems that if they do not do this now, it will be even worse in winter, and only the Office of the President is to blame for everything.

A photo of the famous football player Lionel Messi is circulating on social networks. In the photo, he allegedly holds a piece of paper with the text "Zelenskyi idi ..." (Zelenskyi go..). In the comments, they write that at the opening of the World Cup, Messi voiced his opinion on Ukrainian refugees: “I'm tired of watching this meaningless war! Zelenskyi, take your people and kick them out of Europe, we know the truth!” It is not true.

According to the fact-checkers of the MythDetector project, the photo of Lionel Messi has been altered by software. In the original photo, taken in 2014, Messi was holding a piece of paper with "Fuerza Luca" words written on it, when he was encouraging a 9-year-old fan who was suffering from cancer. Also, in open sources there are no calls by Messi to Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Pro-Russian users of social networks, in particular Facebook, are spreading a cover photo of the allegedly satirical American magazine MAD, which depicts the Ukrainian and American presidents as Laocoon. Such reports claim that "the American satirical magazine MAD came out with the original cover". The composition depicted in the photo resembles the famous sculpture “Laocoon and His Sons”, however, instead of snakes, the figures of Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyi are wrapped in pipes, on which the flag of Russia is visible. At the same time, the right hand of the President of Ukraine is stretched up in such a way that it resembles a Nazi salute. The caption was added to the cartoon: "Of course, it was Biden, he just forgot about it". However, MAD magazine has never released an issue with this cover.

Messages of such content were shared by the Russian propaganda media. Like, “the head of the Ukrainian junta, Mr. Zelenskyi”, during the G20 demanded guarantees of food security for Ukraine. Like, Kyiv does not want to be responsible for the fact that there is not enough food in Ukraine, because, according to propagandists, it was necessary to immediately stop the export of grain across the country's borders if Ukraine does not have enough food. The reports added that Russia, in turn, would certainly help Ukraine with food, but only within those territories that it allegedly recognized as its own - in the temporarily occupied territories.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to the case. On November 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi spoke at the G20 summit and said that Ukraine had taken part in the World Food Security Program and launched the Grain from Ukraine initiative to help countries facing famine. He did not ask for help from Russia and did not declare a famine in Ukraine in 2022/2023. However, he mentioned the energy security plan, because Russia is methodically destroying the Ukrainian energy infrastructure before winter.

“You can see what the Russian terror is aimed at now. This is an attempt to turn the cold into a weapon. A weapon against millions of people”, Zelenskyi said. In fact, the fact that Ukraine could potentially have a problem with food is not the fault of the Ukrainian authorities or the West, but of Russia, which started a war on the territory of Ukraine, stole Ukrainian grain and vegetables from the temporarily occupied territories, and so on.

The problem due to the lack of Ukrainian grain may also arise in other countries, and Russia is also to blame for this. However, it is beneficial for Russia to promote the thesis that Zelenskyi and the leaders of the so-called Western countries are driving Ukraine and other states to a food crisis.

Like, it was they who with their policies brought people to troubles, because they do not care about the lives of ordinary Ukrainians and Europeans. From this angle, Russia is no longer an aggressor, but a savior of peoples, because it is ready to “help” and correct the mistakes of the leaders of other countries. This is a common tactic of propagandists: shifting responsibility for their actions to others.

Pro-Russian websites continue to write about the alleged conflict between the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. This time the propagandists used an article from the British daily newspaper Financial Times "We hit them with slingshots': Ukraine's iron general shows his mettle" to make their lies more convincing.

Like, in the publication "a lot of attention is paid to the issue of the conflict between Zaluzhnyi and Zelenskyi".

The Financial Times article dedicated to Valerii Zaluzhnyi describes Zaluzhnyi's qualities, his tactics and style, thanks to which the Ukrainian army so successfully liberated Kherson and the Kharkiv region, and was able to defend Kyiv. They also mentioned his biography, how the general reached his current role, and what experience he had before.

The publication has no facts about the conflict with President Zelenskyi, but only suggests anonymous sources that Zaluzhnyi was asked to bring down his level of publicity. At the same time, the article further states that the General himself does not attribute victory and success in battles with the Russian army to himself, and does not lose the opportunity to thank the soldiers for their contribution to the future victory.

A blurry video is circulating online showing a man dancing with a rocket launcher. Users in the comments write that this is allegedly Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the President of Ukraine, and add other emotional disapproving comments. In particular, they are ironic about the fact that in this way Zelenskyi is begging for weapons from Western partners. This video is fake.

The spread of the fake was noticed by Reuters fact-checkers. They determined that the video featured comedian Max "Komikadze" parodying the Ukrainian president.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes in relation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Thus, they are trying to discredit him in the eyes of Ukrainians and foreign partners. To do this, the propagandists wrote that Zelenskyi was using Chroma key to imitate his presence in Ukraine, while "in fact" he fled from Kyiv towards the border with Poland.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are distributing the cover of the alleged El Jueves magazine, in which foreign media allegedly continue to mock the President of Ukraine. It seems that this time the cover hints that Zelenskyi already made everyone “tired to the point of nausea”. This cover is fake.

Russian propaganda systematically uses fake satirical magazine covers to promote disinformation narratives and ridicule world leaders and the Ukrainian president.

Pro-Russian telegram channels write about this with reference to the representative of the Russian President Dmytro Pieskov. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi came to Kherson, although he knows that this is the “territory of Russia”.

In fact, the President of Ukraine visited de-occupied Kherson, which has always been and is part of Ukraine. Not only Ukraine, but the entire democratic world did not recognize the results of the illegal Russian pseudo-referenda, as well as Russia's decision to annex the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, contrary to all international legal norms.

Such theses began to spread in pro-Russian anonymous telegram channels after the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi categorically refused to go to negotiations with the President of Russia Volodymyr Putin with his ultimatums about capitulation and after Russian troops began to retreat from the Kherson region.

Allegedly, the Office of the President is trying to avoid freezing the conflict and is generally demanding a war so that Zelenskyi's rating remains high; all economic and financial problems can be hidden or attributed to the war so they may ask the West and the USA for more and more loans.

This is the message Russian propaganda is spreading to foreign audiences. Like, Zelensky will take this step, even if it destroys his country. Allegedly, Zelenskyi is a puppet of the United States, doing what Washington requires of him, he is “indifferent to everything”, he is a “genuinely mean character.”

A screenshot of the alleged cover of the weekly Ananda Vikatan featured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for the first time on a pro-Russian telegram channel in English called Donbass Devushka. The picture was further spread by Georgian, Russian and pro-Russian English-speaking users on social networks.

In the picture Zelenskyi is trying to cover the black swastika with an orange one, decorated with dots, to hide the connection with Nazism. The words are attributed to him in translation in Tamil: “Well, what kind of Nazis are we? We are just fans of Indian culture!”. This cover is fake.

Analysts of the Myth Detector project found that the covers of Ananda Vitakan mostly featured local celebrities, and in 2022 there was no cartoon on the covers of the magazine, Zelenskyi and Sunak did not appear on any of the covers.

The release date on the fake cover is October 31st. But the magazine is weekly and its last two issues were from November 02 and October 26.

Each magazine has its own issue number and an inscription under the name of the magazine in Tamil "edition No. ... in Tamil", and on the fake cover it says "special edition".

With this fake, Russian propagandists are trying to convey to a foreign audience that Ukrainians are supposedly hidden Nazis. The so-called denazification in Russia was used as an excuse to attack Ukraine.

In Russian telegram channels and social networks, a picture is being distributed that depicts 3D graffiti with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Allegedly, it was committed on one of the central streets of the Polish capital. The caption is added to the picture: “They found “a black hole” named after Zelenskyi in Warsaw”. This picture is fake.

To create a fake, they used an old photo for repairs at the intersection of Złota and John Paul II streets in Warsaw. According to Ukrinform, residents of the district have not seen such graffiti. Local authorities did not receive any signals from residents about its appearance. Ukrinform also received a photo with a real view of the intersection, taken on the evening of November 4.

The source of the fake was the telegram channel of the Russian TV channel. This image appeared there on November 3rd. Further, for distribution, they used a small telegram channel “11 lipca (July 11), which is in Polish. It was created on July 2, 2022, on the eve of the annual celebration in Poland of the anniversary of the Volyn tragedy on July 11. From there, the fake was spread by telegram channels of Russian propagandists. Also, the picture was distributed by pro-Russian Twitter users to the English-speaking audience.

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.

Such information is spread by pro-Russian anonymous telegrams. Allegedly, the declassification of passwords from Zaluzhnyi’s Instagram account is a continuation of the leak of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the Office of the President and personally by Andrii Yermak.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi's Instagram is not related to his professional activities, there are only children and family photos. Therefore, to call it the “Zaluzhnyi’s leak”, firstly, is incorrect.

Secondly, there is a war in Ukraine, the office of the president and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine work as a team, there are no misunderstandings between them. This was confirmed by Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Thirdly, Russian propagandists have been trying to qet Zelenskyi and Zaluzhnyi to “quarrel” almost since the beginning of the war. In August, the Security Service of Ukraine discovered a million bot farm that was spreading fakes about Zaluzhnyi's alleged conflict with the President's Office.

Russian resources wrote about this, distributing a video of a group of men with covered faces and weapons and a blue and yellow flag.

In the video, one of the men declares that he is in favor of "our homeland becoming truly independent from politicians who are destroying their population at the behest of the West". Allegedly, “the blood of the defenders of the fatherland is on their hands”, therefore, all representatives of the authorities, whose actions are directed against the interests of the citizens of Ukraine, must be killed.

Different media wrote a different source: some said that it appeared in the Western media, others claimed it appeared on the net.

StopFake did not find any such publication in reputable international media, except for posts on social networks and publications on the Reddit website. The source of the video was the Teoría del Heartland telegram channel which regularly spreads fake Russian propaganda. The statement of the author of the publication that the number of dissatisfied with “Zelenskyi’s anti-people policy” is allegedly growing among the military is also untrue as 82% of Ukrainians trust the President of Ukraine. Also, 51% of Ukrainians believe that things in the country are in the right direction. Before Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine this figure was half that.

Russian propagandists spread such fakes in order to persuade Ukrainians and foreigners to think that they need to meet Putin halfway and force Zelensky to capitulate. The blood of Ukrainian defenders is exclusively on the hands of Putin and Russia. And it is Russia that has to be punished for the war in Ukraine.

Such information is disseminated in Russian social networks and anonymous pro-Russian Telegram channels. In one of his speeches, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, allegedly stated that Ukraine is in a terrible financial situation and doesn't have even a cent. It is a fake. The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the message. In fact, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine still needs to receive funding under the Fast Recovery program and reminded us that the total budget of this project is 17.4 billion US dollars. As StopFake writes, Fast Recovery is a plan that provides for the prompt restoration of the social infrastructure of Ukraine destroyed by Russia.

Fact-checkers found out that the statement of Russian propaganda that "Kyiv doesn't have a single cent" is invalid. Because as of October 2022, Ukraine has received 127 billion euros in military, humanitarian, and financial aid. This amount is equal to 63% of Ukraine's GDP for 2021. It's stated in the reports of the Kiel Institute of World Economy. However, it's beneficial for Russian propaganda to create the appearance that Ukraine is bankrupt, with no money left, despite help from Western partners. Although, of course, in the conditions of war, Ukraine has financial problems, most of which were provoked by the aggressor's attack.

In social networks, the allegedly October cover of the German satirical magazine "Titanic" with a caricature of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the inscription "eternal appetite" is being circulated. It is a fake. Such a magazine cover doesn't exist. Titanic magazine editor-in-chief Julia Matheus confirmed to Reuters fact-checkers that the pictured cover isn't the official Titanic cover. It is also not available on the publication's website. The actual October 2022 cover features King Charles III of Great Britain with the text: "Colonial Crimes: How Germany Suffered Under the British Crown." The magazine was published on September 30. It isn't the first satirical magazine whose cover was used to create fakes about Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Previously, several fake covers of the French cartoon magazine "Charlie Hebdo" and the cover of the Spanish satirical magazine "El Jueves" were also distributed.

During October, propagandists promoted messages that Kyiv was allegedly preparing to use a "dirty bomb." Western partners regarded these messages as "unsuccessful blackmail and provocation." As the Center for Combating Disinformation writes, the Russians began to compare Zelenskyy with Osama bin Laden after not getting the desired result of their fake. He allegedly plans to use weapons of mass destruction against himself and his people. Russia again hasn't provided any evidence of preparation for the so-called "dirty bomb" in Ukraine.

Such information is distributed on social networks. Reports say that the French ambassador to Ukraine allegedly resigned and left Kyiv due to danger. The reports added that Etienne de Ponsins allegedly said that Zelenskyy had left Ukraine, and therefore any resistance was "futile and entailed colossal human casualties." However, it isn't true. Fact-checkers from StopFake drew attention to the fake. The French ambassador to Ukraine remains at his post in Kyiv. "A screenshot of the publication about his resignation and the statement that President Zelenskyy allegedly left Ukraine appeared on the fake Facebook page of RT Afrique. In the StopFake comment, Mr. Ambassador said that he didn't make such statements," the fact-checkers write.

Such messages are distributed in pro-Russian Telegram channels. Moreover, the photo of a still new book by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a transparent wrapper is attached to the messages. Stylistically, the book's cover resembles Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf." It is a fake.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's book with that title doesn't exist. The forgery is immediately indicated by two errors in the name of the Ukrainian president. This picture began to be widely distributed during the day. It is probably a reaction to the news about publishing a book with Volodymyr Zelenskyi's speeches in Great Britain. A reverse image search through Google indicates only publicly available photos of Volodymyr Zelenskyy from his office. Checking with photo analysis programs indicates that the image has been altered.

Russian propaganda tries in every possible way to discredit and ridicule the personality of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Previously, fake covers of several satirical magazines were used for the same purpose. They also wrote that Zelenskyy fled from Kyiv to the border with Poland, and to simulate his presence in Ukraine, he used chromakey.

Screenshots of the alleged magazine cover with Volodymyr Zelenskyy are being shared on social networks. In the posts, pro-Russian users claim that this disparaging picture allegedly refers to the missile attack on Kyiv on October 10. This cover is fake. According to the fact-checkers of the MythDetector project, the last issue of the magazine under number 2368 was published on October 11. It is dedicated to the history of Spain and has nothing to do with current events in Ukraine. In addition, the barcode on the cover of the viral image matches the number 2365 of "El Jueves," and the caricature on the cover of this issue is about electricity bills. Real magazine covers can be viewed on El Jueves' social media pages.

The magazine is usually published on Wednesdays, but the latest issue on the history of Spain was a particular issue and was published on Tuesday, October 11. Previously, Russian propaganda used fake covers of the French cartoon magazine "Charlie Hebdo" to create contempt for the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, told the American TV channel NBC about it. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is allegedly not independent and could sit at the negotiating table, provided that the USA and Great Britain understand this necessity.

Pro-Russian Telegram channels spread this information. Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly signed an application for accelerated accession to NATO, "calls" for a nuclear attack on Russia and thereby "gives Russia an excuse" for aggression. Instead, it is alleged that NATO again "makes it clear" to Ukrainians that Ukraine isn't a member of NATO and, therefore, won't support Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities supposedly understand that they are "playing with fire," but they allegedly "don't care" about the results of such "games."

In fact, pro-Russian propagandists began pushing this message again after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a resolution calling Russia a terrorist regime. The amendment was also included in the resolution calling for air defense systems to be provided to Ukraine.

After Russia's massive missile attacks on Ukraine on October 10-11, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that strengthening Ukraine's air defense would be NATO's top priority. Other Western partners also reported new arms deliveries to Ukraine.

By spreading such messages, Russian propagandists are trying to justify the war crimes of the Russian army and promote the narrative that Russia is alleged "only defending itself" or that "the West is provoking Russia to war in Ukraine."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov constantly spreads fakes and historical myths, for which President Putin even has to apologize. It was the case, for example, when Lavrov declared that "Hitler had Jewish blood." Lavrov once again spread a fake - that "Hitler united most of the countries of Europe" to attack the USSR, and now "the same group of countries, according to some variations, supports Ukraine."

Firstly, there was no unification of the majority of European countries on Hitler's side: Italy, Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria were the "Axis" countries - Germany's allies. Moreover, two countries, Slovakia and Croatia, were formed in 1939 and 1941, respectively, under the control of Hitler's Germany. However, Albania, Belgium, Great Britain, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Norway fought against Hitler, which was occupied. Still, the government in exile signed to join the anti-Hitler coalition. Therefore, on the contrary, most of the countries of Europe fought against Hitler. Similarly, now most European countries support Ukraine, and even Hungary and Serbia, which are formally considered allies of Russia in Europe, supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine and didn't recognize either the annexation of Crimea or attempts to "join" Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson region.

Such information was spread by well-known Russian propagandists. According to them, the offices of the Security Service of Ukraine and the President of Ukraine, as well as the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, are located on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv. Allegedly, that's where the Russian rockets hit. Propagandists confused the dome of the Kyiv city teacher's house with the dome of the Verkhovna Rada, which is located in another place.

It is profitable for propagandists to spread the thesis that they hit the target - in the premises of state authorities, to intimidate Ukrainians, allegedly, making the state unable to work.

In reality, Russian terrorists are fighting against peaceful residents and Ukrainian culture. In Kyiv, on Volodymyrska Street, Russian rockets damaged the Taras Shevchenko University, the Khanenko Museum, the Shevchenko Museum, the playground in Shevchenko Park, and residential buildings in the center of the capital. All authorities work and keep in touch with the citizens of Ukraine. In order not to panic, you need to listen to the advice of government authorities and trust information only from verified sources.

It was reported by the Russian media, in particular Readovka. After a massive rocket attack across Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly was evacuated to a secret bunker in the west of Ukraine, or even taken to the border with Poland. It is not true.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to perform his duties in Kyiv. His video address from Bankova is proof of this.

Russian propagandists publish messages about Zelenskyy's alleged escape to sow panic and chaos, to show that ordinary Ukrainians are allegedly left to their own devices, and there is no government in Kyiv. Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels published the same information on February 24. At the beginning of March, propagandists released a deepfake video online, in which Zelenskyy allegedly talked about the surrender of Donbas and offered to lay down arms.

In Ukrainian social networks, there are widespread reports that allegedly three years ago the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko was fired to "prevent him from applying for Ukraine's accession to NATO." The contributors claim that Zelenskyy deliberately did this "while Muzhenko was on his way to the summit", "so that he would not have the authority". The message became viral in the context of the public signing by the president of Ukraine's application to join NATO in an accelerated manner. This message is fake. The summit of the leaders of the member countries of the Alliance was indeed held in December 2019. However, Viktor Muzhenko could not be a participant, because he was dismissed from the post of Chief of the General Staff by the decree of the President of Ukraine № 301/2019 dated May 21, 2019. Therefore, he could neither represent the country at the summit nor submit any documents on its behalf.

Viktor Muzhenko confirmed in a StopFake comment that he was in Brussels in May 2019. At that time, a meeting of the NATO Military Committee was held, in particular in the Ukraine-NATO format (May 21). At this meeting, Muzhenko was supposed to represent Ukraine (AFU), but on the eve of the meeting, the Decree of the President of Ukraine was signed on his dismissal. By the decision of the Military Committee, Muzhenko was allowed to make a speech as a representative of Ukraine. There was no mention of an application to join NATO.

In January 2019, there was another meeting of the military leaders of the member countries of the Alliance, in which Muzhenko took part - the meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels. At that time, Petro Poroshenko was still the president of Ukraine. However, there was no discussion of applying to join NATO at this meeting either. Russian propaganda tries to devalue, ridicule, and discredit Ukraine's desire to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Russian media and anonymous Telegram channels actively reacted to the statement of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy about applying for accelerated accession to NATO with numerous fakes and manipulations.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels actively reacted to the statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi about filing an application for accelerated entry into the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO).

Earlier during the week, Russian propagandists claimed that in the event of a nuclear strike, Ukraine would not retaliate and NATO would not help it in any way. They promoted the message that Ukraine may want to join NATO, but no one will take it there. On September 30, after Putin's speech about the annexation of four regions of Ukraine to Russia and Zelenskyi's statement about joining NATO, the propaganda rhetoric changed dramatically. They presented Ukraine's accession to NATO as a fait accompli.

We have identified several main theses of propagandists.

The application to join NATO is Zelenskyi's pathos.

This opinion is shared by pro-Russian bloggers in telegrams. Like, all this was done so that NATO would give more weapons, since Ukraine fixed the direction. And are the national leaders of NATO member states ready to send their citizens to their deaths?

Ukraine enshrined in the Constitution the course towards the European Union and NATO back in February 2019, when the Verkhovna Rada voted for the relevant bill.

Also during the war, the number of Ukrainians supporting accession to the EU and NATO increased. In a referendum, this initiative would be supported by 76%, against - 10%, 12% would not vote. In March 2022, 68% supported joining the Alliance. This is evidenced by the results of the thirteenth nationwide survey in the conditions of war, conducted by the Sociological Group "Rating" on June 18-19, 2022.

In addition, the United States is realistic about the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO. So Zelenskyi's statement is fully justified and aimed at the result, not provocation or pathos.

This is the counter-message to Russia that it officially takes over four regions.

Like, Bankova interrupted the Kremlin's information about Moscow's victorious reports. Zelenskyi in his statement showed a clear plan for Ukraine - we will recapture all our territories and are ready for negotiations with Russia, but with a different president of Russia.

The statement about joining NATO was made with an eye to at least something in time to grab from the collapse of Ukraine if Kyiv crumbles.

In announcing his application for accession, Zelenskyi urged Western partners to implement Ukraine-prepared proposals for security guarantees set out in the Kyiv Security Treaty. There are no alternatives to security, the President said. Ukraine can stop Russia's aggression only with the help of Europe and the United States.

Zelenskyi’s statement resembles the move with the “acceptance” of Ukraine to the European Union, how much joy there was and everything eventually calmed down, but they filled out a questionnaire for candidacy for the EU.

US President Joe Biden said the US would help Ukraine regain its territories. In response to annexation attempts, the United States along with allies and partners is announcing new sanctions today.

Accession to NATO, as well as to the EU, is not a quick process, but on this path Ukraine is supported and met.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine is eligible to apply for membership, but the priority now is aid.

Ukraine's accession to NATO is dragging the United States into a war with Russia.

Putin has repeatedly threatened a nuclear attack on Ukraine. The US and the West understand that this is possible and that Putin needs to be stopped, so they support Ukraine and participate in this war with their help, although officially without their military on the territory of Ukraine.

"Bloody butchers go to the NATO trash can".

This thesis is spread by the Russian propaganda media. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi is asking for a tribunal for Russia, but a real tribunal should be for the Ukrainian Nazis who neglecting all the legal norms of war and peace for eight years stormed the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and killed adults and children.

According to the EU vs Disinfo project analysts, this is a recurring disinformation thesis of the pro-Kremlin media that the Nazi junta ruling in Ukraine is persecuting ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Ukrainians.

This statement was made to justify Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyi came up with the idea of ​​a special UN tribunal to punish Russia for war crimes in Ukraine. He stated this in a speech at the UN General Assembly.

“Punishment for torture and humiliation of women and men. Punishment for the catastrophic turbulence that Russia provoked with its illegal war, and not only for us Ukrainians, but for the whole world,” Zelenskyi said. “Why were you silent for eight years when you were killing children in Donbas?” - this phrase and its variations are today one of the most popular arguments of Russia's supporters. More details in the text of Yaroslav Zubchenko.

Such information is disseminated by Russian propaganda media, and the thesis is also circulated in anonymous telegram channels.

Reports say Western puppet Volodymyr Zelenskyi is using Ukrainians in his fake political campaign, and there are alleged similarities between South Africa's apartheid regime and Zelensky's.

Like, they have the same sponsors and the same tactics: they tend to separate people by ethnicity. In such reports, they add that the "peoples" of Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions have the right to self-determination, because "human rights are not only for Americans".

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to the message on the network. According to them, such misinformation fuels the ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative that Ukraine discriminates against Russians living on its territory and that the legitimate government of Kyiv is a puppet in the hands of the West.

However, Ukraine is a sovereign state. Only Russia denies its sovereignty and existence, declaring that Ukrainians and Russians are one people.

Also in Ukraine, Russians are not discriminated against on the principle of apartheid. In Kyiv, they adopted the Law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language without discrimination of any languages. Russian and other minority languages ​​can be freely used in private communication, religious ceremonies, book publishing, the media and education. Ukraine is not a Russophobic, anti-Russian country. Relations between the countries escalated after the occupation by Russia in 2014. In addition, the fake referendums that Russia held in September 2022 have nothing to do with the right to self-determination, human rights and the rule of law.

Allegedly, a screenshot of an article by the German edition of the Berliner Zeitung with this title is being circulated on social networks. Like, the funds received should be used to raise morale and “expel Russians from Donbas”. It is not true.

As the fact-checkers of the German Correctiv project have established, there has never been an article with such a heading either in the Berliner Zeitung or in any other publication. The image circulating on social media is actually modified by a screenshot of the article “Zelenskyi calls for a ban on international travel for Russians”, published in a German edition on August 8. The screenshot of the original article and the fake image differ in the title and brief description, the rest of the data - date and time of publication, source, illustrations and key quote are the same.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes to discredit the Ukrainian president both in Ukraine and in the international arena. Recently, fake covers of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo were distributed for this purpose. Russian propaganda is also trying to convince that Zelenskyi is an illegitimate president.

The picture is distributed in anonymous pro-Russian telegram channels with the caption that supposedly Volodymyr Zelenskyi the dog has taken roots in the West. This cover is fake.

Propagandists once again used the Charlie Hebdo cartoon magazine for fake news. The death of the British Queen Elizabeth II was not neglected either. Volodymyr Zelenskyi was again portrayed as a dog, who painted the inscription on the pedestal for the coffin, changing the word queen to “queer”.

The fake issue is dated September 19, but there is no such magazine on the website in the Charlie Hebdo archive. There is no such illustration in the drawing section. It is not known who the author of this cartoon is, but it has nothing to do with Charlie Hebdo magazine.

This is not the first time propagandists have used a fake cover. Previously, fake covers were distributed with Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the form of a dog with Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron.

The cover of a cartoon magazine, in which French President Emmanuel Macron allegedly disperses protesters with water, and they swim with pleasure, were used by anonymous telegram channels for manipulation. They say that supposedly the Western authorities are driving people into antisocial conditions, so discontent will quickly develop into protests. Also, allegedly abroad, Zelenskyi is perceived as a dog, which is used to cover up his crimes. However, no such cover exists.

The fake issue is dated August 29, but there is no such magazine on the website in the Charlie Hebdo archive. There is no such illustration in the drawing section. It is not known who the author of this cartoon is, but it has nothing to do with Charlie Hebdo magazine.

This is not the first time propagandists have used a fake cover. Previously, a fake cover was distributed in which the UK “spits out” Borys Johnson, and Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the form of a dog with the torn off arm of the “Azov” defender.

This is what social media users write about. Like, the presidential couple in a country where war is going on should have more important things to do than meetings with public figures, attending concerts, and photo shoots. Apparently, all this is just PR for the president and his wife. It does not.

Fact-checkers of the Logically project write that the statement about a "staged" war is the personal opinion of individual social network users, so it cannot be used to generalize public opinion.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz shot Elena Zelenska for the cover and feature story of the October issue of Vogue magazine. In the interview, the first lady talks about "women's voices of war that also need to be heard". Communication of the presidential couple with foreign celebrities and their interviews for foreign media is an important component of Ukraine's support in the global information space.

People write about it on social networks and share a photo of a supposedly new Ukrainian stamp, which shows portraits of Zelensky, Khrushchev, Bandera, and Petliura carved from stone on Mount Rushmore. It is not true.

Russian propaganda has been spreading the narrative that Ukraine's leadership is allegedly illegitimate for many years. Since 2014, he has been referring to President Petro Poroshenko. Still, after the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, propagandists also claim that Volodymyr Zelensky is not the "real" president either. The last time this message was spread was by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Serhii Lavrov, in an interview with the propagandist Margarita Simonyan. "Putin told Macron: your Zelensky is the product of a coup d'état."

It is a lie. After the Revolution of Dignity of 2014, free, democratic elections have already been held in Ukraine twice - in 2014, the compliance of which was recognized by the whole world with all the norms of legislation and procedures, and in 2019 - when Volodymyr Zelensky became president, through the same elections recognized by the world. Russia itself recognized these elections as legitimate both times.

At the same time, in the Russian Federation itself, every election is the result of large-scale manipulations and violations of democratic procedures - unlike in Russia, in Ukraine, there are always representatives of the opposition at the polls, and in one case, it was the opposition candidate who became the next president.

Russian propaganda constantly uses distortions of historical facts to prove that they "have the right to Ukraine" and other countries of the former Soviet Union. But, according to their twisted logic, Putin himself is not a legitimate president: unlike Ukraine, there really was a coup in Russia in 1991, which resulted in the election of Boris Yeltsin and the subsequent coming to power of his successor, Volodymyr Putin.

The cover of the cartoon magazine, on which Great Britain "spits out" Boris Johnson and Zelensky, was used by anonymous Telegram channels for numerous manipulations. However, such a cover does not exist.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project refuted the information. The fake cover of the magazine states that the issue was published on July 9, 2022. The Charlie Hebdo website has an archive of all magazine covers. The cover with the caricature, which Facebook users share, is not on this page. In the section with pictures published in the magazine and on the official Twitter account, there is also no cartoon with Johnson and Zelensky. It is unknown who the author of this caricature is, but it has nothing to do with the magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Cartoons allegedly published in foreign magazines are used by Russian propaganda to ridicule and devalue partnership relations between Ukraine and foreign countries.

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.

Publications are circulating online that the British allegedly condemned Volodymyr Zelensky's "inappropriate" performance at the Glastonbury music festival and "complained about being tired" of him. It is not true.

The publication summarized the opinion of all UK residents, using one user's comment on the Daily Mail article. It talks about Zelensky's speech at the festival and a call to spread the truth about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and help Ukrainian refugees. After Zelensky's address, the audience supported the president with applause. Russian media chose one comment for manipulation. According to VoxCheck fact-checkers, it is unknown whether its author was a participant in the festival and whether he is a citizen of Great Britain because anyone can leave a comment on the site. In addition to the above, there are other negative comments about Zelensky's speech, but they are not enough to objectively assess the level of support for Ukraine in Great Britain.

Russian propaganda systematically uses messages about the "fatigue" of foreign citizens from Ukrainians to discredit international partnerships and aid Ukraine. This technique was also used to generalize the "negative attitude" towards Ukrainians among the French, Germans, Poles, etc.

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.

A fake image of an alleged cover of Money magazine with Volodymyr Zelensky, on which the Ukrainian president was supposedly called the "King of Western Corruption" and accused of "laundering the dollars of American taxpayers," is being circulated on social networks among foreign audiences. In the fake image, Zelensky sits on a horse made of 100-dollar bills.

Reuters Fact Check reported that it was a photoshop of a 2016 cover featuring comedian John Oliver. A representative of Money also confirmed to fact-checkers that the magazine never published this cover with Zelensky on the website or social networks. Moreover, since 2019, Money has not posted a printed edition. 

Information about this is disseminated in pro-Russian telegram channels. The reports say that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, allegedly ordered to hand over Avdiivka to the occupiers and ordered the living soldiers. They remained there to be declared missing. However, this is not true. There is no such presidential decree. "Avdiivka is Ukraine. It was, is, and will be ours!" This information is an insignificant, clumsy fake. They are cynically trying to destroy us. We are heroically resisting. Victory is ours because it has long been known who will come to us with a sword, die by the sword, " wrote the head of the Avdiivka city military-civil administration Vitaliy Barabash.

A pro-Russian resource published photos of documents allegedly belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which reportedly "surrendered to Russia." Borova village council reported that one of the photos showed a resident of their community who does not serve in the Armed Forces and at the time of the occupation was in the village and working at one of the local farms. "The occupiers came to him and took him away, but the boy returned home three days later. Therefore, we can assume that other photos of the documents from this post were obtained similarly and have nothing to do with reality, " the Borova village council said.

The network is spreading a fake about the "order" to remove bayraktars from the hotspots of the front. A document with "Head of the President's Office" is attached to such posts. This document is allegedly a scan of a letter from the President's Office to Valeriy Zaluzhny. However, the fake authors broke through and indicated his position incorrectly, calling him the Chief of the General Staff, not the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Instead, the Chief of the General Staff in Ukraine is Lieutenant General Serhiy Shaptala.