Spilnota Detector Media

Manipulation The UN claims that the Ukrainian military violates the norms of humanitarian law

Materials with this content appeared in Russian propaganda media. Reports claim that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet announced during the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. It is said that Bachelet accused the Security Service of Ukraine of violating the norms of humanitarian law in the eastern regions of Ukraine and expressed her fears about the arrests of pro-Russian collaborators. The military commissar reported on the war in Ukraine. Still, the main complaints about human rights violations and humanitarian law in the context of the military actions that Russia is conducting in Ukraine were addressed to the Russian military.

According to StopFake, among the facts of such crimes, the report mentions shelling of civilians, destruction of the civilian infrastructure of cities and villages, murders not related to hostilities, arbitrary detention of civilians, and cases of rape. However, the pro-Kremlin mass media drew attention exclusively to violations of international humanitarian law by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the eastern regions of Ukraine to discredit Ukraine and the Ukrainian military. Fact-checkers emphasize that the report on the Ukrainian military mentions only the problem of pro-Russian collaborators, the guarantee of their rights, and the problem of Russian prisoners of war.

Manipulation The West blocks mass media that tell the truth about events in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spread a manipulative thesis about Western countries, accusing them of blocking mass media that allegedly "tell the truth about the events of Ukraine." He did not specify which media it was about. It is known that the EU and Britain block Russian state propaganda media such as RT or Sputnik. These publications are financed by Russia and systematically spread Russian disinformation; Ukrainian and foreign experts have repeatedly written about this. In particular, the Council of Europe explained that on March 2, the European Union urgently banned the broadcasting of Sputnik and Russia Today on the territory of the Union until the Russian Federation and its related mass media "cease actions of disinformation and information manipulation against the EU and its member states." In addition to the direct blocking of the activities of these media, the Facebook accounts of these publications are also blocked in Britain and EU countries (with this request, the governments of the countries addressed to Meta). On the other hand, several foreign publications have recently been blocked in Russia: Voice of America, BBC, Radio Liberty, Euronews, and The Telegraph. They were blocked precisely because of informing about Russia's actions on the territory of Ukraine and the course of the war.

Fake In Ukraine, the departure of women abroad was restricted due to mobilization

Such information is disseminated on social networks and Russian media. They said there would be forced mobilization of women, so they could not go abroad. It is not true.

Currently, there are no grounds for the mobilization of women; therefore, there are no restrictions on them traveling abroad. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported this. "In the Russian media space, a fake about the mobilization of women in Ukraine was once again launched. We picked up this fake. Yes, it is a topic that will give many views, but there is no need to speculate on it during the war," Deputy Minister Hanna Malyar noted. The official also added that there is not a single forcibly mobilized woman in the Ukrainian army. Since 2014, they have served exclusively voluntarily.    

Fake The head of "Khersonoblenergo" Ihor Safronov, cooperates with the occupiers

The so-called government of Kherson spreads this thesis. In particular, the occupying Internet publication News Front distributed information about the cooperation of the Chairman of the Board of JSC "Khersonoblenergo" with Russia and allegedly posted a video of the seizure of Igor Safronov's house. The report of cooperation is false.

The press service of the enterprise denied the information. "Chairman of the Board of JSC "Khersonoblenergo" Ihor Safronov has never cooperated with Russia. At the beginning of April, together with other representatives of the Society's board, he left the Kherson region and remotely managed Khersonoblenergo JSC," the press service reports. The message adds that the company operates by Ukrainian legislation. It is not the first attempt by the occupiers to put pressure on the enterprise. According to the press service, on June 27, representatives of the so-called "Kherson military-civilian administration," with the support of representatives of the FSS RF, seized JSC "Khersonoblenergo," in particular, documentation and accounting. Separate objects were also seized, ensuring the supply and distribution of electric energy to consumers of the Kherson region. The occupation authorities pressure the company's employees and force them to write applications for cooperation. Also, during the seizure, the occupiers "presented" the so-called new head of enterprises, Zhahanovych, who has no relation to the executive bodies of JSC "Khersonoblenergo."    

Manipulation In Ukraine, women's military uniforms are produced due to the upcoming mass mobilization

Russian mass media and individual users of social networks are spreading information that allegedly, due to the upcoming mobilization of women in Ukraine, they are launching the production of women's military uniforms. It is manipulation.

Tailoring women's military uniforms is a volunteer initiative of Kyiv City Council member Iryna Nikorak. She was motivated by the fact that currently, service members are forced to wear men's uniforms and shoes since there is no women's field uniform in the Ukrainian army. Almost 90% of women sew the received form on their own if at all there is such an opportunity. The volunteer believes that in the conditions of war, it is necessary to provide men and women with comfortable and functional uniforms that consider the peculiarities of physiology. The issue of providing military servicewomen with appropriate uniforms has been repeatedly raised for eight years. Due to the full-scale war, the problem became more acute. According to Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar, 37,000 women serve in the Ukrainian army and must perform daily tasks at the front. Therefore, tailoring women's military uniforms is in no way connected with the "mass conscription of women into the ranks of the Armed Forces." In this way, Russian propaganda presented the volunteer initiative to help servicemen as an action of the authorities in the context of the fake "future mobilization of women." By the way, we have also repeatedly talked about the spread of other fakes regarding the mobilization of women.    

Fake In Ukraine, men may be restricted from leaving their place of residence

Some Ukrainian mass media spread the information that men will need to obtain the head of the military commissariat's permission to travel outside their locality during martial law. It is not true.

As NotaYenota writes, one of the Ukrainian information resources published an article allegedly by the lawyer of the "ADER HABER" company Dmytro Vorontsov (there is no information about him on the company's website) under the title "Not a step without the Military Commissariat." In it, they say that there are provisions in Ukrainian legislation according to which, under martial law, men "can move outside their place of residence only with the permission of the head of the Military Commissariat." They are also allegedly preparing a regulatory document that will regulate the procedure for issuing travel permits.

Oleksandr Fediyenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Digital Transformation, denied information about preparing such a document. "I checked the information, and I want to reassure the public that neither the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, nor the CMU is preparing such a document, and the project has not been considered," Fediyenko said.

It is not the first time the draft has spread fakes in the media and Telegram channels. The topics of forced mobilization, restrictions on traveling abroad, and the conscription of women into the army are often manipulated. In this way, they are trying to sow panic and mistrust in the authorities' actions to undermine the support of the Armed Forces.    

Fake Ukraine shelled Belgorod

The Russian media is spreading information that the Ukrainian military allegedly attacked the Russian city of Belgorod on the night of July 3, as a result of which people died. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative, Maria Zakharova, reported that "Moscow is closely monitoring the situation" and threatened Kyiv, saying, "if the provocations continue, then Kyiv will not get well." However, Ukraine did not shell the Russian city.

The governor of the Belgorod region of Russia, Gladkov, reported that the air defense system "probably worked" in the city but did not specify the reason. Then they announced the shelling "from the side of Ukraine." The Russian edition of The Insider published photo evidence that a part of the portable anti-aircraft missile system "Pantsir," which is not in service with the Ukrainian army but is in the Russian military, fell on a high-rise building in Belgorod. The representative of the President's Office, Mykhaylo Podoliak, said that the occupiers attacked their cities to blame Ukraine for this, and the explosions in Russian cities are the result of the actions of air defense systems operators who do not know how to work correctly. It is not the first time that Russia has accused Ukraine of "provocations" on Ukraine and its own territory to shift the blame for its war crimes.    

Fake The Ukrainian military deployed a stronghold on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia City Palace of Children's and Youth Creativity

The Ministry of Defense of Russia distributes this information. Oleksandr Starukh, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, denied this.

"The invaders began to spread misinformation about the deployment of the military on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia City Palace of Children's and Youth Creativity. It is not the first statement of such a context. "Previously, the invaders reported about the "placement of artillery," which were monuments of the Second World War, i.e., retro equipment, unsuitable for use," he said on the air of the Espresso TV channel.

Currently, the Zaporizhzhia City Palace of Children's and Youth Creativity is not functioning, and the premises began to be reconstructed even before the full-scale invasion. "This year, we were supposed to complete the insulation and carry out internal work, but the repairs were suspended. We remind that the Dniprovska HPP is nearby," said Starukh.

Oleksandr Starukh recalled that earlier, the Russian media spread information that the Ukrainian military was located in schools. He assures us that all schools are empty because the academic year has ended.    

Disclosure The video about the visit of the Chief of the General Staff of Russia Gerasimov to Ukraine was edited from two-month-old photos

On July 2, the Russian media spread another fake about the fact that the Chief of the General Staff of Russia, Valery Gerasimov, visited the Russian occupiers' positions in Ukraine to check Russian troops' formation. Some Ukrainian online publications concerning the Russian agency "Ria Novosti" also published this "news."

There is no confirmation of it. The Ministry of Defense of Russia showed a clip edited from a photo about the general's visit, but in reality, they showed photos from two months ago.

The images used for the video about Gerasimov are dated May 5, and the "Nightingale Pomet" channel reports concerning the video metadata of the "Zirka" channel.

Fake In Ukraine, summonses began to be served to women

In pro-Russian Telegram channels, an image of a summon, allegedly handed to a woman in the city of Voznesenk in the Mykolaiv region, is being distributed. The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine emphasizes that it is a fake document. The photo clearly shows the spelling mistakes made by the propagandists, not knowing the Ukrainian language: «viyskovyy komisar» i «viyskovozobovyazanyy» without «ь», «liniya vydryzu» instead of «liniyi vidrizu».

According to "Detector Media" observations, the non-existent Kirova Street is indicated in the summons. It was renamed Odessa in November 2015.

We note that there has already been a case in Ukraine when a woman was served with a summons on the street. It happened in Ternopil during the curfew. Men in military uniforms approached Victoria and handed her a document with a seal and signature of the head of the Ternopil United City Center for Procurement and Social Support. On the morning of June 28, at 10:00 a.m. (stated in the summons), Victoria arrived at the territorial recruitment and social support center (the former Military Commissariat). According to her, the employees of the Military Committee were shocked that a woman came to them.

"They apologized to me, and they say they don't understand how it happened. According to their words, these men were not military personnel, as if they were not employees of the Military Commissariat who served the summons. They apologized and said that it would not happen again and let them go. I didn't ask any more questions," shares Victoria.

The former military commander assured the Ternopil woman that summonses would not be issued to women.

If you compare the summons handed to the woman in Ternopil with the summons from Voznesensk, you can see that documents have different types. The summons from Ternopil does not have a "cut-off line" mark; at the beginning, it says "you have to appear," not "order you to appear," as in the fake summons from the Mykolaiv region. By the way, the word "order" is used in the summons handed out in the previously occupied Donetsk region.

Moreover, in terms of its form with "cut-off lines," the summons from Voznesensk is more like a document from the occupied territory because nothing needs to be cut off in Ukrainian summonses.

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine reminds us that registration of women should begin on October 1, 2022. It means that a woman becomes a conscript and is in the reserve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, or other military formations. But these are only women of those professions, defined in the order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine dated October 11, 2021 #313. Women with minor children under 18 are not subject to conscription for military service due to mobilization. Registration is not mobilization. All women who serve now do it voluntarily and/or under contract. In wartime, women can be accepted for military service and service in the military reserve only by contract and voluntarily.    

Fake Ukraine is forcibly mobilizing Belarusians into the "Kastus Kalinouski" Regiment

In social networks, an alleged order of the State Migration Service of Ukraine is spreading, according to which the territorial divisions of this Service must create lists of Belarusians of military age in Ukraine. However, this "document" is fake.

According to Ukrainian legislation, forced conscription of foreigners is impossible. Foreign citizens can voluntarily go for military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine under a contract. The unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, "Kastus Kalinouski Regiment," is a union of several volunteer organizations, the members of which are Belarusians. All of them voluntarily signed a contract to serve in the Ukrainian army. The essence of the "order" contradicts Ukrainian legislation, and the format does not meet standard formatting requirements. What is more, the document has many spelling errors. The fake order also has a seal of the State Administrative Service of Ukraine, which has not been used in similar documents since 2017. StopFake fact-checkers verified the "document." 

Manipulation Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced the Third World War

This news is spread by the Russian propaganda media, referring to the minister's interview with SkyNews. It is actually not true.

As the StopFake fact-checkers write, Russian propagandists spread a quote taken out of context and distorted by Oleksiy Reznikov. "Please do not feel any fatigue! Please continue your support! Do not be afraid to reach a new level of escalation with the Russians because, quite frankly, the third world war began on February 24 of this year. It is sincere, and it is real life... We are the first battlefield in this war. If we all fall, the next battlefield will be European countries. Therefore, we will win together," said Reznikov, addressing the NATO countries. Reznikov did not declare war but only stated that it began. From what has been said, it is clear that Russia is responsible for this. However, the Russian propagandists did not like it, so they left the words out of context.

Fake The British want their country to stop providing military aid to Ukraine

Russian propaganda media spread such information. In particular, the publication "RIA Novosti" spread the news that the British were allegedly angered by "Zelensky's plan" to end Russian aggression against Ukraine.

According to StopFake, it refers to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky's speech at the G7 summit, where he called on partners to send more weapons to Kyiv and strengthen anti-Russian sanctions. The propaganda publication writes that this statement was not liked by the British, who allegedly favor ending military aid to Ukraine. However, it is not true. As StopFake writes, the publication of RIA Novosti refers to individual comments criticizing Volodymyr Zelenskyi's speech left by anonymous readers of the British publication Daily Mail. These personal comments may not represent the views of all UK citizens. Moreover, the conclusions of RIA Novosti do not correspond to sociological surveys since, according to a recent YouGov survey, 74% of respondents from Great Britain support sending military aid to Ukraine.

Message The war can be stopped until the end of the day

Dmytro Peskov, Press Secretary of the President of Russia, stated this at another briefing. They said that to end the war, it was enough for the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to order the military to lay down their arms and fulfill all of Moscow's ultimatums. Peskov added, "the special operation is going according to plan, and the terms of its completion are still unknown."

The Office of the President of Ukraine reacted to this message. "Ukraine did not start this war to stop it "on orders." The war can be ended in Moscow at any time, simply by returning to adequacy: stop sending missiles to cities, withdraw troops and abandon "nuclear propaganda," commented Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the OP and a member of the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations with Russia.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an interview with The Economist that Russia is explicitly trying to sow panic and fear to force Ukraine to capitulate, but this tactic did not work. According to him, the people of Ukraine will never make territorial concessions to Russia, which has shed so much Ukrainian blood. "They [Russia] are trying to create enough chaos, panic, and fear to get us to sign the surrender. It did not work. We did not even come close to such a mood," Reznikov noted.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on partners to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. He also repeatedly stated in his speeches that Ukraine would not surrender.

Fake Russia voluntarily withdrew its troops from the snake zone as a goodwill gesture

Russian media are spreading the news that Russia has voluntarily withdrawn its forces from the Ukrainian island of Zmiinyi. In such reports, the propaganda media refer to the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, which claims that it has completed "the completion of tasks on Zmiinyi Island and the withdrawal of the garrison there." He said that Russia does not obstruct humanitarian corridors for exporting Ukrainian grain so that Kyiv "does not speculate on the impending food crisis."

Fake Ukraine launched missiles at a shopping mall in Kremenchuk to get more weapons and money from the G7

Russian media claim that Ukraine itself launched a missile attack on the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk. It was allegedly done so that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the G7 summit, would have the opportunity to talk about even greater atrocities of Russia and argue why Ukraine needs much more money and weapons from Western partners. In particular, it was claimed by the Russian propagandist Volodymyr Solovyov. However, it is not true.

As US vs DISINFO fact-checkers write, there is ample evidence that it was Russian pilots who struck the shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk. The command of the Ukrainian Air Force established that the X-22 missiles were launched from Tu-22 M3 long-range bombers in the sky over Russia. The bombers took off from an airfield in the Kaluga region and launched missiles while flying over the Kursk region of Russia. The investigation of the Bellingcat group also proves that Russia launched a missile attack on a shopping center with civilian visitors. Also, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported that the names of the Russian pilots who attacked the shopping center are already known.

Russia is trying to justify its guilt for a missile attack on a civilian object in which peaceful citizens were. Versions of the events in Kremenchuk from the media and official sources differ. In particular, the Ministry of Defense of Russia recognized the launch of a missile strike with a "high-precision weapon" on the city of Kremenchuk. However, it was noted that a military object was hit. According to their statement, a Western weapon exploded in the warehouse, which caused a fire in a nearby shopping center, which was closed. Nevertheless, this version is also not valid because there was not a single military facility with Western weapons near the mall.

Fake Ukraine uses "barrage units" that shoot soldiers who surrender and retreat in the back

Russian propagandists spread myths that alleged Ukrainian nationalists shoot in the back those Ukrainian soldiers who try to surrender. As an example, they cite a story that allegedly happened near the city of Novomykhaylivka, which is under the control of the so-called DPR. More than 30 Ukrainian fighters had decided to lay down their arms. The Ukrainian nationalist blocking unit opened fire on them from behind when they began approaching the Russian positions with white flags. According to propagandists, 32 Ukrainian soldiers were killed. However, this is not true.

According to fact-checkers US vs DISINFO, there is no evidence that this or any similar stories are true. According to fact-checkers, disseminating such reports is an attempt at psychological pressure, exposing the Ukrainian authorities as ruthless to their own troops. It is done to undermine the morale of Ukrainians and is part of a broader pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Manipulation Deputy Secretary General of NATO Dan Mircea Geoana said that NATO is not obliged to help Ukraine

Such a thesis is spread in the Russian-speaking and Georgian-speaking segments of Facebook. In particular, a post with such a message appeared on the "Global Politics" page.

The post refers to the words of NATO Deputy Secretary General Dan Mircea Geoana regarding Ukraine. According to the post, Geoana said in an interview with "European Truth" on June 27 that NATO's task is not to help Ukraine, so the Alliance is not obliged to do so.

According to the post, Geoana also refuted Kyiv's accusations of insufficient aid, noting that the Alliance is doing everything possible to prevent war with Russia. However, it is manipulation. According to fact-checkers from Myth Detector, the information spread by Global Politics is partly false. In fact, Mircea Geoana did state that the Alliance's priority is to avoid escalation with Russia, adding that various forms of assistance to Ukraine remain NATO's responsibility and that this process will continue. Commenting on the criticism of the Ukrainian leadership, Geoana said that he would probably have done the same in their place.

Fake British Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered Zelensky political asylum

Information about this is spreading in the Russian-speaking and Georgian-speaking segments of Facebook. Reports say that against the background of the recent successes of Russian troops in Ukraine, Boris Johnson offered Zelensky political asylum in Great Britain.

The material also claims that Johnson said he would consider inviting the president of Ukraine to visit Great Britain on an official visit. However, it is not true. According to fact-checkers from Myth Detector, the Prime Minister of Great Britain only made a statement about the official visit of the President of Ukraine and not about political asylum. Johnson noted that it would be an honor for Great Britain to receive the president of Ukraine when he considers it necessary, and members of the British government will consider Zelensky's invitation not now but in October.

Fake The head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, threatened Russia with terrorist attacks

The Russian propaganda media spread this thesis. In their reports, the Kremlin media refer to the British newspaper Financial Times. For example, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, allegedly "threatened Russia with terrorist attacks and sabotage on its territory."

As fact-checkers from StopFake write, the propagandists claim that the elimination of collaborators and representatives of the so-called "new government" in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia is nothing more than terrorist acts. In fact, according to fact-checkers, according to the norms of international law, military facilities, fuel depots, and oil refineries are legal military targets for Ukraine. Therefore, we are not talking about terrorist attacks at all. Moreover, the head of Ukrainian intelligence did not confirm Ukraine's involvement in these attacks. Kyrylo Budanov said that attacks and sabotage against the Russian occupation forces "are taking place everywhere, and they have been and will be carried out in Russia and many other places." 

Fake Summons will be sent to Ukrainians through Diya

Russian mass media and pro-Kremlin Telegram channels spread information that the public service application "Diya" would be used to send out summonses for military service.

Fake Ukrainian with Nazi tattoos is being held captive in Donetsk

In pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, a photo allegedly taken from a medical inspection in occupied Donetsk is being spread, showing an allegedly captured Ukrainian fighter with tattoos of Nazi symbols. This fake photo is being distributed with the message "about Nazism in Ukraine."

Manipulation The New York Times reported that Russia was largely unaffected by the sanctions

This manipulative thesis, spread by the Russian media, is part of the fakes about the supposed "ineffectiveness of Western sanctions against the Russian Federation" and that "anti-Russian sanctions hit Europe more painfully than the Russian Federation." This time, Russian propagandists used the New York Times article as "proof" that "Russia was almost unaffected by the sanctions." However, this thesis is not there.

Fake The Ukrainians want to blow up the Kryvorizka TPS and then blame Russia

The Ministry of Defense of Russia spread a fake that the Ukrainians are allegedly preparing to blow up elements of the Kryvorizka TPS to blame later the Russian military for this and show the world community "fake evidence."

Disclosure 100 million hryvnias were stolen from Ukrainians under the guise of social security payments from the EU

The cyber police reported that they exposed a group of nine criminals who, under the guise of social security payments from the EU, gained access to the bank data of more than five thousand Ukrainians. According to law enforcement officials, 100 million hryvnias were stolen from Ukrainians under this scheme. "Nine people created over 400 fake web resources to obtain citizens' banking data. Through the websites, Ukrainians were offered to form an application for the payment of financial assistance from the countries of the European Union. Hackers took surveys and entered bank card details using phishing links. After receiving the data, the attackers made an unauthorized intervention in online banking and withdrew money from the accounts," said the cyber police.