Spilnota Detector Media

Fake An advertisement with the words “Kyiv is over” was allegedly placed in Times Square

An alleged CNN advertisement in Times Square is being circulated on social networks with the text: “Kyiv is over. Will the Russians stop there or go further? Find out this and more at Political Briefing”. However, this is a lie.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed the case and determined that such advertising had never been shown in Times Square. At the request of fact-checkers of the Reuters news agency, Emily Kuhn, vice president of communications for CNN, responded that “the video was edited and is not an advertisement for CNN”.

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.

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 In the Kyiv metro, more than eight stations are allegedly flooded and unusable

Russian propagandists are spreading information that more than eight metro stations are allegedly flooded in Kyiv. Moreover, they simultaneously express their indignation at the fact that the Ukrainian authorities decided to rename the metro station “Lev Tolstoi Square”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They note that in fact, none of the Kyiv metro stations are flooded. There is only a restriction on the movement of trains on the blue line after the tunnel between the Lybidska and Demiivska stations was flooded in December 2023. Fake information about station flooding is being spread after problems with the drainage and waterproofing systems of the metro have been identified. Train traffic on this section has been stopped, and restoration work may continue until the fall of 2024. Meanwhile, trains run from the Heroes of Dnipro station to Lybidska, and there is a shuttle train service between the Demiivska and Teremky stations.

On the eve of January 8, photos appeared showing leaks in the ceiling in the lobby of Akademhorodok. However, the metro management assured that specialists are monitoring the situation and there is no threat to passengers.

As for renaming stations, three metro stations have now been renamed. In particular, the station “Lev Tolstoi Square” was renamed into “Square of Ukrainian Heroes”. On February 8, 2024, the letters of the previous name were already removed. This decision was supported by the residents of Kyiv themselves in a survey of the Kyiv Digital application.

Propagandists spread such fake news to indicate that the city is supposedly being destroyed so that people will come to it and restore it. They say that the Ukrainian authorities are incompetent, and the Russians understand infrastructure better. However, it is in a number of Russian cities that there are significant problems with infrastructure.

Fake In Kyiv, more than 70 canonical churches of the UOC can allegedly be destroyed

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that the Kyiv City Council is allegedly considering the issue of demolishing churches of the canonical UOC - on the list, according to propagandists, there are more than 70 objects. And in the Vinnytsia region, bulldozers are allegedly working now.

Specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security drew attention to this news and denied it. They found that the website of the capital city council does not contain any news, statements or petitions on the destruction of religious buildings. A search at the request of the UOC reveals news there dated April 20, 2023 with a request from the Kyiv City Council to the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Security and Defense Council to take urgent measures to terminate lease agreements or use agreements with the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate for state-owned religious buildings. And there is not a word here about the destruction of temples.

Nothing like this can be found on the official website of the Vinnytsia City Council. The newest news marked “UOC” dates back to April 28, 2023, which refers to an appeal to people’s deputies with a request to speed up the consideration of bills banning the activities of the Moscow Church in Ukraine.

The purpose of this disinformation is to once again try to quarrel Ukrainians on religious grounds. On the other hand, the Russians want to demonize the Ukrainian authorities, who allegedly “wanted to sneeze” at Ukrainian believers of the UOC. Learn more about how Russia blurs reality with a newspeak: sinners.

Fake In Kyiv, exit from the city is allegedly blocked “due to total mobilization”

Pro-Kremlin media are introducing information that all exits from the city have begun to be blocked in Kyiv. According to anonymous sources, traffic across the Dnipro along the bridge to Vyshhorod and the South Bridge has allegedly been blocked. This happens because “Ukrainians do not want to serve in the army”, so the city authorities decided to increase the recruitment of people into the army in this way. It's fake.

The VoxCheck specialists were able to analyze the case and explained that in Kyiv they do not block exits from the city. Now the main bridge to Vyshhorod is under repair and instead of it a pontoon crossing has been in operation since January 17, 2024. That is, movement was not limited, but the method of movement was simply changed due to repair work. And the South Bridge has also been closed to private cars since June 22, 2022.

Pro-Kremlin resources continue to promote the topic of mobilization, hinting at the decline of the military, the lack of personnel, that Ukraine needs to “resort” to radical decisions and mobilize women. Anonymous telegrams accuse Ukraine of being a “military meat grinder”, explaining that now it will be impossible to escape a “grave”: neither for children, nor for elderly people or women.

Fake In Kyiv, exits from the city are allegedly closed for “mass conscription of all men”

Pro-Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that supposedly the Kyiv city authorities are closing all exits from the city in order to begin en masse conscription of all men. As proof, propagandists are disseminating messages from the Service for Infrastructure Restoration and Development in the Kyiv region about the closure of the bridge across the canal in Vyshhorod.

The information disseminated online is untrue, as reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. The publication of the Service states that the closure of the bridge is indeed connected with the start of its major repairs across the canal on the P-69 road Kyiv - Vyshhorod - Desna - Chernihiv. Traffic for all types of vehicles there will be blocked. However, during the period of major repairs, a pontoon crossing will operate, providing transport links for residents of the left bank part of the district and neighboring regions. That is, the opportunity to leave Kyiv, as well as enter the city, will be possible.

At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, one of the spans of the bridge on the P-69 road Kyiv - Vyshhorod - Desna - Chernihiv was destroyed, so now the bridge is not able to withstand traffic loads and needs immediate repairs.

In this case, propagandists misinform Ukrainian society, in particular men, in order to intimidate and demoralize citizens, saying that now “one won’t even leave the city, not to mention the country”. In addition, with this fake, Russian propaganda fuels its narrative that a policy of “mobilization” of ordinary Ukrainians is allegedly taking place in Ukraine.

Fake On New Year's Eve, someone set off fireworks on the left bank of Kyiv

Some telegram channels disseminated information that an unknown person launched fireworks in Osokorky on the night of January 1, 2024. In addition, a video was published, allegedly confirming the information. However, this is a fake.

Kyiv police reported that during the check the information was not confirmed. Police officers who went to the probable scene of the incident talked with local residents, but no one confirmed the information about the alleged launch of fireworks. As it turned out, the event that was filmed took place at the end of 2022.

In addition, the police reminded that the launching of fireworks during martial law is prohibited, and such offenses are subject to criminal liability.

Fake A CNN billboard was shown in New York stating that Kyiv had allegedly surrendered

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks showing a large-scale banner of the CNN television network in Times Square in New York with the inscription “Kyiv has fallen. Will the Russians stop or move on? Find out more on Political Briefing”. However, this is fake.

Reuters fact-checkers drew attention to it. They found out that such a banner never existed, and Silvercast, the company that advertises on the billboards, confirmed that the image was “fake”. The video was altered to make it appear as if it was an advertisement for Political Briefing, a weekly podcast hosted by CNN political director David Chalian. “This video is a fabrication and is not an advertisement from CNN”, Emily Kuhn, CNN's vice president of public affairs, told Reuters. Harry Grossman, a spokesman for Silvercast in New York, said in an email to Reuters that the ad was “fake” and never aired on the company's billboard shown in the video.

Propagandists create such fake news to discredit popular media. In addition, they create the erroneous impression that these media actually support the Russian version of events.

Fake Yermak allegedly announced plans to achieve peace with Russia in 2024

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andrii Yermak, said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda that it is planned to achieve peace with Russia in 2024. They attach an image similar to the screenshot of this news as “proof”. However, this is fake.

After the dissemination of such information, StopFake decided to check whether Yermak had made such statements. As it turned out, the disseminated information is not true. Since Russian media and social network users did not provide a direct link to the news, but only a screenshot, StopFake decided to look for it on its own. The distributed image shows that the news should be published on November 1, 2023 at 21:49 under the authorship of Yevhenii Kyzylov. According to the specified time and date, there is indeed a publication by this author on the Ukrainska Pravda website. But it has a completely different title: “Zaluzhnyi spoke about evaders and reserves: Gaps in legislation”, and in the text of the news there is not a word about “peace plans” with Russia. StopFake analysts also checked the presence of similar statements by Yermak in other authoritative Ukrainian media, but found nothing of the kind there. In his interviews, speeches and comments, the head of the Presidential Office said that peace negotiations with Russia are impossible if Ukraine has to sacrifice territory, independence or sovereignty.

Propagandists spread such fake news to discredit the political leadership in the country and destabilize the situation. They say that everything is so bad that even Bankova is ready to agree to Russia’s conditions. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other fakes in which the President's Office appeared.

Message Kyiv is “preparing a military provocation against Poland” in case of a critical decline in support from Western countries

This thesis is promoted by the chairman of the occupation administration of the Kherson region, collaborator Volodymyr Saldo. In addition, according to him, the strike could be carried out “in the near future” by either Western or Ukrainian missiles with Russian markings on the parts.

The Center for Countering Disinformation has reviewed this information. Russian war criminals and their henchmen constantly accuse the criminal “Kyiv regime” of provocations both on the territory of Ukraine and abroad. Taking advantage of the situation that has developed on the Ukrainian-Polish border with the Poles blocking trucks, propagandists are trying to further complicate the political relations between Ukraine and Poland. Another goal of promoting the mentioned message is to reduce Western support for Ukraine.

Fake Ukrainians seem to receive draft notices in the Diia application

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing a video that allegedly shows a draft notice  that came through the Diia government services portal. The authors add that the Ukrainian leadership “never keeps its promises”, because they previously assured that draft notices  would not be sent through the application. The messages claimed that the actions and words of Ukrainian officials could hardly be “trusted”. It's a lie.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project undertook to analyze the case, explaining that draft notices are not received in Ukraine because of Diia. At the same time, the image of the agenda itself shows signs of editing. For example, the draft notice indicates the first and patronymic, but does not indicate the last name. It is also written that the recipient needs to appear “at the military commissariat”. But, according to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated February 23, 2022, the commissariats were reformatted into territorial recruitment and social support centers.

At the same time, the image indicates: the data in the agenda was allegedly updated in October 2023. So, the photograph of the “draft notice” has been compiled. Analysts emphasize that during the video the hero did not touch the screen with his fingers - so, most likely, the Kremlin’s minions used a formatted photo and passed it off as the Diia interface.

By the way, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov stated that agendas will not be sent through Diia. The service does not contain any military registration services or notifications.

Message A power struggle is allegedly unfolding in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Ministry representative Mariia Zakharova is promoting the narrative that turbulence in Ukraine is growing, and that election campaigns are even starting to gain power in the country. Officials and those in power allegedly do not take into account ordinary Ukrainians, many of whom are on the brink of survival, and think only about their own benefit.

This message was recorded by the Center for Countering Disinformation. Such statements from a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry are nothing more than an attempt to root the opinion in Ukrainian society about internal conflicts among the top leadership of Ukraine. On the other hand, propaganda resources continue to discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and refer to the statement about the inappropriateness of elections in Ukraine under martial law. Finally, the enemy aims to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt among the Ukrainian society regarding the possible course of action in the country, using one of the propaganda tactics.

Manipulation “The occupied territories are no longer Ukraine”, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko said

A video is being distributed on social networks in the Russian segment in which the mayor of Kyiv, Vitalii Klychko, allegedly proposed voting not to consider the occupied territories part of Ukraine. This is manipulation.

The VoxCheck analysts analyzed the case and found out that this quote was taken out of the entire video. In fact, Klychko spoke about the reasons that make it impossible to hold elections. Among them, in particular, is the fact that some people are in the occupied territories and will not be able to vote. He spoke about this on the television channel “Kyiv”.

“Those territories that are occupied are no longer Ukraine, because there will be no representatives [of Ukraine at the polling stations]. How do we take these territories into account or not?” - said the official.

That is, he did not claim that the occupied territories are not Ukrainian, but explained that elections there are not yet possible. For example, because representatives of Ukraine will not be able to establish polling stations there due to active hostilities.

Using quotes from public figures, military officers, politicians and other public figures, Russian propaganda is trying to convince consumers of disinformation of the authenticity of such expressions. Like, if a Ukrainian official himself stated this, he can be trusted as he is an authoritative source, although the authors do not explain how reliable the information presented in the manipulative publication is. This is how propagandists use the tactic of appealing to authority.

Fake Fake information about teenage suicides in Kyiv is being spread online

On Ukrainian telegram, against the backdrop of the latest news about minors committing suicide in Kyiv, false information about such cases continues to spread. News about the alleged suicide of several teenagers in different areas of Kyiv appeared on October 24. It is not true.

The case was examined by the fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. The National Police of the city of Kyiv on its official Facebook page called on the media and Telegram channels not to disseminate false information and not to abuse clickbait headlines, and to trust Ukrainians only to trusted sources.

“The Metropolitan Police immediately informs citizens about emergency events and crimes that may cause a stir among the population and is open to communication with the media”, the statement says.

Manipulation Ukraine declares the verdicts of innocent people, the UN said

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the media claim that the UN is accusing the “Kyiv regime” of pronouncing sentences on innocent people. They say they mean almost six thousand criminal proceedings for cooperation with Russia. This statement was made by UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif during her speech at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on October 9. Propagandists also refer to statements by the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, Tetiana Moskalkova, where she accused the Ukrainian special services of keeping teachers in custody in the Kherson region. According to her, Ukraine reproaches teachers in prison only because they “did not violate their professional duty and continued to teach children”. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that although the topic was indeed discussed at the meeting, Al-Nashif did not accuse Ukraine of “declaring the verdicts of innocent people”. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights only expressed concern that “many of those arrested and even convicted suffered because of their actions, which, in principle, the occupying state could force them to do”. In this context, they are observing with “deep concern” the policy of mass granting of Russian citizenship to local residents in the territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

In addition, Russian media ignored part of the report in which the Office drew attention to numerous human rights violations by Russia. In particular, Al-Nashif said victims described “cruelty that is difficult to imagine”, such as electric shocks, sexual assault and severe beatings, in some cases resulting in broken bones and knocked out teeth. She also criticized the conditions of the prisoners, in particular the lack of access to food and medicine, as well as sleep deprivation. The UN also drew attention to the fact that Russia has not taken any measures to hold accountable for violations and crimes committed by its security forces.

Moskalkova’s statements do not correspond to reality. According to Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, criminal liability is provided not for teaching under occupation, but for “propaganda carried out by a citizen of Ukraine in educational institutions”, as well as for the implementation of the standards of the aggressor state in the educational process. Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine Valeriia Kolomiets, in a commentary for Radio Svoboda (Liberty), emphasized that the fact of living in temporarily occupied territories does not automatically define a person as a collaborator. The official also stated cases when Ukrainian teachers under occupation were forced to work under pressure, worrying about the lives of themselves and their families. Accordingly, the pre-trial investigation and the court must take into account all the circumstances of this category of cases.

By spreading such messages, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and avoid responsibility for Russian crimes. In addition, in this way they justify the disdainful attitude towards the residents of the temporarily occupied territories. Detector Media has already written about what harmful messages Russia creates and disseminates against residents of temporarily occupied territories.

Message The ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine is the dirty policy of the “Kyiv regime”

On October 19, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved in the first reading the “Bill on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Activities of Religious Organizations in Ukraine”. This happened after six months of disputes between state deputies and “curses” of supporters of the UOC-MP in Ukraine. The adopted law may force the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to be more willing to compromise with the authorities on a number of issues - from leaving the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra to more constructive cooperation of the church leadership.

The Moscow Patriarchate is one of the largest centers of Russian influence on the territory of Ukraine. The Center for Countering Disinformation reported that Russian propaganda negatively perceived the bill banning religious organizations associated with Russia, and Russian ex-President Dmytro Medvediev described such a policy of the Ukrainian government as “heavily involved in cocaine and Satanism”.

Ukraine, having adopted the corresponding bill in the first reading, neutralizes another level of influence on the Ukrainian population through religion. Previously, we wrote about whom adherents of the Moscow Patriarchate call “sinners”.

Fake Ukraine fears new Russian attack on Kyiv

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

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

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

Fake Ukrainians are afraid of Russia's answer for the Crimean bridge, so they leave Kyiv creating traffic jams

Facebook and Twitter users broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric circulated a video of traffic jams in Ukraine on July 17. On it, the inhabitants of Kyiv are allegedly fleeing the city out of fear that Russia will retaliate for the explosions on the Crimean bridge. The Ukrainians decided to flee as if after Volodymyr Putin announced that his defense ministry was preparing proposals for a response. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Reuters media drew attention to the case. The video shared on July 17, 2023 showing the traffic jam was actually filmed last year. It was reposted by Instagram user lyudaoshomok. According to her, the video was filmed on August 21, 2022, and it shows vehicles heading to Kyiv.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to intimidate Ukrainians and sow panic. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that the head of the GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, thanked the patriots for the special operation in Crimea. We also talked about what pro-Kremlin telegram channels wrote about explosions on the Crimean bridge.

Fake The Kyiv hydroelectric power plant is 93% out of order, the Ukrainian authorities said

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Ukrainian authorities recently said that the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant is 93% out of order. They say that the relevant services do not care about the safety of the hydroelectric power plant, which can lead to flooding of certain territories. As proof, the authors cite a map of Kyiv, on which there are conditional marks about the likely flooded areas of the capital. For example, in the publications they write that the Obolonskyi district will be flooded in 3 minutes, Troieshchyna - in 2 minutes, Podil - in 10 minutes, etc. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project analyzed the case and found out that there were no official statements from the authorities. That is, the thesis about the “emergency state of the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant” is a propaganda stuffing. And with the help of a reverse Google search, fact-checkers found a photo of the map, which shows another flooding of Kyiv districts in the event of a dam break. Such a map does exist. In 2012, the Ukrainian media published an article where they raised the topic of the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant. Journalists, with the help of experts not named in the material, compiled this map. That is, it may not be entirely accurate. One of the experts named in this material, environmentalist Volodymyr Boreiko, stated that ice floes frozen in the Kyiv Sea could lead to holes in the dam. There was no other information about the breach of the dam or the flooding of certain territories. Despite the fact that such a map exists, there was no statement about the emergency state of the Kyiv HPP.

The propagandists simply used the old journalistic material and took advantageous data from it including the “flood” map.

Fake Kyiv agreed with UNESCO on the transfer of holy relics to the museums of Italy, France, Germany and the Vatican

In the Russian and Georgian segment of Facebook and in the media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, they disseminate information with reference to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service that Kyiv allegedly agreed with UNESCO to transfer the Orthodox relics of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to museums in Italy, France and France as if the holy relics had to be taken out in order to preserve them. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. They established that the information about the removal of holy relics from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to European countries is false. The Minister of Culture of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko wrote on his Facebook page that “not a single sacred value will leave the territory of Ukraine”.  Also, the acting director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Maksym Ostapenko, noted that “the reserve did not have such plans and will not have them”. Information about this agreement cannot be found on the official website of UNESCO. This fake was denied on the official Facebook pages of the Ministry of Culture and the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO.

By spreading information that Kyiv has agreed to transfer relics to European countries, propagandists are trying to discredit UNESCO and the Ukrainian authorities. Russian propaganda created a fake to sow religious discord, as well as divert attention from the crimes committed by Russia, in particular, from the looting of museums and galleries. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that allegedly Russia does not destroy Ukrainian cultural and historical heritage.

Manipulation Kyiv entered the top ten worst cities to live in because of the “rule of Zelenskyi and Klychko”

Propagandists are spreading the word that Kyiv is one of the ten worst cities to live in the world according to The Economist due to the careless management of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the mayor of the city Vitalii Klychko. This is manipulation.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They note that the fall in the rating of Kyiv was not due to the rule of Zelenskyi and Klychko, but because of Russian aggression against Ukraine. In a ranking published on June 21, The Economist did place Kyiv in the top ten least livable cities in the world. The publication's analysts assessed living conditions in 173 cities according to the following categories: stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure. According to the ranking, Kyiv is in 165th place with an index of 44 points out of 100. The extended version of the ranking indicates that the assessment of Kyiv has decreased by 5.9% compared to 2021 “due to damage caused by the war to its stability, infrastructure and general suitability for life”.

Analysts at The Economist also note that the city received only 23.2 points out of 100 in the category “infrastructure” due to constant Russian shelling. In addition, Russian aggression against Ukraine has affected the scores of other Eastern European cities such as Warsaw and Budapest due to their proximity to the war zone. In 2022, the publication excluded Kyiv from the ranking due to the war, so the city has no points in a number of categories.

By spreading such manipulations, propagandists seek to shift the responsibility for aggression from the aggressor to the victim. In addition, by taking foreign materials out of context, they want to find a false verification of their messages, hoping that people will not read their full version.

Manipulation In The United States, they will set up a center to counter Ukrainian disinformation

Pro-Russian telegram channels write about this. Like, despite censorship in the Ukrainian information space, the United States “considered” Ukrainian disinformation. Allegedly, Ukraine so “often lies” to the United States that it is time to fight it. The messages also link to an article in The American Conservative. This is manipulation.

Russian propaganda presents the proposal of the pro-Russian American expert Doug Bendow as an official initiative. Moreover, the article in The American Conservative is Bandow's emotional response to the work of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, which drew attention to his pro-Russian position. In the article, Bandow writes that the Center has compiled a list “over those who don’t go to bed  humming” Zelenskyi and Ukrainian governments. To combat the Ukrainian Center, according to Bandow, the United States should create its own Disinformation Countermeasures Center. It was this thesis that Russian propaganda used.

Actually, The American Conservative has also previously published pro-Russian materials, including that the Republican Party did not live up to American expectations due to support for Ukraine.

Russian propaganda systematically uses foreign experts with a pro-Russian stance to promote Russian disinformation messages and narratives and give them greater prominence.

Message In Kyiv, the only city in the “former Ukraine”, energy supplies are to be quickly restored with the help of West

Such a message is spread by pro-Russian telegram channels. They say that people of Kyiv are very happy that electricity has been restored in their homes. Allegedly, this is not the merit of power engineers, but of the “West” and weather conditions. However, it will soon become colder and people will again be left without electricity and heating.

With this message, propagandists are trying to achieve several goals at once. Firstly, to devalue the work of Ukrainian power engineers and workers who ensure the operation of critical infrastructure. Secondly, to fix the narratives about “external governance”, “loss of subjectivity by Ukraine”, “Ukraine as a “failed state””, etc. Thirdly, to distort foreign aid to Ukraine to restore energy supply. Also, the Russians are once again trying to oppose certain parts of Ukraine to each other. They say that restoring electricity in Kyiv is “more important” than in other parts of Ukraine.

Fake The Russian army hit a hotel in Kyiv with foreign advisers and mercenaries

Such information is disseminated by Russian resources. Allegedly, one of the rockets hit a Kyiv hotel where foreign advisers and mercenaries lived.

Like, the Russian soldiers knew that “someone important” had settled in the hotel, so they chose it as a target. The propagandists also spread information that in the Alfavito Hotel and the Ukraine Palace, located 100 meters away, both buildings received significant damage from a rocket strike, “interesting people were sitting there - Western and Ukrainian, with and without shoulder straps”.

After the mayor of Kyiv, Vitalii Klychko, announced that a journalist from Japan had been wounded during an attack on Kyiv, Russian propagandists said that he was not a journalist at all: “Yeah, and at the front are all the drivers”.

To justify the terror and their aggression against the civilian population, the propagandists noted that this was revenge for the allegedly destroyed hotel in the occupied Kherson, where the traitor of Ukraine, collaborator and ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksii Zhuravko died, as well as for the explosion in the hotel in the temporary occupation where the former head of Roskosmos, the head of a group of military advisers to Russia, Dmytro Rohozin, and the head of the so-called “government” of the Donetsk occupied territory, Vitalii Khotsenko, were injured.

After the explosion in a Donetsk hotel, propagandists intimidated Ukraine that Russia would begin to strike at the places where Ukrainian top officials of law enforcement agencies are located. If their goal was precisely the power structures, they would not have destroyed the hotel, in which journalists have been holding various conferences and training sessions for many years in a row. In particular, Belarusian journalists and bloggers stayed there, for whom the Detector Media NGO conducted training sessions in 2019 as part of the School of Quality Media project. Also, they would not destroy the Ukraine Palace, where New Year's performances for children are usually held these days. Fortunately, only one person was injured in the Ukraine Palace, receiving minor leg injuries.

Message Kyiv becomes a ghost city

Russian media and pro-Russian resources are spreading reports that residents are allegedly leaving Kyiv en masse. Like, because of the actions of the authorities, the city is emptying, the real estate market is not working. Kyiv is in decline.

Russian propaganda once again gives out wishful thinking. Despite massive rocket attacks, problems with energy supply, the number of Kyiv residents is returning to pre-war levels. In Ukraine, there is indeed increased migration now, but it is not caused by “decline”, but by Russian aggression. StopFake notes that the message of Russian propaganda about the departure of people from Kyiv and the state of the real estate market is a fiction of propagandists.