The FSB said it had detained a Russian for drug production under the alleged supervision of Ukrainians, and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs accused a Ukrainian of organizing fraud through crypto machines. However, no evidence supports these claims.

This is reported by the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security. Its experts found that such stories have already become a standard part of the Russian information campaign aimed at shaping the image of Ukraine as the source of all internal problems. This strategy dates back to 2022, when stories about drug labs and groups allegedly overseen by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) began appearing in the media. Since then, the so-called Ukrainian trace has been systematically linked to fraud, terrorism, drug trafficking, and other issues in Russia.

An example is the story of the “Moscow Escobar”, who, according to propagandists, operated under the control of the SBU, but was later identified as a participant in Kremlin celebrations. Other cases include phone scammers, arson attacks on military registration and enlistment offices, unrest in Dagestan, and even cryptographic crimes.

Such accusations are part of a long-term campaign that not only fuels hostility toward Ukraine but also creates the illusion of an all-powerful enemy among Russians. This can lead to increased public paranoia as propagandists continue to present new “evidence” of Ukraine's involvement in Russia’s troubles on a daily basis.

On Telegram, Russian propagandists are spreading that the Banknote and Mint of the National Bank of Ukraine in Kyiv was allegedly damaged as a result of a Russian drone strike on November 12, 2024. They provided precise coordinates that match Google Maps data, which was supposed to add credibility to these claims. However, this information is not true.

StopFake reports this. The project's experts found out that the images used were indeed taken from old news: most of these photos are related to the June 3 fire at a warehouse in the Desnianskyi district of Kyiv on Zakrevskyi Street, and not to the attack on the NBU facility. Official sources also do not confirm this information: as of November 12, none of the messages from the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMV), Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko or the State Emergency Service of Ukraine contained information about damage to the Banknote and Mint. In addition, this facility is located on another street, which once again refutes the claims of its defeat. Another image that they are trying to link to the attack was actually taken on April 28, 2022, during the shelling of the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv.

This disinformation is yet another attempt by pro-Kremlin media to sow panic and create the impression that Ukraine’s financial infrastructure is under constant threat.

The Russian segment of the telegram writes that in Kyiv, Heroiv Sevastopolia (Sevastopol’s heroes) street was supposedly renamed in honor of the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Thus, the Russian propagandists write, Ukraine has once again demonstrated its dependence on the West. In this “news” the fake “order” on renaming No. 267, allegedly issued by the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, is used as confirmation.

“Instead of Heroiv Sevastopolia (Sevastopol’s heroes) street, the Nazi regime decided to name a street in Kyiv after the new NATO Secretary General. According to the Kyiv regime, such a renaming will help to get help from international partners. Soon, cities will be named after their masters”, users write.

The published “order” of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration is a fake. The above-mentioned document is missing from the official website of the administration, as well as any news about the decision to rename the street. Since the authorities may not publish all documents due to martial law, our colleagues from the fact-checking organization StopFake submitted a request for information directly to the Regional Military Administration. They confirmed that they did not disclose such an order.

The authors of the fake “document” also made grammatical errors that are not typical for a native Ukrainian speaker. For example, Russian propaganda uses the phrase “keeping of assistance”. If you translate this into Russian, it is “content of assistance”.  At the same time, the “document” meant “receiving assistance”.

Russian Telegram channels are distributing photos and videos that allegedly show buildings in Kyiv using laser projections to greet the Russian dictator on his birthday.

But this is a fake, because the photo and video content are fabricated and do not correspond to reality. In fact, there were no greetings on the buildings, and the Russians made grammatical errors when generating the video content.

The video of the Arena City building indicates the date - October 7, 2024 and the time - 00:01. At the same time, voices of people and the movement of cars are heard behind the scenes, which raises doubts about the veracity of this video. Since the introduction of martial law in Ukraine, a curfew has been in effect, prohibiting people from being on the streets, in particular, in Kyiv from 00:00 to 05:00. So the presence of an active city life at the present time does not correspond to Ukrainian realities and may indicate that the video is falsified.

Moreover, on another recording, one can see an identical greeting at the Ukraine Hotel. However, when asked by our fact-checking colleagues, the hotel responded that they did not make such a greeting. And there are also no mentions of the Russian dictator's birthday on the hotel's social media pages or on its website.

We have documented fakes many times, whether they involve fake graffiti, foreign magazine covers/newspaper columns, or advertising videos. In this way, propagandists aim to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. This may make readers think that the public is really unhappy with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, implying that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda is a reason for Europe to laugh.

Information about a supposed "necrophilia show” in Kyiv, featuring dancing coffins and a funeral parade, is being spread on social networks. The propagandists who create these publications are trying to link this to Ukraine's “moral decline”, its rejection of Orthodoxy, and the country's European course of development. In the comments, these events are called an expression of “necrophilia” and “the corruption of Kyiv Rus”. However, the video being spread has nothing to do with necrophilia or the rejection of Orthodoxy.

This manipulation was noticed by experts from the StopFake project. They found out that this is indeed an excerpt from a funeral fashion show, which was part of the international funeral industry exhibition in Kyiv, which took place back in June 2021. Similar exhibitions are held in many countries around the world, including Russia. These events are platforms for meetings of representatives of funeral businesses and demonstrations of new technologies and products. However, propagandists distorted the context of the event, trying to present it as an example of the moral decline of Ukraine.

Such manipulations are aimed at discrediting Ukraine, its cultural and political values. Propaganda tries to show that Ukraine, having turned away from Russia, has allegedly lost its traditions and moral guidelines, having become a victim of the European path of development. This is also an attempt to undermine trust in Ukraine in the international arena, presenting it as a “spiritless” and “ruined” country, as well as to divert attention from its own internal problems in Russia, where similar exhibitions are held regularly, but do not cause such criticism.

Propagandists spread information in their media that the Ukrainian authorities, if they do not like something in the work of journalists, can allegedly simply liquidate them, and Western human rights activists, they say, will remain silent. This is confirmed by the cases of “victims” of the Ukrainian authorities. However, specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security analyzed in more detail the situation with several “martyrs” that are actively mentioned by propaganda:

• Andrii Stenin was a Russian “journalist” who worked as a photographer for RIA Novosti in July 2014, filming the torture of captured Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk region. These materials were used by Russian propaganda to demoralize the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

• Ihor Korneliuk and Anton Voloshyn were VGTRK correspondents who covered the occupation of eastern Ukraine in 2014, trying to support Russia’s hybrid aggression.

• Daria Duhina was a propagandist who, among other things, called the massacre in Bucha in 2022 “staged” and was distinguished by her anti-Ukrainian rhetoric.

• Vladlen Tatarskyi (Maksym Fomin) was a collaborator and propagandist who fought as part of the LPR and DPR gangs, and was a citizen of Russia.

• Gonzalo Lira was a propagandist who supported Kremlin colleagues such as Alina Lipp, Graham Phillips and Patrick Lancaster, actively spreading their fakes.

Thus, the Kremlin is trying to present the death of its own propagandists in various circumstances as a victim of repression by Kyiv, which is part of its disinformation campaign. The goal of such manipulations is to create the impression that Ukraine is fighting not only against Russian aggressors, but also against the international press, which calls into question its status as a democratic state.

Russian propaganda resources, citing the US Embassy in Ukraine, disseminated a message that Russia is preparing an attack on government facilities in Kyiv in the near future. In this regard, the United States allegedly calls on its citizens to urgently leave Ukraine.

In fact, this information is distorted and untrue, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation. Propagandists referred to one of the messages from the US Embassy in Ukraine from 2022.

As of August 22, 2024, the last message on the department’s website is dated August 21, 2024. The US Embassy in Ukraine issued this warning: “Over the next several days and into the weekend, there is an increased risk of both night and day Russian drone and missile attacks throughout Ukraine in conjunction with Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24”.

US citizens were advised to monitor local media reports, find out the locations of shelters and hide there in the event of an air raid warning, and follow the instructions of Ukrainian officials and first responders in the event of an emergency.

However, the message from the US Embassy does not talk about any attacks on government facilities or recommendations to leave Ukraine. The CPI adds that the danger of Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine exists constantly, regardless of holidays and ‘circular dates’.

Russia regularly spreads disinformation about strikes on Ukraine in an attempt to intimidate Ukrainians. For example, on August 12, 2024, we documented a fake by Russian propagandists that local authorities in Kyiv were allegedly calling on citizens to leave their homes if they lived near “decision-making centers”.

The network is disseminating information that Kyiv stores are “almost out of fresh products” that need to be kept in refrigerators, in particular dairy products, semi-finished products and meat products. The post includes a photo of empty shelves in the store.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed the case and determined that the propagandists took the photo with empty shelves from an advertisement on OLX in Kazakhstan. And there is no shortage of goods and limited quantities of them, since none of the Ukrainian media have received such news.

Analysts add that according to a survey of retailers conducted by Interfax-Ukraine, the power outages have indeed presented supermarkets with the task of storing perishable goods. Some large networks such as Auchan, Novus and Varus have long had generators that ensure uninterrupted operation during outages. And solar panels were even installed on the roof of one of the Novus stores. But there is no shortage of products.

Propagandists constantly try to exaggerate the scale of problems in Ukraine in order to show the inability of the Ukrainian authorities to cope with the crisis situation. Thus, they want to shift responsibility from the aggressor to the victim of aggression and persuade her to make concessions.

Read on Censor.NET: The Ministry of Agrarian Policy allegedly sends recipes for dishes from pigeons and dogs to Ukrainians

Pro-Russian telegram channels are promoting the message that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the head of the Office of the President Andrii Yermak allegedly do not intend to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, because then they will lose power and influence. Therefore, according to propagandists, Kyiv is preparing a provocation to incite the Kremlin to a powerful response, preferably with the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

By spreading this information, Russia seeks to shift responsibility for the war and the death of Ukrainians onto the Ukrainian authorities. In this case, the Russians resort to “scapegoat” propaganda tactics, abdicating responsibility for a possible nuclear strike and shifting it onto Zelenskyi and Yermak. However, the main reason for the continuation of the war is Russia, in particular, its aggressive policy towards Ukraine and its unwillingness to engage in fair and conscientious negotiations.

Also, citing a recent article by The New York Times about a supposedly possible secret military operation in Ukraine, propagandists claim that the Western press is taking the United States “out of the negative case of supporting terrorism”. According to the article, after the Kremlin warned the Pentagon about a “provocation from Ukraine”, the Americans contacted Kyiv and told it not to do anything like that.

By making statements about Ukrainian terrorism, Russia is diverting attention from its own terrorist acts on Ukrainian territory. Thus, the Kremlin makes similar accusations to those brought against itself. In addition, in this case, propagandists are feeding Russian narratives that “Ukraine is a puppet state” and is led by “overseas masters”.

Let us recall that Russia regularly makes accusations against Ukraine regarding preparations for the use of chemical weapons, or a “dirty” nuclear bomb.

Information is being spread online that at one of the Kyiv universities, instead of practical training, students are sent to “dig trenches in Irpin”. This is evidenced by a notice on the wall of the university.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project explained that the announcement is fake, because there is no announcement about the relevant practice on the website of the educational institution or on social networks.

According to the information on the “announcement”, it is about the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. After all, the facade of the educational institution and the university’s coat of arms were depicted on the leaflet.

However, the student groups listed in the announcement do not exist. Moreover, on the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture website in the section “Agreements with practice bases” there are no military units. In addition, the contracts indicate that the party receiving students undertakes not to use the labor of education seekers in jobs and positions that “do not correspond to the practice program and future specialty”.

The last visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kyiv took place on May 14-15, 2024. After a busy first day of meetings, Blinken, together with Dmytro Kuleba, visited the Veterano Pizza establishment, where, according to propagandists, allegedly before the visit of the US Secretary of State, they changed the photo of the trade union house in Odesa on fire in 2014 to a trident. And in the establishment itself there is a wall with chevrons, where the emblem of the Nazi SS Viking division is located.

However, in this case we are dealing with a photo fake. They write about this in the VoxCheck project. Since Veterano Pizza visitors most likely posted photos identifying the establishment, VoxCheck fact-checkers decided to review such posts on Instagram. For example, a photo of two men who were allegedly photographed in front of a burning trade union building in Odesa was edited. It was originally published on the navysportua Instagram page on December 14, 2021. On the wall behind the visitors it is noticeable that in place of the photo of the supposedly burning building there is actually a trident hanging on a black and red background.

We also edited the picture with the SS division chevron. The original photo was published in February 2018. There is no Nazi emblem on it - it was added by the authors of the fake in a photo editor.

Even at the beginning of a full-scale war, we refuted the information that Antony Blinken, during a visit to Lithuania, allegedly said that the Russian army is much superior to the Ukrainian one and is capable of “grinding” it.

A video is being circulated online in which a Kyiv woman claims that the Territorial center  of recruitment and social support representatives are training children in Kyiv schools before they go to war. However, this is fake.

In fact, the video shows practical training on the subject “Defense of Ukraine”, the VoxCheck project reports. According to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of February 26, 2020, the subject “Defense of the Fatherland” in Ukrainian schools was renamed “Defense of Ukraine”. The Ministry of Education and Science also issued recommendations for teaching “Defense of Ukraine” in general secondary education institutions in 2023/2024. According to them, the goals of training are, in particular, to prepare students for the defense of Ukraine, professional orientation of young people to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, ensuring their own safety and the safety of other people in emergency situations in peacetime and war.

In the lessons from “Defense of Ukraine”, it is recommended for students to conduct practical classes, in particular at the bases of military units, Territorial centers  of recruitment and social support, medical and health institutions and educational institutions. The Territorial centers  of recruitment and social support, as well as local governments, can indeed be involved in the organization and conduct of such events. The classes themselves may include drill techniques and movement without weapons, rehabilitation exercises to restore the body in the field, the basics of self-defense, etc.

“Defense of Ukraine” can be taught by graduates of pedagogical higher education institutions of the relevant specialty, reserve officers with military or other higher education, and also, in the absence of reserve officers, sergeants, reserve soldiers with higher education. And here it is important that for teachers the Ministry of Education and Science proposes to wear military uniforms (without insignia of the Armed Forces of Ukraine), specialized ones, and also medical uniforms. That is, the video depicts a teacher, and not a representative of the Territorial center  of recruitment and social support.

Similar practical classes for students are held in other cities of Ukraine. Completing them does not mean joining the army, since in Ukraine it is prohibited to mobilize citizens aged 18-25 if they are not liable for military service - have not served in military service or do not have military education. In the end, there is no information in any Kyiv or authoritative national Ukrainian publications that Territorial centers  of recruitment and social support trains schoolchildren.

It’s just that now the approach to teaching the “Defense of Ukraine” course in grades 10-11 is being updated and trainers for teachers from the program are being recruited. Read here who can become a coach. One can fill out the selection form until June 4, 2024.

Previously, we refuted the information that Rustem Umierov allegedly called for the mobilization of 16-year-old teenagers, and also analyzed the fake news about the alleged mobilization of 1000 students of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Information is being disseminated online, allegedly due to a lack of qualified personnel, the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center is forced to hire veterinarians. As proof of publication, they add a photo to a specialist who allegedly gives conclusions about the liability and photographs of the “office” as in one of the Kyiv Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center .

VoxCheck analysts analyzed the case and explained that a situation where a Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center  hired a veterinarian instead of a doctor is impossible. A Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center does not engage in hiring medical workers at all to conduct military medical examinations.

Military medical commissions for those liable for military service are formed due to the involvement of doctors from civilian health care institutions.

And the propagandists took the photo from the website of the Lassie veterinary clinic - they probably took a photo of the office door with the Surgeon sign.

Russian resources are disseminating information that Ukraine does not abandon its intentions to “continue terrorist activities”. This is how Russian Presidential Press Secretary Pieskov responded to Ukraine’s threats to strike the Kerch Bridge. He also added that Russian special agencies are already taking appropriate measures.

However, Ukraine has never practiced terrorism and condemns terrorist practices, write the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. Russia these days continues its terrorist attacks on the territory of Ukraine. We are talking about missile and artillery strikes on civilian targets, as well as drones.

At the same time, Russia not only practices terrorism against Ukraine, but also has close relations with other terrorist movements. For example, representatives of the Taliban visit Moscow and are received there at a high level. Previously, we wrote about how Russia is everywhere trying to find the “Ukrainian trace” and blame Ukraine for certain ills of the world, in particular, terrorist attacks.

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.

Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that students of the Kyiv Military Lyceum named after Ivan Bohun have become recruits of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and will be involved in hostilities.

However, this information is not true. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

The Kyiv Military Lyceum named after Ivan Bohun is a secondary educational institution in which teenagers aged 13-17 years study, that is grades 8-11. Lyceum students undergo military training, but they are not involved in the actions of the Defense Forces, because this is contrary to the current legislation of Ukraine. Contract service is only possible upon reaching 18 years of age.

This fake story about the “mobilization of Ukrainian teenagers” is part of the Russian campaign to disrupt mobilization in Ukraine. Previously, we have repeatedly refuted information that Zelenskyi allegedly mobilizes minors.

Such information is spread by propaganda telegram channels. For example, first the metro was completely flooded in the capital, then the city was flooded with sewage “on Zelenskyi's birthday”, and this time the waste spilled onto Verkhovna Rada Boulevard.

However, this information is not true, writes the Center for Strategic Communications at the National Security and Defence Council. In fact, on the night of March 26, a water main with a diameter of 600 mm was damaged on the capital's Verkhovna Rada boulevard, as reported by the Kyiv City State Administration. Water spilled onto the carriageway of the boulevard. Then specialists of “Kyivvodokanal” immediately arrived at the scene. As of noon on March 28, the Kyiv City State Administration reported that the repair of the pipeline on Verkhovna Rada Boulevard was completed, so full water supply was restored to all residential buildings on the left bank.

The purpose of spreading misinformation about the alleged total communal collapse in Ukraine and the capital in particular is to advance the narrative of a “failed state”. He said, “Russia will come and bring order”. Earlier, we refuted the information that more than 70 churches of the canonical UOC may be destroyed in Kyiv.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.