Spilnota Detector Media

Fake Zaluzhnyi allegedly announced a plan to annex the Kursk region to Ukraine

On anonymous telegram channels they write that the former commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and now the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, seems to be announcing a plan to annex the Kursk region to Ukraine. After this, according to him, it is possible to beat deeper with Western weapons on Russian territory. A video is added to the publications in which Zaluzhnyi allegedly talks about this.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project found out that the original source of the video was a humorous telegram channel, and pro-Kremlin resources began to distribute the video as real and official news. Moreover, the video material was created using artificial intelligence technologies.

Moreover, neither Ukrainian nor foreign media wrote about such plans or distributed the video with Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Ukrainian troops broke through the Russian border in the Sumy region on Tuesday, August 6. Already on August 12, President Zelenskyi for the first time directly wrote that Ukraine was conducting an operation in the Kursk region of Russia. Back on August 12, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that Ukraine controls almost 1,000 km of Kursk region. As of August 13, it became known that 74 settlements in Russia are under Ukrainian control.

Read on Censor.NET: The United States seems to be involved in the operation in the Kursk region

Fake A significant increase in background radiation was allegedly recorded in the Ternopil region

Propagandists began spreading messages on social networks that after a large fire on the night of August 20 in the Ternopil region, radiation levels in the air and water increased significantly. But the information provided is false.

The Center for Strategic Communications warned about this new fake. After a massive attack by Russia on the territory of Ukraine, on the night of August 20, a fire actually broke out at one of the industrial facilities in Ternopil. It was caused by the enemy getting into one of the containers where fuel and lubricants were stored. The head of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Ternopil region, Viktor Maslei, announced this at a briefing at the Military Regional Administration. During the same briefing, it became known that after measurements and analysis of air in 7 points of the residential area of Ternopil, no excess concentrations of combustion products CO2 and chlorine-containing substances were detected.

It was at this time that propagandists began publishing videos on social networks in which the Ukrainian military allegedly took measurements of radiation in the air of the city. Subsequently, the information about the alleged increase in radiation levels in the region was denied by the mayor of Ternopil, Serhii Nadal.

The main goal of such fakes is to distract Russia from responsibility for its crimes, as well as to spread panic and fear among the Ukrainian population. In addition, in this way, Russian propaganda is trying to build distrust among Ukrainians in the official authorities as a source of truthful information.

Disclosure Unknown people are spreading a fake story allegedly from the French publication Le Figaro, which talks about a “Ukrainian refugee killer”

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing a video story supposedly from the French publication Le Figaro, which tells about the murder of a twenty-year-old woman on the closing day of the Olympic Games at the “hands of a Ukrainian refugee”. A screenshot of news material from the publication’s website is added to the publications.

However, this video is fake. In the original story there is no insertion that the suspect for committing the crime is a “Ukrainian refugee”. In general, the nationality of the accused is not indicated in the video material. There is only information that this is a forty-nine-year-old man who does not speak French. No additional information was added in the interests of the investigation.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, as a cultural and economic threat to the EU - in order to reduce support for Ukraine. We mentioned this in our own research. Since the beginning of the big war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda has been trying to discredit refugees who were forced to leave Ukraine in order to save their lives. Propagandists regularly spread fake news about them; call refugees dependents; they claim that they went abroad not for safety, but for profit; they convince that residents of countries that have accepted Ukrainian refugees are dissatisfied with the behavior of Ukrainians. Propagandists need this in order to stake out the opinion that Ukrainians are pagans who do not value the help that residents of other countries provide them; take advantage of the kindness of people in other countries.

Fake A video is being circulated on social networks in which a Ukrainian allegedly “died in an attempt to cross the Tysa on a boat”

Network users are distributing a video in which a Ukrainian citizen allegedly tries to illegally cross the border using a light boat. The description of the video indicates that the man, in an attempt to avoid mobilization, decided to flee to Hungary by swimming across the Tysa near the Lonja-Zvenkova checkpoint. But the “Ukrainian’s” boat flew into the cable at high speed and capsized, causing the man’s death.

However, this video has nothing to do with the mobilization process in Ukraine. This was reported by the StopFake team. The events in the video took place on the morning of August 3, 2024 in the Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg county in Hungary. Hungarian media reported that day that a patrol boat crashed into a rope at high speed. At the time of the accident, there was only one local policeman on the boat - he survived and swam to shore on his own.

The Hungarian publication Szon reports that the incident occurred due to inattention while driving, as the policeman should have waited for the cable to lower. The ferry operator who witnessed the incident told reporters that he tried to signal to the police officer to slow down, but he did not notice or ignored him.

Playing on emotions and spreading fake news about such incidents is part of Russia’s traditional disinformation campaign aimed at undermining the mobilization processes in Ukraine and discrediting its army, political and military leadership. Also, the purpose of the fake is to create an atmosphere of tension among Ukrainian society. Previously,  Detector Media recorded a fake that Budanov allegedly proposed to mobilize Ukrainians from the age of 18.

Fake Russia Today published a video with an alleged “captive Ukrainian saboteur” taken in the Kursk region

The pro-Kremlin resource RT (formerly Russia Today) reported that it had in its possession a video of a “captured Ukrainian saboteur” who was allegedly captured by the Russian military at the Kursk border checkpoint. The person in the video, kneeling and blindfolded, says in Russian that “they were going to Sudzha” and that “it was necessary to “remove” the village of Hordiivka for those who took it (the village - Ed.)”.

In fact, this video is static and it is evidenced by several facts. First of all, the person in the video has a strong Russian accent, which is not typical of Russian-speaking Ukrainians, but rather of Russians. In addition, even one of the Russian so-called “military correspondents” with an audience of 95 thousand subscribers could not remain silent and said that “this is our fake”, adding that “this is not the time for this”. And many Russians themselves did not believe in the veracity of the video, claiming that it was a decree.

Previously, Detector Media denied the information that the Ukrainian Armed Forces using an American Stryker armored personnel carrier near the Judge shot up a car with civilians.

Fake The Office of the President allegedly prepared a staged assassination attempt on Zelenskyi's children, but American services rejected the plan, Deutsche Welle

A video allegedly published by the German publication DW is being circulated in the Russian segment of social networks. It allegedly talks about a “new Bellingcat investigation” about a plan to imitate an attempt on Zelenskyi’s children, which was allegedly developed by the Office of the President and the Main Intelligence Directorate. In fact, the Russian authorities and intelligence services planned to blame the terrorist act.

“The Ukrainian side allegedly contacted the US Central Intelligence Agency to talk about the planned provocation, but received a sharp refusal - after all, the American partners think that such a scenario, on the contrary, would escalate the confrontation”, they write in the messages.

StopFake specialists examined the case and found out that this story was completely made up. This news was not distributed by either Deutsche Welle or Bellingcat. Moreover, Deutsche Welle’s videos have a completely different format - in their videos they use original footage and voice-over of the announcer, while on the Internet they distribute cut-ups of stock photos with superimposed text and music.

Fake Pro-Russian sources claim that Ukrainians in Romania destroyed fuel

Propagandists are disseminating information to Western audiences that Ukrainian partisans in the city of Bragadiru (Romania) set fire to a fuel train used by NATO troops to conduct proxies in Ukraine. The Ukrainians did this supposedly to show their protest against the death of their compatriots in the interests of NATO. As proof that such an incident actually happened, propagandists added a video of the fire. For their part, the Romanian authorities allegedly officially reported this incident, but the cause was called a short circuit.

However, propagandists are outright lying, the Ukrainians did not set fire to the fuel composition. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, citing the Romanian Ministry of National Defense, which denied information about the fire.

The video of the fire, distributed by pro-Russian sources, has no relation to Bragadiru or to any other city in Romania. Also, the Romanian authorities did not report the fact of arson at any of the fuel compositions in the country. In the end, the Romanian media did not report such an incident either.

This fake information is spreading in the information space of European countries, in particular Romania, in order to manipulate public opinion, undermine trust in Ukraine, and also illustrate the imaginary threat from Ukrainian refugees or partisans.

Previously, we recorded Russian manipulation, saying that Ukrainian partisans burned down a drone production plant in Lviv.

Fake The SBU allegedly detains tarot readers, fortune tellers and psychics who predict Russia's military successes, Really_UA media

Information is being spread online that the SBU is allegedly detaining fortune tellers and psychics who predict the defeat of Ukraine and the illness of President Zelenskyi. A video report from the so-called Really_UA says that 8 tarot bloggers have already been detained for fortune telling with predictions of Russia’s military successes. They are accused of tax evasion and discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

VoxCheck analysts reported that a telegram news channel or full-fledged media called Really_UA does not exist at all. There is no information in other Ukrainian media about the detention of tarot readers.

Read on Censor.NET: Good evening, we are from the “Battle of Psychics” - “witches”, “molfars” and “fortune tellers” - have occupied the airwaves of media that call themselves information.

And the video report itself is a clipping of unrelated frames that are easy to find on the Internet. For example, the first photo from the video was used at least back in 2018.

Fake Territorial center of recruitment and social support workers allegedly got into a fight with a teenager

Pro-Russian telegram channels are distributing a video in which allegedly Territorial center of recruitment and social support employees are fighting with a teenager on the street. Propagandists label this video as “a failed violent mobilization” because a passerby stood up for the guy.

In fact, this video has nothing to do with the mobilization process in Ukraine, the StopFake project reports. It shows two men in olive-colored jackets advancing on a teenager before another man wearing a white hoodie attacks them from behind. However, not a single person in this video was dressed in military uniform or had any identification marks or other elements that would indicate that they were military personnel, and Ukrainians at that.

Thanks to Google's reverse search function, StopFake journalists were able to establish that this video has been circulating online since at least May 2020. And it was filmed not in Ukraine at all, but in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Then the Belarusian websites that published it wrote that the incident filmed took place in Minsk in the Malynivka microdistrict, where two drunk men came into conflict with a 15-year-old teenager.

With this fake, propagandists aim to once again discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine and assert that everything is so bad at the front that they are already starting to mobilize even minors.

Previously, we denied information that the Territorial center of recruitment and social support workers beat up an ethnic Hungarian in western Ukraine.

Fake Ukrainians allegedly call for updating their data in the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support with a poster of Galicia the SS division

Russian resources are disseminating information that a billboard was allegedly placed in Ukraine depicting the 14th SS Volunteer Division Galicia with the caption “Yesterday it was them, and today it is you”. The billboard allegedly encourages Ukrainians to update their data in the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support. Propagandists add video of the poster's location as evidence.

However, this information is not true, according to the StopFake project. Journalists geolocated the place where the video being distributed was filmed - it turned out to be near Lviv - and asked for comment from the company that places billboards at this address. The Bravo advertising agency responded that they were indeed approached by customers who identified themselves as “employees of the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support” of the Ground Forces. However, as soon as it became known that this information was false, the billboard was backgrounded, and all information about the orders was transferred to the SBU. In addition, at the request of StopFake, the Lviv Regional Military Administration responded that no one ordered such an information campaign.

In the end, the official information campaign “Update your data in the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support”, which was presented by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, looks completely different, and in it, military personnel from different combat units honestly admit that they are also afraid, but overcome their fear. At the same time, no references to historical events are used in this campaign.

This is not the first time that Russian propaganda uses the theme of the SS division Galicia in its information war, manipulating historical facts. We have already refuted the information that the Ukrainian post office issued stamps dedicated to the SS division Galicia, and also that in the video message of Volodymyr Zelenskyi we noticed the chevron of the SS division Galicia.

Fake In a Vinnytsia kindergarten, a guy’s mouth was “washed with soap” because he spoke Russian

A video is being circulated in the Russian segment of social networks in which a woman states that in a kindergarten in Vinnytsia, one of the teachers allegedly “washed his child’s mouth with soap” because she spoke Russian. As the publications add, after the “punishment” the guy allegedly developed allergic stomatitis, but it has not yet been possible to bring the administration of his mother’s kindergarten to justice.

In the video one can also see several documents, complaints addressed to the head of the kindergarten and to the regional prosecutor's office, as well as a certificate from the dentist stating that the child allegedly developed allergic stomatitis. Complaints on behalf of Olesia Mykolaivna Kovalchuk say that the incident occurred in kindergarten No. 67 “Sonechko”, where a preschool teacher Olena Mykhailivna Panasiuk allegedly “bullied” her son.

StopFake analysts explained that this story is complete fiction. Experts turned to the director of the Department of Education of the Vinnytsia City Council Oksana Yatsenko, who denied the authenticity of this story. Oksana Yatsenko stated that neither in kindergarten No. 67, nor in any other preschool institution in Vinnytsia, such a situation never happened.

Analysts also found many inaccuracies in the “complaint statement”, for example:

In Vinnytsia kindergarten No. 67, a preschool teacher named Olena Mykhailivna Panasiuk does not work;

The complaint addressed to the director of kindergarten No. 67 indicated the wrong address of the preschool institution (Vasyl Poryk street, 14 instead of Stelmakh street, 45);

The name of the director of kindergarten No. 67 is also incorrectly indicated. The person indicated in the letter is the head of another educational institution, but no such incidents were recorded there either.

Message Ukrainian children are allegedly “prepared to become fertilizer”

Propagandists are distributing a video on Polish-language anonymous telegram channels in which a Ukrainian teacher allegedly sings the song “Our Father Bandera” with children in a room that looks like a school gym. They claim that this is supposedly an example of how Ukrainian children experience “horrible, mind-numbing propaganda” and how they are “prepared to become fertilizer”. However, this message is unfounded and manipulative.

Patriotic education exists in many countries and is the norm for supporting national identity and love for one's country. In Ukraine, like other countries, children learn the history, culture and values of their nation, which is an important part of their development. In addition, patriotic songs and traditions are not something unique to any country in the world. The Ukrainian education system meets international standards, including the education of civic consciousness and love of the Motherland, but also emphasizes the importance of human rights, tolerance and democratic values.

The claim that Ukrainian children are being subjected to “terrible propaganda” is part of an information war and is aimed at discrediting Ukraine. This statement has no concrete evidence and is general and exaggerated. Patriotic education is a common practice and is aimed at creating responsible citizens, and not at creating “fertilizer for fertile fields”,  as propagandists claim.

Fake Ukrainian soldiers accidentally exploded an aerial bomb, a video

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing a video where supposedly Ukrainian soldiers are standing near an aerial bomb. One of them affects what provokes the explosion. It is not true.

VoxCheck analysts explained that after the explosion of such a projectile, it is unlikely that the device on which the video was recorded could have been preserved. Moreover, the video was edited using the “explosion” effect from Instagram’s suggested effects.

A reverse search of the explosion frame can find other videos that have the same explosion effect. This effect is available to all Instagram phone users.

Fake Olena Zelenska allegedly bought a Bugatti car

Propagandists began to spread information on social networks that Olena Zelenska, the wife of the President of Ukraine, allegedly purchased a luxury car. One of the messages on this topic states: “Zelenskyi’s wife bought a Bugatti Turbillon supercar for almost 4.5 million euros”. The source of information is supposedly French media, and confirmation should be the words of one of the employees of the Bugatti car dealership in Paris. However, this is fake.

Fact-checkers of the Polish project Demagog drew attention to this. They found that the primary source of information about Zelenska’s purchase of a Bugatti is the French website veritecachee.fr. At first glance, it may seem like just another news resource. However, it turned out to be a tool to promote Russian propaganda.

Analysts at cybersecurity company Recorder Future discovered a media network called CopyCop in early March 2024. It operates in the US, UK and France, using artificial intelligence to plagiarize and modify texts from other sites. The purpose of such actions is to support the Russian perspective on issues such as a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine or the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

One such site is veritecachee.fr. It was registered on June 22, 2024, shortly before the first round of the French elections. According to the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, the site presents the war in Ukraine from the Russian point of view. In addition, fact-checker David Puente and Kyle Glen, an investigator from the Center for Information Resilience, noticed that the site still contains instructions on artificial intelligence on how to write texts.

The proof in favor of buying a Bugatti is the invoice that appeared in numerous messages with this fake. However, the document contains errors that significantly reduce its reliability. According to French law, the invoice must contain specific details about the transaction. This includes, in particular, information about the transaction currency and the seller’s identification number. None of this is on what propagandists present as a Bugatti purchase invoice.

One of the users noticed that the invoice was written in English. It also shows the wrong address for a car dealership in Paris. It is located on Neuilly-sur-Seine, and not on Neuily-sur-Seine, as it is written on the “invoice”.

The car dealership where Olena Zelenska allegedly made a purchase also joined the case. According to a statement he posted on Instagram, both the transaction information and the invoice are false.

A French article about “buying” a luxury car contains not only a photo of the invoice, but also a video with commentary from “Jacques Bertin”. He is an employee of the Bugatti car dealership, who spoke about the details of the presentation of the car to the Ukrainian presidential couple.

The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation drew attention to the fact that the account of the alleged employee on which the recording appeared was created several days before the publication of the video. This profile is no longer available. In addition, as Italian fact-checker David Puente wrote on Platform X, the photo of the corresponding Instagram profile is a frame from a video in which Bertin talks about the presentation of the car by Zelenskyi. According to Puente, the video was created using artificial intelligence.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and personally the family of President Zelenskyi.

Fake A senior NATO officer allegedly wears a skirt and heels

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.

Fake Ukrainian military allegedly shoots African mercenaries for desertion

Propagandists are distributing videos on anonymous pro-Russian telegram channels with allegedly Ukrainian soldiers shooting African mercenaries for desertion. Poor quality shows two men in military uniforms with blue armbands and four men kneeling against the wall. However, this video is fake.

StopFake specialists drew attention to it. They suggest that the video was created by Russian propaganda to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Fact-checkers found that although the Ukrainian language is used in the video for authenticity, the men in the frame are unable to hide the fact that they are not native speakers. Instead of “ne” in the phrase “not sitting”, the man in uniform says “nie”, and before the shot he shouts: “Zakinchui” (“Finish them!”), which is a direct translation of the Russian “Konchai!” - a phrase that is not inherent in Ukrainian in this context. In addition, not a single face is visible in the video, and not a single chevron can be seen on the military. Although at first glance it appears that the filming is taking place in a basement, the room actually has doors and windows. It seems that they were deliberately covered with fabric for filming.

In the end, after the so-called “execution” the video was blurred, but it is still noticeable that the brick wall in front of which the men were kneeling did not receive any damage. The brick is quite fragile and after so many shots, debris and dust should appear.

This is not the first time Russians have resorted to whataboutism, a propaganda tactic that helps divert attention away from Russia. StopFake experts suggest that the video was created by Russian propaganda to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Thus, Russian propagandists are spreading false information about arbitrariness in the Ukrainian army, thereby distracting Russians from the crimes. According to Ukrainian legislation, foreigners who join the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not mercenaries, and desertion in the army is punishable by imprisonment.

Fake Romanian fans allegedly shouted the name Putin during the matches of the national teams of Ukraine and Romania at Euro 2024 football

Propaganda resources are distributing a video in which Romanians, who came to cheer for their national team in a match against the Ukrainian national football team at Euro 2024, allegedly chanted the name of the Russian dictator at the stadium.

However, this video is actually fake. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. In the original video, Ukrainian fans were chanting at the stadium during the match between the national teams of Ukraine and Romania. And we are not just talking about Putin’s last name, but about the famous “chant” of Ukrainian fans “Putin is a d*ck!”, the creators of this fake simply edited the original audio track, cutting out part of it.

By creating fakes of this kind, Russians are trying to console themselves, because the Russian national football team itself was not allowed to participate in Euro 2024. Previously, we analyzed the fake that Al Jazeera reported that Ukrainian football fans were detained because of Nazi graffiti in Qatar at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Manipulation The “Freedom Arch of the Ukrainian People” was allegedly painted in the colors of the LGBTQ+ flag

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks claiming that the “Freedom Arch of the Ukrainian People” (formerly “Arch of Friendship of Peoples”) in Kyiv has finally been painted in the colors of the LGBTQ+ flag. The video shows how the arch is painted with rainbow colors. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They found out that the video of the arch being repainted in Ukraine was actually filmed in 2017 and shows preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine. The theme of that year's competition was diversity, so the arch was painted rainbow colors and then returned to its original form.

Then, the process of painting the arch with rainbow colors was interrupted by right-wing radical groups, so the arch could not be painted completely in rainbow colors. After the end of Eurovision, the arch was restored to its original appearance with a metallic color.

Anti-LGBTQ+ disinformation is often spread with the aim of discrediting Ukraine or its current government, as well as the decommunization process.

Fake Ukrainian air defense shoots down rare birds, confusing them with drones, Greenpeace

A video allegedly produced by the environmental organization Greenpeace is being circulated on social networks in the Russian segment. It says that Ukrainian air defense poses a danger to a rare species of bird - the white-tailed eagle.

In 2024 alone, air defenses allegedly mistakenly shot down 138 individuals, confusing them with enemy drones. As a result, they say in the video, the population of rodents on which eagles feed is rapidly growing in Ukrainian fields, which harms the harvest. The video also includes a “quote” from British military expert Jonathon Riley, who seems to accuse Ukrainian air defense operators of inexperience.

StopFake fact-checkers analyzed the case and found that Greenpeace did not publish such a story - this can be checked by searching the organization’s website using the keywords “Ukraine”, “eagles”, etc. There are no videos on the project’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

It is most likely that the propagandists edited this video themselves.

Fake Russian military allegedly captured a French mercenary

Russian telegram channels and the Russian Embassy in South Africa distributed a video in which several Russian fighters allegedly captured “a French citizen who fought on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces”.

However, in fact, this is a fake video, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. The video was directed by Russian propagandists to promote the narrative about the presence of French mercenaries in Ukraine. In particular, the falsification of the video is evidenced by the very strong accent of the “captive”, which was also emphasized by the French Embassy in South Africa in a message from their colleagues from the Russian Federation:

“You have been spreading fake news for a long time, and we have become accustomed to this rather undiplomatic practice. However, this news is particularly meaningless. We encourage your actors to work on their accent in their French lessons at Alliance française”.

The Center also noted that the publication of such fake videos by representatives of Russian diplomatic departments once again confirms that Russian diplomacy is just a tool for disseminating Russian propaganda. Previously, we analyzed a Russian video fake, according to which only three Ukrainian men who were mobilized allegedly immediately died in the war.

Fake Ukrainian military shoots “foreign mercenaries” as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

A video is being circulated online in which Ukrainian soldiers allegedly shoot mercenaries from Africa. In the video itself, one can see what appears to be Ukrainian soldiers and four men kneeling against the wall.

The Center for Countering Disinformation reports that this video is staged, because the video was first distributed in the Russian segment of social networks. Subsequently, propaganda media circulated the video.

Fact-checkers of the Central Police Department add that those “being shot” are standing in front of a brick wall, from which bullets should ricochet, which would be dangerous for the “shooters” themselves. That is, this may indicate the likely use of footage and special editors to create a characteristic video.

Fake Employees of Territorial centers of recruitment and social support allegedly train Kyiv schoolchildren

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fake Video of an allegedly “Ukrainian military man” talking about the “horrors of mobilization”

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks in which a Ukrainian serviceman allegedly says that three days before the shooting, his “brothers” were grabbed on the street by representatives of the Territorial center of recruitment and social support and sent to the front line, where they immediately died. The caption for the video is: “Show this to everyone while there are still men left, so that they don’t even think about going there!!!!! Khazarian faces and Territorial centers’ employees are corrupt nits... Here's mobilization for you... They were at home for another three or four days, and now... They are immediately sent to certain death!!! Without any preparation, just like meat”. The video has already been viewed more than 200 thousand times on Meta and shared more than 3.4 thousand times.

In fact, this video is staged and probably created by Russian propaganda to discredit the mobilization campaign in Ukraine. Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this. They found that the video had several obvious signs of being staged. Firstly, the voiceover tries to speak Ukrainian, but for native speakers it is clear that the native language of the author of the video is Russian. The voice-over text, read in a calm and emotionless voice, is full of anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

The author of the video claims to show the consequences of mobilization, showing the supposed bodies of three dead “brothers” who were allegedly mobilized just a few days ago. However, it is very difficult to recognize the “dead” in the video - the bodies lie at a considerable distance from the camera, and their faces are hidden. The author of the video also claims that a group of soldiers was hit by artillery fire, but no blood or shrapnel was visible on the bodies. All the “dead” have typical Ukrainian surnames - Morozenko, Gontarenko, Sidorenko, but call signs are not given.

In addition, recruits could not be sent to the front lines three to four days after receiving draft notices, as stated in the video. After mobilization, all recruits undergo military training at training grounds, which can take several weeks. Also, the video does not indicate the name of the military unit where these soldiers served; there are no chevrons or other special signs. The date and location of the shooting remain unclear. Instead of grass, typical of May in Ukraine, it is clear that the video was filmed in early spring, but for some reason was published only now.

The video has a caption in Russian, “Valkyrie of Light”, and in the center of the frame is an empty vodka bottle, placed to discredit the Ukrainian army. It is unclear why the “real Ukrainian military man” who allegedly filmed this video did not remove the bottle. The video was distributed from an account that masquerades as Ukrainian, but regularly publishes Russian narratives about mobilization in Ukraine.

Propagandists spread fake news to undermine the mobilization campaign and discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on this topic.

Fake Ukrainian Armed Forces military recorded threats against Donald Trump

A video allegedly filmed by Ukrainian soldiers burning an effigy of former US President Donald Trump is being circulated on social networks. The military claims in the video that Trump delayed the provision of US military aid to Ukraine and “must pay for it”.

VoxCheck analysts explained that the videos are mainly distributed by Russian propaganda telegram channels and pro-Russian accounts on various social networks. At the same time, there are no such publications in the Ukrainian media.

And the assertion that the Ukrainian military is in the video is unfounded - someone could dress in a similar uniform and attach a chevron with the flag of Ukraine to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Fake A “drunk” Ukrainian serviceman allegedly attacked a priest

The Kremlin media writes that an incident occurred in Ukraine involving a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier - he allegedly entered a church and began attacking parishioners, and then attacked the priest himself. As evidence to the messages, they add videos from inside the temple.

“Most likely, Bandera is a follower of yet another satanic teaching, which is now flourishing in Ukraine due to the connivance of the authorities. For obvious reasons, there are many such Satanists in the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, adds the pro-Kremlin resource.

StopFake fact-checkers write that no authoritative media reported such an incident anywhere. There were no reports of any attack on the official websites of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Kyiv Patriarchate or the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, where such an incident could have occurred. Also, specialized religious media, such as the Religious Information Service of Ukraine, did not write anything about such an incident. There is no information about such an attack on the police website.

So, most likely the video is staged.