Against the backdrop of the end of the grain harvest, Russian media began to spread information that this season in European countries there is allegedly a catastrophic grain crop failure due to “anti-Russian sanctions”. Propagandists also write that against the backdrop of hunger in Europe, Russia has become the guarantor of food security for the EU.

In fact, Russian propaganda simply manipulates data and spreads disinformation. This is reported in the StopFake project. This year, the world, and Russia in particular, has seen a drop in grain yields. However, this is due to unfavorable weather conditions at the beginning of the sowing season, and not the EU sanctions policy. A very rainy spring and summer caused delays in harvesting and negatively affected wheat growth in Western Europe, while Central and Eastern Europe suffered from a lack of moisture, which also affected grain filling. According to data from the European Commission published at the end of September 2024, due to unfavorable weather conditions, the total volume of grain production in the EU is projected at 269.9 million tons. This is only 3.9% below the average for the past 5 years.

However, in Russia, according to the October report of the US Department of Agriculture, wheat production fell by 10% compared to the previous season. Russian propaganda deliberately does not provide data on Russian grain, taking into account only the decline in yields in European countries, although Russia itself suffered due to weather conditions at the beginning of the year. In the end, the Russians deliberately keep silent about the fact that Russia is not the only one among the three leading grain exporters in the world. The EU and Ukraine are also among the world's largest producers and exporters of agricultural products. They play an important role in the supply of oilseeds and grain crops to the world market.

It should also be noted that Russia steals Ukrainian grain from the occupied territories and sells it. Thus, the British newspaper Financial Times published an investigation back in 2022, where it showed, using the example of one vessel, how Russia trades Ukrainian grain stolen from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Previously, we analyzed the Russian fake, which claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were deliberately shelling fields in the Kherson region to destroy the harvest.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Serhii Lavrov repeated a set of typical Kremlin talking points aimed at discrediting the West, the EU and justifying Russian aggression. His speech was yet another attempt to spread disinformation on the international stage, blaming the West for all the world's problems. The EUvsDisInfo project compiled a selection of the main messages from it.

Lavrov has tried to shift responsibility for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to the West, in particular through the myth of “NATO expansion”. This disinformation is a classic example of Russia repeating false claims over and over again in order to make them more believable. The Kremlin claims that the West provokes Russia when independent countries, including Ukraine, exercise their right to choose their own foreign policy and join NATO.

Russia also manipulates the principle of self-determination, claiming that residents of temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine allegedly “chose” to become part of Russia. This claim is used to justify aggression against Ukraine, although in reality Russia violates the rights of Ukrainians and forcibly annexes their territories, particularly in Crimea and the east.

One of Russia’s main tools is to promote the message of a “neo-Nazi regime” in Kyiv that allegedly threatened residents of the occupied territories. Such statements are aimed at justifying aggression and shifting the focus to Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine. This myth is used to discredit Western support for Ukraine and to portray Russia as a “defender” of the supposedly oppressed.

Russia is trying to shift responsibility for its actions to the West, claiming that Ukraine was preparing to attack the east and Crimea with the support of Western countries. In this way, the Kremlin justifies its invasion as a preventive action. Accusations against NATO, the US and the EU are intended to sow mistrust in these countries and split international support for Ukraine. Russia spreads myths about the West’s “neo-colonialist practices” in an attempt to gain support among countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Russian disinformation is aimed at creating a false picture of the conflict on the international stage, presenting Russia as a victim of aggressive actions by the West and Ukraine.

Conspiracy theories are an important tool of Russian propaganda, especially when it is necessary to discredit or undermine trust in international organizations such as the European Union (EU). The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council explained this using the example of the spread of conspiracy theories regarding the new composition of the European Commission, in particular messages aimed at discrediting EU institutions and their officials.

Russian propaganda actively uses the idea of an “inevitable crisis” as one of the main means of manipulating public opinion. In this case, the main message is that the new composition of the European Commission will allegedly lead to a “deep political and economic crisis in European countries”. Forecasts of such crises without specific facts or evidence are typical of conspiracy theories, since they easily cause fear and anxiety among the audience.

One of the main targets of this disinformation campaign is the new EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. Propagandists create conspiracy theories about abuses in the accession process of new countries to the EU, which undermines confidence in the EU enlargement process and causes fear among the population of EU member states. Using a specific person as a target is a typical strategy to divert attention from real problems and create an artificial enemy.

Another manipulation is the use of the new European Commissioner for Defense to promote the thesis of the transformation of the EU into a military-political bloc. This element corresponds to a typical conspiracy theory template, when changes in organizations are interpreted as part of a large and hidden plan that is aggressive or hostile in nature. In this way, Russian propaganda spreads fears among Europeans about a possible direct military conflict between the EU and Russia.

Another key element of propaganda is the manipulation of the topic of budgetary flows distribution in the EU. This is done to undermine trust between EU member states by speculating on issues of fairness and honesty of resource distribution. This approach contributes to the growth of tensions and conflicts within the European Union.

The main goal of the campaign is to provoke internal divisions within the EU. This is done by discrediting European institutions through the dissemination of conspiracy theories that question the legitimacy and fairness of EU processes. Russian propaganda also tries to hinder support for Ukraine’s struggle for independence and economic stability by weakening international ties through disinformation.

Conspiracy theories used by Russian propagandists are a complex mixture of catastrophic predictions, manipulation of facts and intimidation aimed at weakening European unity. These methods help Russia not only to spread disinformation, but also to create mistrust in the processes of integration and cooperation between European countries, which in the long term could have a destructive impact on the EU and its policy towards Ukraine.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that Ukrainians will be forced out of the countries of the European Union and sent to fight. In reporting this, propagandists refer to an allegedly corresponding statement by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on the air of the Polish radio RMF24.

In fact, Sikorsky's words were manipulated. He stated that conversations about the extradition to Ukraine of those evading their duty to serve are being conducted at the level of the European Union. Thus, it is not about all Ukrainian refugees, but about men of military age who are evading military service. In addition, no decision has been made on them, at least not yet, because this issue is still debatable.

The Polish Foreign Minister also stated that “it is possible to set such conditions for the stay of Ukrainians in the EU that will encourage them to fulfill their responsibilities to protect the Motherland”. However, it was not said here that all Ukrainian refugees would be sent to war as Sikorski spoke exclusively about men liable for military service.

With this stuffing, propagandists seek to fuel the narrative about the alleged “war until the last Ukrainian”. Previously, we analyzed such fakes and manipulations. For example, they recorded lies about the alleged mobilization of all childless Ukrainian women and about the alleged call for entire families to mobilize into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On the eve of the NATO summit in Washington, pro-Kremlin media disseminated an alleged statement by Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said that “no one gave guarantees for Ukraine’s entry into NATO”. The Secretary General also allegedly called China the main organizer of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Propagandists claimed that Stoltenberg’s statements were allegedly made in an interview he recently gave to the American television channel CBS.

However, in fact, Stoltenberg’s words were manipulated, distorting the context of what was said,  the StopFake project wrote.

As for the accusations of the alleged lack of promises to admit Ukraine to NATO, it is important to understand the context. Stoltenberg actually answered the journalist’s question: “Why such a long period for Ukraine’s accession, you talked about a 10-year period, why exactly 10 years, and not one, two or three years, because they were faced with war?” To which the Secretary General said: “Well, no one talked about 10 years, but it is obvious that this is a very serious issue for Ukraine. Because Ukraine is in a state of war. Ukraine was attacked by Russia. Therefore, the most important thing we must do is strengthen our support for Ukraine to ensure its victory. This is a precondition for any future membership of Ukraine”. That is, Stoltenberg did not say anything about the absence of guarantees for Ukraine to join NATO; the statement was invented by propagandists. He spoke about the absence of a clear time frame for Ukraine’s entry into the alliance, and that now the support of Ukraine in the war with Russia is more important.

As for China, Stoltenberg called the country “the main enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine”, rather than its organizer: “The war in Ukraine demonstrates how closely connected Russia and China, North Korea and Iran are. China is the main leader of Russian military aggression against Ukraine. President Xi and President Putin all want NATO and the United States to fail in Ukraine”.

Russia is trying to counteract Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration by spreading disinformation about Ukraine's accession to NATO. As for China, by manipulating information, Russian propaganda seeks to antagonize NATO and Beijing for its own benefit.

Propagandists are spreading a “news” story on social networks, which claims that Denmark allegedly refused to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft due to their “learning disabilities”. The 42-second video is edited in the format of a news story with the channel name NewsFlash and the caption “Planes don’t fly”. At the top of the video it says live, which should indicate a live broadcast. However, this is manipulation.

StopFake project specialists tried to determine whether the NewsFlash news channel really exists. Several accounts with this name were found on YouTube, but none of them distributed this video. The earliest version of this story can be found on the Moscow Never Lies YouTube channel dated June 25, 2024. The page notes that this is “Russian satirical news No. 1 from Dmytro Medviediev and Pieskov on Telegram!” There are also numerous videos labeled “NewsFlash”. Although the video was likely originated by a satirical channel, the story was widely disseminated among pro-Russian Telegram channels, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook users.

Analysis of the plot showed that it consists of different videos. For example, for a comment allegedly belonging to a NATO general, declaring the degree of “training” of the Ukrainian military, a video was used by the Ukrainian Mission to NATO, published on May 1, 2024 on its official Facebook page. The video shows a Ukrainian military pilot nicknamed “Moonfish”. The soldier is currently training on the F-16 in the UK.

Also featured in the fake video is General Jan Dam, commander of the Royal Danish Air Force, allegedly declaring the “fall” of all F-16 aircraft in the simulator. In the real video from which this fragment is taken, the Danish general talks about the advantages of the F-16 for Ukraine.

It is the statement that Denmark refused to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 due to their “inability to learn” that is not true. On June 24, Danish Defense Minister Trols Lund Poulsen, during a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart Bern Arild Gramm, said that by the end of 2024 Denmark would stop training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft. However, the training is being stopped due to Denmark's transition to more modern F-35 fighters, which will use Skrydstrup Air Base, where Ukrainian pilots are trained. The Danish Minister of Defense also noted that the country will be able to facilitate the training of Ukrainian pilots in other countries.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and stop the supply of weapons from Ukraine’s allies. They say that the Ukrainian military is not capable of controlling Western weapons, which means there is no point in transferring them.

Russian propagandists are disseminating information about the termination of funding for the Rail Baltica project by the European Union. They sarcastically suggest that the EU ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi for money, arguing that the EU is refusing to finance the project and is demanding the return of invested funds due to excessive assistance to Ukraine. However, this is fake.

Rail Baltica is a railway transport infrastructure project aimed at integrating the Baltic countries into the European railway network. Financial assistance and funding for this project are not related to each other. Rail Baltica's funding source is the Connecting Europe Facility, which supports the development of trans-European networks in the fields of transport, energy and digital services.

In reality, the EU does not stop funding. The current funding period will end in 2027, and the next one will begin in 2028. Therefore, the Baltic countries face two challenges: 1 year without EU funding and the unknown amount that will be allocated in the next funding period. The EU recommends that the Baltic countries seek additional sources of funding, but this does not preclude continuing to allocate funds for the project.

The idea of building Rail Baltica was put forward back in 1991. However, Russian propagandists claim that building the infrastructure became necessary after the closure of communications with Russia, which made the Baltic railways unprofitable. Another reason for the parasitism of Russian propaganda is the increase in the estimated cost of the project by four times and the extension of the construction period until 2030. This is precisely the reason for the cessation of EU funding for Rail Baltica.

Russian propagandists are spreading fake news about Rail Baltica for several reasons. Firstly, it helps them support the idea that reduced ties with Russia are harmful to Europe. Secondly, it contributes to the creation of an image of Ukraine as a problem for the EU. They say that by helping her, the Union neglects its own interests. Third, such propaganda creates the impression that the EU's priority goal is to dominate Russia and, accordingly, it demonizes the EU.

Russian media are disseminating information with reference to the Finnish news service Yle that the overwhelming majority of candidates for members of the European Parliament do not agree to accept Ukraine into the European Union.

“MEPs do not want to see Ukraine in the European Union, but they promised, as well as Moldova”, some netizens comment on the news.

On June 2, the Finnish news service Yle published the results of its survey, which it conducted in the run-up to the European Parliament elections. However, the data distributed online is significantly distorted.

This study does not say that the vast majority of candidates for the European Parliament do not agree to accept Ukraine into the European Union. In fact, the survey concerned the conditions under which Ukraine should gain membership in the European Union. Thus, according to a Yle survey, more than 80% of candidates for the European Parliament believe that Ukraine should not be admitted to the EU without meeting all conditions - that is, the question is not about whether it is worth admitting Ukraine into the union at all, but about whether it is necessary to provide Kyiv with exclusive conditions for EU membership

European Parliament member Mick Wallace expressed disappointment that, in his opinion, Europeans in Ukraine bought more land than Russian troops captured in the east of the country. He accused the West of turning Ukraine into a colony, pointing to reform of land laws that allowed foreigners to purchase agricultural land. His statement was quickly picked up by the Russians. However, the facts show that the information is false.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this fake. They note that the Law on the Land Market in Ukraine was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on March 31, 2020, but according to it, foreigners do not have the right to buy agricultural land. This is confirmed by Serhii Datsiv, senior lawyer at Integrites. He noted that the lifting of restrictions could become the subject of an all-Ukrainian referendum. It is now impossible to predict when this will happen due to the martial law in the country.

During the two years of operation of the land market from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2023, Ukraine sold only 1% of agricultural land that was previously under a moratorium on sales. According to the Geodetic Service of Ukraine, as of May 2024, 307,966 land plots with a total area of 677,982 hectares were sold.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Ukraine among Western partners and create distrust of the government’s actions among Ukrainians. They say that there is almost no country left because all its land was sold off.

Propagandists spread information in the media that ordinary Britons are allegedly frightened by the threat of a Russian invasion and therefore stock up, emptying supermarket shelves. They say that the British government has begun to prepare the population for possible emergencies by launching an information campaign. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden launched the government's disaster preparedness website, listing 100 possible threats, including a “full-scale Russian invasion” and disruption of transport links by drones. The Daily Mail claims that calls for an anti-crisis kit have allegedly caused panic among the British. However, this is fake.

The Insider specialists drew attention to it. They found that on May 22, the government website launched a Get prepared for emergencies page with tips on evacuating, storing important phone numbers and things you should have at home: a flashlight, a portable charger, a radio, first aid kit, hand sanitizer, water and canned food. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden spoke at the London Security Conference, where he outlined the government's approach to emergency preparedness. He referred to the National Risk Register, which contains possible threats to UK residents, including natural disasters, man-made accidents, terrorist attacks and military threats. There are no reports of panic buying of goods from the government list in the British media. The Daily Mail only urged shoppers not to repeat the panic buying that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Propagandists spread such fake news to discredit foreigners and cause unnecessary panic among Europeans.

Russian propagandists claim that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz allegedly said that Ukraine may not become a NATO member in the next 30 years. “You know the solution, this will not happen in the near future. Perhaps not even in the next 30 years”, Scholz said during a meeting with Berlin residents. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that in fact Scholz noted at this meeting in Berlin that before the full-scale invasion, discussing Ukraine's entry into NATO, he assured Putin: “This is not being considered for the next 30 years”. Scholz also accused Putin of attacking Ukraine for “absolutely absurd” reasons, since “NATO has never posed a threat to Russia”.

After the old quote was again picked up by Russian propaganda, the German government commented on the information being disseminated. According to government spokesman Steffen Gebestreit, the situation “has completely changed, and therefore, no, 30 years are no longer relevant”.

During the decade of war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda regularly spread manipulations and fake news that Ukraine would not be accepted into NATO or the EU. Thus, they want to cause skepticism and panic among Ukrainians regarding the actions of their Western partners.

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks in which police allegedly forcibly take a child from his parents. In addition, there were reports that it supposedly depicts a Ukrainian family of refugees in Lithuania, and the police are taking away the children due to “improper upbringing”. “It is known that such cases occur not only with Ukrainians, but also with Belarusian families who seek asylum in the countries of the European Union”, the publications note. Propagandists also claim that in the Baltic countries, justice authorities “remove children from their families for washing dishes or caring for younger brothers and sisters”. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this case. They discovered information from the Lithuanian news portal Lrytas.lt that the incident in the video occurred in September 2023. The child's parents divorced and the court ruled that the child should live with his father. Despite this decision, the mother and child went into hiding, forcing social security authorities to intervene with the help of the police. The director of the State Service for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption, Ilma Skuodene, in a comment for lrytas.lt, said that the video recorded a particularly difficult process that social workers have to carry out.

Although the procedure was legal, the actions of social services and the police attracted criticism. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda noted that social services lack a “sincere, non-bureaucratic approach to child care”. In his post on Facebook, he emphasized that the actions of the services should not traumatize the child, but should ensure his interests. Later, the Office of the Ombudsman for Children's Rights found that the social workers who separated the child from his mother in Palanga acted inappropriately and unprofessionally, which could have resulted in negative experiences, stress and fear.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Ukraine’s Western partners and Ukrainian refugees, as well as to cause panic.

Euractiv, citing the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security of the Czech Senate, writes that Russian interference poses a significant threat to the elections to the European Parliament.

Such conclusions were made after recent revelations about the activities of the pro-Russian news agency Voice of Europe, which was eventually banned throughout the EU.

“This media company tried to influence public debate in the Czech Republic and other EU countries with Russian money, worked against the interests of the Czech Republic and systematically disseminated Russian propaganda”, said Czech Senator Pavel Fischer.

Let us remind you that the elections to the European Parliament are scheduled for June 6-9, 2024. They will be the first after Britain leaves the European Union. Previously, we analyzed the Russian message that the EU would supposedly disappear after the elections to the European Parliament.

Russian propaganda continues to spread disinformation in an attempt to interfere with the democratic processes of the European Union. Russians claim that the European Parliament elections held in June will allegedly lead to a situation similar to the collapse of the USSR. They say that regardless of which parties win them, the new schedule of forces, according to them, will lead to the collapse of the EU, since it has long gone beyond the scope of the “club of interests”. “Does this mean that the victory of the globalists will bring stability to Europe? Not at all. Everything will be the other way around. If the “Euro-heretics” simply collapse the EU, then the “European Inquisition” will destroy Europe, turning it into an economic and political periphery, thrown to the margins of global historical processes”, write propagandists.

These statements of Russian propaganda are untrue and aimed at undermining citizens' trust in national institutions. StopFake project specialists refuted them using statistical data. They found that according to research by the international Eurobarometer project, which regularly conducts public opinion polls on behalf of European institutions, the positive image of the EU among citizens of member countries has reached its highest historical level. This happened against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the April 2024 study.

According to the survey, almost three-quarters of EU citizens (73%) say that EU actions have a direct impact on their daily lives. In addition, the majority of Europeans agree that their country would benefit from EU membership (71%). These results remain high across the EU, the study authors note.

The Eurobarometer survey also recorded significant interest among EU citizens in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament. In particular, Europeans want to see the fight against poverty and social exclusion (33%), as well as support for public health (32%) among the main issues discussed during the election campaign. EU defense and security are in third place (31%) - the importance of this item for Europeans has increased significantly in light of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the study says.

Russian media write that “EU politicians have begun to aggressively suppress freedom of speech”, allegedly trying to suppress Russian “resistance movements”.

StopFake fact-checkers explained that the disinformation message is based on a number of measures and resolutions of the European Parliament aimed at limiting the scale of Russian influence ahead of the European elections on June 6-9, 2024.

Russian media are trying to denigrate two European Parliament resolutions of February 8 and April 25, 2024 - both documents report a number of identified cases of bribery of European officials by the Kremlin in order to interfere in democratic processes in the European Union.

Indeed, according to investigations, Moscow recruits some members of the European Parliament and other European institutions as “agents of influence”, and also finances certain European political parties, which then act as mouthpieces for Russian propaganda, promoting Russian interests in the EU.

Pro-Kremlin publications are disseminating information that former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko allegedly appealed to the European Union countries with a demand to “deprive assistance from Ukrainian refugees and direct the freed funds to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.

Russian propaganda quotes the politician’s statement, which he seemed to voice in a conversation with journalists from the German publication Deutsche Welle.

StopFake analysts explain that on May 8, Petro Poroshenko attended the congress of the German conservative party Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Berlin. There, when asked by DW whether Germany should facilitate the return of Ukrainian men to their homeland, the politician expressed doubt that any actions by Ukraine or Germany could influence the position of Ukrainian men who refuse to return to their homeland. In a conversation with reporters, he said:

“But I highly recommend (Germany - DW ed.) in relation to these individuals - the men here who refuse to return to Ukraine - please stop funding this, and immediately start providing this money to the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.

That is, Poroshenko did not call for depriving all Ukrainian refugees of assistance in Germany, but only advised redirecting the money used to finance the so-called refugees to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

And the ex-president’s words in no way represent Ukraine’s current political decisions regarding refugees in Europe.

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 screenshot is being circulated on social networks, allegedly from the website of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, which indicates that due to the so-called mass protests in European countries, a decision was made to deport some Ukrainians.

“Yesterday the EU Council decided to extend restrictive measures against Ukrainians. 830 thousand Ukrainians will be deported from the EU until April 15, 2024”, the press release allegedly says.

The case was dealt with by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project, who investigated that the fake bots forged the screenshot and replaced the original text with information about “deportation”. Accordingly, the Council of Europe did not make such a decision.

Also included in the ad is a bot supposedly from the European External Affairs Service (EEAS), @EEAS_deportation_bot. However, there is no mention of this bot on the website of this European agency. And when one clicks on this “bot” in a search engine, it takes one to the TG channel, which is artificially trying to increase the number of audiences.

A screenshot from the supposedly official website of the EU Delegation to Ukraine is being circulated online, containing information about the “deportation of 830,000 Ukrainians to resolve the conflict”. The authors of the “news” report that lists of citizens subject to deportation have already been compiled, so they invite you to go to the telegram bot to familiarize yourself with them.

In fact, this information is fake, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. There is no publication of similar content on the official website of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

Probably, such content is distributed to increase the reach of anonymous telegram channels to which links lead. In addition, the creators of the fake seek to destabilize the situation in Europe and make Ukrainian refugees object to their future in EU countries. Previously, we denied information that German citizens allegedly advocate the forced extradition of Ukrainian refugees from the country.

Photos of an anti-tank ditch are being circulated online; according to the authors of the publications, it was dug on the western borders of Ukraine. “This was done on the orders of dictator Zelenskyi so that Ukrainians would not run away to free democratic countries”, they comment on the message. However, this is a lie.

Analysts from the StopFake project took on the case and found that the photo actually shows an anti-tank ditch located in the Donbas and Luhansk regions. The photo of the ditch also shows military journalist Vlad Voloshyn; he published this photo on his Facebook on March 3, 2024. His message says that the photo was taken in March 2024 in one of the “hot destinations in Donbas”.

Moreover, he wrote that the ditch was built many years ago - and he saw it with his own eyes in 2016. That is, the construction does not in any way affect the western borders of Ukraine, because it is a propaganda fiction.

Read on Censor.NET: Ukraine “dug” a ditch on the border with Moldova to stop the flight of men from mobilization.

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing a video allegedly from the European media Euronews, which states that a Ukrainian refugee in a Paris museum broke the statue of the Swedish artist Anna Uddenberg “Journey to Self-Discovery”, imitating sexual intercourse with it. It's a lie.

The case was investigated by VoxCheck analysts, who determined that Euronews did not create such a story, and the video was simply assembled from different photos and videos that were not related to each other. For example, no information about such an incident could be found on the official media pages on social networks: on the media website, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.

Using a reverse search on Google, it turned out that all the footage was used in the so-called story - can be found in the public domain. In addition, according to the information presented in the video, the statue was damaged and its limbs (arm and leg) were broken off. However, this was not shown on the video. No additional information about the destruction of the sculpture was found in other media.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, as a cultural and economic threat to the EU - in order to reduce support for Ukraine. We mentioned this in our own research.

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.

One of the propaganda telegram channels disseminated information that due to “numerous violations” of visa-free rules by Ukrainian refugees, sanctions would be applied to them in the form of a ban on free movement between EU countries.

In fact, there were no “statements” about restricting the right of refugees from Ukraine to move freely throughout the EU countries either from officials or from the relevant EU bodies. Also, the propaganda message on the telegram does not contain any specific information about “numerous violations” by Ukrainians in Europe, note investigators from the “No Lies” project. To make the message “plausible”, the creators of the fake placed in its text the names of several countries with a link, which supposedly should show what restrictions were introduced in these countries. However, there is no such information there.

By spreading this misinformation, propagandists are trying to create a picture that Ukrainian refugees have already fed everyone up and that they are the cause of all the troubles and problems in Europe. Previously, we denied information that German citizens support the forced extradition of Ukrainian refugees.

Russian resources are disseminating information that the countries of the European Union “intend to seize” the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine in order to “free” use the mineral resources of the Ukrainian region. This thesis is based on a part of an interview taken out of context by German parliament member Roderich Kiesewetter, which he gave to the German television channel ARD. That is, the politician’s words were manipulated.

The fact-checkers from the StopFake project analyzed the information and found out that in fact, in the interview, the deputy reflected on the need to increase the level of assistance to Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. Roderich Kiesewetter argued that the Ukrainian economy is necessary to provide the world market with certain goods. He also gave an example of the current crisis in the global food market and the risk of famine in the poorest countries left without Ukrainian grain after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Roderich Kiesewetter also mentioned large lithium deposits in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, access to which Ukraine lost after the start of Russian aggression back in 2014. That is, the politician’s opinion was that by seizing Ukrainian fields, Russia placed the EU under an energy blockade.

After the start of the spread of Russian disinformation online, Roderich Kiesewetter separately explained in an interview with the German newspaper Nordkurier that in an interview with ARD he spoke exclusively about the aggressive motives of Russia, which in 2014 began the occupation of Ukrainian regions rich in minerals.

“Raw materials in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are another interest and goal of Russia in this aggressive war, and this explains why [Russian — Ed.] slogans like “land in exchange for peace” are completely unrealistic. Ukraine must be able to survive economically as a country, including the Donetsk and Luhansk region, as well as the Black Sea ports that are needed for grain exports. That is why Crimea has not only symbolic significance, but also ensures the economic viability of Ukraine in the future”,  argued Roderich Kiesewetter. That is, the German deputy spoke about Ukrainian minerals purely in the context of the motives for Russian aggression and the need to support Ukraine in the war.

Propagandists manipulated the politician’s words as part of a broader Kremlin information campaign against Western countries that allegedly “started a war in Ukraine to divide it”. Let us recall that collectively, EU countries have allocated about $85.1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine as of October 6, 2023. Germany, Denmark and Poland turned out to be the largest sponsors of this issue. Claims that the EU wants to divide Ukraine and gain access to Ukrainian minerals through predatory means have no logical basis.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that under the “influence of Ukrainian gangs” money laundering, trafficking in children, drugs, weapons, etc. are flourishing in Poland. The publications refer to materials from Polish media.

The VoxCheck analysts worked on the case and explained that the material was published in a Polish-language media system that systematically disseminates Kremlin propaganda. Consequently, any theses do not claim to provide objective information.

One of the materials that really reveals the topic of crimes committed by foreigners in Poland is the material in the publication Rzeczpospolita, which analyzes what crimes migrants have committed in Poland in 2022. The National Police Headquarters prepared statistics specifically for the publication on crimes committed by foreigners in Poland. Thus, in total in 2022, 15 thousand crimes were committed by representatives of different nationalities; Ukrainians, as the largest group, as well as Belarusians and Georgians, were most often included in the statistics. Analysts add: there are about 1.5 million people with Ukrainian citizenship in Poland. That is, according to relative indicators, the number of Ukrainian offenders is 0.15% of all Ukrainians in Poland. The most common type of crime among foreigners, notes Rzeczpospolita, is driving while intoxicated. The second most popular crime is drug possession.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, as a cultural and economic threat to the EU - in order to reduce support for Ukraine. We mentioned this in our own investigation.

Detector Media analysts have refuted a number of fakes and manipulations on the topic of Ukrainian refugees in Poland. For example, we analyzed a manipulation to increase thefts in Polish stores by a third, allegedly due to Ukrainian refugees. But they also explained another manipulation, according to which propagandists claimed that the attitude of many Poles towards Ukrainians had worsened.