Russian media outlets, citing statements by the U.S. Department of Defense Press Secretary Pat Ryder, have widely circulated reports claiming that the Pentagon has ‘finally acknowledged’ Russia's success in the war against Ukraine.  

In reality, propagandists have taken the words of the U.S. Major General out of context, thereby distorting their meaning. This was reported by the StopFake project.  

At a press briefing on January 13, 2025, Ryder commented on the developments in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In response to a journalist's question about whether Russia holds any advantage on the battlefield, the Pentagon spokesperson highlighted the limited capabilities of the Russian army.  

“What we are seeing on the battlefield, particularly in Eastern Ukraine, is that Russia has achieved some additional tactical gains. Of course, this is a very tough fight, as it is in the Kursk region. But when you talk about an advantage… beyond these tactical gains - strategically, Russia has again failed to achieve any of the goals it set for itself almost three years ago (...)”, Ryder emphasized.  

The Major General also noted that, despite receiving support from Iran and deploying 12,000 troops from North Korea, Russia has not made any significant progress on the battlefield. Ryder added that three years of full-scale war in Ukraine have severely depleted Russian forces, while “Ukrainians are holding the defense well, despite the heavy fighting”.  

Thus, Ryder’s main message was that Russia has failed to achieve any of its strategic objectives in its full-scale war against Ukraine. Propagandists shifted the focus and distorted the Pentagon spokesperson's remarks. The goal of Russian media is to exaggerate their army's achievements while undermining the credibility of Ukraine's Armed Forces.  

Previously, we analyzed disinformation claiming that the Pentagon had allegedly called Ukraine ‘one of the most corrupt countries’. 

Russian propaganda Telegram channels have circulated reports claiming that Russian forces broke through the state border near the settlements of Zhuravka and Prokhody in the Sumy region.  

However, the Sumy Regional Military Administration (RMA) refuted this information on its official Facebook page. While the situation at the border remains challenging, it is stable. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are holding the line and are fully prepared to repel any aggression.  

The Sumy RMA also noted that while Russian forces occasionally attempt to enter the region, these efforts are unsuccessful:  “Over the past month, we continue to observe attempts by enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups to infiltrate the Sumy region. However, all such groups are neutralized by our defenders”.

By spreading such disinformation, propagandists aim to instill fear among Ukrainians, undermine trust in the actions of authorities and the military, and sow panic. Previously, similar false claims about the so-called ‘occupation’ of parts of the Sumy region were also debunked.

Propagandists are spreading information in Russian and Polish language Telegram channels claiming that 25 million people have allegedly left Ukraine, 9.5 million of whom went to Russia, and 6.6 million to the EU. However, these claims are false and do not reflect reality.  

The figures cited are significantly exaggerated. Before the full-scale war, Ukraine's population was approximately 41 million people. According to the UN, the number of refugees who have left Ukraine and are currently residing in other countries is approximately 6.8 million, not 25 million. Outside Europe, there are just over 560,000 Ukrainian refugees. Moreover, the claim that most Ukrainians voluntarily relocated to Russia is a manipulation. In reality, a significant portion of the refugees who went to Russia were forcibly deported by Russian authorities, which constitutes a violation of international law. In such cases, these individuals had no choice, and their departure was the result of coercion, not free will.  

Russian propaganda actively uses such messages to discredit Ukraine on the international stage, portray it as a failed state, and undermine trust in the Ukrainian government. In reality, despite the challenges of war, Ukraine is working tirelessly to support its citizens, including those who were forced to leave the country.

Russian propaganda is deliberately hushing up the participation of North Korean servicemen in hostilities in the Kursk region, avoiding mention in state media and reports by military correspondents, the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council writes.

According to the data available at the moment, the losses among North Korean soldiers amount to more than 200 people, including killed and wounded. This is evidenced by numerous videos showing the overcrowded hospitals created specifically for soldiers from the DPRK in the Kursk and Moscow regions.

Such facts emphasize the desire of the Russian side to hide the scale of the involvement of foreign forces by the aggressor and their losses, which confirms the lack of transparency in Russia's actions. Russian propagandists spread information about the participation of the North Korean military and hide their losses for several reasons. In particular, silencing losses allows creating the illusion of success on the front. Avoiding such topics helps to maintain propaganda without weaknesses that can be used for counter-narratives.

A video is being shared on social media in which a Ukrainian soldier allegedly complains about the arbitrariness of the Territorial recruitment and social support center employees, the difficult situation at the front, the unprofessionalism of commanders, losses among personnel, and urges Ukrainian men not to go to war.

However, in fact, this video was created using artificial intelligence, the VoxCheck project reports. The original source of the video is an anonymous TikTok profile, where the author publishes videos with supposedly Ukrainian soldiers and prisoners of war. A check of the Hive Moderation AI tool showed that the profile contains videos that were generated using a neural network. Accordingly, the tool showed that the appeal of a serviceman talking about the difficult situation at the front was also created using AI.

This fake is intended to misinform Ukrainian society about the real situation on the front and dissuade civilians from mobilizing for the army. Previously, we analyzed a fake about a mutiny in one of the brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On November 29, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had allegedly shot down 10 ATACMS missiles in a week, adding this to the total “successes” in November: 15 ATACMS missiles and 37 HIMARS. Moreover, the Russian Defense Ministry regularly reports about the “destruction” of HIMARS launchers, the number of which has already exceeded the number received by Ukraine. However, this is not true.

This is reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. These kinds of statements are aimed at supporting Russia’s illusions, because Russian propaganda has long operated on the principle of quantitative exaggeration. For example, back in 2017, Serhii Shoihu reported on the “liberation” of 500,000 km² in Syria, although the area of ​​the country is only 185,000 km². At the same time, the real facts remain outside the official reports. November 2024 was the deadliest month for Russia since the start of the war: during that month the Russian army lost 45,720 soldiers, in both killed and wounded. But this data remains unnoticed by propagandists who focus on creating illusory victories.

Russian fake “reports” not only create a false picture of reality for domestic audiences, but are also designed to distract attention from Russia’s massive losses and failures on the front.

Russian propagandists are spreading the thesis that Ukraine has allegedly already lost the war, based on the material of The National Interest. They say that Kyiv has lost the war and it makes no difference how many more long-range missiles, tanks, artillery and air defense systems the US provides it with. However, this information is manipulative.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security drew attention to this. Its specialists found out that the publication The National Interest belongs to Dmytro Simes, who actively supports Russian propaganda. After 2022, he will remain in Russia and is accused by the US Department of Justice of violating sanctions, which carries a penalty of up to 60 years in prison. The publication has long been associated with pro-Russian views, and Simes himself moderated events organized by the Kremlin and received funding from Russian government agencies.

The purpose of this message is to undermine faith in Ukraine's ability to win and encourage citizens to doubt their country's ability to continue the fight. Such rhetoric also helps to create the illusion of futility of aid to Ukraine, in order to demotivate Western countries from providing weapons and financial support. Simes thus justifies further Russian crimes, while simultaneously creating the appearance of strength and invincibility of the Russian regime for domestic audiences.

Mariia Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that foreign embassies are allegedly leaving Kyiv due to fears of retaliatory strikes for Ukraine's use of long-range weapons against Russia. They say this is proof that Ukraine is no longer valuable to the West. However, this statement is manipulative.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes about this. Its experts note that not a single embassy in Kyiv has announced its closure or evacuation. On November 20, a number of countries, including the United States, Italy, Spain, and Greece, temporarily suspended the work of their diplomatic missions due to the threat of massive missile attacks from Russia. Such measures are aimed at protecting the lives of employees and citizens in the potential danger zone, reflecting the awareness of international partners of the real threat of Russian aggression.

The purpose of spreading this disinformation is to undermine Ukrainians' trust in partnership relations with the West and sow discouragement in the international community's support for Ukraine. Russia seeks to create the impression that Ukraine is becoming isolated and that its international allies are losing interest due to fear of being held responsible for the escalation of the war. Such fakes are also intended to influence public opinion in Western countries in order to reduce support for Ukraine, justifying Russia's actions as a defensive reaction. This is another attempt to shift the focus from Russia's aggressive policy and distort the reality in which international partners are actively helping Ukraine.

A “Ukrainian” pro-Russian Telegram channel is spreading information that 77% of Ukrainian citizens are supposedly ready to give up the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. The propagandists claim that they are citing data from a real, not a “bought and fabricated” sociological survey.

At the same time, they do not indicate which sociological company or organization conducted this survey and in what period. Presumably, this data was simply fabricated, the VoxCheck project writes. In addition, the “insider” data of the pro-Russian Telegram channel cannot be considered a reliable source of information. Even before the full-scale invasion, the SBU proved that the “Legitimnyi” Telegram channel, which is the primary source of dissemination of this data, is engaged in destabilizing the socio-political situation and sowing panic in Ukraine.

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) has been conducting regular surveys since May 2022 on the willingness of Ukrainians to make territorial concessions in order to achieve peace as soon as possible. According to the results of a recent poll conducted from September 20 to October 3, 2024, the majority of Ukrainians are against territorial concessions by Russia. 58% of respondents said that Ukraine should not give up any of its territories, even if this would prolong the war and threaten the preservation of its independence. The institute's sociologists note that the share of those ready to make territorial concessions has not changed since May 2024 — it is 32%. In turn, the share of those who are against concessions has increased from 55% to 58% from May to October of this year.

According to another KIIS poll conducted during the same period, 63% of Ukrainians are ready to endure the war as long as it takes.

A little earlier, we analyzed a similar propaganda message, claiming that the absolute majority of Ukrainians are supposedly ready to capitulate.

Pro-Russian anonymous Telegram channels claim that supposedly “the absolute majority of Ukrainians are ready to surrender”. As “proof” of this, they cite the results of an anonymous poll published by the treason suspect Oleksandr Dubinskyi. However, this is not so.

This is reported by StopFake. Its experts point out that on November 17, 2024, he published a poll on his Telegram channel with the question: “Are you ready for peace in exchange for territory?”. By the evening of November 18, more than 15 thousand people had voted, 62% of whom answered “yes”. However, the results of this poll are not representative, since it was conducted anonymously among Dubinskyi’s audience, who is known for his pro-Russian rhetoric. Without proper sampling, such data do not reflect the real opinion of Ukrainians. In particular, Dubinskyi is in pre-trial detention on suspicion of treason. The investigation established his participation in a pro-Russian organization that was engaged in discrediting Ukraine for the money of Russian intelligence.

At the same time, real sociological research conducted by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation in conjunction with the Razumkov Center and Kyiv International Institute of Sociology shows that the majority of Ukrainians are not ready for any territorial concessions, even for the sake of ending the war.

The purpose of spreading this disinformation is to create a false impression that Ukrainian society is ready for surrender and territorial concessions. This is aimed at undermining the morale of Ukrainians, discrediting the political leadership and creating the illusion of support for pro-Russian ideas in Ukraine. Such messages are also intended to weaken international support for Ukraine and promote the spread of narratives favorable to Russia among the public.

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.

Russian resources are spreading information that, allegedly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast does not include the option of Ukraine winning the war against Russia. As the propagandists claim, “Western experts have stopped believing in “Ukraine's victory” in the special military operation”.

However, this is a fake, writes StopFake. On October 18, 2024, the IMF published a report on Ukraine. In the document, analysts estimate that the war will continue into the next year, 2025, and “the outlook remains highly uncertain”, and therefore additional financing of $32 billion will be needed. It will be covered by $33.1 billion of the G7's proposed Emergency Relief Arrangement (ERA) initiative, which provides for the use of proceeds on frozen Russian assets.

The report's risk section also talks about baseline and downside scenarios, both of which assume that the war will last longer than expected. At the same time, the scenarios do not talk about Ukraine's expected loss. On the contrary, the IMF report emphasizes: “We are currently focused on supporting macroeconomic, external, and financial stability to strengthen Ukraine's potential for victory”. This contradicts the information disseminated by Russian propagandists.

With this fake, the Russians are feeding the propaganda narrative about the West losing faith in Ukraine's victory. Earlier, we refuted the information that Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko stated that the West “is tired of driving Ukraine into debt”.

Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that allegedly in the city of Zhmerynka in the Vinnytsia region, three Ukrainian young men beat up a citizen of Kazakhstan, mistaking him for a Korean. In the corresponding publications, the propagandists add that during the clash, the Ukrainians allegedly shouted racist insults, and the Kazakh embassy even intervened in the incident.

However, in fact, the “news” about this incident is fake. This was reported by the Center for Counteracting Disinformation after verifying the information at the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Vinnytsia region. No similar incidents have been recorded in Zhmerynka recently.

This fake is a reaction of Russian propagandists to the involvement of North Korean troops in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The purpose of such lies is to discredit Ukrainians and create a false idea of racism in Ukrainian society. Earlier, we refuted the information that the Territorial center of recruitment and social support workers allegedly beat up an ethnic Hungarian in western Ukraine.

The Citytv publication is distributing a video online, which claims that the Colombian government wants to restrict the showing of videos from Ukraine on TikTok. They decided to resort to such an event because “young people, having watched enough Ukrainian videos, think that war is a romantic event and go to war”.

But Citytv did not publish the video, and some elements in the video indicate a forgery. Colombian authorities have not publicly announced their intention to restrict the showing of videos from Ukraine on TikTok.

Citytv is a Colombian TV channel. The channel is exclusively Spanish-language, but the text in the video that was distributed is written in English. Neither the Citytv website nor social networks contain any news about the Colombian government's plans to restrict the showing of videos from Ukraine on TikTok.

In addition, the video has several differences with the original videos of TV channels. For example, the Citytv Noticias logo is usually placed in the lower left corner and is part of the news banner, while in the propaganda video it is placed separately on the top left.

Russian propaganda is spreading information in the Balkan segment of Facebook that the army of North Macedonia should prepare to participate in the war in Ukraine. They say that this will happen because of the future involvement of NATO. In spreading this information, they refer to the words of the President of Croatia, who allegedly criticized the NATO mission NSATU (Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine), claiming that this means the Alliance's intervention in the war in Ukraine. However, this is fake.

This was brought to the attention of fact-checkers from the Macedonian Truthmeter project. They claim that the NSATU mission is designed to train Ukrainian forces and coordinate aid, but does not involve NATO in combat. In fact, the Croatian president expressed concern about the potential risks of such a mission, but this is not a common opinion in his country. His comments were criticized by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

The purpose of this fake is to spread fear and disinformation in order to provoke anti-NATO sentiments among the population of North Macedonia and other countries supporting Ukraine. The propaganda attempts to discredit NATO and sow doubts about its mission, as well as to create the illusion of the inevitable involvement of the Alliance member states in the war. In addition, such a message seeks to provoke antagonism and push for protests against NATO and support for Ukraine. Such manipulations are aimed at distracting attention from the real problems and crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.

Pro-Russian sources claim that the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak believes that the main task for Ukraine is to draw NATO into a direct confrontation with Russia. According to propagandists, this is what will allow Ukraine to join the Alliance and win the war. There seem to be no alternative scenarios - reserves and equipment are at critical levels, Ukraine cannot withstand a protracted war, which means “we need to look for formats for escalating the war and provoking the Kremlin”. 

In fact, the Ukrainian military-political leadership, on the contrary, is striving to end the war, and on fair terms for the country. This is written by the Center for Countering Disinformation. Ukraine does not intend to involve NATO in a direct conflict with Russia, but the Ukrainian government asks for comprehensive support for the country so that it can continue to repel Russian aggression and, finally, defeat the terrorist country.

With such messages, Russia accuses the Ukrainian authorities of escalating the war. Propagandists also appeal to the “critical amount of reserves and equipment”, “Ukraine's inability to fight continued”, but international partners continue to provide military and financial assistance to the Ukrainian state, and thanks to the Kursk operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the theater of military operations has moved to Russian territory. Accordingly, it may be unprofitable for the Kremlin itself to continue this groundless war, which is why they are looking for ways to end it on unfavorable and disadvantageous terms for Ukraine.

Previously, we analyzed the Russian disinformation message that Kyiv wants to provoke the Kremlin into attacking with tactical nuclear weapons.

Information is being spread online that in one of Lviv's lyceums, first-graders are being forced to kneel and honor the memory of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. As evidence, the Russian propagandists add a photo of a complaint addressed to the lyceum's director, allegedly written by the mother of one of the 1-B class students. It states that the woman is against her daughter ‘honoring the memory of fallen Ukrainian soldiers by kneeling before the start of classes’.

The StopFake project checked this information and found out that the propagandists simply made up this news by fabricating a complaint.

In the photograph distributed by pro-Russian sources, it is noticeable that the complaint was allegedly written by “Halyna Ivanytska”, the mother of the student “Olena Ivanytska”, to the director of Lviv Lyceum No. 17, Iryna Luniova. And such a lyceum with such a director really does exist.

Therefore, StopFake journalists asked the director to confirm or deny the complaint and to tell whether the said practice really exists in this educational institution. But she replied that this information is completely fictitious. “No such complaints have been received by the director of Lyceum No. 17 of the Lviv City Council! And we do not do such things (getting on our knees – Ed.). There is no 1-C class in the Lyceum, we only have two of them. In addition, student Olena Ivanytska does not study and has never studied in our educational institution”, said Iryna Luniova.

StopFake also verified the information from the parents of first-graders. The head of the parents' committee of first-graders, Anastasiia Lysenko, confirmed that there is no practice of ‘getting on one's knees’ in the school, and there is no 1-C class with a student named “Olena Ivanytska”.

Previously, we recorded disinformation that children in Ukraine were forced to donate blood for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Propagandists are spreading information on anonymous Telegram channels that the former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Rostyslav Shurma allegedly called for ending the war on Russia's terms and stopping the “useless destruction of soldiers”. However, this is fake.

It was brought to the attention of specialists from the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security. They found out that the video distributed by the fake-baiters was a deepfake created with low quality. “Shurma's” facial expressions do not synchronize with his voice, and the Russian propaganda slogans attributed to him are voiced carelessly - sentences in Ukrainian are interspersed with Russian phrases.

Through such deepfakes, Russian propaganda is trying to push the narrative that the only way out for Ukraine is to “capitulate on Putin’s terms”. The use of deepfakes with fictitious statements by former or current officials, such as Rostyslav Shurma, is aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian government. By distributing fake statements, propaganda is trying to create the impression that even officials are ready to surrender or are leaning towards capitulation. False statements made using deepfakes are intended to provoke a rift between the population and the government. This could undermine support for the government and create the impression that the Ukrainian leadership is allegedly abandoning its strategy to protect sovereignty. The spread of such fakes among the international community could sow doubts among Ukraine’s allies, indicating an alleged internal readiness for capitulation or fatigue from the fight. This could reduce support for Ukraine from Western partners.

Former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly started a war against the Russian-speaking population of Donbas by launching an anti-terrorist operation during which the Ukrainian army allegedly killed women, children and innocent people. This was noted by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

The Center's experts explain that the anti-terrorist operation in Donbas was a response to the Russian-backed armed aggression that began after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine did not initiate the war, but acted within the framework of international law, defending its territory and citizens from pro-Russian separatists and Russian troops. The accusation of mass murder of civilians is part of the Kremlin's disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian government and justifying its aggressive actions.

Russia is trying to create an image of Ukraine as an aggressor country that violates the rights of the Russian-speaking population. This is done in order to justify its actions on the international stage, in particular the occupation of Crimea and support for militants in Donbas. The spread of such fakes is aimed at causing tensions between different ethnic and linguistic groups in Ukraine, especially among Russian-speaking citizens, which could lead to internal destabilization. Russia is also trying to influence public opinion in Europe and the United States in order to reduce support for Ukraine from the international community. With such statements, the Kremlin seeks to portray the conflict in Donbas as an internal civil conflict, rather than an act of external aggression.

The experts of the fakenews.pl portal, together with analysts from GLOBSEC (Slovakia) and Political Capital (Hungary), with the support of the Open Information Partnership, conducted a study of the activities of pro-Russian anti-war movements in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. It describes the messages, connections of these movements, the background of their leaders and how the Kremlin manipulates pacifist ideas to legitimize the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin's main trick in this case, according to the above-mentioned experts, is to use anti-war appeals to justify Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. Instead of real peace, these movements spread ideas that shift part of the blame to the victim of aggression - Ukraine.

They also came to the following conclusions:

Pro-Russian “anti-war” movements cover a wide range of political forces, from parties in power to opposition and small political movements

In some countries (Slovakia, Hungary) anti-war rhetoric was successfully used to gain political advantages.

Almost all the movements studied have direct or indirect links with Russian officials or structures.

Anti-war movements use the same set of pro-Russian messages, adapted to the local context, but maintaining the general pro-Russian line.

The Visegrad Group organizations (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic), as well as Germany, Bulgaria and Romania, cooperate, mutually promoting Russian propaganda.

Left- and right-wing movements are willing to cooperate if they are united by a pro-Russian narrative.

“Anti-war” movements that sympathize with Russia oppose supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression. Although they hide behind ideas of pacifism, their rhetoric strengthens the Kremlin’s position and contributes to disinformation. Using fear and emotion, these movements try to influence public opinion, creating a false image of the world, which in fact involves concessions to the aggressor.

Experts from the Center for Countering Disinformation have recorded an information campaign by Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Citing the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, they claim that Ukraine, “at the instigation” of the United States, is preparing a staged Russian missile strike on one of the children's institutions in Ukraine.

The fakers were unable to provide any evidence to support their false thesis. That is, Ukraine is not planning any “shelling”. Russia shells Ukraine almost every day, destroying civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, hospitals, schools, and kindergartens. The propagandists explain that Moscow allegedly does not resort to terrorist attacks, but targets “decision-making centers”. They say that the Kremlin only attacks facilities where military equipment is located or servicemen are present, and therefore does not violate any norms and customs of warfare.

In fact, Russia is trying to hide its criminal actions against peaceful Ukrainians, hiding behind the term “decision-making centers”. But it finds an excuse that shelling military facilities is the norm for war. However, Ukrainian cities are suffering from Russian missiles and drones.

But the infidels do not aim at “decision-making centers”, but purposefully commit genocide against Ukrainians, killing them in their homes, in public places. At the same time, Moscow tries to whitewash itself and deny any crimes. But documented cases of Russian terror show what the terrorist country is actually doing.

By spreading disinformation that speculates on the life of children in war conditions, in particular the so-called children of Donbas, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit Ukraine and the Ukrainian government in the eyes of both its own and Western society. In the stories of Russian propaganda about the life of children in the occupied territories and in the combat zone, the Ukrainian authorities and military are portrayed as ruthless “punishers” whose goal is to exterminate the so-called people of Donbas, who “voluntarily chose to be with Russia”. By telling such stories, Russian propaganda seeks to turn reality upside down and show that nothing will stop the Ukrainian authorities and armies from achieving their goal.

Read also: Ukrainians whom Moscow is turning into enemies: how Russia justifies the deportation of Ukrainian children

Propagandists are spreading messages on the social network X (former Twitter) that Russia “fired 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine, but only 5 civilians were killed”. They say this is further proof that Russia allegedly does not try to destroy Ukraine or kill its civilians, but demonstrates noble behavior. Its “religious, moral and social principles do not allow it to wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth”.

The Center for Countering Disinformation drew attention to these statements. Thus, propagandists want to justify Russian aggression by deliberately distorting reality and hushing up evidence of numerous Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, which have led to thousands of civilian casualties. The massive airstrikes on August 26-27, directed against critical civilian infrastructure, are another example of Russia's terrorist actions against civilians, which are undoubtedly war crimes.

Such messages serve several purposes. First, they are aimed at creating the illusion of the “humanity” of the Russian army’s actions, reducing their impact on public opinion outside of Ukraine. Second, they seek to sow doubts among those who support Ukraine, reducing their belief in the need for assistance. Third, such statements help spread propaganda narratives that attempt to divert attention from the real goals of Russian aggression and justify war crimes committed against Ukraine.

On the night of August 24, 2024, Russian troops launched a missile attack on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk. At the time, it was housing foreign and Ukrainian journalists. As a result of the enemy attack, four journalists were injured, one British media worker was killed. Later, a Reuters report revealed that the deceased was their security adviser, 38-year-old Briton Ryan Evans. Evans is a former British military man who began working with Reuters in 2022. Immediately after the information about the shelling was made public, Russian propaganda began to spread manipulations around the death of the British news agency employee, trying to justify this crime. This was warned by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

In their messages on Telegram channels, the Russians lie that Evans was allegedly an agent of the British intelligence service MI6, appealing to his military past. They also spread disinformation that all “military instructors from NATO member countries” arrive in Ukraine as journalists, and the attacked hotel was a “location of foreign mercenaries”. In fact, the deceased arrived in Ukraine as part of a team of foreign journalists as a civilian security adviser for reporters working in the combat zone. He has already advised Reuters journalists on security in Ukraine, Israel, and at the Paris Olympics.

By spreading such fakes, hostile propaganda is trying to hide its crimes against civilians and present the hotel primarily as a “military target”. With the goal of a targeted strike on “Sapfir” (Sapphire), the enemy is trying to intimidate foreign journalists who have come to Ukraine and are covering the truth about Russia's armed aggression against our country.

On social networks in the Russian segment, they add that the American authorities “expect” the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use ATACMS long-range missiles “against Russian cities”. Thus, propagandists concluded that the United States was “forcing” Ukraine to attack Russia. The messages also refer to CNN material.

StopFake fact-checkers explained that even in the article they write how the United States “does not want to give permission” to Ukraine to use American long-range weapons against enemy targets on Russian territory.

Regarding the Kursk region, the United States officially denied involvement in organizing the operation in the Kursk region. For example, as Reuters writes, the United States still considers Ukraine’s invasion of the Kursk region of Russia unexpected.

The Biden administration is now working to determine Ukraine's goals in its offensive, which U.S. officials say has taken Washington by surprise.

Moreover, the American government has not lifted absolutely all restrictions for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the use of weapons on Russian territory: neither in range nor in use. Actually, the country's leadership is still determining the feasibility of using weapons in the Kursk region. That is about the fact that the United States was not informed about this offensive.

Propagandists are disseminating on anonymous telegram channels a statement by former Pentagon adviser Colonel Douglas McGregor that after the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ invasion of the Kursk region, the chances of peace negotiations have significantly decreased. They say that Washington was afraid of Putin’s reaction to the attack and returned to the idea of creating a government of exile in Lviv. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security drew attention to this. They note that the official position of the United States and the EU on the operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region remains unchanged: Ukraine has the right to defend itself at its own discretion. US State Department representative Matthew Miller emphasized that the decision to conduct military operations is made by Ukraine itself, and European Commission representative Peter Stano emphasized that the EU fully supports Ukraine’s legitimate right to defend and restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Such statements by McGregor are part of the Kremlin’s disinformation narratives aimed at legitimizing the crimes of Russians. This is an attempt to influence Ukrainian and Western audiences under the guise of “expert” opinions from the West. McGregor has long acted as a mouthpiece for Russian propaganda, justifying the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of Donbas in 2014, and after the full-scale invasion predicted the imminent defeat of Ukraine.