Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that three thieves robbed the house of the family of a deceased military man during his funeral in the Lviv region in 2023. They say that while the defenders are being buried, other Ukrainians are robbing them. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the story, which is being distributed as evidence of this message, was published on July 25, 2016. The event occurred on July 22 of the same year in the city of Zolochiv, Lviv region. Thieves broke into the house during the funeral of serviceman Andrii Shvets, who served as a volunteer during the Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine. Later, the police detained the suspects - three teenagers who stole money and property worth 40 thousand hryvnia.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to ridicule and discredit Ukrainians. Detector Media previously refuted other Russian lies about the Ukrainian military.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social media claim that Ukrainian soldiers sent abroad for treatment and refugees contracted infections in Ukrainian hospitals and then spread these diseases to the EU. They say that these infections are resistant to most antibiotics, and this supposedly proves that the United States is testing bioweapons in Ukraine. In doing so, they refer to an article by the Financial Times.

The message was noticed by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project. They found out that this was not true. An October 2 Financial Times article titled “Ukrainian infections show rising threat of antibiotic resistance” stated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine back in 2014 contributed to the rise in drug-resistant infections in Western Europe. As the authors point out, this could be due to the toxicity of heavy metals in the balls, which caused injuries and wounds that could lead to infections, as well as the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. The situation was also complicated by the fact that medical facilities in combat regions were often damaged, tests to determine the necessary antibiotic were largely lacking, and local residents forced to leave the region could carry these diseases. The article also pointed out that after the start of the full-scale invasion, due to the arrival of Ukrainian military and refugees in EU countries, there was indeed an increase in the number of drug-resistant infections. In particular, they explain this by the fact that in some regions the healthcare system was overloaded.

The VoxCheck experts once again note that there are no US biological laboratories in Ukraine, and no country is engaged in the production or testing of biological weapons here. They also found that antibiotic resistance is an international trend that occurs due to the limited number of effective drugs available and the low number of new drug developments. According to the publication, even states that spend a lot of money on financing the healthcare system cannot cope with this problem.

Propagandists spread this message to discredit Ukrainians and create artificial panic about their presence in Europe. They say that helping Ukrainians is dangerous. Detector Media also wrote about other messages and fakes with which Russia is trying to discredit both the Ukrainian military and refugees.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that the foreign ministers of the European Union countries allegedly did not reach an agreement on the allocation of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 5 billion euros in 2024. Russian propaganda refers to a statement by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell. It's fake.

The case was studied by fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. The European Union is currently working on creating a military assistance fund worth 20 billion euros, which Ukraine should receive from 2024 to 2027. As the fact-checkers of the BezBrekhni (No Lies)” project have established, the EU will allocate 5 billion euros annually. Moreover, this program was proposed by Josep Borrell himself, and there is no information in the official EU channels that international partners have not reached an agreement on assistance to Ukraine.

Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic among Ukrainians, allegedly abandoned by their international partners, and also to create the impression that the West is tired of the war and will no longer allocate funds for military assistance to Ukraine. Previously, we refuted the fake that Germany and France promised early accession to the EU if Ukraine helps to overthrow the Polish government.

Pro-Kremlin media are disseminating information that Great Britain allegedly has plans to bring British military personnel into Ukraine to de-occupy Crimea. Russian propaganda refers to a statement by the top military leadership of the United Kingdom about the prospect of transferring the training of the Ukrainian military from Great Britain to the territory of Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. They established that Great Britain had no plans for the participation of the British military in the de-occupation of Crimea. Russian propaganda manipulates, citing an article by The Telegraph about the new Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom, Grant Shepps. He reflected on assistance to Ukraine and training of the Ukrainian military by British instructors, but did not make statements on the introduction of British troops. Grant Shepps suggested that training could be moved closer to the western regions of Ukraine.

Subsequently, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak explained that these plans are long-term and that instructors will not be sent to Ukraine in the near future. Moreover, he emphasized that Great Britain does not intend to send its army to war with Russia.

Thus, Russian propaganda nourishes the narrative that Russia is allegedly at war with NATO and the collective West. This should create the impression that Russia has the best army and justify defeat at the front. Previously, we talked about the manipulation that Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Russia invaded Ukraine “because of NATO”.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that Sweden has allegedly confirmed the loss of all Leopard 2A5 tanks with the Swedish modification of Strv 122, which were provided to Ukraine as part of military aid. However, this is a fake.

The Reuters fact-checkers drew attention to the case. In response to their request for comment from a spokesperson for the Swedish Armed Forces, they received information that no such official statements had been made. Experts also could not find any reliable materials on the Internet that all 10 Swedish tanks were destroyed. In the press release of the Armed Forces of Sweden for September 21 on the topic of Swedish tanks, there is no mention of their loss. For example, in the article for September 23, the Forbes publication claims only two Swedish tanks were destroyed by a Russian air attack.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian military and Western partners. For example, either Ukrainian soldiers do not know how to use Western weapons, or the weapons themselves are of poor quality compared to Russian ones. Detector Media has already refuted a number of other fakes aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces.

Fake pages of Ukrainian journalists, activists and volunteers are being created on social networks and dating sites. They are created using photos and information from authentic profiles.

The specialists of the NotaYenota project drew attention to this. They note that, in particular, Lviv volunteer Mariia Kisil and producer of Ukraїner found themselves in such a situation. The volunteer claims that each of her volunteer reports is distributed by a closed page with her name, which she cannot even access due to the privacy settings of the fake account. NotaYenota analysts remind that fake pages of Ukrainian military and volunteers have been actively created by the Russians since last year, however, they do not exclude the possibility that scammers may be behind this.

By resorting to this technique, propagandists can more easily spread falsehoods into the information space, as was the case last year. Using them, they want to obtain certain information, discredit Ukrainians, or lure money under the guise of well-known names with a good reputation.

In the Russian segment of the social network VKontakte, a video advertisement is being distributed in which environmentalists allegedly put forward a proposal to hide the Ukrainian military “in special biodegradable capsule bags". This development was allegedly presented on the air of the Ukrainian telethon “United News”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. They found out that in fact such advertising does not exist, and Ukrainian environmentalists did not make such statements. Using an image search, experts found footage from the video - Russian propaganda used the presentation of the Capsula Mundi project by Italian designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel in 2016. Russians used these frames, added the “1+1” channel and the “United News” telethon, and read low-quality text.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to spread the message about high losses among the Ukrainian military and sow despondency among Ukrainian society. Previously, Detector Media refuted the fake that Defense Minister Umierov disclosed data on Ukraine’s losses during the counteroffensive.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that on September 6, the Russian military fired at the location of the Ukrainian military in Kostiantynivka. Russian propaganda notes that there are supposedly photos and videos of the wounded that confirm this. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the VoxCheck project. On September 6, Russian troops shelled a market in Kostiantynivka, killing 15 people. Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, speaking on the United News telethon, said that only the civilian population was affected, and there were no military units there.

By disseminating information that the Russian military is targeting exclusively military targets, Russian propaganda is trying to whitewash the Russians and show that they allegedly do not commit war crimes against Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake news that the Russians fired at a meeting of Lithuanian and Polish NATO officers in Chernihiv.

Propagandists are distributing materials on social networks that allegedly confirm that the southeast is fighting for all of Ukraine. They say that Western Ukraine does not adequately evaluate these efforts. It was noticed in the NotaYenota project.

The specialists found out that Russia regularly restores this message, adapting it to different regions of Ukraine. For example, materials are being distributed to the western regions according to which supposedly only Western Ukraine is fighting, while Eastern Ukraine is holed up in the Carpathians. The opposite message is being spread to the southern and eastern regions.

Project specialists note that these messages do not correspond to reality, since representatives of all regions are fighting at the front for Ukraine. To confirm them, Russians manipulate data and create deliberately false infographics. In particular, in the West only regional territorial recruitment centers are considered, and in the East - regional, district and other branches. Previously, the eastern regions had a higher population density, but now the situation has changed due to Russian aggression. In addition, in the infographics one can notice the typo “southeast”, which is typical for Russian speakers.

Propagandists use this message to turn residents of the western regions against the eastern ones and thus destabilize the situation from within. Detector Media wrote about how Russian propaganda manipulates people from different regions of the country, especially (de)occupied territories.

On social networks one can find advertisements according to which the Ukrainian government has allegedly “approved” a law on payments to “families defending” the country at the front. NotaYenota project specialists drew attention to it.

They found out that the Russians were actually behind the ads. In particular, this is indicated, at least, by the fact that in Ukraine the government does not “approve” laws. In addition, neither the Verkhovna Rada nor the Cabinet of Ministers made such decisions.

Project specialists note that Russians launch such advertising campaigns to spread negative sentiments in society and cause distrust in the authorities in general. The advertisements were created with the expectation that Ukrainians would start asking local authorities about payments and, in response to a refusal, would accuse it of lying. Subsequently, Russians will make advertisements about how corrupt Ukraine is. Detector Media has already written about how the topic of corruption in Ukraine is used by Russian propaganda in its own interests.

Russian propagandists in anonymous telegram channels claim that on September 5, the Susupilne supposedly published the news “In the Odesa region, a military man was detained on suspicion of raping a 10-year-old girl”. They say that the criminal is a soldier of the 41st mechanized brigade. It's fake.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that as of September 12, the article had a different title, namely “In the Odesa region, a man was detained on suspicion of raping a 10-year-old gir”. Neither the police nor the Susupilne identified the suspect as a military man. A backup copy of the news as of the morning of September 10 shows the same title. Consequently, the propagandists edited the screenshot of the news.

By using this fake, Russia wants to discredit the Ukrainian military and cause distrust of the population in them. They say that only rapists and unhealthy people serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Thus, the Russians justify their aggression against Ukraine. Detector Media also debunked other fakes regarding the Ukrainian military.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are allegedly using “live mine clearance” tactics with their own fighters in an attempt to overcome Russian defenses. It's fake.

The case was studied by analysts of the EUvsDiDiNFo project. They found that there was no evidence to support Ukraine using these tactics. In fact, the opposite is true: according to many sources, the Ukrainian counteroffensive was slowed down by mined fields precisely because the Ukrainian military wants to prevent massive casualties.

Russian propaganda uses reflexive tactics to prevent reports that in Bakhmut the Russian command is throwing the Russians into desperate actions and sparing no manpower. Also, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the military command of Ukraine, saying that they do not value the lives of their servicemen. Earlier, Detector Media talked about manipulation, allegedly the chief of staff of the Azov brigade said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive was very publicized, and Russia was invincible.

The social network TikTok is distributing a video in which the military command of Ukraine, in particular Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Serhii Shaptala, Dmytro Marchenko  allegedly created a petition for the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the subsequent mobilization of deputies. The video also features Vitalii Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. Social network users are encouraged to follow the link and sign the petition. It's fake.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. In fact, such a petition does not exist, the video is fake, and the link to the petition leads to various telegram channels and third-party sites.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the military command of Ukraine and promoting the message that there is a conflict between it and the leadership of the state. Previously, we talked about a message that allegedly Zaluzhnyi “was asked to reduce the level of his publicity due to the conflict with Zelenskyi”.

Russian propaganda resources began to spread the fake news that allegedly the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umierov accidentally revealed data on Ukrainian losses during the counteroffensive. A number of anonymous telegram channels disseminating pro-Russian rhetoric promoted the message, allegedly Minister Rustem Umierov in his first public speech named the amount that is not enough to pay the relatives of dead servicemen - UAH 250 billion. Next, propagandists resort to the following arithmetic: the amount is not paid immediately, the first payment is 3 million UAH. Consequently, according to propaganda, the Ministry of Defense must pay the families of more than 83 thousand victims. They say that this is the number of Ukrainian losses in recent months, and it indicates the failure of the counteroffensive. It is not true.

Rustem Umierov really spoke about 250 billion, speaking as a candidate for minister before the vote in the Verkhovna Rada. Quote: “Just until the end of this year we will need an additional 250 billion hryvnia for cash allowance, and these costs are growing every day”. Thus, Rustem Umierov was not talking about payments to the families of the victims, but about monetary allowances, in other words, about salaries for military personnel. We see that Russian propagandists took the real figure announced by Umierov, but grossly manipulated its value.

Let us recall that on September 6, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed a new Minister of Defense. The candidacy of Rustem Umierov was supported by 338 people's deputies. In 2019, Rustam Umierov was elected as a people’s deputy of Ukraine from the Voice party, in 2022-2023 he headed the State Property Fund of Ukraine, and after being confirmed as head of the Ministry of Defense, he became the first Crimean Tatar in the history of independent Ukraine to hold a ministerial post.

Propagandists ridicule the new minister, who “knows how to count money well”, but allegedly casually reveals state secrets about the number of deaths. Russian propaganda is also trying to sow panic among Ukrainians against the backdrop of the counteroffensive, saying that there are many losses in the Ukrainian army. Previously, we refuted the fake news that in Ternopil they are threatening to cut off gas and hot water to conscripts who do not come to the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that soldiers of the 79th separate air assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Zaporizhzia receive drugs from the United States namely ephedrine. Video evidence is added to publications. It's a lie.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project analyzed this case and determined that the propaganda video was published in the fake telegram channel of the 79th separate air assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, where supposedly the military was receiving “another help from fellow Americans”. The video itself was published in the Russian segment of social networks, and the official channel of the 79th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces does not exist in the telegram. Most likely the video is compiled. At the same time, a USAID representative stated that the United States did not supply ephedrine or any other substances for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to Ukraine.

In addition, Russian channels claim that the military received ephedrine in Zaporizhzhia. However, the 79th brigade operates in the Mariinsk and Uhledar directions of the Donetsk region. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in July.

By the way, read how the Russians create fake accounts of the Ukrainian military on social networks and what the Kremlin achieves in this way.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the so-called Western biological laboratories have already flooded the whole of Ukraine and are conducting experiments on the military there: in particular, they are testing vaccines of “unknown” origin. The experiments are allegedly carried out by the Pharmabiotest company, which is allegedly affiliated with clinics in the USA. The authors add that in the temporarily occupied Luhansk region, Russian troops found the corresponding “documents” confirming the testing. Interviews with supposedly Ukrainian prisoners of war are added to the publications.

VoxCheck project analysts analyzed this case and came to the conclusion that the Russians did not provide any evidence or documents in their publications to support their thesis. Moreover, the fact-checkers were unable to identify the characters in the video. That is, probable military prisoners of war. They suggest that the videos could have been compiled and passed off as Ukrainian prisoners. Or the occupiers forced the Ukrainian military to lie, blackmailing them in any way. After all, Russia can use prisoners of war for its own political purposes. For example, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemned such actions by Russia.

Read what is happening to Ukrainian soldiers behind the walls of Russian prisons in the Human Rights Media Initiative. Because intimidation, constant terror and blackmail are the actions of the Russians towards Ukrainian captives.

By the way, Pharmabiotest is a real laboratory where experiments are carried out. However, on the website of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine there is a list of all possible experiments conducted by different clinics. Therefore, Pharmbiotest conducted studies on the bioavailability of drugs such as Adesin, Tenzocard, Klovask, etc. All these names are common drugs. There is no mention of vaccine testing on the clinic's website. That is, propagandists threw in information without confirmation.

Ukrainian users of the Signal application, popular among military personnel, receive messages calling for them to surrender. Allegedly, according to a certain frequency, the Ukrainian military can voluntarily choose life.

The case was studied by fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. Russian propaganda has monkeyed with the Ukrainian project ”I Want to Live”, which appeared in 2022 thanks to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, where Russians can surrender. The Red Cross and the media have access to the prison camp in Ukraine, and it meets the standards of the Geneva Convention.

However, Ukrainians in captivity are tortured and subjected to psychological violence, and international organizations do not have access to their places of detention. The Russians also commit mass murder. As the Main Intelligence Directorate reported, “On July 28, a powerful explosion occurred on the territory of the former correctional colony No. 120 in the city of Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region, which is now used as a detention center for Ukrainian prisoners of war”. As a result, Ukrainian prisoners died. As of July 28, 2023, of the 59 returned bodies of dead people, 52 have been identified.

Rusian propaganda is trying to divert attention and deflect responsibility for the torture, mistreatment and murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war, saying that they created all the conditions for a safe surrender. Previously, we refuted the fake news that Azov commander Denis “Redis” Prokopenko was captured again.

Mary Wareham, advocacy director of the arms department of the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, allegedly admitted that Ukraine is killing civilians with cluster shells. On September 5, Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels began to disseminate such information. Russians and propagandists refer to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2023 report. The analytical team of Detector Media has looked into the primary sources and tells what human rights activists wrote and what the propagandists thought up.

On September 3, the Human Rights Watch website published Mary Warham's column on the use of cluster munitions in Ukraine. In the text, she refers to Russia's “widespread use of cluster munitions” that has resulted in “civilian deaths and injuries, damage to civilian infrastructure, and contamination of agricultural land”. The human rights activist points out that Ukraine also uses cluster munitions, which “cause civilian casualties, but on a much smaller scale than the Russian army”.

In his blog, Wareham refers to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2023 report. This report mentions that the Ukrainian Armed Forces “used cluster munitions in attacks on Izium in the Kharkiv region between March and September 2022, when it was controlled by the Russian army”. The authors of the report note that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denied the accusations of using cluster munitions. The list of sources of the document contains a link to a letter from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. And the letter from the Ministry of Defense states that although Ukraine is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions of May 30, 2008, “The Armed Forces of Ukraine strictly comply with the norms of international humanitarian law when planning and conducting military operations”. Human Rights Watch condemned the use of cluster munitions, but primarily blamed Russia, not Ukraine, for their use on the battlefield. The authors of the report cited the discussion about the transfer of cluster munitions by the United States to Ukraine as an example of how “stigmatized” the use of these munitions on the battlefield is. But they were reminded of the threats to their civilians even after the end of the war due to the fact that they may not explode immediately. Propagandists claimed that the human rights organization criticized only Ukraine and admitted that it violates international humanitarian law, and ignored the criticism of Russia by human rights activists.

This is not the first time propagandists and Russians have turned to the topic of cluster munitions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which allegedly kill civilians. In July, Detector Media refuted a claim about the death of a Russian propagandist who was allegedly killed by Ukrainians with American cluster shells. With messages about the use of cluster munitions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, propagandists are trying to plant several ideas on the audience. Firstly, that the Ukrainian military seems to be killing civilians, and this symbolically equates the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the war crimes of the Russians. Secondly, they try to shift the responsibility for the suffering of civilians from the aggressor to the victim of the aggression. And for this, they use the tactics of “third party” propaganda — they put into the mouths of representatives of non-Russian public organizations and media theses that are consonant with the messages of Russian propaganda.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels are circulating a photo that allegedly shows an order from the commander of the 123rd Trooper Brigade to create mobile crematoria. In the “document” this decision is explained by a large number of losses on the Ukrainian side and overcrowded morgues. However, this is fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They checked the document for errors and found out that the text indicated a period of 5 days instead of a period. In addition, the format of the name does not meet the current requirements for official documentation, according to which the document should not contain “R. Tokarenko”, but “Roman TOKARENKO”. Moreover, since the 123rd TRO brigade is a territorial defense formation in the Mykolaiv region, such orders should be issued in Mykolaiv, and not Kherson, as in the photo. There were no reports of command redeployment. The seal is also not real - there is no organization with the EDRPOU code 07849800. VoxCheck specialists tested the print with the InVid plugin and found signs of being added in the photo editor. Also in the photo one can see that the text is above the seal, but should be below it. The 123rd troop brigade also denied the fake on their Facebook page, calling it “another IPSO of Russian propaganda”.

By creating and spreading such fakes, propagandists want to exaggerate the scale of losses and the situation, as well as demoralize Ukrainian society. They say that the Ukrainian army has heavy losses, which indicates the loss of Ukraine. However, such fakes only indicate that Russia wants to cover its own numerous losses and failures at the front.  Detector Media has already refuted the Russian fake from the “Kyivstar video” about the losses of the Ukrainian army.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that one of the local clinics in Kharkiv is providing free HIV testing. Consequently, propagandists sum up: since a free test is offered in Ukraine, it means that there is an outbreak of infection among the military. They also add that the cause is poor-quality blood, which was previously supplied by NATO countries to Ukraine. And they add “photo evidence” to the messages - one of the announcements about testing for the detection of HIV infection.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project began to analyze this case and explained that HIV testing in Ukraine is free. All Ukrainians have the right to use this opportunity. Actually, according to the new version of the law on combating HIV, everyone on the territory of Ukraine has the right to free medical care and provision of antiretroviral drugs for treatment. The authors of the fake message hint that the Ukrainian healthcare system is suffering at the hands of “unprofessionals” and are intimidated by various diseases that are breaking out in Ukraine. However, the fact-checkers emphasize that free HIV testing indicates the relative quality and stability of the medical system of Ukraine. Testing is one of the elements of disease regulation or its timely detection.

By the way, in the first 6 months of 2023, the volume of HIV testing services increased by 52.7%, which even exceeded the pre-war figures. As a reminder, free HIV testing can be done at one’s family doctor, therapist or pediatrician.

In addition, Russian propaganda has repeatedly manipulated the issue of providing blood in the state. Thus, the Kremlin is trying to create a false impression that there is not enough blood in Ukraine, there is not enough of it, and therefore it is impossible to heal the army qualitatively. Among other things, in the opinion of consumers, misinformation was also suggested that they supposedly supply infected blood to Ukraine. That is, they portrayed the image of Ukraine as a state in which international partnership is not interesting. They also wrote that the Verkhovna Rada “orders” Ukrainians to donate blood. Women of Ukrainian fighters complain that their men are being transfused with “Russian blood”. And in general they explained that Ukrainians forbid foreign citizens to become blood donors. And with such messages, the authors fed the classic narrative about the existence of “Ukrainian Nazis”.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that allegedly in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian military infected a Polish fighter of the Foreign Legion with an “unknown disease”.  According to the authors, after the infection, the Polish fighter was allegedly put into a medically induced coma in order to find out “what kind of disease the Ukrainians infected him with”. Subsequently, the “sick” was sent to the Polish city of Rzeszow, where he allegedly spread the virus to the Poles. The publications refer to the material of the Associated Press. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and determined that the material really refers to an investigation into the cause of an outbreak of legionnaires' disease in the city of Rzeszow, which killed 7 people and infected more than 100. And this is not an “unknown disease”, but legionellosis. One can get sick from small drops of water containing the causative agent of the disease - the Legionella bacterium. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. Weapons for Ukraine are being transported through the city, so Stanislav Zharyn, Deputy Minister-Coordinator of the Polish intelligence services, explained that the services will check Russia’s involvement in the spread of the disease.

However, there was no talk of any International Legion and Polish fighter in the material. This is just an invented story of propagandists. At the same time, they used the topic of the material to create a false impression that the infection started from the Ukrainian military. In fact, the authors distorted the context of the material and added false information from themselves. Moreover, the first case of legionellosis infection was found in Poland, that is, in the city of Rzeszow. Meanwhile, not a single case of legionellosis has been registered in Ukraine over the past year. Russian media regularly spread misinformation about disease outbreaks in Ukraine. Including in order to intimidate people with various ailments. Also to show that Ukrainian officials do not care about the sanitary and epidemiological state of the country and leave everyone to the mercy of fate. Propagandists seek to discourage Ukrainians to the state.

Read similar fakes on the topic: an infectious disease with leptospirosis is allegedly spreading among the Ukrainian military, or how an outbreak of cholera was allegedly recorded in Odesa. Kyiv and Mykolaiv also suffered from this propaganda story. But finally, pay attention to the message that cholera in Ukraine is the work of the United States and their “biological laboratories”.

On the YouTube platform, advertisements are being distributed regarding the high losses among the Ukrainian military. The video says that “350,000 warriors sacrificed themselves so that we remember”. The video accompanies the text that the United24 fund allegedly accidentally disclosed the losses. It's fake.

The case was noticed at the Center for Counteracting Disinformation. Earlier, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar commented in her telegram channel on information about the alleged number of dead Ukrainian soldiers, which appears in various publications, including foreign ones. She said: “During martial law, this information is a state secret. Not because someone wants to hide, but because this is a requirement of the military”. Maliar explained that the enemy could use data on the dead and wounded in order to calculate their further actions.

By launching fake ads about losses among the Ukrainian military, Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic and despondency among Ukrainians and discredit the authorities, saying that it is silent about the true number of deaths and the United24 fund, which raises funds for the army and humanitarian needs. Earlier, we refuted the fake advertisement about Zaluzhnyi, that claimed that the Foreign Ministry allegedly hides his incompetence.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that the Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar allegedly disclosed real losses among the Ukrainian military in the war against Russia in the promotion of a charity initiative. Allegedly, the company has created a video in which it encourages sending text messages to dead servicemen, but hundreds of thousands of defenders will not be able to respond to the messages. This is fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. They checked the information at the Kyivstar company, where they were told that the telecommunications operator did not conduct similar actions and did not release a promotional video.

Russian propagandists are trying to intimidate Ukrainians and discredit the military leadership by spreading fakes about casualties among the Ukrainian military. They say that the authorities are silent about real losses so that people are not afraid of mobilization. Earlier, we refuted the fake that in Ternopil they threatened to cut off the gas and hot water to conscripts who do not come to the Territorial centers of procurement and social support.

In the Ukrainian segment of Facebook, a video is being circulated where the Novus supermarket chain allegedly sells a batch of Ukie energy drinks, which was allegedly intended for the military. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. The video does not show the entire inscription placed on the bank with the energy drink. In fact, it says: “Monthly, a free supply of Ukie energy drinks is donated to the military”. Consequently, the energy producer gives a batch free of charge every month, but nowhere is it indicated that this particular batch in the Novus supermarket chain was intended for the military. Producers of the energy drink “First Private Brewery” also talked about the campaign in their social networks. The author of the video manipulated by showing only part of the inscription.

Thus, they are trying to sow discord among Ukrainians, saying that some people profit during the war. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Ukrainian military equipment is being sold at the car market in Poland.

In the pro-Kremlin media and in the Russian segment of Facebook, they spread information that the Ukrainian military administration allegedly fled from the city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region. The news appeared against the backdrop of fakes that the Russians allegedly took Synkivka. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. There is no information on the official pages of the Kupiansk city military administration and the Kharkiv regional military administration that the administration left the city. Andrii Besedin, the head of the city administration of Kupiansk, told the fact-checkers: “Everyone is at their workplaces. We are working as normal”. And the speaker of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Olena Shapoval, on the air of Radio Svoboda (Liberty) said that everyone was in their places.

Also, after the publication of information about the flight of the administration, Andrii Besedin published a post about a working meeting with photographs from his office. Also on August 21, he posted a video from the city center near the memorial sign of the defender groundhog - the symbol of Kupiansk.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to spread panic among Ukrainians and cause distrust in the authorities, saying that the Ukrainian military administration left them and Ukraine does not need them. We have previously refuted the manipulation that Ukraine is going to attack the Hasidim in Uman in order to get the Israeli air defense system.