Detector Media has prepared a selection of messages about Russia's strike on the center of Chernihiv, which Russian propaganda has been distributing since August 19.

On August 19, the Russian army hit the center of Chernihiv. At the time of the strike on the drama theater, the building was hosting an announced drone exhibition. As a result of the attack by the Russians, 7 people were killed, 144 people, including 15 children, were injured  as a result of a strike on the center of Chernihiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in a video message. On August 21, the chairman of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, Viacheslav Chaus, wrote in his telegram channel that the liquidation of the consequences of the Russian missile attack continues, and damage to 10 administrative and 66 residential premises (53 were examined) has been established to date.

Russia reacted to the missile attack on Chernihiv with a number of messages. The authors of the telegram channel of the Digital Army of Russia gave instructions to subscribers from Russia on how they should comment on messages in Ukrainian telegram channels. We have highlighted some of them.

All air defense systems were installed in Kyiv, so Chernihiv and other cities of Ukraine are unprotected.

“Who is going to defend our cities or is it not a pity for the periphery?”, “When will air defense begin to protect not only Kyiv? (...) Our people are dying while you bitches are robbing us”, such messages were supposed to be sent out by the Russian Digital Army troops.

This is not the first time propagandists have been spreading this message. The message that all air defense systems exclusively protect the capital of Ukraine is promoted from time to time in the telegram channels of the Mykolaiv, Odesa and Kharkiv regions. Allegedly for the authorities there are “more strategically important” cities that are better protected. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to intimidate Ukrainians, cause distrust in the authorities and split society. However, this statement is incorrect.

Earlier, the speaker of the Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, denied the message that the entire air defense was installed in Kyiv: “The capital is attacked most often, so this city obviously needs more protection”. He also added about “the eastern and northern regions – there is also a very serious vector of work and air defense is also working there. Therefore, we distribute our forces where it is most needed”.

Authorities talk about successful counteroffensive while civilians die.

“The authorities have no time to protect us from shelling, they need to draw counteroffensive maps”, is another message that Russians should promote in the Ukrainian segment of social networks after the shelling of Chernihiv.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to convince Ukrainians that the counteroffensive is unsuccessful - that is why the authorities come up with victories on the battlefield, and besides that, to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and create a false impression of Russia's advantage.

Only a stupid person could hold a drone exhibition 30 km from Russia.

According to the co-organizer of the drone exhibition, volunteer Mariia Berlinska, “the announcement that there would be an event was in the public domain. But the specific location was reported only to registered verified participants (!) a few hours before the event”.

The responsibility for the missile attack on the center of Chernihiv lies solely with the Russian army. As reported in the Office of the Prosecutor General, they are identifying the people who made the decision on the missile strike and delivered it. Also, all the circumstances related to the organization of the exhibition in the drama theater are being studied, and the version of the strike by Russian agents on the territory of Ukraine is being worked out separately.

The shelling in Chernihiv occurred due to the fact that competitors wanted to let down the curator of the exhibition Mykhailo Fedorov.

“The exhibition was supervised by Mykhailo Fedorov (not the last person in the Information and Psychological Operations Center, by the way), who is now a candidate to replace Prime Minister Shmyhal. Competitors could try to let him down. Now Fedorov has questions from people from the SBU, and the post of prime minister will not be there for him in the near future. This is a move quite in the spirit of the Ukrainian “snakes”, it is another message promoted by Russian propaganda.

So far, the curator of the exhibition, Mykhailo Fedorov, was being framed by competitors - a conspiracy theory by Russian propagandists. Ukrainian law enforcement officers did not voice such a version and are not considering it.

Rocket attack on Chernihiv is a staging.

“The Chernihiv theater is still completely intact, and the man is walking, smiling, supposedly covered in blood. What was it?”, “The place of arrival suddenly became possible to shoot, although usually the Ukrainian state punishes it very severely for this. A large number of photos and videos suggests that this was done on purpose so that the frames were taken away by all the media, the woman herself holds the bag at ease)”, such messages are  promoted by Russian propaganda.

The speaker of the Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, stated that it was impossible to photograph the wreckage of missiles falling after being sold by air defense forces, because the enemy understands what type of weapon they worked out in one place or another. However, the recording of Russia's war crimes is necessary for the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The Office of the Prosecutor General, together with Ukrainian and international partners, created a special resource War Crimes to properly document war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Russian army in Ukraine. Damaging or destroying civilian infrastructure, destroying cultural and educational institutions, injuring or killing civilians are war crimes that need to be recorded.

Also, Russian propaganda calls the crimes against peaceful Ukrainians a staging. By using this term, propagandists want to cover up their terrorist activities and absolve themselves of responsibility.

The strike was not done by Iskander.

“In this case, the roof of the drama theater was damaged. Usually, Iskander demolishes the building to the foundation”, this is the message the Russians are promoting as well.

Yurii Belousov, head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Conditions of Armed Conflict of the Office of the Prosecutor General, said on the air of United News that Russian troops hit the drama theater in the center of Chernihiv with an Iskander-M ballistic missile configured to detonate in the air, and not inside.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to remove the responsibility for the crime committed from itself to the victim.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, after the August 11 Russian attack on Ukrainian cities, began to disseminate information about “precision” strikes. They refer to the words of the speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat, who allegedly stated about the “accurate attack” of the Russian occupiers “only on the military infrastructure of Ukraine”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Russian propaganda took the words of Yurii Ihnat out of context. He commented to the Ukrainian media on the attack of Russian Kinzhal missiles on Ukraine on August 11 and said that the target was the airfield in Ivano-Frankivsk and Ukrainian pilots, who were soon to go for aerobatic training, in particular, on the F-16. On that day, the Russians killed a small child and wounded civilians. Ihnat clarified: “This is another attack by terrorists with X-47 missiles, which, as the Russians write, “fly right on target”. Today a child died, and one of the missiles hit the housing sector”.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian army and convince the whole world that Russia strikes exclusively at military targets, and the civilian population does not suffer. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Russia strikes only Ukrainian military facilities and never attacks temples and cultural sites.

Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, spread information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly have serious fears that Russia will once again launch an offensive against Kyiv. This was announced by the commander of the combined forces of the Ukrainian troops, Lieutenant-General Serhii Naiev. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In fact, Serhii Naiev did not speak of “fear” about such a development. On the contrary, in his interview with RBC-Ukraine, which was published on August 14, 2023, he noted that at the moment in this direction “there are no signs that the enemy is preparing for a ground offensive operation”. He also added that the likelihood of a second attack on Kyiv “now is not supported by the forces and means” of the enemy.

By spreading a fake about fears of a second offensive by the Russian military on Kyiv, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the top military leadership of Ukraine and sow panic and discouragement among Ukrainians. Earlier, we refuted the fake that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted that “the publicized counteroffensive does not bring the expected results”.

On the American segment of Facebook, Instagram and social network X, formerly known as Twitter, low-quality clips are being distributed over a Sky News broadcast showing footage of the operation to clear the rubble of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, with the caption: “It's all a movie”. Social media users point out that the destruction of the cathedral is staged, pointing to two women carrying heavy stones too lightly as evidence. The video seems to show how “fake props are being used to show a war-torn Ukraine”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by media fact-checkers Reuters. This video is not a performance. In the original high quality broadcast of Sky News and footage from Rudaw Media Network, the Savior Transfiguration Cathedral was damaged during a Russian missile strike on July 23, 2023. As a result of the assault, the floor was covered with rubble, and pieces tore off the decorative walls. And two women, the footage of which is shown by propagandists, help to eliminate the consequences of a missile strike and carry stones or concrete. Moreover, in an email to Reuters, the Odesa diocese of the UOC said that during the restoration work in the cathedral in 2002-2010, light modern materials were used.

“In particular, decorative elements made of expanded polystyrene etc, which are light in weight and have the necessary structural strength, have been lightened”, the diocese said. "The women in the video are carrying one of these elements."

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Ukraine, which is allegedly staging to accuse Russia of crimes. So propagandists want to hide their terrorist actions and remove responsibility. Earlier, Detector Media described how Russia uses newspeak, in particular the word “staging”, to blur reality.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the Russians carry out precision strikes exclusively on Ukrainian military installations, and do not attack social infrastructure and religious buildings. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. The UNESCO international organization cites the following figures: as of July 20, 2023, experts have documented 270 cultural sites (temples, museums, historical buildings, monuments, libraries and archives) in Ukraine that suffered at the hands of the Russians. And the Institute for Religious Freedom said it had recorded the destruction, damage, or looting of at least 494 religious buildings.

On the night of July 23, as a result of Russian missile strikes on Odesa, the Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral and 2 architectural monuments were damaged and 6 residential buildings were destroyed.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to whitewash Russia, which is attacking Ukrainian cities. They say that their goal is exclusively military facilities, and the Russians allegedly do not commit war crimes against Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukrainian officials allegedly pass off military facilities as civilian ones.

On August 1, 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that an attack by drones allegedly launched by Ukraine against the Serhii Kotov and Vasylii Bykov patrol ships had been repulsed. They say that allegedly Ukrainian drones attacked them in the Black Sea. It's fake.

On August 2, 2023, the speaker of the Navy forces Dmytro Pletenchuk on the air of Radio Svoboda (Liberty) announced that the Ukrainian naval forces were not involved in the alleged attack on Russian ships. Firstly, such drones are not in service with the Navy. Secondly, regarding the incident that allegedly took place ... the naval forces have nothing to do with it”, Pletenchuk noted. The ship “Serhei Kotov” performs the “task of controlling shipping”, which may mean its involvement in the blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Ukraine in order to reduce Western support. They are also systematically trying to shift responsibility for the crimes of Russians in Ukraine in matters related to the export of grain. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that the Russians are destroying hangars not with grain, but with Ukrainian equipment.