Spilnota Detector Media

Fake A Spanish magazine allegedly depicted Zelenskyi “rapidly sliding down”

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

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

Fake In France, a 20-meter Ukrainian flag was allegedly splashed during a rally

Photos of women holding a large blue and yellow flag are being shared online. The publications add that the photo was taken during a rally of the “Marseille-Odesa” organization on the steps of the Saint-Charles train station in Marseille (France).

Propagandists stressed that the action allegedly outraged local residents, who began to trample and wave the Ukrainian flag. “Apparently, the French are already very fed up with the Ukrainians, if they are ready to do this with the “state” flag”, the propagandists comment. However, this is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts note that there is no information about a similar incident during the campaign. The “outraged” French could simply be invented by propagandists.

After all, on the official page of the “Marseille-Odesa” organization on Facebook, you can find the corresponding photo, which is used by fakers in their publications. In her caption, the head of the union Nataliia Dobrianska reports on the action and notes that Odesans like the stairs to the Saint-Charles station because they remind them of the Potemkin stairs in Odesa. However, neither the caption to the photo nor the comments to the post contain any mention of the flag-lowering incident.

Moreover, neither the Ukrainian nor the French media have any information about such incidents during the action.

Fake A photo of Zelenskyi was allegedly hung on a board of shame in an Odesa supermarket

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

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

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

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

Fake In France, a magazine was published with a cover that allegedly depicted Macron as a “plucked evil rooster”

Propagandists spread the word that the French are “mocking their Macron-Napoleon” and this seems to be confirmed by the cover of the French magazine L'Hémicycle, where Macron is depicted as a ragged angry rooster. They even claim that this cover was “hotly discussed” on the France 24 TV channel, and cite a fragment from the TV show where it was allegedly shown.

However, the authenticity of these claims is questionable, as the French magazine L'Hémicycle never ran a cover with Macron as a ragged rooster, and France 24 never aired a “ragged rooster with Macron's head” on air. Specialists of the StopFake project drew attention to this.

They found out that L'Hémicycle is a French independent magazine published quarterly with analysis, interviews, stories and narratives. The cover of L'Hémicycle is shown on social media, with the words Winter 2023 at the top and the issue number - 514. On the official website of L'Hémicycle, one can see the latest issue of the magazine, which was published on December 20, 2023. It also has the inscription Winter 2023 on the top right and the number 514 on the left. This confirms that it is about this particular issue of the magazine. However, the actual cover of the issue features a rooster's head as the symbol of the French Republic, not Emmanuel Macron. And even before that, the magazine had never been published with the cover distributed by the propagandists.

The program on France 24 did show the winter issue of L'Hémicycle, but the real one, with a rooster's head. So, Russian propaganda also changed the video of the French TV channel, inserting a fake cover with Macron in it.

Propagandists again created a fake with the aim of discrediting the political leaders of the European Union - this time Emmanuel Macron. Detector Media wrote how Russian propaganda reacted to the recent statements of the French president.

Fake Zelenskyi allegedly “announced” the signing of a decree on the deportation of Ukrainian men abroad

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

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

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

Fake On the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, the Museum of Modern Art in New York allegedly showed an exhibition where the Ukrainian military was a “heap of waste”

Propagandists on social media are circulating a photograph and video purporting to depict an exhibition marking the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The authors of these reports claim that there was a thematic exhibition where the Ukrainian military was presented as a pile of waste. The photo also shows an Instagram story with information related to the exhibition called Heroiam Slava. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the sakartvel project MythDetector drew attention to it. They found out that in fact these videos are an exhibition of the artist William Cobbing and it has nothing to do with Ukraine. The museum also did not host any exhibitions with the name that propagandists refer to.

In fact, the video showcases a project by contemporary artist William Cobbing called Social Substance, consisting of a series of video works, sculptures and exhibitions. The main element of the project is clay, and the artist himself explores the complex relationships between people immersed in shapeless piles of clay, where ceramic objects and television screens merge into one. The works often depict people partially covered in a mass of clay. Cobbing presented this project in 2023 and himself distributed a video about it on social networks. This exhibition was not held at MoMA in New York, but was held as part of the British Ceramics Biennial at the Air Space Gallery.

Propagandists spread such fakes in order to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and create the false impression that this discrediting is also supported in the Western cultural space.

Fake In Kyiv, they will allegedly rename Chaikovskyi street to Victoria Nuland street

Russian media are disseminating information that in Kyiv, instead of the street of the composer Petro Chaikovskyi, there will now be a street named after the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. As evidence, Russian propaganda is distributing a screenshot of a decision allegedly taken by the Kyiv authorities to rename the street, and the document itself is dated March 5, 2024.

In fact, this information is not true. Fact-checkers from the StopFake project write about this. The City Council did not make such decisions, and the screenshot itself is probably fake, since the “document” on it does not meet the established rules of record keeping in Ukraine. In particular, when comparing it with similar documents, you will notice that some points have been rearranged or paraphrased. In addition, the mayor’s last name is not written in capslock, as is customary in documents according to state standards.

In the end, the Kyiv Council made one of the recent decisions to rename streets in the city of Kyiv on February 8, 2024. And there is not a word about renaming Chaikovskyi street.

By spreading this fake news, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit the Kyiv City Council, headed by Vitalii Klychko. They say that the Ukrainian authorities are now making idols out of modern US officials in the hope of eventually receiving military assistance from this country. However, this is not true. Previously, we refuted information that the United States allegedly confirmed the theft of military aid in Ukraine.

Fake The budget of the American child tracing organization was allegedly cut to help Ukraine

Russian propagandists spread such information. In some US stores, milk cartons allegedly posted notices about a missing boy named Elijah. This was supposedly done by the public organization National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC),  the captures are as follows: “We would have found Elijah if the government had not cut our budget to send aid to Ukraine”.

In fact, these photo ads are fake. This was reported by checkers from the StopFake project. NCMEC Communications Director Angeline Hartman responded to StopFake's request that the organization did not print such postcards, someone else used their logo without permission.

Response from NCMEC Communications Director to StopFake request:

Probably, a caption about Ukraine was added to the photo of the milk carton in a graphic editor.

In addition, NCMEC is financed by the US Department of Justice, whose task is to ensure law and order and justice within the country, so there can be no talk of any “budget cuts to help Ukraine”. Moreover, funding provided by the Department of Justice to NCMEC has, on the contrary, increased compared to 2021.

If in 2021 the Department of Justice allocated almost $37 million to the organization, then in 2022 this amount was already more than 44 million. In 2023, the organization received more than $51 million. The organization also has other sources of funding. Many resources are provided by private donors, including large corporations like Google and Zoom.

Thus, Russian propaganda seeks to fuel the narrative that “Western society is already tired of the war in Ukraine”. According to propagandists, such fakes can influence the minimization of international support for Ukraine. Previously, we refuted information that economist Robert Kiosaki allegedly called any financial injections into Ukraine pointless.

Fake The French magazine Charlie Hebdo allegedly released a cover with Oleksandr Syrskyi sitting among the killed soldiers

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing the allegedly real cover of the new issue of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo with the image of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi sitting among the dead Ukrainian soldiers. It's a lie.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council examined this case and found out that a magazine with such a cover does not exist. This can be verified on the official website of the publication.

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

Fake Women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine are allegedly forced to collect donations using nude photographs

Anonymous telegram channels write that the Armed Forces of Ukraine seem to be engaged in “sexual exploitation” of women. They say the command of the 44th separate mechanized brigade forces women to collect donations for the brigade with candid photos. As proof, the authors of the fake add screenshots from Facebook: one of the photos shows the Facebook account of a girl who seems to be calling for donations to the 44th Brigade for FPV drones. The account itself, as shown in the screenshot, contains explicit photos with elements of pornography. It is not true.

The case was analyzed by StopFake fact-checkers, who examined the Facebook account of a user under the nickname “Sveta Andriuk”. Using a reverse search on Google, it was possible to establish that the photos from the account belong to a model of the social network with intimate content Onlyfans. And on the page of the probable user they actually publish various meetings at the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but not only for the needs of the 44th Brigade.

That is, this cannot confirm the thesis about the “sexual exploitation” of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Firstly, the Facebook account does not indicate any information about the service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine regarding the probable user. Secondly, it is unknown who runs this Facebook page and for what purpose. The fact-checkers have not determined whether this account is run by a real person. For example, the activity of the Facebook page itself is quite small.

Fake The pensioner allegedly received a draft notice

Russian propagandists are spreading information that people of retirement age are being mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To prove this, they refer to correspondence “between grandmother and granddaughter on Telegram”. The grandmother seems to be complaining that they brought her a draft notice to mobilize.

The VoxCheck project specialists looked into this information and found out that it was a fake.

Firstly, the mobilization of women in Ukraine is voluntary. Moreover, pensioners are not mobilized in Ukraine. During martial law in Ukraine, citizens liable for military service between the ages of 18 and 60 who are capable of performing military duties may be conscripted. At the same time, senior officers can, if they wish, serve in the army up to 65 years of age.

Secondly, the grandmother’s age exceeds the mobilization age limit. On the agenda in the correspondence one can see that the woman’s year of birth is 1950, so as of November 2023, the date of publication of the news, the woman was 72 or 73 years old. In addition, since 2014, not a single woman has been forcibly mobilized - Ukrainian women voluntarily joined the ranks of the Defense Forces.

So the correspondence on Telegram could have been forged. The words “grandchildren” in audio messages on Telegram sound in the Russian manner and with incorrect accents, in particular, in the words “creatures” and “come out”. Such correspondence can be created between any two people, whatever one wants to call them, and pass it off as a dialogue between relatives. The photo of the draft notice in the correspondence is of poor quality, so it is impossible to confirm the authenticity of the document.

• Read also: Dead man allegedly received a draft notice

Fake A battalion of Snow White girls is allegedly being created in Ukraine

Russian media and social network users are disseminating information that Ukraine has allegedly announced the formation of a women's battalion Snow White in the Chernihiv region. They say it will consist of girls from 16 to 30 years old. Such publications are accompanied by comments that in Ukraine there are not enough people to fight, so women are sent en masse to the front. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that in reality this was not about creating a women's battalion. Russian propagandists took photographs from a real event - training in the basics of using small arms, which was carried out by military personnel of the regional directorate of forces of the North territorial defense forces  for the local population of the Chernihiv region - and presented it in a completely different, false context. These trainings were indeed conducted by the 119th Troops Brigade, but not a single recruitment, as propagandists write about it, was carried out during the exercises. The purpose of the meeting was to prepare the population for national resistance, which includes the basics of tactical medicine, the rules of handling weapons and engineering training.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to arouse distrust of the Ukrainian population in the government and discredit the mobilization. Detector Media has previously refuted fakes about the mobilization process in Ukraine.

Fake Propagandists have created another fake Titanic magazine cover

Propagandists are distributing a photo allegedly from the cover of the German satirical magazine Titanic, which depicts Valerii Zaluzhnyi next to the bodies of dead soldiers. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that on the official website of the Titanic publication there is an archive of all the covers of the magazine and there is no mention of the cartoon there. This is confirmed by the fact that none of the magazine's official social media accounts have posted the above mentioned  cover.

For example, the fake cover states that it is a February 2024 issue, but there is no issue with that cover on the magazine's website. The February 2024 issue appeared on the website on January 26 and has a different cover.

Propagandists spread such fakes to create the impression that the Western media has lost support for Ukraine. Detector Media has refuted fake covers before.

Fake Zaluzhnyi allegedly joined the European Solidarity party

Propagandists on anonymous telegram channels are distributing a photo showing an allegedly real identity card of the European Solidarity party named after the ex-commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, along with his photo. However, this is a fake photo.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the photograph used in the ID was published on December 10, 2019, when Zaluzhnyi was appointed as a head of North operational command. This was two years before he became commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also visible in the photo are shoulder straps that have only one star, according to the rank of major general, which he received in 2017. In 2021, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and his shoulder straps have 3 stars. On March 4, 2022, he became a general, so he should already have 4 stars on his shoulder straps. Additionally, the fact-checkers used the ELA (Error Level Analysis) tool in FotoForensics to check for a fake ID. The analysis showed that the edges of the document are uneven, and the text on it appears to be erased. This may indicate that the photo has been edited.

Propagandists spread such fakes in order to personally discredit Valerii Zaluzhnyi and aggravate the split in Ukrainian society. Detector Media has already refuted Russian fakes about Zaluzhnyi.

Fake In Ukraine, they are allegedly looking for a choir artist or vocalist to “propaganda LGBT ideology”

Propagandists are distributing on social networks a screenshot of a supposedly real vacancy from the Free Charitable Organization, where they are looking for a choir artist or vocalist who preaches the importance and tolerance of LGBT ideology to parishioners. However, this is a fake photo.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that, judging by the design of the vacancy, the advertisement was posted on the job search site Work.ua. However, they could not find this vacancy on this site. Moreover, the address indicated on the official website of the fund differs from the address in the screenshot. Additionally, the photo was checked using the FotoForensics tool, which showed signs of editing.

Also on the official Facebook page of the Svoboda Charitable Organization it is noted that this screenshot is fake, and the organization is not looking for vocalists. This is another attempt to discredit the organization’s activities by unscrupulous users, as well as to cause skepticism towards the LGBT movement in Ukraine.

Fake A Swedish company allegedly released the energy drink “Tears of Zelenskyi”

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

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

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

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

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Fake One bookmaker allegedly began accepting bets on the war in Ukraine

Pro-Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that the bookmaker Betfair has begun accepting bets on which city the Ukrainian Armed Forces will leave next. As confirmation of their own statements, Russian propagandists distribute an image with corresponding content. According to them, “Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kherson, Kharkiv, Odesa and even Kyiv are at stake”.

In fact, this is another Russian fake. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. There is no section with bets on the war in Ukraine on the official Betfair website. Accordingly, the image distributed by propagandists is fake.

The purpose of such fakes is to create the illusion of the Kremlin’s control over the situation in Ukraine and to assure that Russia’s victory is inevitable. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not intend to give up their positions, and partner countries continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, thereby making their contribution to the speedy de-occupation of the territories occupied by Russia.

• Read also: Betting on political assassinations in Ukraine has allegedly gained popularity in the United States

Fake In Kharkiv, a hospital was allegedly closed for the hospitalization of civilians, because Polish soldiers were being “treated” there

Anonymous Telegram channels are distributing screenshots of correspondence allegedly in which a doctor at Kharkiv Hospital No. 3 talks about how the surgical department provides medical care to wounded foreign military personnel, in particular Poles. The authors of the fake publications conclude that the facility is “isolated” for civilian patients.

The VoxCheck specialists contacted the hospital department, where they were told that the information about the treatment of Polish or military personnel of other nationalities was not true. Moreover, there is no surgical department in this hospital, the propagandists simply made it up.

And the screenshot of the “correspondence” is extremely dubious. It does not include the user's name or photo to potentially identify the likely identity of the doctor. The Kremlin’s minions could easily simulate and invent this dialogue, just like the fake itself.

Fake Egyptian magazine Akher Saa allegedly dedicated its cover to Western leaders calling them liars

On social networks in the Russian segment, they publish what appears to be a real cover of Akher Saa magazine, which depicts Western leaders: Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken and others. At the same time, their noses are elongated, hinting at the fairy-tale hero Pinocchio, whose nose grows larger as soon as he lies. The word “liars” was also placed on the cover in different languages. “Where is Zelenskyi on the cover? Obviously, they couldn’t put him on the cover, because his nose is too big (deceitful - DM)”, comment the authors of the fake.

VoxCheck analyzed the case and found out that Akher Saa magazine did not produce its issue with such a cover. The primary source of this “news” is an anonymous telegram channel broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. There is no such publication on the Akher Saa magazine website or on its social media pages.

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

Disclosure Russians in Italy put up posters discrediting the family of Zelenskyi

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

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

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

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

Fake The mother of a dead Ukrainian soldier was allegedly given a symbolic gift of a meat grinder

Users of social networks and publications disseminating pro-Russian rhetoric are spreading false information that the mother of a deceased Ukrainian soldier in Avdiivka was allegedly given a meat grinder. A photograph in which the same mother allegedly “joyfully” holds an electrical appliance is added to such “news”. “The mother of the Ukrainian soldier who died near Avdiivka was presented with humanitarian aid in the form of a meat grinder. It’s very symbolic.”, the authors of the messages add.

After disseminating such information, StopFake decided to check whether the mother of a Ukrainian military man was really given humanitarian aid in the form of a meat grinder. It turned out that this information was false.

The description of the photo does not indicate who exactly and where “donated” such “humanitarian aid”, and there is also no link to the source of this “news”. StopFake tried to find the source of the photo using a Google image search, but found only messages from Russian websites and anonymous telegram channels.

StopFake later discovered that the original photo of the mother “joyfully” holding an electrical appliance was published by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation charity organization. It does not depict assistance to the mother of the deceased, but the distribution of food and humanitarian aid to residents of Novohrodivka, Donetsk region. Propagandists simply added a “joyful” woman with a meat grinder in her hands in a photo editor and came up with a false description.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit Ukraine and devalue the importance of the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

Fake A Ukrainian confectioner allegedly smeared Nutella on the walls of a restaurant's toilet as it supports Russia

Propagandists on social networks are spreading information that a Ukrainian confectioner allegedly smeared the walls of the toilet in the London restaurant Hide, owned by Russian entrepreneur Yevhenii Chychvarkin, with Nutella. As proof of this, they are distributing an Instagram story allegedly written on the pastry chef’s profile. Like the publication included a description: “If you continue to support Russia, next time it won’t be chocolate”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the messages show that the publication was allegedly made on behalf of the profile @dolnyk.art.cake, owned by Ukrainian confectioner Kristina Dolnyk, who now lives in California (USA). StopFake journalists contacted Dolnyk to find out whether she really made such rhinestones on her Instagram profile. The pastry chef replied that she had never made such publications. Moreover, in correspondence with StopFake, she confirmed that she was not in London and therefore did not visit the Hide restaurant.

Later, the pastry chef published a story in which she refutes the fake news. She also noted that Yevhenii Chychvarkin does not hide his support for Ukraine, so such provocations are pointless.

Propagandists spread such fakes to strengthen their message about “wild Ukrainians” who do not know how to behave abroad and only spoil their reputation. Like, that’s why one shouldn’t help them and let them into Europe.

Fake In Germany, graffiti was allegedly created in which Zelenskyi holds the bloody head of Zaluzhnyi in his hand

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

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

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

Fake In one of his evening addresses, Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly proposed “making” Ukraine a new US state instead of Texas

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

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

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

Fake Zelenskyi is allegedly preparing to leave for the United States before March 31

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

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

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

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