Propagandists disseminated information in the Russian media that the President of Ukraine, according to them, during his last visit to Odesa allegedly revealed the location of a secret base in the port area of the city, where, according to them, drones were being prepared for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, these statements are not confirmed.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this. They note that the meeting between the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Greece was of an official nature and took place in the presence of many government officials and journalists. It is baseless to assume that a secret military base was included in the excursion program as part of such a visit.

The Greek Prime Minister confirmed that the delegation was near the port when the shelling occurred, but this has nothing to do with Zelenskyi's visit to any secret base.

Propagandists spread such fakes in order to discredit the President of Ukraine and quarrel between Western countries and Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted fakes directed personally against Zelenskyi.

In the Russian segment of social networks they write that Ukrainian partisans burned down a drone production plant in Lviv, having previously also eliminated the plant’s security guards. The authors added that they produced 5 thousand drones every month for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular, UAVs “Furia”, “Leleka 100”, RAM II UAV and others. This is manipulation.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed this information and found that until now details about the explosion at the enterprise in Lviv had not been reported. Moreover, the company does not produce UAVs; information about such production was disseminated by a pro-Russian propagandist. That is, his words do not claim to be authentic.

Ukrainian media indeed reported that on February 18, 2024, an explosion actually occurred in Lviv on the territory of an industrial complex on Antonovych street. According to the speaker of the SBU in the Lviv region, Roksolana Yavorska, there were no casualties as a result of the explosion. There have still been no official statements about the cause of the explosion or those involved.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the allegation that weapons are allegedly being stolen and resold on the black market in Ukraine. As evidence, the authors of the fake referred to a report from the US Department of Defense: it seemed to say how “during the inspection, specialists did not count 40 thousand weapons”.

“I think everyone understands where and for what purposes it was redirected... The likelihood of terrorist attacks in Europe is only growing”, propagandists commented on the situation.

However, the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up the case and found that in a special report, “enhanced monitoring of the end use of defense goods supplied to Ukraine”, they noted that arms supplies to Ukraine were not properly controlled. This is explained by the fact that the presence of US representatives in Ukraine is limited. At the same time, the report does not accuse or express the thesis that weapons “end up on the black market”.

They also gave a positive assessment to Ukraine’s attempts to monitor the supply of weapons and equipment. It is indicated that in some cases, Ukrainian officials conducted inventories more thoroughly than their American counterparts.

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

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

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

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

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

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that two trucks with disassembled F-16 aircraft allegedly entered Ukraine from Poland. At the same time, propagandists fear that fighters may be armed with AIM-120D air-to-air missiles, which are capable of destroying air targets at a distance of 150 to 180 kilometers.

The information that the F-16 is already in Ukraine and also in disassembled form is fake. Specialists from the VoxCheck team write about this, in particular. Representative of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yurii Ihnat considers such reports to be unfounded, noting that the movement of F-16 aircraft to the territory of Ukraine is possible only after appropriate preparation of infrastructure and personnel. Volodymyr Zelenskyi believes that the first F-16 aircraft will most likely arrive in Ukraine in 2024.

The very preparation of pilots for transfer to the F-16 in Britain can take up to two years, and in the USA, probably until the end of 2024. In Denmark, Ukrainian pilots are already training on fighter jets, so it is expected that the planes will arrive from there the fastest.

The main armament of the F-16 fighters is the AIM-9X air-to-air missile. Also used are air-to-air missiles AIM-7 and AIM-120 AMRAAM, which in the latest modification in homing mode can hit a target at a distance of 180 kilometers. According to Yurii Ihnat, Ukraine needs F-16 fighters to hit the enemy from the air, push Russian aircraft away from the borders of Ukraine and destroy drones.

By spreading this disinformation, propagandists seek to discredit international military support for Ukraine. In addition, the creation of such fakes may be associated with the preparation of the internal population of Russia for the upcoming “bad news” from Ukraine, as a consequence of the upcoming work of pilots on F-16 fighters. Previously, we denied information that the Russian military had already allegedly destroyed several F-16s in Ukraine.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels write that Western F-16 fighters will be stationed at one of the airports in Moldova before being transferred to Ukraine. In asserting this, propagandists refer to the Minister of Defense of Moldova Anatolii Nosatyi, who allegedly made a corresponding statement.

In fact, this information is not true. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Anatolii Nosatyi himself has already denied such news in a comment to Newsmaker: “They are aimed only at misinformation of citizens and discrediting the defense department. I would like to point out that all these messages are misinformation. I condemn and refute these fakes”.

The Minister of Moldova also said that in addition to Telegram channels, lies were spread by politicians who “want to destabilize the situation in the country”. Previously, we denied information that the Russian military had already destroyed several F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine.

Users of social networks are again spreading information that the ex-husband of singer Kamaliya, Pakistani Mohammad Zahoor, bought fighter jets for Ukraine. However, this is a fake.

Specialists of the NotaYenota project drew attention to it. They found out that Zahur did not actually buy fighter jets for Ukraine. Kamaliya personally denied this information. This story begins with an interview with Kamaliya in 2022, where the singer stated that she received permission from Zahur to talk about the fact of providing two fighter jets to Ukraine, but without specific details. As it turned out, the singer was referring to military assistance from Pakistan. However, the quote is defaced on a number of websites and social networks, attributing to the Kamaliya man the acquisition of aircraft.

Project specialists drew attention to this situation due to the peculiarities of its reappearance in the Ukrainian media space. They found out that the fake was spread again in early January through one of the Facebook pages, which has more than 440 thousand subscribers. The comments to the message provide a link to the main article, and the domain name of the site distributing this fake is located in the .su zone - the national top-level domain for the former Soviet Union. Even after the Union ceases to exist, the SU domain remains Russian. They note that since 1993, the administrator of this domain has been the Russian Institute for the Development of Public Networks (RosNIRSM), located in Moscow. Since 2009, technical maintenance of this domain has been carried out by the Internet Technical Center, also in Moscow.

The most interesting thing is that the page distributing this stuff through .SU is administered by three persons located in Ukraine. Taking this into account, according to NotaYenota, through pages publishing “good news” about “support for Ukraine” from famous people, fakes can be launched, which test the audience for their reaction to various types of influence.

Russian telegram channels report that as a result of Russian missile attacks on the western regions of Ukraine on January 13, 2024, they managed to destroy a batch of missiles for the Patriot air defense system and warehouses with Storm Shadow missiles at the airfield in Kolomyia.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council writes that this information is false. According to a message from the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on January 13, 2024, “Russian missiles are getting worse and are flying to God knows where”. On that day, air defense forces managed to shoot down eight missiles, and more than 20 more did not reach their targets as a result of active countermeasures by electronic warfare.

This disinformation campaign seeks to reassure everyone that Russian “high-precision weapons” cause damage and destruction exclusively to “legitimate targets”, such as missile trains. Russian propaganda systematically spread fake news about the destruction of Patriot air defense systems, Leopard tanks, or even F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine in order to exaggerate Russia’s successes in the war.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that the United States allowed Ukraine to use HIMARS for “strikes” against Russia. In asserting this, propagandists refer to the US Embassy in Ukraine, Bridget Brink, who allegedly made a corresponding statement.

In fact, this information is fake. Brink did not make such a statement - it was invented by propagandists of one of the Russian media, who subsequently published a refutation. This was reported by checkers from the StopFake project. To create the fake, they used a quote from Brink from June 2022 - then the United States provided Ukraine with a package of military aid, which included, in particular, ammunition for HIMARS: “This will help Ukrainian forces aim more accurately, as well as have a greater range. What range will the Ukrainian forces determine?” However, those ammunition could hit targets at a distance of up to 70 km, and not 300 km, that is, there was no talk of any strikes on Russian territory.

By spreading this disinformation, Russian propaganda seeks to create the image that “the United States and Ukraine are aggressors because they are going to attack Russia”, so Russia is supposedly a victim of the confrontation and is forced to defend itself. Thus, Russia “demonizes” Ukraine and its allies. Previously, we refuted information that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could allegedly use any NATO weapons on Russian territory.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels disseminate information that NATO member countries, including the United States, are not against the Armed Forces of Ukraine “hitting”  Russia with all available weapons, that is, foreign ones, and not just Ukrainian ones. Based on the results of an emergency telephone conversation between representatives of the United States, NATO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which followed another massive Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities on January 2, 2024, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin allegedly promised to satisfactorily respond to Ukraine’s requests regarding medium- and long-range missiles. In arguing this, propagandists cite an article by The New York Times. However, this is a fake.

The truth is that The New York Times never published such a story, and their reporter at the Paris bureau of Constant Méheut, the supposed author of the fictitious article, did not actually write the story. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. The Western countries arming Kyiv demanded that Ukraine use only its own weapons to attack Russian territory. In addition, neither on the NATO website nor on the official Pentagon channels there is any mention of the supply of missiles to Ukraine without range restrictions. This information is also not available on the website and communication channels of the US Embassy in Ukraine.

By spreading this disinformation, Russian propaganda seeks to demonize NATO, including the United States, saying that they are starting to openly fight against Russia and are even ready to destroy the civilian population of Russia. Thus, the propagandists also want to justify the bloody war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine and, according to them, against the entire West and NATO, which allegedly want to destroy Russia. Previously, Detector Media analyzed the Russian manipulation that NATO would allegedly invade Russia “after the war in Ukraine”.

Propaganda resources disseminated information that the Russians destroyed three or four F-16 aircraft in Odesa. It's fake.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security has processed this information. In fact, Ukraine is just getting ready to accept the F-16 – we are talking about infrastructure, pilots, and engineering personnel. All statements about the destruction of these fighters in Ukraine are an invention of Russian propaganda, which Yurii Ihnat, a representative of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has already ridiculed.

“Their [Russian – ed.] reports are encouraging: per day, five Ukrainian aircraft are destroyed in the reports of their general staff. There are even memes about the F-16 that they have already found them in Ukraine”, Ihnat said on the telethon.

Propagandists exaggerate the achievements of the Russian army in the war against Ukraine by spreading such disinformation. Like, they have everything under control. Previously, we denied information that Russia allegedly destroyed five Patriot air defense missile launchers.

According to information distributed by propagandists, Forbes allegedly published an article that Ukraine has created a tank brigade that has limited combat readiness and practically no tanks. However, this is manipulation.

The analysts from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that we are talking about the article Ukraine Has Formed a New Tank Brigade by David Ax, published on December 3 in Forbes. In it, the author writes about the 5th separate tank brigade (STBr).

He does not indicate the low combat readiness of the brigade or the absence of tanks in it. David Ax discusses the position of the 5th Tank Brigade, which was formed in 2016. He notes that the unit existed largely only on paper, but has recently begun to recruit and train, as evidenced by photographs published on December 2, 2023.

In his article, Ax also points out that Western partners provided Ukraine with different tanks, but in the photographs published on social networks they are not visible in brigades. However, he does not claim that the unit has no tanks at all, but only points out the lack of information about what tanks are used. The journalist also considers possible options for equipment that the brigade could be equipped with, such as the T-72, Leopard 1 or Abrams.

It is important to note that Ax does not use the term “incapacitated” to describe the brigade. On the contrary, in his material he draws attention to changes in the tactics of using tanks in general, pointing to their use as short-range artillery due to the presence of minefields and the use of drones. This modification of the use of tanks is associated with more complex combat conditions and the use of other technologies.

The 5th Brigade is part of the Reserve Corps. In 2018, the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Serhii Popko, announced that the 5th Separate Tank Brigade of the Reserve Corps was fully equipped with T-72 tanks. However, after a certain period, the brigade was demobilized, and only in February 2022 it was resumed. However, due to losses in other armored and mechanized brigades, tanks and personnel of the 5th Tank Brigade were used to replenish other units. Today it is known that in March 2023 the unit was restored again, it is equipped with equipment, and personnel are undergoing training.

By manipulating the texts of foreign media, propagandists want to strengthen the myth about the incapacity of the Ukrainian army, as well as the theft of Western weapons. This is not their first fiction concerning the Ukrainian Armed Forces — Detector Media has repeatedly refuted others.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that they allegedly decided to start arming Ukrainian soldiers with shovels in case they run out of ammunition. According to propagandists, such a plan was allegedly shared by the commander of the 59th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a commentary for the Associated Press (AP). This is manipulation.

Specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security reviewed this information. They found out that the commander of the 59th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces actually stated that if there was a shortage of bullets, Ukrainian soldiers would kill the invaders with shovels. However, it was not said that the military leadership would give soldiers shovels instead of weapons, but about how motivated the Defense Forces are to go to victory: “Probably everyone is tired of the war physically and mentally. But imagine if we stop, what happens next? - the commander summed up. Ukrainians do not intend to stop fighting for their own state, no matter what the situation at the front.

Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the military leadership of Ukraine, saying that it doesn’t care about soldiers, so they will soon be sent into battle even with shovels, as long as they hold the defense. That is, in this case, propagandists are speculating on the expression “war to the last Ukrainian”, since it is obvious that it is impossible to resist with shovels against modern weapons. In addition, Russian propaganda creates the picture that no one needs Ukraine anymore, so international military assistance is becoming weaker. Previously, we analyzed the propaganda manipulation that Ukraine allegedly wants to refuse supplies of Western weapons.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that the Zhytomyr city council handed over two quadcopters to the 30th separate mechanized brigade, allegedly spending 530 million hryvnia on the purchase of them. Propagandists say this indicates that much of the funds were stolen by local officials. It's fake.

Specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council worked on this case. As it turned out, in fact, 530 thousand hryvnia were spent on the purchase of two “birds”. The Zhytomyr City Council reported this on its telegram channel.

It is common for Russian propagandists to distort information by adding zeros to numbers or replacing one or more words in a sentence to convey the desired as real. Previously, we analyzed information that 200-500 thousand Ukrainians allegedly lost limbs due to the war, although in the original it was about 20-50 thousand military personnel.

Propagandists say a German charity allegedly ran an advertisement comparing the cost of a Leopard tank sent to Ukraine with the cost of operations for 10 sick children. Like, they wrote about it in Reuters. Some people also claim that after the publication of this information, “defenders of Ukrainian refugees” criticized the philanthropists and called them Nazis due to the fact that German children were more important than Ukrainian ones. However, this is a fake video.

The VoxCheck analysts drew attention to it. They found out that the photos and videos distributed by propagandists were edited. The charitable organization Bunter Kreis Rheinland, against which the fake was created, stated that it did not place such advertising. It was also debunked by a reverse search of video frames via Google Images, which showed that the photos were only being distributed by Russian-language resources or users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric. The subtitles on the video also look like they were added during editing, as they contain errors in how words are related, and in some frames there are additional spaces between words.

Deutsche Welle contacted the charity Bunter Kreis Rheinland, which is listed as the author of the ad, and received confirmation from finance director Ralf Orth that the organization had no connection with the ad as their finances are based on donations and they cannot fund such things in Berlin .

The fake posters featured the logos of Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband and Aktion Mensch; both organizations denied any involvement in the advertising and said their logos were used without their permission.

The blue inscription on the billboard belongs to the company Wall GmbH, whose representatives stated that they did not produce such billboards at all.

Propagandists spread such fake news to create skepticism among European audiences about the war in Ukraine. Like, why should Europeans waste their resources on other people’s children when they have problems with their own? However, such comparisons are inappropriate, since the life of every child is priceless.

Commenting on the consequences of missile strikes on Ukraine on December 14, 2023, Russian propagandists are disseminating information that five Patriot air defense missile launchers, one command vehicle, one air situation radar, 80 million ready-to-fire missiles worth $5.5, 160 missiles were allegedly eliminated near Zhytomyr that were in stock. According to Russian propaganda, Russia “virtually destroyed the annual production of MIM-104 missiles with one blow”. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council checked this information and found that it was untrue. In fact, the Russians are simply trying to overcome the failures of their hypersonic missiles, which have been regularly shot down by the MIM-104 Patriot since the spring of 2023.

By spreading disinformation, in this case, Russian propaganda appeals to the supposed omnipotence and invincibility of the Russian army. In addition, such “news” should cause a feeling of euphoria among Russian citizens, since the Russian military allegedly managed to destroy as many as five “hyped” Patriot air defense systems, which Ukrainians had been waiting for so long from their partner countries in order to strengthen the state’s air defense. Previously, Detector Media denied information that the Russians allegedly destroyed the Patriot air defense system at the Zhuliany airport in Kyiv.

Information began to spread online that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during his visit to Kyiv on November 20, offered Ukraine to exchange American Abrams tanks for German Leopards in a ratio of 1 to 4. That is, for seven American tanks, Ukraine was allegedly promised 28 German ones. This statement is explained by the fact that the supposedly low efficiency of the Abrams could cause “serious reputational damage to these tanks around the world”, something the Americans would like to avoid. It's fake.

In fact, Lloyd Austin did not offer Ukraine to exchange American Abrams tanks for Leopards during his visit. This is not mentioned in any leading world media, and the information itself was disseminated mainly in Russian or pro-Russian media. At the same time, Lloyd Austin stated at the time that “the United States, along with its allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine’s immediate battlefield and long-term defense needs”. During the visit, the Pentagon chief also announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth $100 million, but there were no concerns about the loss of image of Abrams tanks as a result of the unsuccessful performance of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield.

By spreading disinformation, as in this case, Russian propaganda aims to discredit international support for Ukraine’s partners in the war against Russia. In addition, propagandists aim to convince everyone around them that the Russian military has an advantage on the battlefield, and the defeat of Ukraine is a matter of time.

Earlier, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Ukrainian defenders are very effectively using Western weapons, and in response to this, Russia is increasing its aggression against civilians.

This information was recorded by specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They explained that pro-Kremlin telegram channels are disseminating information about the defeat of the Grim-2 OTRK launcher. Video evidence is added to the messages.

However, in fact, the primary source of such “news” was a satirical telegram channel, the description of which clearly states that all messages are only humorous in nature. But in fact, the video depicts the defeat of Russian equipment. On December 6, 2023, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko published a video of the defeat of the Russian operational-tactical missile system on his telegram channel. It is most likely that the authors of the satirical channel used this particular video to create the news. And then the Kremlin resources replicated this.

Still, it is impossible to say that the Russians did not destroy Ukrainian equipment on the battlefield, because this is more than possible during the war. But propagandists deliberately exaggerate the significance of “destroyed” equipment on the battlefield, hinting at the supposedly low combat capability of the Ukrainian army. And they use supposedly reliable information to support such a thesis.

The head of the Main Directorate of Missile Forces and Artillery and Unmanned Systems of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhii Baranov, in an interview with the military radio station Army FM, when asked whether the Grim-2 installation was at the development stage, replied that the installation was “being improved so let the Russians experience its effects on themselves”.

Read here on how Russian propaganda devalues the weapons that serve Ukraine.

Propagandists spread information that, according to various estimates, in Ukraine, supposedly from 200 to 500 thousand people have already lost limbs, and 50 thousand Ukrainian military personnel have turned to the Ottobock company, which develops prosthetics. This is manipulation.

This case was studied by specialists from the VoxUkraine project. It turned out that the information mentioned was being manipulated. Firstly, Russian propaganda does not cite a single source from which the figures about 200-500 thousand people who lost limbs come from. There is only a link to the Ottobock company, which allegedly ordered prosthetics for 50 thousand Ukrainian soldiers. Secondly, presumably, the propagandists had in mind an article by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which directly quoted the German company Ottobock, providing data on the number of prosthetics ordered by Ukrainians. However, the article is talking about 20-50 thousand Ukrainians, and not just military personnel who lost limbs, and by no means hundreds of thousands. In addition, 50 thousand is a rough estimate based on data from the state and medical partners of the total number of amputees, but not the number of Ottobock clients.

Russian propaganda is trying to scare Ukrainians and encourage us to oppose the current government by exaggerating the number of compatriots who have had one or two limbs amputated. In this case, propagandists are manipulating a sensitive topic. Previously, we analyzed the Russian manipulation that in Ukraine they allegedly want to abolish disability in order to send more people to the front.

This information was disseminated by pro-Russian resources. They say that Berlin sent the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a thousand laptops as a gift to remove the issue of transferring Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine. This is manipulation.

Specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security undertook to analyze this case. They investigated that the very fact of a gift of thousands of laptops for the needs of the Verkhovna Rada was confirmed by the German Embassy in Ukraine, but emphasized that they were transferred “as a sign of solidarity and support”. The issue of supplying Taurus missiles has been discussed over the past months, but so far Ukraine and Germany have not reached a consensus on this matter. That is, the gift of a thousand laptops is exclusively humanitarian assistance, and not a payoff for missiles, as some pro-Kremlin resources tried to provide.

Thus, Russian propaganda wants to discredit international support for Ukraine and assure everyone around that Western countries are already tired of the Russian-Ukrainian war and therefore strive to end it as quickly as possible by any means. Previously, we refuted information that the Russians allegedly destroyed a Leopard tank with a German crew.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating the words of Russian Defense Minister Serhii  Shoihu, who stated that in October the Russian army allegedly managed to destroy 37 Ukrainian combat aircraft. This is almost 2 times more than the promised number of F-16s for Kyiv. Despite the supply of new types of “NATO” weapons, Ukraine seems to continue to lose. However, this is a fake.

The specialists from the Vox Ukraine team analyzed this case. They found that OSINT analysts did not record large losses of the Ukrainian Air Force in October 2023. The Dutch open-source reconnaissance site Oryx found only one destroyed Su-25 during this period. In addition, according to the agreements of the Ukrainian authorities and partner states, Ukraine should receive more than 18 F-16 aircraft - propagandists are manipulating information. On August 21, 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced that Ukraine would receive 42 aircraft from the Netherlands and 19 from Denmark. Later, a clarification appeared: the Netherlands will transfer some of the mentioned 42 aircraft to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and some will be left for pilot training. On August 24, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stør also announced the transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine. In the end, Belgium will also join the supply of equipment of this type from 2025. It should be noted that Norway and Belgium still did not specify the number of aircraft that they are ready to transfer.

Russian propaganda exaggerates the achievements of the Russian army, trying to spread another “victorious” story from the front line among ordinary Russians. That is, propagandists engage in eye-catching activities and publish fake information from the combat zone. After all, we previously published information that Shoihu “knocked down”  a bunch of planes and ATACMS in five days.

Russian media are disseminating information that the recent attack on a civilian ship flying the flag of Liberia is the result of the work of Ukrainian air defense. However, this is fake.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that, in fact, according to the British intelligence services, the Russian pilot hit this ship with an anti-radar missile “due to poor tactics in the use of weapons”.

Russia systematically violates international humanitarian law by attacking Ukrainian ports and civilian ships. And Russian aggression leads to the death of civilians, destruction of infrastructure and violation of navigation rules in the Black Sea. In addition, Russia, by withdrawing from the Black Sea Initiative and banning ships from entering Ukrainian ports, violates the right to free navigation in the Black Sea, which is needed not only by Russia, but also by Ukraine and other countries, including NATO members.

The UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) has already called on Russia to stop “illegal activities in the Black Sea” and adhere to its obligations under international treaties. Ukraine, despite Russian aggression, ensures legal exports through a new temporary route approved by the IMO.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to shift responsibility for the actions of the aggressor onto the victim of aggression. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted other fakes and manipulations regarding Russia’s actions in the Black Sea.

American pro-Kremlin “expert” Scott Ritter, a former UN Armaments Inspector in Iraq, in an interview with journalist Garland Nixon, said that Russia’s high-tech air defense systems were able to completely destroy Ukrainian aviation. According to him, every time a Ukrainian plane, for example, a MiG-29, takes off, it is immediately shot down. Ritter also emphasized that the destruction of enemy aircraft gives the Russian army a great advantage. This is one of the important factors that makes a Russian military offensive possible.

Colleagues from the StopFake project began checking information about the “total liquidation” of Ukrainian aviation. When researching this topic, the fact-checkers referred to the Dutch independent project Oryx, which daily updates the loss of military equipment in Ukraine and Russia. According to it, as of October 27, Ukraine had lost 77 aircraft, while Russia had lost 93 aircraft during the war. For security reasons, Ukraine does not disclose information about the number of its combat aircraft, but at the end of March 2023, another propagandist Oleksandr Khramchykhin wrote that at that time Ukraine had about 350 combat aircraft remaining. Considering this, as well as the fact that Khramchykhin could very likely have underestimated the figures, it can be argued that Ukrainian aviation still did not suffer “crushing losses” on the battlefield during the war. In addition, in 2024, Ukraine's allies will begin delivering F-16 fighters to more effectively fight Russia.

Although Scott Ritter held high positions at the end of the 20th century, already in 2012 he was sent to prison on charges of pedophilia. In 2014 he was released. Since 2019, he has been collaborating with the Russian channel RT and has been making propaganda statements ever since. We previously wrote about how Ritter accused Ukraine of war crimes in Bucha.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the German concern (an association of several enterprises, in this case in the field of defense) Rheinmetall is canceling the construction of a tank factory in Ukraine through Russia. We are talking about constant shelling of infrastructure, so German representatives are supposedly afraid of the power of the occupying army. The authors refer to news from the Reuters news agency. This is manipulation.

The VoxCheck fact-checkers analyzed the case and came to the conclusion that the news indicated: Germany did approve the creation of a joint venture between the main German Rheinmetall and the Ukrainian Ukroboronprom. Further, the journalists wrote that Rheinmetall will be involved in technical maintenance of the equipment. But on the official website of the German defense concern it is indicated that its specialists will be engaged in the maintenance and repair of combat vehicles, and in the future they will produce equipment together with Ukraine.

Actually, the fact-checkers write that this format of work was assumed from the very beginning of the conclusion of the strategic partnership agreement in May 2023. According to the agreement, the enterprise was supposed to begin its work in July, but the project implementation deadlines were delayed. In mid-August, the general director of Rheinmetall explained that tanks within the united concern would begin to be repaired “before the end of the month”.

That is, we are not talking about any canceled construction projects or agreements. According to Reuters, the German defense company, on the contrary, approved the decision to create a joint organization. During the implementation of the construction plan, there were no reports of cancellation of such a plan. Propagandists distorted the context of the material and wrote that even the NATO representative country allegedly fears Russia and curtails any companies on the territory of Ukraine.

This is how the authors try to dispel the thesis about their “irresistible technology”, which is ready to destroy everyone, and as confirmation of this they give the example of the “cancellation” of construction.

In our Newspeak section we described the Russian phenomenon of “irresistible technology”. In short, this is how the Russians try to convince the domestic audience of constant victories.

This information was disseminated in pro-Kremlin media. Reports say that the Russians have already begun selling the first captured parts from destroyed equipment in Ukraine. But they explain that on the Russian classifieds website Avito one can supposedly purchase parts from the British Challenger 2 tank. A screenshot of the advertisement is added to the publication. However, this is fake.

The fact-checkers of VoxCheck project managed to refute the case, because they determined that there was no such announcement on the Russian website. Moreover, propagandists compiled a screenshot of the ad, posting a photo of the Challenger 2 tank, destroyed in 2003 during the Iraq War. Using a special tool - FotoForensics - analysts found that the fake screenshot showed signs of editing.

But it is impossible to say that the Russians did not destroy Ukrainian equipment on the battlefield, because this was more than possible during the war. Propagandists deliberately exaggerate the significance of “destroyed” equipment on the battlefield, hinting at the allegedly low combat capability of the Ukrainian army. And the fact that parts from the equipment are subsequently sold as trophies is how they mock Ukrainian fighters.

Moreover, in general, the information about the destruction of Challenger 2 in Ukraine is true. On September 5, 2023, on the social network X (formerly Twitter), OSINTtechnical specialists, who write about military analytics based on analysis of open sources, published a video of a downed Challenger 2. Subsequently, the British Minister of Defense also confirmed the destruction of the tank. The further fate of the technology is unknown.

That is, there are real cases of destruction of equipment and they cannot be denied. But propagandists are systematically trying to discredit the Ukrainian Defense Forces by creating fake news about the deployment or destruction of some equipment. Read our latest cases: for example, we documented a fake that Russia “destroyed” five Patriot launchers. Another fake was also spread where Moscow allegedly destroyed a Leopard tank with German troops in Ukraine.

And also, in our Newspeak section we described the Russian phenomenon of “irresistible technology”. In short, this is how the Russians try to convince the domestic audience of constant victories.