Russian Telegram channels are spreading messages with the same wording that the number of cases of sexual violence against men in Ukraine has increased, and that NATO instructors are responsible for this. In these messages, propagandists claim: “It seems that NATO instructors are not only training Ukrainian men in military matters”. In fact, this is manipulation.

StopFake experts write about this. They emphasize that the messages spread by the propaganda are indeed about victims of sexual violence due to Russian aggression, and the perpetrators are Russian military personnel, not NATO instructors. In June 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 10132, which provides support for victims of sexual violence caused by Russian aggression, in particular, determining their legal status and reparations mechanisms. Gender Policy Commissioner Kateryna Levchenko reported that more than 300 people out of 535 applications have received payments so far. Most of them are men, and the applications came mainly from the regions affected by the occupation. Russia uses sexual violence as a tool to intimidate the population, torture and humiliate, which is a gross violation of human rights, noted Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

The purpose of spreading this disinformation is to undermine trust in NATO instructors and Ukraine as a state, as well as to create a negative attitude towards Ukraine's military cooperation with NATO among the international community. In addition, propaganda seeks to distract attention from the facts about the crimes of the Russian military, switching the focus to false accusations. This approach uses sexual violence as an emotionally sensitive topic to enhance the shock effect and cause mistrust of Ukrainian partners, playing on stereotypes and prejudices.

Russian sources are spreading information that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte allegedly threatened newly elected US President Donald Trump to expel Americans from the North Atlantic Alliance. According to the propagandists, Rutte said that he would take such a step if Trump “handed over” Ukraine to Russia.

However, this is a fake, writes the StopFake project. In the context of Trump's victory, Rutte has spoken out only a few times. First, on November 6, he congratulated Trump on his victory and wrote that “his leadership will again be key to keeping the Alliance strong”. The next day, the NATO Secretary General commented on Trump's victory and its consequences for Ukraine before the start of the European Political Community summit in Budapest. According to him, Trump has done and will do a lot for the Alliance.

The above statements by Rutte contrast with the information presented by the propagandists. It should also be noted that the fake quote by Rutte was published only in the pro-Russian segment of the Internet. Not a single authoritative publication wrote about the threats of the NATO Secretary General against Trump.

Earlier, we refuted the information that a street in Kyiv was named in honor of the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

On November 1, 2024, the US Department of Defense announced another security assistance package for Ukraine worth $425 million. It included ammunition for HIMARS, NASAMS, and artillery systems.

In response to this, Russian telegram channels began writing that, given the allegedly colossal losses of specialists in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the reduction in the training periods for Ukrainian military personnel, it is becoming clear that NATO personnel are sitting at the control panels of this military equipment. Therefore, as the propagandists claim, the appearance of North Korean military personnel in the Russian-Ukrainian war is natural, and this should not be surprising.

By reporting on “NATO members” controlling Western military equipment, propagandists are trying to feed the narrative of Russia’s alleged war against the entire NATO bloc, and not just against Ukraine. That Ukraine is allegedly just a puppet in the hands of “NATO masters”, and that “NATO bases and troops” are located on its territory.

In addition, in this way, propagandists try to justify the involvement of North Korean troops in the war. They say that NATO members are fighting on the side of Ukraine, and accordingly, soldiers from the DPRK can allegedly fight for Russia.

A propaganda source is spreading information that on October 15, 2024, Russia launched a targeted strike on the alleged location of NATO “mercenaries” in Mykolaiv.

However, this is not true. In fact, as a result of the Russian missile strike on that day, civilians were injured and civilian objects were also damaged. This is reported by the VoxCheck project.

On October 15, Russian troops shelled Mykolaiv with S-300 missiles. As a result of the attack, civilian objects were damaged - private residential buildings, an infrastructure facility, a restaurant complex, etc. This was reported by the State Emergency Service and the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Vitalii Kim. A woman died and 16 people were injured as a result of the shelling.

The propaganda message contains photos of a fire published by the State Emergency Service. They show the aftermath of a missile strike, but none of them prove that the Russians hit the location of “NATO mercenaries”. In general, the publication does not provide any real arguments and contains typical phrases about so-called “mercenaries” in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is a recurring Russian narrative, with which it is trying to discredit Ukraine.

The disinformation about alleged “NATO mercenaries” at the impact site was published by Dmytro Vasylets, a pro-Russian blogger and propagandist. In 2015, he was arrested while assisting the separatist TV channel Novorossiya TV, but was fired in 2018. Before the full-scale war, the blogger moved to Russia, where he continued his propaganda activities against Ukraine. In early 2024, the SBU informed Vasylets of suspicion for public calls for a violent change of power or the overthrow of the constitutional order.

Finally, another propaganda source reports that the arrival was recorded by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. That is, this version contradicts the version about the arrival of “mercenaries” at the location of deployment. Accordingly, in this way the Russians are trying to justify the shelling of civilian objects, claiming that military personnel, equipment or ammunition depots are located there.

Russian propaganda is actively spreading the message in the media that Ukraine is allegedly using information about the presence of North Korean troops in the war to draw NATO into an open conflict with Russia, calling it "rumors". They say this was stated in an interview with Andrii Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, for the Italian publication Corriere Della Sera. However, this is not true.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes about this. Its specialists note that there is no such information in the interview. In addition, the presence of North Korean troops at Russian bases is confirmed by intelligence data and officials, including the NATO Secretary General and the US Secretary of Defense.

The aim of this disinformation is to create the illusion of an external threat and “hostile plans” of the West to interfere in the conflict, which will help mobilize domestic support in Russia. The Kremlin seeks to present the West as an active participant in the war, and Ukraine as a “controlled” NATO player. This approach allows Russian media to explain to citizens why the so-called “special operation”, which was initially promised to end in a few days, has been going on for several years. Russian propagandists have previously used a variety of pretexts, from accusations of supplying weapons and intelligence assistance to disseminating information about alleged foreign mercenaries.

In the Briansk region, a group of foreign mercenaries of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was allegedly “eliminated”.

On October 29, the Russian FSB announced that a group of foreign mercenaries of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had allegedly been “liquidated” in the Briansk region. At the same time, the saboteurs were allegedly found to have a Canadian flag and a prayer book in Polish. However, this incident raises many questions. In particular, Kremlin political scientists claim that Russia is thus looking for grounds to involve North Korean troops in the war. The official interpretation, however, looks unconvincing.

The Kremlin justifies the deployment of North Korean troops by citing a treaty with Pyongyang, but that treaty was only ratified on October 24. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security released a video confirming the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia on October 18, as well as this explanation.

The incident can be seen as yet another step in Russia’s disinformation campaign aimed at justifying its aggression and spreading propaganda to domestic audiences. The Kremlin is trying to present the war not only as a conflict with Ukraine, but also as a fight against Western mercenaries. Such tactics allow the authorities to create the appearance of a broad international conspiracy against Russia and attract popular support, including by justifying increased repression and mobilization. This message is also part of a broader information context in which Russian propagandists regularly try to attract more foreign participants to the conflict, including countries seeking to maintain neutrality.

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”.

Propagandists, including Russian government officials, are spreading information in the media that Russia does not threaten other countries, unlike NATO. This message has been refuted by experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

In recent years, Russia has not only waged military campaigns against its neighbors, but also resorted to direct and indirect aggression against Western states. Sabotage in Poland and the Baltics, poisoning in Salisbury, cyber attacks and election interference are evidence of Russia’s active aggressive policy. It also tries to divide Western society by promoting narratives about NATO’s alleged provocative role. In parallel, threats to use nuclear weapons are voiced, such as plans to strike Poland or London, in order to sow fear and reduce support for defense strategies.

Such statements are aimed at presenting Russia as a state provoked by Western countries, thus justifying its own aggressive actions in Ukraine and other regions. This is aimed at easing international sanctions and renewing business ties with Western companies. In this way, propagandists are also trying to convince European society that aid to Ukraine and support for NATO are economically disadvantageous and provoke conflicts. This message is aimed at reducing the level of support among citizens of European countries. And these information operations are aimed at weakening international support for Ukraine, isolating the country in the diplomatic arena and forming mistrust of Western defense initiatives.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Serhii Lavrov repeated a set of typical Kremlin talking points aimed at discrediting the West, the EU and justifying Russian aggression. His speech was yet another attempt to spread disinformation on the international stage, blaming the West for all the world's problems. The EUvsDisInfo project compiled a selection of the main messages from it.

Lavrov has tried to shift responsibility for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to the West, in particular through the myth of “NATO expansion”. This disinformation is a classic example of Russia repeating false claims over and over again in order to make them more believable. The Kremlin claims that the West provokes Russia when independent countries, including Ukraine, exercise their right to choose their own foreign policy and join NATO.

Russia also manipulates the principle of self-determination, claiming that residents of temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine allegedly “chose” to become part of Russia. This claim is used to justify aggression against Ukraine, although in reality Russia violates the rights of Ukrainians and forcibly annexes their territories, particularly in Crimea and the east.

One of Russia’s main tools is to promote the message of a “neo-Nazi regime” in Kyiv that allegedly threatened residents of the occupied territories. Such statements are aimed at justifying aggression and shifting the focus to Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine. This myth is used to discredit Western support for Ukraine and to portray Russia as a “defender” of the supposedly oppressed.

Russia is trying to shift responsibility for its actions to the West, claiming that Ukraine was preparing to attack the east and Crimea with the support of Western countries. In this way, the Kremlin justifies its invasion as a preventive action. Accusations against NATO, the US and the EU are intended to sow mistrust in these countries and split international support for Ukraine. Russia spreads myths about the West’s “neo-colonialist practices” in an attempt to gain support among countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Russian disinformation is aimed at creating a false picture of the conflict on the international stage, presenting Russia as a victim of aggressive actions by the West and Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service claims that the special services of NATO countries and Ukraine are allegedly preparing a provocation using chemical weapons in Syria together with local armed groups. They are allegedly going to blame Russia for this.

In fact, these accusations against the Ukrainian special services and NATO are groundless and unsubstantiated. Moreover, such theses are not the first time that Russian propagandists have made them. The Center for Countering Disinformation writes that this is one of the strategies of the information war waged by Russia.

In fact, Russia is one of the causes of instability in the Middle East and may commit a provocation in Syria, the Center for Countering Disinformation adds. Previously, Russian propaganda justified the use of chemical weapons in Syria by Bashar al-Assad's allied forces. That is, Moscow provides political support to authoritarian regimes that have killed thousands of civilians, which further undermines global security.

Against the backdrop of tensions in the Middle East, Kremlin propaganda is trying to use this situation to create a negative context around Ukraine. Thus, Russia continues to promote the narrative of “Ukrainian terrorism” to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the international community.

On the night of September 18, Ukrainian forces attacked an arsenal for storing ammunition, missiles and explosives located in the city of Toropets in the Tver region (Russia). The Polish pro-Russian segment of the Telegram wrote that the shelling was carried out by an ordinary drone, which most likely did not fly from Ukraine, which is more than 500 kilometers away, but allegedly almost three times closer to Latvia.

However, this information is not true. BBC News Ukraine, citing a source in the SBU, reported that in Toropets it was the Ukrainian Armed Forces that “wiped off the face of the earth a large structure of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry”. Propagandists also claim that there is “more than 500 km” from the Ukrainian border to the Russian arsenal in Toropets, but in reality the distance is less than 500 km – about 480 km. For example, the Ukrainian attack drone “Furious” is capable of flying such a distance.

By spreading this disinformation, propagandists are once again trying to convince everyone that NATO is directly involved in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Earlier, we recorded a fake that Ukraine, together with the US, was “planning” missile attacks “on children”.

A “news story” has been spreading on social media, purporting to show British MP Andrew Bridgen claiming that NATO is planning to carry out a false flag attack on a European city using a nuclear “dirty bomb” and blame it on Russia.

But fact-checkers at VoxCheck reported that Andrew Bridgen provides no evidence for his thesis. Moreover, he has repeatedly spread conspiracy theories.

A reverse search was used to find an interview, an excerpt from which was distributed by propagandists. It was published on June 20, 2024, on the YouTube channel Resistance GB. The Guardian journalists found out that this channel spreads conspiracy theories, in particular, anti-vaccination narratives.

Mr. Bridgen did not provide any evidence, names of experts, details, etc., by which this information could be verified. The statement about a “NATO plan to detonate a bomb” has already been invented in Russian channels. In his messages in X, Bridgen also promotes pro-Russian narratives, in particular calling the transfer of military aid to Ukraine an “escalation”.

Russia is speculating on the use of a “dirty bomb” to sow distrust in Ukraine and force the world to spend resources on refuting the accusations of propagandists. An IAEA commission came to Ukraine to check whether a “dirty bomb” was really being developed at the sites that Russia claimed to be developing – the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant in Zhovti Vody and the Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The result of the inspection was that the Agency did not find any signs of such a weapon at Ukrainian nuclear sites.

The fake news about Ukraine creating a “dirty bomb” is a mirror response from Russia, the purpose of which is to try to convince the world that it is Ukraine that is acting as a terrorist group. This, by the way, is one of the most common messages of Russian propaganda, constantly trying to accuse Ukraine of terrorism, saying that it itself is shelling Ukrainian civilians and launching missile strikes on its own critical infrastructure.

Read more on “Dirty Bomb”: What is it and why did Russia come up with this fake?

Russian resources claim that French General Bertrand Toujouse believes that NATO would be unable to respond to a potential Russian attack. When spreading this information, propagandists refer to the material from Politico.

However, Toujouse’s words were manipulated, they write in the StopFake project. In fact, in the Politico text, the French general simply drew attention to what areas of defense Europe should improve to effectively defend against Russian aggression. In particular, we are talking about the mobility of military weapons. As Toujouse writes, the rapid transport of weapons is hampered by excessive bureaucratic procedures, inconvenient infrastructure (including tunnels and bridges) and a shortage of railway cars.

To strengthen this area of defense, EU member states introduced a new military mobility pledge in May 2024, which will help ensure the rapid and smooth movement of military personnel and materiel within and outside the EU. Commitments include investments in dual-use infrastructure and a simplified procedure for obtaining permits for the transport of military equipment across borders.

Bertrand Toujouse does not believe that Europe is powerless against a potential Russian attack. European countries are identifying weak areas in their defense systems and implementing changes accordingly.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that an allegedly significant amount of NATO weapons exported from Ukraine ended up on the Italian black market and fell into the hands of mafia groups. The Consulate General of Ukraine in Naples acts as an intermediary, facilitating black market transactions. According to propagandists, the department is involved in the trafficking of children and human organs. In relevant publications, illustrations are added to the text.

However, this is fake. Using the reverse search function on Google, we were able to find out that the primary source of the widespread photos is The Intel Drop website. On July 21, 2024, it published an extensive article entitled: “The Zelenskyi regime resells Western weapons and human organs to mafia structures in Italy”. However, in fact, this site was artificially created by propagandists with the aim of spreading Russian disinformation in English. So the content of this article has nothing to do with reality.

The Intel Drop has published anti-Ukrainian materials more than once. Thus, the pseudo-publication spread fakes about Zelenskyi’s purchase of a mansion from the King of Great Britain for 20 million pounds, about the Russian attack on the Ukrainian command post with NATO military, as well as about the involvement of Olena Zelenska’s foundation in various child trafficking schemes.

Last week, propagandists spread information on anonymous telegram channels that F-16 fighter jets spotted in the skies over the Odesa region were flying from Romanian airfields. However, this is fake.

It was denied by the Romanian Ministry of Defense. The corresponding statement of the Ministry was published by the European Pravda publication with reference to News.ro. In fact, the F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force operate exclusively within national airspace and strictly adhere to international regulations.

The Romanian ministry said that “the alleged sources of Russian propaganda are conveying false information”. The spread of this disinformation coincided with the NATO summit in Washington, where important decisions were made to support Ukraine's defense efforts.

Propagandists spread this misinformation as they try to create an image of aggressive activity on the part of the West and its allies, in particular NATO, of which Romania is a member. It is part of a broader propaganda campaign aimed at bolstering support for Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Russian propagandists, citing statements by Kremlin Speaker Pieskov about the results of the NATO summit in Washington on July 9-11, 2024, are trying to shift responsibility for the war in Ukraine to the North Atlantic Alliance.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council writes that we are talking about the following disinformation messages:

– “NATO is de facto fully involved in the conflict in Ukraine”;

– “The results of the NATO summit confirmed the confrontational nature of the alliance and its reluctance to achieve peace”;

– “The movement of NATO military infrastructure towards Russia’s borders continues”;

- “NATO’s plans to accept Ukraine are connected with the desire to defeat Russia”.

By accusing NATO of aggressive intentions towards Russia, the Kremlin is trying to mislead the world community and convince it that it is waging a war against Ukraine in order to “defend itself”. Moscow also seeks to discredit Ukraine’s desire for Euro-Atlantic integration, building its propaganda image as a hostile state and an apostate of the West.

Based on the results of the summit, it can be argued that Russia is promoting the thesis that NATO has raised the stakes and escalated the situation, thereby leaving Russia no choice. Read more about the change in Russian rhetoric towards Ukraine after the Washington NATO summit in the corresponding article by the Detector Media Research Center.

On the eve of the NATO summit in Washington, pro-Kremlin media disseminated an alleged statement by Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said that “no one gave guarantees for Ukraine’s entry into NATO”. The Secretary General also allegedly called China the main organizer of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Propagandists claimed that Stoltenberg’s statements were allegedly made in an interview he recently gave to the American television channel CBS.

However, in fact, Stoltenberg’s words were manipulated, distorting the context of what was said,  the StopFake project wrote.

As for the accusations of the alleged lack of promises to admit Ukraine to NATO, it is important to understand the context. Stoltenberg actually answered the journalist’s question: “Why such a long period for Ukraine’s accession, you talked about a 10-year period, why exactly 10 years, and not one, two or three years, because they were faced with war?” To which the Secretary General said: “Well, no one talked about 10 years, but it is obvious that this is a very serious issue for Ukraine. Because Ukraine is in a state of war. Ukraine was attacked by Russia. Therefore, the most important thing we must do is strengthen our support for Ukraine to ensure its victory. This is a precondition for any future membership of Ukraine”. That is, Stoltenberg did not say anything about the absence of guarantees for Ukraine to join NATO; the statement was invented by propagandists. He spoke about the absence of a clear time frame for Ukraine’s entry into the alliance, and that now the support of Ukraine in the war with Russia is more important.

As for China, Stoltenberg called the country “the main enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine”, rather than its organizer: “The war in Ukraine demonstrates how closely connected Russia and China, North Korea and Iran are. China is the main leader of Russian military aggression against Ukraine. President Xi and President Putin all want NATO and the United States to fail in Ukraine”.

Russia is trying to counteract Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration by spreading disinformation about Ukraine's accession to NATO. As for China, by manipulating information, Russian propaganda seeks to antagonize NATO and Beijing for its own benefit.

Users broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks are distributing a video of a high-ranking NATO officer allegedly walking around in a skirt and heels. However, this is fake.

Myth Detector specialists paid attention to it. They found that this message with homophobic and mocking comments was distributed in the Russian and Georgian segments of social networks.

In fact, the video shows model Mark Bryan, who has no professional relationship with the alliance structures. He is an American robotics engineer who currently resides in Germany. Brian has become an Instagram fashion sensation for breaking gender stereotypes in clothing. Mark, in his personal profile on this social network, writes that he is heterosexual and identifies himself as a husband, has a wife and three children, and also notes that he likes to wear skirts and heels, because after 20 years of working in an office, he was tired of the “monotonous clothing style”.

The original source of the fake, according to Myth Detector, is a user from Georgia who systematically publishes anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian conspiracy theories. The author often duplicates reports from Russian propaganda media and war correspondents about Ukraine's failures on the front line.

This fake is aimed at discrediting the NATO military and its leadership. Homophobic speculation on the topic of sexual orientation and “traditionality” is typical of Russian propaganda.

Pro-Kremlin resources, citing ex-US Army officer Douglas McGregor, are disseminating information that Western military assistance to Ukraine in no way affects the situation in the war, but only allegedly kills the civilian population.

In fact, Western weapons demonstrate high effectiveness in the hands of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in repelling Russian armed aggression. In particular, after resuming the supply of weapons and obtaining permission to use them on the territory of the Russian Federation in the Kharkiv region, it was possible to stop the offensive potential of the invaders. They write about this in the Center for Strategic Communications and Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. In addition, air defense systems provided by partners successfully repel terrorist missile and drone attacks of the Russian Federation.

Douglas McGregor himself, to whom propagandists refer, in 2014 justified the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of Donbas. And after the start of a full-scale invasion, he predicted the rapid defeat of Ukraine, which eloquently testifies not only to his views, but also to the quality of his “expertise”.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that on the night of May 28-29, 2024, the Russian army launched a Kinzhal missile at the Yavoriv test site in the Lviv region. As a result, many servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as foreign instructors, allegedly died.

However, this is a fake, they write at the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. At the time indicated by the propagandists, Russian missiles did not fly into the territory of the Lviv region. In addition, on the night from May 28 to May 29, an air raid alert was not announced in the Lviv region (with the exception of the period from 20:17 to 20:31 on May 28, but no launches were recorded). Also, the Lviv Air Force, which reports a hit during air raids, did not record any strikes on any infrastructure within the region. No hits were recorded in the International Peacekeeping Center or the military departments of partner countries.

As of May 30, 2024, the last time missiles flew into the airspace of the Lviv region was on the night of May 26, but they subsequently disappeared from radar. Subsequently, on the night from May 31 to June 1, six missiles hit three critical infrastructure facilities in the Lviv region. However, from May 27 to May 31, no missiles were recorded in the airspace of the Lviv region. Previously, we refuted information that 180 foreigners were allegedly killed near Lviv by Russian missiles.

Russian propagandists claim that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz allegedly said that Ukraine may not become a NATO member in the next 30 years. “You know the solution, this will not happen in the near future. Perhaps not even in the next 30 years”, Scholz said during a meeting with Berlin residents. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that in fact Scholz noted at this meeting in Berlin that before the full-scale invasion, discussing Ukraine's entry into NATO, he assured Putin: “This is not being considered for the next 30 years”. Scholz also accused Putin of attacking Ukraine for “absolutely absurd” reasons, since “NATO has never posed a threat to Russia”.

After the old quote was again picked up by Russian propaganda, the German government commented on the information being disseminated. According to government spokesman Steffen Gebestreit, the situation “has completely changed, and therefore, no, 30 years are no longer relevant”.

During the decade of war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda regularly spread manipulations and fake news that Ukraine would not be accepted into NATO or the EU. Thus, they want to cause skepticism and panic among Ukrainians regarding the actions of their Western partners.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg allegedly called the Ukrainian Armed Forces military “cannon fodder”. However, this is not true.

VoxCheck project specialists found that Stoltenberg did not say this. They found the speech that the Russians are quoting. The Secretary General voiced these theses at a press conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on April 23, 2024. His words were taken out of context.

In his speech, Stoltenberg did not call the Ukrainian Armed Forces military “cannon fodder”. At the same time, he said that NATO countries must pay a certain price, that is, provide assistance to Ukraine in order to live in a safer world. Stoltenberg noted the need to support Ukraine. In his opinion, this is an investment in the security of other countries that are threatened by Russia.

NATO officials say the organization was created for defense, not to participate in wars. Although NATO does not intervene in the war with Russia, NATO member countries condemn the aggression and provide assistance to Ukraine.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Ukraine’s Western partners and devalue the Ukrainian authorities. They say that NATO does not send its soldiers to war, but “uses” Ukrainians for its own whims. They say, therefore, Ukraine should follow the road with Russia.

Russian media are disseminating information that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has confirmed the introduction of NATO into Ukraine. The official allegedly announced this during a conversation with the press in the Sejm (Polish parliament).

StopFake analysts write that during a conversation with the press, Mr. Tusk was asked whether NATO could help Ukraine resist Russian aggression by sending troops into the country? In response, the Prime Minister explained that the Alliance already provides Ukraine with comprehensive military assistance, but does not want to intervene directly in the war and therefore does not send its troops to Ukraine.

At the same time, the Polish prime minister also noted that there is a small technical contingent in Ukraine - these are observers and engineering specialists who remain far from the front line and do not participate in battles. Most often, such specialists oversee the distribution of military aid to allies, guard the embassies of member states, or represent the apparatus of military attaches.

Propagandists quote Russian Defense Minister Serhii Shoihu, who at a meeting of the Russian Defense Collegium said that the Ukrainian military is fighting in the interests of the war between the United States and Russia. They say that during the full-scale invasion, almost half a million military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces died. He also noted that during the counteroffensive, the Ukrainian military allegedly failed to achieve the goals that “NATO instructors” set for them, and thus were able to dispel the myth about the superiority of Western weapons. However, this is not true.

Now we do not have an accurately known number of dead, wounded and missing Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers for the entire time of the full-scale invasion. But on February 25 of this year, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, during a large press conference following the results of the forum “Ukraine. Year 2024” answered this question. According to him, “31 thousand Ukrainian soldiers died in this war”, not counting the fighters of volunteer battalions and the missing. But we see that this figure is significantly less than what the Russian Ministry of Defense states.

Russian propaganda has been promoting the narrative of Ukraine's war in the interests of the United States for long enough to neutralize the fact that Ukraine is defending its own territory, interests and cultural heritage. Claiming failures in the counteroffensive and dispelling the “myth” of the superiority of Western weapons does not reflect the full picture. Ukrainian forces carried out successful defensive actions, repelling attacks and inflicting significant losses on the enemy. For example, in the summer of 2022, an agreement was reached with Russia on a “safe corridor” in the Black Sea through the UN and Turkey. However, this agreement lasted only a year, after which Russia threatened to attack Ukrainian ports. Ukraine responded with naval drone and missile attacks on September 13, 2023, forcing Russia to reduce its ambitions in the Black Sea region.

Also, the “largest tank battle”, according to The New York Times, which the Ukrainian side won, took place on March 2, 2023 and proves the opposite of Shoihu’s claims. The Russian army launched powerful offensive operations after defeats in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Despite successful actions at Bakhmut and Soledar, they were defeated at Vuhledar due to the effective resistance of Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters hit several tank columns heading towards Vuhledar and subsequently inflicted significant losses on Russian troops.

Shoihu’s statements regarding the counteroffensive and losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces look like an attempt to distort circumstances and convince the public of his superiority on the battlefield, despite such a powerful “enemy” as NATO.

Propaganda anonymous telegram channels are spreading information that NATO is allegedly actively expanding to the borders of Russia, establishing military bases around it. However, this information is not true.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that  propagandists say that NATO broke its promises, in particular, regarding the non-concession of the eastern countries, and supposedly this is what led to tension in relations with Russia. However, historical facts indicate that such promises do not exist in writing, and countries' accession to NATO was carried out on a voluntary basis in accordance with the interests and freedom of peoples.

In addition, NATO has no plans to locate its military bases in close proximity to Russia's borders. The Alliance acts in accordance with the principle of self-defense and ensuring the security of its members, but this does not mean provocative actions against Russia.

Propagandists spread such messages to create an image of victimhood in Russia and justify Russian aggression. Detector Media has already written about how propagandists previously reacted to NATO expansion.

Anonymous Telegram channels spread information that the Ukrainian military beat a NATO instructor for refusing to speak Ukrainian. The incident happened in Denmark during pilot training. This is a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts took up this case and found out that it was a fictional news story published on a satirical channel.

Neither Ukrainian nor foreign media wrote about such an event. The primary source of the fabricated news is the satirical telegram channel “Empire of the Very Evil”. The description of the channel states: “Caution, possible fake and harsh satire. All written is fiction, all coincidences are accidental”.