Spilnota Detector Media

Fake The head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration allegedly wrote a denunciation against the mayor of Kharkiv

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

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

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

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

Fake Kharkiv was allegedly shelled with French bombs on June 22

Propagandists are distributing a video of the attack on Kharkiv on June 22, 2024 in anonymous telegram channels, claiming that the footage allegedly shows a French AASM HAMMER bomb, and not a Russian aerial bomb. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. They recalled that on June 22, 2024, Russian troops carried out four air strikes on Kharkiv. One of the hits was in a residential building near the Levada railway station. According to preliminary data, the shelling was carried out from the village of Stroitel, Belgorod Region, using Su-34 and UMPB D-30 aerial bombs.

The video shows a building with a partially spherical shape, where the projectile arrives from behind the car. Maps show that the projectile arrived from the north, where the border with the Russian Federation lies.

When comparing the AASM HAMMER and the projectile in the video, it is clear that they have a different tail and nose, as well as a different shape. The AASM HAMMER has four small wings at the front and rear, placed symmetrically, while the video only shows wings at the tail.

The head of the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office, Oleksandr Filchakov, claims that Kharkiv was shelled by a UMPB D-30 bomb. This is confirmed by the head of the investigation department of the Kharkiv region police, Serhii Bolvinov, and the head of the Kharkiv LLC, Oleh Syniehubov. UMPB D-30 is also different from the bomb in the video, which could be one of the modifications of the FAB-500, but definitely not the French AASM HAMMER.

Propagandists disseminate such information to deflect responsibility from Russia for its crimes and onto Ukraine's allies.

Disclosure Unidentified people published an “order” from the Kharkiv Regional Police Department to evacuate the heads of regional administrations along with their families

Russian telegram channels are distributing a photo of a “non-public” order of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, which allegedly states that the heads of local administrations of settlements were supposed to evacuate along with their families by June 3, and the mayor of Kharkiv was supposed to provide them with housing.

VoxCheck analysts explained that the document is fake.

After all, the contents of the order do not comply with the rules for drawing up official documentation:

- in the original orders, the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration spells out the word year in full, and does not abbreviate it, as they did in the fake document;

- the word “order” is used in the plural, although it is correct to write in the singular;

— the phrase “universal list” regarding heads of administrations is incorrect. In Ukrainian the correct word is “universal”.

Fake Ukraine allegedly overthrew “Colombian mercenaries” in the Kharkiv direction

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that mercenaries from Colombia have been transferred from the Ukrainian side to the Kharkiv direction. As “proof” of this, propagandists add the corresponding first-person video recording, allegedly of a Colombian firing from a dugout.

However, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council reports that this video is an orchestrated fake of Russian propaganda. First of all, there is no direct evidence or symbols in the video that indicate the person is a “Colombian mercenary”. There are also no documents, symbols, or evidence that could confirm this information. And the location of the shooting does not give any reason to claim that this is the Kharkiv direction. After all, the video doesn't show the face of the person filming, nor does his accent sound Colombian.

This fake video was created as part of a Russian disinformation campaign against “foreign mercenaries” in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Previously, we denied information that the Ukrainian Embassy in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire allegedly recruits mercenaries to participate in the war against Russia.

Disclosure Fake order on behalf of the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov

Russian telegram channels are distributing photos of the alleged order of the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov on the evacuation of administration representatives and members of their families from certain settlements of the Kharkiv region.

After verifying this information in the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council reported that the order was fake. The administration also noted that under number 121 B, indicated in the fake document, the Regional Military Administration already has another order. It is dated March 1, 2024 and concerns the re-issuance of a license to carry out educational activities in the field of complete general secondary education.

One should also pay attention to the design of the so-called order and the use in the text of the document of the expressions we order and general list, which does not meet the requirements of business speech.

The Russians are spreading this and other similar fakes with the aim of sowing panic among the population and destabilizing the already difficult situation in the region, the cause of which is primarily the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region and frequent terrorist attacks on Kharkiv and the region. Previously, we refuted the information that the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration allegedly fled the city.

Disclosure Unknown people are sending SMS messages allegedly from the State Emergency Service with a call to “evacuate” from Kharkiv

This was recorded by analysts of the VoxCheck project. The SMS message itself states that the evacuation of Kharkiv and nearby settlements has allegedly begun.

However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations denied information about the announcement of evacuation from Kharkiv and noted that the State Emergency Service did not send out such a message.

Moreover, such emergency messages come from “DSNS UKR”, and not from the “DSNS Ukraina”, as in the screenshot.

Fake The head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration allegedly fled the city

Pro-Russian telegram channels write that the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleg Syniehubov, allegedly fled the city and is hiding in Poltava.

VoxCheck analysts explained: no evidence of escape was found, and photographs and photos from social networks of the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration prove that Syniehubov remained in the city.

For example, the day after the “news” about the escape was published, the head of the Regional State Administration recorded a video message. In it, he said that he had instructed his relevant deputy to gather all participants in the process of constructing fortifications so that each contractor would report on the work done.

Another example: on May 16, Volodymyr Zelenskyi held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Kharkiv. The head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration was present at it.

Fake The Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly occupy kindergartens and hospitals in the Kharkiv region and are preparing to flood Kharkiv

Pro-Russian resources are spreading messages that say, “against the backdrop of the successful advance of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are seizing kindergartens and hospitals, and they plan to put Kharkiv itself under water”.

However, this is fake. The Defense Forces do not use objects protected by international law for military purposes. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

Typically, Russian propaganda broadcasts such fakes in anticipation of planning the next massive attack by Russians against civilian targets on the territory of Ukraine, the Center adds.

In addition, with the help of collaborators, this is not the first time that Russians have spread lies about the blowing up of a dam by the Ukrainian military and the flooding of Kharkiv. This stuffing can be launched as informational preparation for the next crime of the Russians.

Previously, we denied information that the State Emergency Service was calling on residents of Kharkiv to evacuate.

Fake The Institute for the Study of War seems to predict the rapid advance of Russians in the Kharkiv region and the assault on the regional center, that is a fake

Information is being spread online that the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) allegedly predicts an early offensive by the Russian army in the Kharkiv direction. ISW believes that after the capture of the village of Lyptsi, the Russians will pull up their reserves and, with the support of artillery and aviation, will begin a full-fledged assault on Kharkiv.

In fact, this information is not true. This was reported by specialists from the VoxCheck project. On the Institute’s website one can find a summary, the map from which the fake news was published. However, the report does not provide forecasts for the rate of advance of the Russian army. Also, ISW does not believe that the Russians will try to storm Kharkiv.

The summary provides an assessment of the Russian offensive as of May 10, 2024 and an analysis of its goals. However, the Institute does not put forward hypotheses about how quickly the Russian army will advance in the Kharkiv direction.

The Institute’s experts indeed suggest that the Russian army has reserves that it is ready to later bring into battle in this direction. In its first attacks, the Russian Federation used a relatively limited number of personnel and equipment. However, the Institute does not believe that the enemy intends to carry out a large-scale operation to capture or encircle Kharkiv. ISW analysts suggest that the goal of this campaign is to push Ukrainian forces back from the border with the Belgorod region and advance into Kharkiv within range of cannon artillery, that is, closer than 25 km from the city. The institute estimates that it will most likely be difficult for the Russians to capture Kharkiv if the Kremlin makes such a decision. In addition, ISW claims that by their actions the Russians are trying to divert the maximum number of Ukrainian Defense Forces from other sectors of the front to the Kharkiv direction in order to intensify their own efforts in the Donbas: there they are trying to break through to the northwest of Avdiivka and in the direction of Chasiv Yar.

Previously, we refuted information that Russian paratroopers could supposedly land near Kharkiv in the rear of Ukrainian troops.

Fake The State Emergency Service allegedly calls on residents of Kharkiv to evacuate

Russian telegram channels are spreading information that the State Emergency Service of Ukraine is sending out messages calling for people to evacuate from Kharkiv to a safer place.

However, the National Police of Ukraine reports that this is another Russian fake. There is no need to evacuate Kharkiv residents yet, the department adds.

The purpose of this fake is to sow fear and panic among Kharkiv residents. Even before the offensive of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, Detector Media wrote about the increase in disinformation regarding the region. Yes, we have already refuted information about the “flight of local authorities”, “announcement of deportation of Kharkiv residents”, “panic mass exodus of Kharkiv residents from the city”, etc.

Fake The Kharkiv regional Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center allegedly asks graduates of the Kharkiv medical military schools to register for military service

Russian propagandists claim that the Kharkiv Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center allegedly published an advertisement on its website in which local authorities allegedly require graduates of the National Pharmaceutical Academy and the National Medical University to register for military service. It's fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact the Kharkiv Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center only has a Facebook page. Moreover, the propagandists do not provide any photographic evidence of the existence of these advertisements. They even stated the name of the institution incorrectly in their messages: the National Pharmaceutical University is not an academy.

After contacting the Kharkiv Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center, it became known that on their page there are no announcements about military registration of graduates. And such resolutions have not been published in other city institutions.

In addition, the new mobilization law allows the conscription of women into the army only with consent, and forced conscription of women is prohibited.

Propagandists spread such fakes to disrupt the mobilization process in Ukraine and intimidate the local population. Detector Media has repeatedly written about other fakes on this topic.

Disclosure Large-scale Russian disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the evacuation of the Ukrainian authorities in the Kharkiv region

Propagandists began a large-scale disinformation campaign in connection with the escalation of hostilities in the Kharkiv region. For example, because of propaganda materials, information was disseminated that in the Kharkiv region there was supposedly no evacuation of the local population from Vovchansk. Like, “Nazi groups are using city residents as human shields”. StopFake writes about this.

Propagandists claim that “local residents made an agreement with the volunteers, but they did not let anyone into the city or let anyone out of it”. Such publications are accompanied by a screenshot of correspondence in which an unknown person writes that “no one has arrived” and “we are not allowed in”. It is not indicated which volunteers it is about, as well as whose correspondence this is.

However, the information about blocking the evacuation of Kharkiv residents is false. The removal of the population of border settlements continues, and in recent days about 6,000 people have been evacuated from the Kharkiv region. On May 13, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, Oleh Syniehubov, visited Vovchansk, supervising the evacuation process of local residents.

The Center for Countering Disinformation also noted that the goal of this campaign is to create a destabilizing situation in the region and discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which are actively opposing the Russian occupiers in the Kharkiv direction.

Fake Fake that the Russian military allegedly entered Vovchansk

Propagandists are spreading information online that Russian troops have allegedly entered Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, and that heavy fighting continues in the city.

In fact, there is no officially confirmed information about the presence of Russian occupiers in Vovchansk. The head of the Vovchansk police department, Maksym Stetsyna, said that on the night of May 13, 2024, the Russians continued to fire at the border Vovchansk from different types of weapons. And he added that the situation in the city is difficult, evacuation is underway, but there are no street battles and no Russians there.

The purpose of this information dump is to sow panic among residents of the region, as well as to exaggerate the successes of the Russian army at the moment. We previously wrote about how the Russians are waging a disinformation campaign in Kharkiv.

Fake The Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly blocked the evacuation of civilians from Vovchansk

Russian telegram channels are spreading information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other Ukrainian military units have blocked the evacuation of civilians from Vovchansk, Kharkiv region. The purpose of such actions is to use city residents as “human shields”.

In fact, this information is not true. As of May 12, 2024, about 6 thousand residents were removed from the Vovchansk community and settlements in the Kharkiv region. At the same time, the evacuation of the civilian population continues. On May 13, it is planned to evacuate about 1,600 more local residents. According to the Kharkiv military regional administration, 200-300 people remain in Vovchansk. And they continue to communicate with them about leaving for safer places.

Due to the aggravation of the situation in the Kharkiv region, Russian propaganda has increased the number of information attacks related to this region, of a destabilizing and discrediting nature. At the same time, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council notes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to repel the Russian occupiers in the Kharkiv direction.

Even before the offensive of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, we recorded an increase in disinformation regarding the region. Thus, we refuted information about the “flight of local authorities”, “announcement of deportation of Kharkiv residents”, “panic mass exodus of Kharkiv residents from the city”, etc.

Fake In Kharkiv, they plan to mobilize female graduates of medical universities

Social networks in the Russian segment claim that the Kharkiv Territorial center of recruitment and social support published an announcement on its website. It notes that local authorities require female graduates of the National Pharmaceutical Academy and the National Medical University to register for military service.

Propagandists say that there is already panic among graduates, because they are probably planning to be sent to the medical units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the backdrop of “catastrophic” losses.

VoxCheck specialists found out that the fake robs did not even provide a photo of the so-called advertisement about which they wrote in their publications. And the Kharkiv Territorial center of recruitment and social support replied that there are no such announcements on their official page, that is, the information from the Russians is absolutely fake.

And on the pages of the National Pharmaceutical University on social networks there is no mention of the announcement of the military registration of graduates.

Disclosure How the Russians are waging a disinformation campaign in Kharkiv

Statements by Russian figures about the need for destruction and withdrawal of the population of Kharkiv were accompanied by a constant stream of similar messages on social networks. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been signs of an organized campaign to fill the online space with alarming messages promoting the idea that Kharkiv will soon become uninhabitable. Mariia Avdieyeva writes about this for the Ukraine Alert Atlantic Council project.

In her opinion, the role of social networks in Russia’s information attack against Kharkiv is very important. Platforms such as Telegram, TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter) serve as platforms for carefully orchestrated Russian propaganda. Groups of accounts associated with the Kremlin are intensively promoting key propaganda messages on this topic. These include the hopelessness of the military situation in Ukraine, the inability of the Ukrainian state to protect its citizens and the likelihood that Kharkiv will suffer the same fate as Mariupol.

The Russian information attack is also expressed through the spread of false statements attributed to Ukrainian authorities. For example, accounts from Russia spread disinformation that the Ukrainian government was allegedly calling on residents of Kharkiv to immediately leave the city to avoid a cordon by Russian troops. Fake reports from Ukrainian authorities were also distributed that Kharkiv was on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.

These fakes usually look convincing and are almost indistinguishable from official communications from the Ukrainian government. They even come with detailed information about “safe escape routes”. As a result, many residents of Kharkiv are exposed to this misinformation and unwittingly become accomplices in the spread of Russian fakes.

In addition, propagandists use real news and distort it to mislead the population and provoke panic. For example, they described a series of planned evacuations from certain settlements along the front line as a full-fledged evacuation of entire districts of the Kharkiv region.

In addition to faking government announcements and deliberate distortions, propagandists are also actively distributing videos. One of them said that thousands of cars were allegedly leaving Kharkiv. However, it later turned out that this is archived video from the beginning of the invasion in the spring of 2022.

Fake In Kharkiv, a drug courier who allegedly supplied prohibited substances to the military of the 113th separate territorial defense brigade was detained

Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that a drug courier was detained in Kharkiv, he was allegedly involved in supplying some prohibited substances to the military of the 113th separate territorial defense brigade.

In fact, this information is fake. Propagandists took as its basis a publication from the page of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, dated April 25, 2024. It talks about a man who, back in 2021, was exposed with 200 bundles and five transparent plastic bags containing a psychotropic substance. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council writes about this.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that propagandists have spread misinformation regarding the 113th separate territorial defense brigade. Systematic fakes about the military of this brigade indicate that it does its job efficiently, protecting the state.

The Russians are trying to discredit the brigade in various ways. This time it is due to the imposition of the image of “drug addicts” on the military. In general, the goal of this information campaign is to sow despondency and panic among both the brigade fighters and the civilian population of the Kharkov region, which they protect, the Center adds.

Previously, we refuted information that officers of the 121st battalion of the 113th separate territorial defense brigade allegedly beat an elderly man because of his reluctance to leave his home.

Fake Russia hit the Kharkiv TV tower because it allegedly could have fire guidance systems

Pro-Kremlin propagandists are spreading information that the television tower in Kharkiv, which was hit by the Russian army, allegedly contained equipment for Ukrainian air defense systems and fire guidance systems for Russian territory.

However, this information is fake. In fact, the Russians hit the TV tower to weaken communications in the city and limit Kharkiv residents' access to information from Ukrainian media. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. On the other hand, the occupiers wanted to spread the signal of their propaganda from Russian territory, which fueled panic among the residents of Kharkiv.

The head of the local Regional State Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, states: “Now the majority of residents of Kharkiv and nearby settlements already have satellite and cable television. There are also mobile communications and the Internet”. However, it will be possible to completely restore the TV tower only after the end of hostilities.

It is worth noting that in 2022, the Russians have already attacked TV towers in Rivne and Kyiv with missiles. This is additional confirmation that Russia is a terrorist country and that it is waging war against Ukraine using terrorist methods.

Fake Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly beat an elderly man because of his reluctance to leave his home

Russian resources are disseminating information that allegedly in the village of Kozacha Lopan, Kharkiv region, officers of the 121st battalion of the 113th separate territorial defense brigade beat an elderly man. This allegedly happened because he refused to leave his house. As a result of the beating, the man's leg was allegedly broken.

In fact, this information is not true, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. This is another fake by the Russians, based on a photograph from the official Facebook page of the 113th separate territorial defense brigade. In fact, the military of the 121st separate battalion of the Troops Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine evacuated an elderly man from his house destroyed by the Russians.

By spreading disinformation of this kind, propagandists are trying to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and sow distrust of them on the part of the people of Ukraine. In addition, in this way, propagandists also seek to incline to the idea that perhaps the elderly man did not want to leave because he was waiting for “liberation” by the Russians. Previously, we denied information that the Ukrainian military is planning to seize the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Disclosure Unknown persons on behalf of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine announced a fake evacuation from Kharkiv

Users of such messengers as Telegram and Signal began to receive messages on behalf of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine that the Ukrainian authorities recommend that residents of Kharkiv evacuate from the city by April 22, 2024 due to its likely encirclement by Russian troops. In addition, these messages are accompanied by a reminder about what to do in case of evacuation.

In fact, the State Emergency Service stated that they did not send such messages to Ukrainians. The military leadership of Ukraine is constantly monitoring the situation and has not recorded any signs of Russia’s readiness to attack Kharkiv. They write about this in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

The very messages about the evacuation from Kharkiv are informational stuffing aimed at destabilizing the situation in Ukraine, the State Emergency Service notes and urges not to trust dubious sources of information.

This is not the first time that disinformation about the “evacuation from Kharkiv” has been spread. Previously, we refuted the information that “panic sentiments allegedly prevail in Kharkiv - city residents are leaving en masse”, “Ukraine allegedly announced the deportation of Kharkiv residents, preparing it for defense”, or that “Kharkiv authorities are allegedly planning to flee the city”.

Manipulation Kharkiv is being “prepared for defense” by creating “fortresses” from residential buildings

Russia is actively spreading disinformation about Kharkiv in the media and continues to reinforce panic about the situation there. Now they claim that Kharkiv is allegedly being prepared for defense, namely, they are turning residential buildings into “fortresses”.  Such “news” is accompanied by traditional messages about “mass evacuation”, preparation of residents for life during active hostilities, migration of enterprises from the city, etc. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that this manipulation was created on the basis of an interview with Major General of the Reserve Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhii Kryvonos on the Pershyi Zakhidnyi (First Western) TV channel, from which propagandists took out a quote to create disinformation. During the conversation, the presenters asked the major general whether the Russians could capture Kharkiv from the Sumy region, to which Serhii Kryvonos replied that Kharkiv is not Avdiivka or Bakhmut, but a city of much larger size - tens of times larger, “and the perimeter of Kharkiv is almost 80 kilometers, and in order to surround or block such a city, the Russians must have the necessary force and means”.

“For our part, we must understand that in Kharkiv, for example, there are a large number of houses for different purposes, and the task of preparing the city for defense is, perhaps, one of the main tasks, so that we do not have such failures in the unpreparedness of defense, as was the case in Bakhmut. The city was not ready for defense in the military engineering sense. The better we prepare, and the number of buildings in Kharkiv exceeds more than 22 thousand houses, and if each house is a fortress, then one will understand how much of it will need to be taken”, Kryvonos actually said, and he noted that with proper defense Kharkiv can stand not one or two, but three years. At the same time, the major general said that the Ukrainian army should not retreat into deep defense, but continue to work to destroy the critical infrastructure of the Russian rear.

It was these words of Kryvonos that Russian propagandists presented as a fait accompli, as if in Kharkiv they had already begun to literally turn residential buildings into “fortresses”. During the interview, Serhii Kryvonos also said that precisely such a defense may not be achieved if Russia’s economic capacity is undermined by Ukrainian attacks.

It should be noted that several lines of fortifications were erected in the Kharkiv region. Earlier, the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration Oleh Syniehubov stated that the third stage of construction of fortifications in the region was already underway.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to cause panic among the population.

Fake In Kharkiv, debtors for utility services are the last to be evacuated

The Russian media are disseminating information that in Kharkiv, debtors for utility services are allegedly being blackmailed by refusing to evacuate.

“We inform you that debtors will be evacuated last, regardless of whether they have a large family or not”, they write on a printed advertisement, the photograph of which was allegedly taken in Kharkiv. The announcement also publishes a list of debtor apartments as of April 8, 2024.

StopFake analysts examined the case and found that the information about “restrictions for debtors” was untrue. There is not a single piece of evidence that similar advertisements are posted in Kharkiv.

Moreover, the city has not been evacuated, so “blackmail by refusal to evacuate” is another invention of Russian propaganda regarding the situation in the city.

Fake China, Kazakhstan and India allegedly recommend that their citizens urgently leave the Kharkiv, Kyiv and Odesa regions

Information is being disseminated online: they say that China, Kazakhstan and India strongly recommended that their citizens urgently leave the Kharkiv, Kyiv and Odesa regions. However, this is not true.

The information was processed by specialists from the VoxCheck project and found that, in fact, the embassies of China and India in Ukraine did not publish such recommendations. The Indian Embassy last recommended citizens leave Ukraine back in October 2022. The Chinese Embassy did not encourage citizens to leave Ukraine even on the eve of a full-scale invasion, but also in October 2022 published advice on how to evacuate from Ukraine. In addition, Chinese state media also made calls for evacuation in the fall of 2022. In 2024, recommendations to evacuate from Ukraine did not appear on the official websites of the Foreign Ministries of India and China. In the end, there is no mention in the media of the recent calls of these states, allegedly addressed to their citizens, to leave the Odesa, Kyiv and Kharkiv regions.

At the same time, at the end of March, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Ukraine actually recommended that citizens of their country consider leaving the Odesa and Kharkiv regions due to “increasing tensions and an unstable security situation”. However, even here there is a noticeable difference with a fake message, because a recommendation to “consider the possibility” of leaving the city and a “persistent recommendation to urgently” leave the city are still different things. Also, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Ukraine called on all citizens not to ignore the air raid warning and to go to shelter in a timely manner.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists are trying to sow panic in different regions of Ukraine. Previously, we refuted information that Ukraine allegedly announced the deportation of residents of Kharkiv, preparing it for defense.

Fake Panic is allegedly prevailing in Kharkiv – city residents are “leaving en masse”

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that Kharkiv residents are leaving the city en masse due to the lack of light, heating and other benefits of civilization. In their messages, propagandists add a video allegedly describing the entire situation.

In fact, the video that was circulated dates back to the end of February 2022: the footage shows wet snow and the author of the video can be heard saying: “We will defeat you [the Russians] anyway”. They write about this in the Center for Strategic Communications and Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

As for the situation with electricity, in Kharkiv it is indeed difficult, but not critical for the citizens. The massive Russian shelling of energy infrastructure on March 22, 2024 caused significant damage to it, but the blackout lasted less than a day. Currently, power outage schedules are in effect in Kharkiv and the region.

The heating season ended ahead of schedule - on March 26 instead of April 30. This decision is due to damage to the energy infrastructure by the Russians, as well as the need to save resources during the war and global warming. The heating season was also completed ahead of schedule in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lutsk and other cities, where there were no attacks on energy facilities during this period.

By spreading this disinformation, Russian propaganda seeks to provoke panic among Kharkiv residents, as well as to intimidate with a possible Russian attack on the city in the summer. As for the latter, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, spoke eloquently about this: “If the Russians go there again, Kharkiv will become a fatal city for them”. Previously, we refuted information that Ukraine allegedly announced the deportation of residents of Kharkiv, preparing it for defense.

Fake Voodoo dolls are allegedly being made at a Kharkiv school to “spoil Russians”

Pro-Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that the political officer of the 15th border detachment of the State Tax Service of Ukraine conducted classes on making voodoo dolls in one of the Kharkiv schools. Propagandists write that according to the political officer “this will help bring damage to the Russians”.

However, this information is not true. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council writes about this. In fact, the youth of the Novobavarskyi district of Kharkiv attended a master class called Amulet for a Warrior on making a motanka doll. And the military themselves were not present at this event at all.

Russian propaganda spreads such disinformation to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Another goal of this fake is to continue to cultivate hatred towards Ukrainians on the part of Russians, because such news is primarily disseminated for the internal population of Russia. Previously, we refuted the information that Ukrainian first-graders marched to the song “We’re killing the Russian” during the festive parade.