According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, this is the thesis spread by Russian propagandists in the media. In particular, reports say that the U.S. and its allies are trying to prolong the war in Ukraine in order to dispose of obsolete weapons and try out modern weapons in real combat conditions. "With the start of the war, 14 partner countries are providing Ukraine with the latest weapons and equipment, past armed conflicts in Syria, Libya and Afghanistan. The supply of Western weapons has significantly changed the situation on the front: the occupiers have gone on the defensive in almost all positions, and in some directions the AFU has gone on the counteroffensive. Ukraine achieved a decisive advantage over the Russians thanks to the combat capability of the army and the courage of the people," the Center reported. In fact, the war in Ukraine is being dragged on not by NATO or the US, but by Russia, which does not stop fighting and destroys Ukrainian cities, kills civilians, and hits infrastructure and residential buildings every day. Previously, Russian propaganda has repeatedly stated in various terms that Ukraine is ruled by the West and is at war with Russia because of pressure from NATO and the United States.

Russian propaganda media once again manipulated the topic of Victory Day, which was celebrated there yesterday, May 9. According to StopFake, Russian propaganda media have once again spread a series of manipulative materials saying that the Ukrainian authorities "finally banned people from celebrating May 9," and in some regions "deliberately" imposed a curfew because of "fear" that "many people will get. May to honor the feat of the Soviet soldiers who defeated fascism." Such reports add that the Ukrainian authorities allegedly "officially cancel Victory Day and drive people home." In fact, there were no mass events in 2022 due to Russia's large-scale invasion and heightened danger of missile attacks in Ukraine. However, we are not talking about "banning Victory Day." Previously, the thesis of the abolition of May 9 was dispersed by Russian propagandists. In particular, Vladimir Solovyov reported in his telegram channel that in Ukraine they decided to cancel May 9, and in confirmation of this fact he added that the Verkhovna Rada allegedly registered a bill according to which May 8 is Memorial and Victory over Nazism Day, and May 9 is a working day. Apparently, we are talking about the bill "On amendments to some laws of Ukraine on the commemoration of the victory over Nazism in World War II," which MPs registered on April 18. The bill indeed proposes to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of all victims of Nazism during the Second World War on May 8, and to celebrate Europe Day on May 9 together with other EU countries. In fact, Ukraine is not cancelling May 9. However, this time in Ukraine, as in the past few years, they did not celebrate Victory Day, choosing to celebrate May 8 - Memorial Day.

This information is disseminated by Russian propaganda media. The reports say that the entire synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was allegedly sentenced to death in Kiev. The reports also allegedly refer to a statement by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Kyrylo Budanov. However, this is not true. According to StopFake, Ukrainian intelligence released information about clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) who collaborate with Russian propagandists and occupiers, noting that all criminals will be brought to justice. However, no "death penalty" was mentioned, because the death penalty has long been abolished in Ukraine, and the maximum penalty for crimes against the territorial integrity and population of Ukraine is life imprisonment.

Russian propaganda periodically makes news reports about Ukrainian politicians or military officers allegedly addicted to drugs. This time, the Russian media spread a fake that the Ukrainian military is allegedly forced to fight "under psychotropic drugs and narcotics," in particular to cope with fear. The Russian media's fake is based on information that pills were found at Ukrainian defenders' positions. As StopFake writes, in fact it is about a painkiller, which seems to all the military and, as doctors explain, has no narcotic effect. The head of the trauma department of the regional clinical hospital in the city of Chernivtsi Valentyn Vasilov said that in the medicine cabinet of every military man there are painkillers. "First of all, to inject such a drug and go into battle - a person does not adequately assess the situation, because he will not be able to accurately analyze and assess the situation. Soldiers would never do that, because they would not be able to recognize the danger in time, to hear the voice of the commander. Secondly, there are not many of these drugs in Ukraine and there is only one in the first aid kit. One ampoule is put in in case of very serious injuries," he explained. Read more

The Russian Orthodox Church spread a fake about the alleged "forced transfer" of the church in Dubyshche to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. According to the Liar Project, "Russian church propaganda calls the PCU a schismatic structure, and the legal will of the religious community is a forced transfer. In fact, the PCU is canonical and is recognized by the Orthodox Church. And the parish of the village Dubyshche decided to join the PCU on May 30 - 284 people voted "for" and 59 "against." "In addition, the text manipulates that the decision was made by the residents of the village, not the church community. Thus, Russian church propaganda denies the right to the will of the church founders - the people who through their donations have joined in the construction of the church and its functioning, who have the right to use the services of the church," writes "Liar".

Read more about the role of the Russian church on the occupation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine here. Recall, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate Kirill supports the war against Ukraine. Previously, he had already spread a fake that Russia "never attacked anyone." By the way, for such statements Instagram marked the fake post of a supporter of Russian aggression against Ukraine, singer Nikolai Baskov.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced provocations from Ukraine on May 8 that the "Kiev regime" was allegedly preparing to fire Tochka-U missiles at crowds of people in the Lviv and Volyn regions. This "announcement" was disseminated by the Russian media, in particular the propaganda publication RIA Novosti. Of course, according to the Russian version, Kiev "plans to carry out another sophisticated provocation with the deaths of civilians to further accuse the Russian armed forces of indiscriminate missile strikes," and they add that "as it was at the train station in Kramatorsk.".

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyy urges residents not to succumb to Russian provocations and not to leave the city. "Never trust Muscovite news, reports and telegram channels. Let's agree that for us there are none," Sadovy stressed. "There is no need to leave the city anywhere. Don't waste fuel. Better take care of shelter in case of an alarm," he added. Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President, stressed that Ukrainians should be very careful on May 9 because of the threat of shelling and provocations by the Russian occupiers. "I do not expect such unconventional, which can create certain panic moods. I expect the behavior of a classic Russian. It is to stab one in the back. In this case, to throw another extra missile on some peaceful city of ours," he said in an interview for Radio NV.

Read more here about how Russian propaganda applies the methods, tested after the 2014 downing of the Malaysian Boeing to the story of the shelling of the Kramatorsk train station.

Pro-Kremlin media and Telegram channels spread information that "the Kiev government is once again engaged in a 'culture of cancellation,'" as the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture allegedly plans to withdraw Russian literature from Ukraine's library collections. In particular, the propaganda publication RIA Novosti reported that "works of Russian literature, which is considered propaganda," will be withdrawn. In fact, these statements are manipulation, reports StopFake.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said that Ukraine will launch a process of removing Russian books from libraries, but it is not talking about all works of Russian literature, but only those that promote war and the elimination of Ukrainian statehood. The Council for the Development of Librarianship under the Ministry developed criteria, according to which books will be withdrawn. First of all, the works that meet one of these criteria will be withdrawn:

• whose content is aimed at eliminating the independence of Ukraine, propaganda of violence, inciting interethnic, racial, religious enmity, committing terrorist acts, encroaching on human rights and freedoms;

• propaganda of war, national and religious discord, changing the constitutional system or the territorial integrity of Ukraine by violence; contain justification, recognition as legitimate, denial of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, including by presenting the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine as an internal conflict, civil conflict, civil war, denial of temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine; glorify persons committing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, present;

• publishers, as well as authors to whom restrictive measures (sanctions) have been applied in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Sanctions";

• authors who publicly supported the aggression against Ukraine, information about which is publicly available on the Internet.

Apparently, the Russian language of the work is not a criterion according to which the Ministry of Culture will withdraw literature from library collections.The Council for Library Development, founded in April 2022, is engaged in the process of developing the criteria according to which literature will be withdrawn. They regularly publish information about their meetings on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian Library Association. According to the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, libraries can create advisory bodies, which will give recommendations on how to update the library collection in the conditions of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Library Association says that the issue of removing propaganda literature from the libraries of Ukraine will be approached carefully and in a balanced way. Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy Larysa Petasyuk confirms this: "Propaganda is a dangerous weapon. Today Russian lies poison everything around us. We have all the means to fight this phenomenon. The Ministry has defined clear criteria according to which Russian literature will be withdrawn from Ukrainian library collections. We approach this question carefully and in a balanced way. We hope that all this will have a positive effect on the development of Ukrainian book publishing.The Ministry of Culture reports that the withdrawn books will be replaced by Ukrainian works and books of Ukrainian publishers.

Kremlin media spread misinformation that "Kyiv will sign a peace treaty with Russia only if Russia agrees to fully or partially divide its own territory. According to their version, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, said this in an interview with the Ukrainian publication NV.

As StopFake reports, in fact, Kyrylo Budanov spoke only about two possible consequences of the war for Russia and not about the conditions of signing a peace treaty. The very title of the "NV" interview states that it is about the future of Russia - "The Chief Military Intelligence Officer of Ukraine - about the future of the dictator and Moscow's plans.In the interview itself, in the commentary used by the propagandists, there is a phrase: "This war will end. There are only two ways it can end."

Kyrylo Budanov goes on to elaborate: "The first is the division of Russia into three or more parts. And the second is the relative preservation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation with a change in the country's leadership. In the latter case, the new leader will say that Russia has nothing to do with all these processes, it was a sick dictator, and the country has nothing to do with it. In this case, Russia will give up all its occupied territories - from the Japanese islands to Königsberg, which belongs to Germany. Previously, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already repeatedly stated the position of Ukraine in any agreements with Russia. In particular, in an interview with the Associated Press, he noted that "Russia's war against Ukraine should be ended by a treaty, but not at the cost of surrendering its independence or national interests." First and foremost, the Ukrainian president notes that the agreement should be signed on the "terms of Ukraine's independence."

On April 16, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a peace treaty with Russia could consist of two documents, one of which would be a treaty on security guarantees for Ukraine, and the other would be a bilateral agreement on Ukraine-Russia relations. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the presidential office and a member of Ukraine's delegation to talks with Russia, added in an interview with Radio Liberty on April 29 that it is not a "treaty of friendship and peace" with Russia, but "red lines" for that country. "We need to fix positions that will be red lines for Russia, that at no time will this country be able to enter the territory of Ukraine again," Mykhaylo Podolyak said.

One of the key aspects of the peace agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, which will be concluded after the negotiation process, according to Mykhaylo Podolyak, is an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. Consequently, none of the representatives of the Ukrainian authorities consider the partition of Russian territory as a condition for a peace treaty. The primary goal of the agreements with Russia is the preservation of Ukrainian independence and sovereignty.

On May 4, the pro-Kremlin media reported that "black clouds of smoke" could be seen over Stariy Saltov in Kharkiv Oblast, which appeared after "Ukrainian units staged a showy assault on an unoccupied peaceful settlement. According to the Russian media, the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly "staged" an attack on Stary Saltov and "a battalion of amnestied criminals, Kraken, entered the village and carried out terror in the village," StopFake wrote. The Russian military occupied the village of Stariy Salty immediately after the invasion on February 24, 2022.

Reports that Ukrainian troops were conducting an offensive operation near Stariy Saltov near Kharkiv appeared in early May. On May 4, the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, Oleg Sinegubov, reported that fighting continued around the settlements in the direction of Stariy Saltiv. Two ambulance workers came under fire. "To dismiss the settlement is 30%. 70% - our guys are trying to hold it and consolidate their positions there. We can't say right now whether it's our settlement or not," Sinegubov said.

In the evening summary for May 5, the General Staff of the AFU reported that Russian troops in the Slobozhansky direction "tried to regain lost positions near the city of Kharkiv, conducted an unsuccessful offensive attempt near the settlement of Stary Saltov." After losing Stariy Saltiv, the Russians began to actively terrorize the civilian population of the settlement and nearby settlements. Due to the huge losses of manpower, Russia has massively used indiscriminate shelling of liberated Kharkov villages from multiple rocket launchers and artillery. The information was confirmed by fighters of the Kraken special unit, a separate reconnaissance and sabotage unit within one of the military units of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Kraken had nothing in common with the "criminals": one of the main requirements for recruiting to the unit is the absence of a criminal record of the candidate. The Russian media assert that the assault by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Stariy Saltiv was a "demonstration," since the village was supposedly "a peaceful settlement that no one had occupied. It is noteworthy that as early as May 3, the Russian media themselves actively distributed a video with the hashtag "we do not abandon our own," which showed the distribution of humanitarian aid in the temporarily occupied Stary Salty.

The Russian thesis that Stariy Saltiv is "occupied by no one" is also refuted by the daily updated online maps of the war zones. Moreover, both Ukrainian and Russian propaganda maps. If we compare data from the Ukrainian Liveuamap resource, which allows real-time monitoring of the war in Ukraine, the map perfectly shows that Stariy Saltiv was still under Russian occupation on May 1 (red color). This can also be seen on the Russian map of the invasion of Ukraine from the Readovka resource.

However, as early as May 5, according to the Ukrainian online map Liveuamap, the Ukrainian Armed Forces drove the Russian invaders from the territory of Staryi Saltiv - the settlement was sacked. A "fighting" sign appeared on the Russian map on the same day in the area of Stariy Saltivka.

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

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

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

According to the Center to Counter Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Russian propaganda spreads this thesis, confirming it by saying that Hungary will veto the embargo on the import of Russian oil, which the European Union plans to include in the sixth package of sanctions against Russia. The veto of the embargo was announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on May 3. Since 65% of Hungary's oil consumption comes through the Druzhba pipeline, and there are no alternative lines to the country, the draft sixth sanctions package includes exceptions for Hungary and Slovakia, which are allowed to extend imports until the end of 2023. ""But due to the prohibition of transit through the Hungarian territory of military aid to Ukraine, the EU has launched a legal process, the result of which could be the termination of Euro-donations for Hungary. The reaction of EU countries prompts the Hungarian leadership to withdraw its veto of the EU oil embargo against Russia," the Center said in a statement.

Russian propaganda media and anonymous telegram channels occasionally report that the weapons that Ukraine receives from allied countries are outdated and bad and do not meet modern characteristics: this thesis benefits Russia, because by showing that Ukraine allegedly has old weapons that were provided to it by EU countries and the US, propagandists seek to discredit Ukraine's allies and devalue their support and assistance to Ukraine in this war.

Also in this way Russia wants to create the appearance that even with weapons from allies Ukraine will be weak, because the equipment is supposedly not suitable for fighting in modern warfare, however, according to the Center to Counteract Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, there are samples of artillery transferred by Ukrainian allies. As an example, experts of the Center compare characteristics of two howitzers - Soviet-Russian Msta-B and American M777, which are transferred according to the lend-lease from the USA. "Msta-B versus M777: caliber 152 mm versus 155 mm; barrel length - 47 caliber versus 39 caliber (52 newest); range - 3VOF45/ERFB shell: 24.7 km versus 30 km (40 km with 52 caliber barrel)," the Center reports. On the basis of these characteristics it is clear that the new American howitzer hits 5 km further than the Soviet-Russian one. Consequently, this weapon is not obsolete and unsuitable for military operations, on the contrary, it will have a counter-battery advantage. The M777 also has a digital fire control system for M982 Excalibur ammunition with GPS targeting.

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, this thesis is spread by Russian propaganda through the head of the Guild of Interethnic Journalism of Russia, a member of the commission on patriotic and spiritual and moral education of children and Margarita Lyange, who promotes a narrative about "the oppression of national minorities in Ukraine".

In particular, the propagandist claims that Ukrainian state policy does not allow Ruthenians in Transcarpathia to use their native language, Russian, and that Ruthenians themselves are allegedly persecuted for refusing to call themselves Ukrainians. The Center reports that according to the 2001 census, only 10,000 Transcarpathians, or less than one percent of the region's population, called themselves Ruthenians. In addition, Ruthenians do not communicate with each other in Russian, but refer to their language as so-called Ruthenian. Ukrainian scientists are inclined to believe that the so-called Ruthenian language is one of the many dialects of Ukrainian and not a separate language. In everyday life, Transcarpathians and, in particular, Ruthenians can communicate in a comfortable dialect .

This is the thesis spread by the Russian propagandist media allegedly referring to The Washington Post. The reports claim that most Americans are "dissatisfied with Biden's policy toward Ukraine." As fact checkers at StopFake write, for example, propaganda resources presented the results of a poll conducted among Americans in late April 2022. The propagandists claim that Americans are dissatisfied with both the sanctions imposed against Russia and the amount of military aid to Ukraine. According to StopFake poll by The Washington Post-ABC News, the number of Americans who support Biden's activities related to the war in Ukraine has increased. The percentage of those who do not support the policy, however, has not changed. "This survey showed that a majority of Americans, despite concerns about the war, agree that Ukraine needs even more help. Other surveys conducted at different times and by other organizations also show broad support for Ukraine among Americans and assistance," - the fact checkers write.

This information is spread by the Russian propaganda media. The reports assure that the fighters of the International Legion of Volunteers are mercenaries, and their goal is to get "easy money" from the war in Ukraine. However, this is not true. Foreigners fighting for Ukraine are not mercenaries. As StopFake writes, unlike mercenaries, legionnaires enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and are subordinate to its command. "Foreigners who perform military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine receive the same salary as Ukrainian citizens. Foreign citizens who did not wish to sign a contract with the AFU join volunteer battalions. They do not get material benefit - the majority of them have personal, ideological reasons to defend justice and rights of Ukrainians," the fact checkers write.

More details

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

Citing the results of an Ipsos study called "Worrying the World," anonymous telegram feeds write that the problem of war in Ukraine is only 11th in the rankings, with war-induced inflation at the top. The manipulation is based on several points.

First, the study, which has been conducted for years using the same methodology in 27 countries, reports that the item "War Between the Nations" did not exist before and was introduced because of the war in Ukraine.

Second, countries in Europe and the U.S. are in the top 50 of those who care about the war in Ukraine. South American and African countries express 1-2% concern, which is natural given the geopolitical features of the world. "Concern is greatest in Europe. Poland has the highest level of worry, with four in ten (38%) saying it is one of the biggest problems in the country. Other countries show high levels of worry: Germany (35%), Sweden (30%), Britain (28%), and Italy (26%). There is less anxiety in Latin America," the study said. It also noted that in none of the countries respondents named war as their main concern, but in Germany the figure is only 2 points behind inflation, which was among the biggest worries. Instead, according to a local Ipsos survey in Denmark, which is not part of the Worrying World rating, in March, war in Ukraine was second with 30 percent, and climate change was first. In April, both problems topped the rating; only the numbers changed. Instead, according to a local Ipsos survey in Denmark, which is not part of the Worrying World rating, in March, war in Ukraine was second with 30 percent, and climate change was first. In April, both problems topped the rating; only the numbers changed.

Third, according to the study, inflation was among the top five global concerns in March for the first time since January 2013. The global rate in March was 32%, although at the beginning of the year it was 20%. Argentina takes it the most - 64%, where the war in Ukraine worries 1%.

Social networks are spreading data that the Russian ruble has become the second fastest-growing currency among developing countries, and the reason for this strengthening is exports. Mesegee - sanctions are inactive or working in the opposite direction.

Since late March, the ruble has really begun to recover from the collapse caused by the outbreak of war and sanctions, says Yurii Haidai, senior economist at the Center for Economic Strategy, in a commentary for the DM. Although now its official exchange rate for world currencies corresponds to the pre-war values, and the rate on the black market is somewhat lower, in the long term artificial holding of the exchange rate will harm the Russian economy, the expert added. "The first reason for the paradoxical persistence of the ruble is the trade balance. 60% of Russia's foreign exchange earnings come from oil and gas exports, which have largely persisted. The EU cannot quickly bring these purchases down to zero, and the decrease in demand from the EU is offset by high prices and attempts to redirect some exports to other countries.

In the first two months of the war, Russia received 62 billion euros in energy exports alone, of which 44 billion came from EU countries. At the same time, against the backdrop of sanctions and declining consumption, imports to Russia collapsed, which means that Russia spends much less currency than before the war. The trade surplus in the first quarter of 2022 was 55 billion euros, twice as much as in the past.

Combined with other steps, such as the obligation for exporters to sell 80% of foreign currency earnings, a sharp increase in the discount rate of the Central Bank of Russia, and a de facto ban on foreign investors exiting assets in Russia, this has created a significant demand for the ruble, leading to its appreciation.

Artificial keeping of the ruble exchange rate on the medium and long term will additionally damage the budget revenues and the economy of Russia, as it was admitted publicly by Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Central Bank of Russia. But until the Western countries introduce a full-fledged oil embargo, one should not expect a significant depreciation of the ruble," explained Yurii Haidai.

This information is spread by Russian propaganda media. In particular, the resource RIA-news. The reports say that the Ukrainian military are planning to blow up the dam in the city of Marganets in Dnipropetrovsk region and have already replaced it accordingly. In its statements, the publication refers to the notification of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The head of the Nikopol regional state administration Yevhen Yevtushenko reacted to the information about the mining of the dam in Marganets.

In his Facebook, the official called it Russian disinformation and noted that in addition to military action, Russia is waging an information war. "The news of the aggressor country is sharpened for disinformation, creating panic moods and increasing social tension on the territory of Ukraine. Use verified sources. If in doubt, seek clarification from local authorities and the district military administration," he said.

Anonymous telegram channels spread information that in the temporarily occupied territories the Russian authorities allegedly write off debts for public utilities. The authors of such reports also claim that with the spread of rumors that the western regions of Ukraine may be ceded to Poland, Romania, Slovakia or Hungary, people living in these regions are also allegedly not allowed to pay utility bills, because then the debts will be written off, as Russia does.

First of all, there is no question of the annexation of the western regions to any other country. It is only Russia that has attacked Ukraine with a war and seeks to seize our territory. Second, Russia may be writing off debts in the temporarily occupied territories, but in cities where Russian troops were already present, there are significant problems with communications, because Russia is purposefully destroying Ukrainian infrastructure. In particular, it blows up water and sewage pipelines, etc., and electricity and gas disappear in cities due to rocket and other shelling. In addition, such a message is dangerous because it seems to tell Ukrainians that it is advantageous to surrender to Russia because they will not have to pay for utilities and will be able to save money.

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

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

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

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

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

Information about this spread on social networks. Such reports claim that CNN filmed a fire in the city of Edmonton in Canada and stated that the video depicts the aftermath of the Russian airstrike in Lviv. According to the logic of the authors of the report, the proof of the fabricated report allegedly is that the video shows a man dressed in a jacket with the inscription "Edmonton." However, this is not true, and the video was not made in Canada. "The video does indeed depict a fire at an oil depot and defense plant in Lviv, and the protective suit labeled "Edmonton" is donated firefighting equipment from a Canadian charity," VoxCheck writes.

Information about this spread in social networks, they say President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was planning a war with Russia, so Kiev had to prepare for it in advance. Such reports quote Zelensky's interview with the BBC, published on April 15. However, this is not true. As StopFake fact checkers write, Zelenskyy's words were taken out of context: he did not say that Ukraine had started a conflict with Russia. The interview said that Ukraine was preparing for a Russian invasion. More details.

The Russian mass media are spreading news with the headlines "Not discussed" and its variants, which have to refer to French President Emanuel Macron that the embargo on Russian gas is not discussed in Europe.

In fact, this is manipulation: first, Macron, in an interview with Corriere della Sera said that the issue of gas may not be on the table in the EU (or maybe not) "This issue that may be on the table, but not yet today. Coal and oil are already being negotiated, gas is not yet. We know what enormous difficulties it causes. That's why you've been hearing me insist on European energy sovereignty for years.

Secondly, the gas embargo is constantly being negotiated in the EU. Yes, Macron himself insists that France supports this embargo and does not actually depend on Russian gas. Lithuania has already completely abandoned Russian gas, even Germany, which has been increasing its dependence on Russian gas for the last 8 years, is planning to do this next year (although Germany and Hungary are the two countries most likely to vote against the gas embargo proposal this year, should such a project appear on the EU ballot. So giving up Russian gas is one of the issues constantly being discussed in the EU - and some countries are already refusing to use oil and gas from Russia on their own.

Such information is spreading in social networks. Rimasu Tuminasu is a Lithuanian director, but for many years he lived in Russia, received state awards there and staged performances in theaters. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy denies information about cooperation with him. "The person represented by the Assistant Minister in the above disinformation reports is neither an assistant, nor an advisor, nor an employee of the Ministry. We should also note that no such decisions were made or even discussed by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. Moreover, the ICIP has consistently opposed any cooperation with "Soviet" artists who have worked most of their lives in Russia. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine has already informed the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania that this is a fake. Now we are finding out who ordered this disinformation campaign and do not exclude the Russian authorship of this fake", reads the report.