In Lviv, a Telegram channel was distributing information about possible terrorist attacks in schools. The channel quickly gained popularity, reaching more than 2,500 participants before it was blocked, the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security reported.

As the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs noted, the channel was administered from Russian territory. This is another case of disinformation aimed at spreading panic and destabilizing the situation in Ukraine. The threats of terrorist attacks in Lviv schools mentioned in the channel are not confirmed.

Intimidation of the population and the spread of rumors about possible terrorist attacks in educational institutions create fear and uncertainty about security. Such messages cause anxiety among parents and schoolchildren, which negatively affects the morale of the population. Due to the spread of rumors and panic, propaganda is trying to undermine trust in local authorities and law enforcement agencies, forcing citizens to believe that the authorities are not able to ensure security in their own country. Fake threats and manipulative statements contribute to disorientation in the information space, reducing trust in official sources of information and increasing faith in anonymous channels that spread false news. This disinformation distracts citizens from important events, focusing on fictitious threats, which at the same time gives Russia room to implement its aggressive plans. Spreading fear through social networks and instant messengers is a tool of hybrid warfare that Russia uses to increase pressure on Ukrainian society and demoralize citizens during the war.

Russian propagandists are speculating on the massive explosion of pagers in Lebanon on September 17, 2024. On their Telegram channels, they are spreading information that as a result of the explosion in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, the first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon, Mykola Khomenko, was injured.

However, this is a fake. The Center for Countering Disinformation, after verifying the information in the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon, reported that there were no Ukrainian diplomats or Ukrainian citizens among the dead and wounded.

At the same time, according to the Iranian news agency Mehr, it was the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who was injured in one of the explosions.

Such fakes of Kremlin propaganda are aimed at accusing Ukraine of collaborating with terrorist groups and forcing international partners to refuse to provide any assistance in the war against Russia.

Pro-Kremlin resources are spreading information that unnamed representatives of Ukraine met with members of the jihadist group Ghayat Tahrir al-Sham in the Syrian city of Idlib in mid-June 2024. The Ukrainian authorities allegedly wanted to exchange “Chechens, Turkmens and Georgians” who participated in the war in Syria, who are being held by Ghayat Tahrir al-Sham, for 75 UAVs. It seems unlikely that this will happen, given that these drones are being used against Russians in Syria. Among those who was allegedly supposed to be exchanged was, in particular, the so-called “Minister of Defense” of ISIS, Abu Umar al-Shishani.

However, this information is not true, Ukrinform reports. Ukraine does not negotiate with terrorist organizations. In addition, it is impossible to exchange Abu Umar al-Shishani for drones or anything else, because he died in 2016 in Iraq during the fighting around the city of Mosul.

Russian sources also refer to the Turkish-language publication Aydınlık, which is pro-Russian and has repeatedly published fakes about Ukraine. The publication belongs to the Vatan political party, which promotes an anti-Western and pro-Russian agenda. It is the only political force in Turkey calling for recognition of the Russian occupation of Crimea and Abkhazia.

It is worth noting that Ukraine does not have any diplomatic missions in Syria, since it severed all relations with this country on June 30, 2022.

With this fake, the Kremlin once again seeks to baselessly accuse Ukraine of “supporting international terrorism”. Propagandists also use this fake as evidence of the so-called “Ukrainian trace” in terrorist attacks taking place in Russia itself.

The Center for Countering Disinformation has highlighted a number of messages spread by Russian propaganda following Russia’s massive missile strike on Ukrainian territory on August 26.

The Ukrainian authorities allegedly withdrew almost all air defense systems from the rear to support the operation in the Kursk region, which allowed Russia to hit its targets unhindered.

This message is an attempt to discredit the Ukrainian military leadership, accusing it of negligence and irresponsible use of resources. Propagandists are trying to create the impression that the operation in the Kursk region is unjustifiably risky, and that the Ukrainian air defense is unable to protect the rear areas due to the fact that it was “thrown” to the front. This is another attempt to undermine confidence in the Ukrainian army, fueling doubts about its ability to ensure the safety of citizens and critical infrastructure.

Ukraine seems to have saved on the use of air defense systems in order to hide the theft of funds allocated for the restoration of energy infrastructure and shift responsibility to the actions of the Russians

The aim is to discredit the Ukrainian authorities by sowing mistrust and suspicions of corruption in society. Propagandists are trying to convince Ukrainians that the government is allegedly using the war as a cover for the abuse of budget funds. In this way, they want to stir up internal discontent and reinforce the impression that the government is acting solely in its own interests, neglecting security and national interests, distracting from Russia's responsibility for the strikes.

Responsibility for the latest attacks lies with the Ukrainian authorities, who allegedly “provoked Russia” by launching an offensive in the Kursk region and thereby disrupted possible negotiations to refrain from striking energy facilities.

This message is used to justify Russian aggression, in particular, attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure. Russian propaganda attempts to shift responsibility for the destruction and civilian casualties onto the Ukrainian authorities, blaming them for the escalation of the war. It also aims to create the illusion that Russia was forced to respond to Ukraine's actions, rather than the aggressor.

The purpose of disseminating these messages is to sow doubts in Ukrainian society about the effectiveness of the government and the army, to cause distrust in the authorities, and to provoke panic and anxiety among citizens. The propaganda is aimed at weakening morale, disuniting society, and reducing the willingness to resist aggression. This is part of a broader strategy of information warfare, which aims to undermine Ukraine's internal stability and discredit it on the international stage.

Russian telegram channels add that it was not children who were treated at Okhmatdyt, but Ukrainian military personnel. This supposedly proves that the hospital was a “legitimate target” for Russia.

VoxCheck analysts explain: in fact, there were no reports of military personnel injured or killed as a result of rocket attacks on July 8 in Kyiv. There are many photos and videos online of wounded civilians, including doctors and children. In total, at the time of the hit, there were 627 children in Okhmatdyt.

During a series of attacks, the Okhmatdyt children's hospital was damaged - the Russians destroyed some of the buildings of the medical facility. Health Minister Viktor Liashko said that intensive care, operating rooms and oncology departments were damaged as a result of the attack. And he added that the hit was in the toxicology building, where children received dialysis.

That is, the thesis of Russian propaganda about the presence of military personnel who were allegedly treated at Okhmatdyt is a fiction.

Pro-Russian sources disseminated information about the alleged fakeness of photographs of the State Emergency Service from the scene of the tragedy that occurred as a result of the Russian shelling of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital on July 8, 2024. In particular, on his page in X, American blogger Jackson Hinkle published one of the photographs of the State Emergency Service, which depicts children's toys in the ruins of a hospital, and wrote: “The Ukrainian government inserted fake children's toys into the image of the hospital it destroyed in Kyiv”.

In fact, no one inserted toys into the photo, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. You can verify this by checking the photo using the InVID & WeVerify tool to see if it has been altered.

Thus, deep learning approaches for detecting manipulations and fakes Mantra-Net and Fusion found traces of editing in the upper right and left corners - logos were superimposed. However, there are no changes in the toy area of ​​the image, which indicates the authenticity of the photographs.

In the end, it is these children’s toys that can be seen in other photo and video materials from the scene of the tragedy, which indicates their originality.

This is not Hinkle’s first fake about a missile attack on Okhmatdyt. Thus, an American blogger, known for his commitment to Russia, claimed on his page on the social network X that Okhmatdyt seemed to have been hit by an American Patriot air defense missile, which was allegedly fired by Ukraine. However, SBU investigators determined that the attack was carried out by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.

By spreading such lies, the blogger is trying to discredit the Ukrainian government and divert the attention of the world community from yet another Russian war crime.

Russian media used the anniversary of another tragedy in Ukraine, which occurred due to rocket attacks in Kramatorsk, to spread a fake story about the “liquidation of a group of American mercenaries”. Propagandists claim that the presence of men in military uniform among the photographs of the dead allegedly confirms the statement of the Russian Army that the purpose of the strike was military and legitimate.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this. They found out that the Russian Ministry of Defense is constantly trying to convince the international community that by launching missiles at Ukraine, they are deliberately destroying only military targets. However, even the very fact of military aggression against another country is a violation of international law, and Russia violates many rules of war by shelling peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian objects.

The shelling of the Ria Pizza pizzeria in Kramatorsk occurred on June 27, 2023. Then Russian troops launched a missile attack on the cafe, killing 13 people, including 4 children, and wounding 59 people. Among the dead soldiers there were only two: combat paramedic of the 3rd Special Brigade Artem Sukhovyi and International Legion volunteer, former US Marine Ian Tortorici. It was the death of Jan Tortorici that Russian propaganda used as evidence that the goal of the Russian army was supposedly legitimate. On the day of the attack, Tortorici, like many other soldiers in the front-line city, went to a pizzeria to eat, as his friend, Ed Flores, recalls. StopFake also previously wrote why it is impossible to call foreigners fighting for Ukraine mercenaries, as Russian propaganda does.

The investigation into this crime in Russia was carried out by experts from the human rights organization Truth Hounds, since their colleague, writer Victoriia Amelina, was among those killed in the cafe. Experts have determined that the attack on Kramatorsk is a war crime - an indiscriminate attack that led to dire consequences among civilians. Truth Hounds also noted that Russia is pushing the view on Ukrainians that the presence of Ukrainian defenders in civilian areas allows the Kremlin to launch deadly missile attacks, but in fact, “the presence of military personnel in a cafe does not justify or humanize Russians. But on the contrary, it further emphasizes the same pattern of their crimes”.

On July 8, 2024, Russia launched a missile attack on Ukraine, in particular, air defense forces operated in the territories of the Kyiv region and in Kyiv. Debris fell in seven districts of the capital.

As of 14:30, Suspilne reports, it is known that 15 people were killed in different areas of the city, 38 were injured in various ways.

During a series of attacks, the Okhmatdyt children's hospital was damaged - the Russians destroyed some of the buildings of the medical facility. Health Minister Oleh Liashko said that intensive care, operating rooms and oncology departments were damaged as a result of the attack. And he added that the hit was in the toxicology building, where children received dialysis.

At the same time, Russian propagandists began to spread the thesis that all this was the consequence of the work of the Ukrainian air defense, and not of Russian strikes.

However, the SBU has already established that Russia hit a children’s hospital with an X-101 missile.

“Relevant evidence has already been found at the scene of the tragedy: in particular, fragments of the housing of the rear part of the X-101 missile with a serial number and part of the steering wheel of the same missile”, the department indicated.

That is, in pro-Russian telegram channels they are simply trying to challenge the shelling of civilian infrared missiles, attributing it all to the so-called “poor performance of the Ukrainian air defense system”. This is not the first time Russia has resorted to such rhetoric.

Russian propaganda, due to a number of statements by officials and propaganda channels, is spreading lies about Ukraine’s involvement in a series of terrorist attacks on June 23 in Dagestan, which were directed against religious institutions and the police.

On June 23, in the Republic of Dagestan, Russian Federation, street battles took place between Russian law enforcement agencies and militants who attacked an Orthodox church and synagogue in Derbent, as well as a police post in Makhachkala. 15 law enforcement officers and several civilians died during the attacks. This was reported by the publication Zerkalo Nedeli (Weekly Mirror) with reference to the official Russian news agency TASS.

Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from Dagestan Abdulkhakim Gadzhiev said that the intelligence services of Ukraine and NATO could allegedly be behind the attacks on Makhachkala and Derbent. The head of Dagestan, Serhii Mielikov, said that Ukraine was interested in the terrorist attacks, connected the latest events with the so-called “special military operation” and called this evidence that “the war has come to their homes”. According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, “the reaction of bloggers-propagandists, who found a “Ukrainian trace” in the events even before any official statements, was also typical”.

The terrorist attacks in Dagestan are another failure in the work of the Russian special services. However, as in the situation with the terrorist attack in Crocus, the Russian Federation is once again promoting a propaganda narrative about “Ukrainian terrorism” without evidence. Let us recall that on the evening of March 22, 2024, in the town of Krasnogorsk near Moscow, a group of armed men entered the Crocus City Hall concert hall and opened fire on visitors and security guards. As a result of terrorist actions, 145 people were killed and more than five hundred were injured. The Wilayat Khorasan organization, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack. Read more about how Russian propagandists tried to blame Ukraine and its allies for the terrorist attack in Crocus in our material.

The head of the Center for Investigation, Andrii Kovalenko, suggests that there is now a confrontation in the FSB between different groups of influence, so the terrorist attacks in Dagestan could have been organized by one of these groups in order to eliminate the director of the special service, Oleksandr Bortnikov. The situation within the FSB and its inability to respond to threats in the future could lead to a “third Caucasian war”.

Russian propagandists addressed the military personnel of the occupation army with a “disclaimer” that the Ukrainian special services had trained a large number of saboteurs in the Kharkiv region. According to them, “representatives of the Ukrainian underground” can even be women, elderly people and teenagers. Propagandists also call for special attention to be paid to the relatives of killed or captured Ukrainian soldiers. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council writes about this.

In fact, information about Ukrainian saboteurs among women, the elderly and teenagers does not correspond to reality. Thus, Russian propaganda carries out “information processing” of the military in the context of intensifying hostilities, encouraging them to commit crimes against Ukrainian civilians. The Center also states that Russian propagandists must be held accountable for war crimes, as well as the authorities in the Kremlin who give orders to kill the civilian population of Ukraine.

Propaganda telegram channels write that Russian troops attacked the location of Ukrainian artillerymen and, probably, the French were there, bringing CAESAR installations for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

However, this information is fake. Such statements by Russian propagandists are an attempt to justify the terrorist attack on Sloviansk on April 15, 2024. Then the Russians fired at the city with a Grom-E1 rocket-bomb, damaging two apartment buildings, an educational institution and a bank building.

In a similar way, Kremlin propaganda justified the January 16, 2024 strike on Kharkiv. Then, investigators of the All Eyes on Wagner project noted that the news story was spreading against the backdrop of news about the provision of French missiles to the Ukrainians. “France does not have mercenaries either in Ukraine or anywhere”, was the response of the French Foreign Ministry to reproaches from Russia, writes Reuters. We also denied this information.

The Russian propaganda rhetoric about “foreign mercenaries” in Ukraine is intended to demonize the West in the eyes of the Russian population, as well as to portray Russia as a victim of this war, in particular.

Russian propagandists are spreading information on social networks that on December 4, 2023, the former head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, allegedly called on Ukraine to commit terror against Russian citizens. This was allegedly confirmed by the American publication The Washington Post. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that, in fact, according to The Washington Post, Mark Milley did not call on Ukraine to carry out terrorist attacks on Russian territory. In fact, he advised Ukrainian fighters to actively act against Russian soldiers in the temporarily occupied territories. It is also important to note that the United States does not support Ukrainian forces in launching attacks beyond its own borders.

The original publication in The Washington Post, published on December 4, 2023 under the title Miscalculations, divisions marked offensive planning by US, Ukraine, indeed contains a similar quote from Mark Milley. The material describes events in early 2023, shortly before the Ukrainian summer counter-follow-up operation. At that time, Milley was already Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, but left this post at the end of September 2023. According to The Washington Post, Mark Milley expressed these allegations during a conversation with Ukrainian Special Operations Forces soldiers in Wiesbaden, Germany. According to the publication, he used these words to inspire them to take action. His speech took place in the context of rear operations in territories temporarily under enemy control.

The article quoted Milley as follows: “There should be no Russian who goes to sleep without wondering if they’re going to get their throat slit in the middle of the night,” Milley said, according to an official with knowledge of the event. “You gotta get back there, and create a campaign behind the lines”.

The article was about the military situation in the Russian-Ukrainian war, so when Milley spoke about “Russians”, he meant the Russian military, not civilians. It should also be noted that State Department spokesman Matthew Miller later confirmed that the US position remains unchanged: it does not encourage Ukrainian forces to conduct strikes outside their own borders.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to strengthen their message that Ukraine is allegedly behind the terrorist attack in Crocus City Holly. Detector Media explained how else Russian propaganda is trying to spread this message.

Propagandists are disseminating information that allegedly the Ukrainian Embassy in Tajikistan posted a message with contacts of the International Defense Legion of Ukraine to attract citizens of Tajikistan to the terrorist attack that recently occurred in Moscow. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that updates were being made on the Legion website at the address indicated in the message. Information and contacts of the International Legion are available through another web address and on social networks, where a single email address is provided for requests. A check through the Hunter service confirmed the existence of the specified email, which is not publicly available.

In addition, propaganda sources indicated the real contact number of the Legion, updated along with the website address. However, the previous telephone numbers indicated on the old version of the site and the number indicated in the fake message do not match the official contacts of the Ukrainian Embassy in Tajikistan.

According to Ukrainian law, foreigners who join Ukraine's military forces must meet certain criteria, including legal residence in the country and no criminal record.

Russian propaganda uses such fabrications to accuse Ukraine of involvement in a terrorist attack for which representatives of the Islamic State have claimed responsibility. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry strongly rejects any accusations of involvement in terrorism, emphasizing Ukraine's obligations to international anti-terrorism conventions.

Russian media are disseminating information that a Member of the European Parliament from the Dutch right-wing party Forum for Democracy, Marcel de Graaf, said that the terrorist attack at Crocus City Holly was organized and paid for by Ukraine.

In fact, behind the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Holi near Moscow is the Islamic State Khorasan group, which took full responsibility for the attack. This has already been confirmed by US Presidential National Security Adviser John Kirby.

As for Marcel de Graaf, the Dutch politician accuses Ukraine without providing any evidence. In addition, he is an open Russophile and a supporter of Putin. Graaf also advocated stopping aid to Ukraine and lifting sanctions from the aggressor country. They write about this in the Center for Strategic Communications and Security at Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

Propaganda continues to spread fake news about the terrorist attack. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Moscow Region, Kyrylo Budanov, noted that the Kremlin had already changed the versions of events at the Crocus City Holi near Moscow three times, trying to somehow link the so-called “Ukrainian trace” to the terrorist attack. It is obvious that Russian propaganda also attracts European lobbyists with a pro-Kremlin position. In addition, in order to blame Ukraine, the Kremlin launched a discredit campaign using bots.

• Read also: The Russian NTV channel showed a fake video where the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine “confirmed the involvement of the Kyiv regime” in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Holi (ADDED).

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that the “Kyiv regime” is allegedly preparing a terrorist attack in Kupiansk in order to blame Russia for it. According to propagandists, this is evidenced by the opening of the local market. In addition, the “news” notes that the Ukrainian military will use residential buildings as shelter, and local residents as “human shields”.

In fact, this information is not true, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. The purpose of this fake is to create an information alibi for the Russian military before the likely chaotic shelling of Kupiansk, which they carry out almost every day. Also, according to the head of the Kupiansk city military administration, Andrii Besedin, measures are being taken on the territory of the community for the mandatory evacuation of the population to safer places, which, in particular, contradicts the words of propagandists about a “human shield”.

By spreading this disinformation, Russian propaganda fuels its narrative about the alleged “crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, resorting to one of the propaganda tactics called “reflection”. That is, propagandists seek to divert attention from the real state of affairs. We previously wrote that Russia is trying to disrupt the process of evacuating children from the Kharkiv region by spreading disinformation messages.

Propaganda resources are disseminating information that Kyiv is preparing a provocation at the Kremenchuk hydroelectric station “according to the Kakhovka scenario”. They say that Ukraine replaced the station in order to create public tension and blame the Russian army for the attack on the hydroelectric power station.

The information was processed by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. They found out that there is no evidence of the mythical mining of the Kremenchuk hydroelectric power station by the Ukrainian military. Russian propaganda is based on its previous lies that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was blown up by Ukraine. All critical infrastructure facilities, which include hydroelectric power plants, are constantly under the protection of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and the police in wartime. After the Russian terrorist attack with the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the Ukrainian Defense Forces tightened patrolling of the stations.

It is Russia that attacks the critical infrastructure of Ukraine - as a result of massive shelling of the occupiers in the autumn-winter period of 2022-2023, not a single thermal or hydroelectric power station remained undamaged in Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that during the shelling of Ukraine on September 25, 2023, the Russians allegedly entered the headquarters of the Ukrainian Navy in the Odesa region. According to propagandists, the headquarters was created in one of the Odesa hotels. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck fact-checkers processed this case and explained that it was Russia that attacked Odesa on September 25, 2023 with nineteen Shahed-type drones. According to the investigation, damage was caused to port infrastructure facilities, granaries, and warehouses of a private enterprise. The Odesa sea terminal and the hotel nearby were significantly damaged. At the same time, the propagandists did not provide any evidence to defend their thesis about the presence of the Ukrainian leadership in civilian infrastructure facilities. Here they usually use rhetoric about “NATO headquarters/Ukrainian military leadership” to simply whiten themselves.

That is, they are trying to deny their own shelling and hits on civilian infrastructure. They distort reality and convince people of their “truth”. And they claim: wherever they went, there were definitely military men there. However, the authors do not provide any facts. They just reject any reproaches in their direction.

But documented cases of Russian terror tell a different story. By the way, one can read the chronology of Russian shelling of residential and civilian targets here.

Also, check out the fakes on similar topics, in which Russian propaganda denied shelling of civilian infrastructure, justifying it with “NATO headquarters”:

For example, when the Russians allegedly fired at a meeting of Lithuanian and Polish NATO officers in Chernihiv, but in fact the occupiers hit the local drama theater. Or a case where propagandists tended to believe that the terrorist shelling of Odesa in July was a shelling of weapons production sites. And not according to the cultural sites of Ukraine included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, as it actually is. Or, let’s say, how the invaders “destroyed” an ammunition warehouse in Uman. We found out that the Russians got into an industrial facility and a car wash. And finally, how a propaganda shelling of the residences of “NATO instructors” in Kramatorsk turned out to be a terrorist attack on a local cafe - read here.

Pro-Russian publications tell foreign audiences that the US is actively recruiting jihadists from ISIS and al-Qaeda to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia and other countries that were part of the USSR. “Recruitment” and “training” takes place at the Al-Tanf military base in Syria, mainly among militants from the Caucasus and Central Asia. They seem to be studying how to make and use improvised explosive devices, as well as explosive methods. Like, the US security forces are demoralized, and therefore obsessed with the idea of bleeding Russia in any way, even using terrorists.

EU vs Disinfo analysts drew attention to the spread of the message. They note that this is an unfounded claim, there is no evidence of the training of militants. In addition, the US is leading the global coalition to defeat ISIS and other international counter-terrorist initiatives.

Thus, Russian propaganda uses intimidation tactics and fuels narratives about the US as an enemy of Russia. Earlier, Russian propaganda wrote that a group of radical Islamists went from northeast Syria to Ukraine to fight as mercenaries on the side of Kyiv.

Such messages are distributed in anonymous telegram channels and Russian media. They say that Kyiv began to openly threaten Moscow. Like, against the background of the victories of the Russian army, the West began to look for ways to turn the tide. Allegedly, Washington plans to seize the temporarily occupied Crimea. This is manipulation.

The propagandists used the words of Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Office of the President, as the basis. He said that Ukraine has begun negotiations with partners on the supply of long-range missiles and aircraft. Podoliak noted that aviation is needed to cover the military, and missiles are needed to destroy Russian weapons depots, including in Crimea. It was this thesis that the propagandists used for manipulation. Using the tactics of substitution of concepts, the Russians began to call attacks on warehouses with weapons terrorist attacks.

Russia systematically spreads messages that discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the inhabitants of the temporarily occupied Crimea. Earlier, they wrote that the Ukrainian army plans to “recapture” Crimea in Russia, and after the liberation, it will deport 800,000 Crimeans. Or propagandists claimed that Ukraine “changed its mind” about returning Crimea, and Ukrainians rejoice that war has come to the peninsula.

This information was disseminated by Russian resources. Like, the residents of Lysychansk told a Russian propagandist about this. Allegedly, according to them, the Ukrainian military shot at civilians from March to May 2022 in order to film propaganda materials. It is not true.

According to The Insider fact-checkers, from March to May, there were Russian troops near Lysychansk that could have shelled the city.

From the 20th of March, Russian troops tried to take the city of Rubizhne, located 18 km from Lysychansk, that is, they were directly on the outskirts of it. On May 13, the city was completely occupied. The effective range of the Russian Grad multiple launch rocket system is 21 km, the Msta-S howitzer is 24.7 km, and the Giacint-S is 28.4 km.

Anonymous pro-Russian telegram channels write that soon Ukraine will start “playing the card of the Russian trace” in cases of sending letters with explosives, packages with animal eyes, etc. to Ukrainian embassies and consulates. Like, Ukraine will tell that in this way they also tried to intimidate the Europeans so that they would not help Ukraine.

In early December, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported on a targeted campaign of terror and intimidation of Ukrainian diplomatic institutions abroad. In 12 countries of the world, Ukrainian embassies and consulates received threats of various types, a total of 18 cases were recorded. Now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is cooperating with foreign law enforcement officers to identify the perpetrators.

As soon as an air raid began almost all over Ukraine, Russian telegram channels, guided by the Russian GRU, began to spread the thesis that the shelling was a consequence of “Ukraine’s sabotage in Russia”, including explosions at military airfields in the Saratov region and near Riazan.

Today, the Russian media reported about the explosions at both military facilities. At the Engels-1 air base in the Saratov region, a drone fell on the runway, which caused damage to two Tu-95 bombers, and two soldiers were hospitalized with injuries. A fuel truck exploded at the Diahilevo airfield near Riazan. At least three Russian soldiers were killed. Ukraine has not officially confirmed its involvement in the explosions: Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the President's Office, said that since the earth is round, and Russia launches a lot into the air every day, sometimes these objects return home. Ukraine officially does not have drones that could cover the distance to Engels (700 km) and Diahilevo (500 km).

In fact, Russia does not “retaliate” with missile strikes. Insider Project investigators have found that each massive missile strike requires a week to ten days of preparation, so there cannot be a "response" to any Ukrainian military action that occurred less than a week ago.

Pro-Russian telegram channels write about this. Like, in recent days, Ukrainian officials and opinion leaders have been so actively discussing possible missile strikes and “frightening” Ukrainians with their consequences that “there can be only two explanations for this.” Either they are trying to “repel” the desire of the Russians to strike, or, which is supposedly “most likely”, they are deliberately “provoking and asking for it”. Allegedly, this is how the Ukrainian authorities plan to hide their own mistakes and shift the blame to the Russians.

Russian missile strikes actually have worse consequences every time, because Russia deliberately hits the Ukrainian energy system with massive rocket attacks. In particular, those objects, the repair of which is long-term and requires significant financial costs. Naturally, officials and experts are trying to explain the consequences of the strikes already inflicted and analyze possible options for the further development of the situation. Understanding the real realities is necessary in order to prevent unnecessary panic and irrational actions of Ukrainians.

Russian media say that the resolution supposedly adopted on November 23 by the European Parliament recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism “has no consequences” for Russia. Also, propagandists accuse the European Parliament of "political bias". Like, the UN resolution "contributes to inciting conflict situations and humanitarian crises around the world," and is also designed to "legalize the robbery of Russia." The propaganda calls the European Parliament a rudiment that does not decide anything, but only incites enmity between countries. This is manipulation.

Now the EU really does not have a legal basis to introduce serious restrictive measures against a country recognized as a sponsor of terrorism. However, the essence of the resolution of the European Parliament is to create such an international legal framework. The adopted document is advisory in nature for implementation.

This message is spread by anonymous pro-Russian telegram channels. In particular, by those that, according to the Security service in Ukraine (SSU), are controlled by Russian intelligence. The reports say that the “Points of Invincibility”, in which Ukrainians can stay warm in the conditions of emergency power and heat outages and charge electrical appliances if necessary, is an absurd invention of the Office of the President. Reports state that these points are not protected by anything at the time of missile strikes. Like, they even provoke the enemy to launch a missile attack, because they become a place of mass congestion of people. The authors of such messages even suggest that if an enemy missile hits one of the points, this will be a good informational occasion. In fact, the “Points of Invincibility” are needed by people who, due to rocket attacks on infrastructure, were left without electricity, water supply and communications. Such points were deployed in most cities of Ukraine, so that residents in the conditions of long blackouts could warm up at these locations, recharge gadgets or warm up food or drink tea.