Fake
Belarusian saboteurs tried to cross the Ukrainian border in the Rivne region
The message was circulated on Facebook, which says that allegedly on the morning of July 10, a unit of the fifth special brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus tried to cross the state border in the Zarichnen community of the Rivne region.
The saboteurs got into a minefield and were under mortar fire. This news was also spread by the local media Volodymyrets.City. However, it is a fake.
As the fact-checkers of the Brekhunets project write the message in a comment to the publication Rayon. Varash was refuted by Bohdan Kvachuk, the head of the Zarichnen community of the Varash district of the Rivne region: "The border in the community has not been violated!". It is not the first time that fake reports about the crossing of the Ukrainian border by Belarusians have spread. In this way, propagandists are trying to draw Belarus into active hostilities and intimidate Ukrainians, saying that the opening of the "second front" is close.
Fake
Kyiv cut off the gas supply to the Zaporizhzhia region. The administration of the Zaporizhzhia region is asking Russia to help with the gas supply
The Kremlin
media spread this "news" regarding Yevhen Balytskyi, a deputy of the
Zaporizhzhia Regional Council from the "Opposition Bloc" party, who
went over to the side of the Russian occupiers. The Russians appointed a
Zaporizhzhia collaborator as the so-called "head of the temporary civil
administration" in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region. Remind
you that it is a fictitious authority and "position," and they have
nothing to do with the official Ukrainian authorities in the Zaporizhzhia
region.
Today, the Zaporizhzhia region has real problems with the gas supply, without
which, as of July 8, 101,768 subscribers in 137 settlements of the region are
without it. 48 settlements of Berdyansk and Melitopol districts remain
disconnected from gas supply due to damage to the main gas pipeline in the
Donetsk region.
On July 7, the gas supply to 26 settlements (16,760 consumers) in Vasylivskyi
and Pologivskyi districts was wholly cut off due to damage to the main gas
pipeline. But this happened not because Kyiv cut off the gas supply to the
Zaporizhzhia region. Still, because of hostilities on the part of the Russians,
the occupation of part of the territory, and the refusal of the regional utility
workers to carry out emergency restoration work at the damaged sites due to
enemy shelling, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration reported.
Fake
Ukrainian special services and security forces are preparing to conduct punitive raids in Mykolaiv
It was announced on July 8 by the head of the Russian National
Defense Management Center, Colonel-General Mykhaylo Mizintsev. According to
him, the operation will be aimed at identifying and further public repression
of residents who are dissatisfied with the politics of Kyiv and generally
pro-Russian residents of Mykolaiv and the region.
Allegedly, SSU employees and up to 500 fighters of the Nazi battalion
"Tsunami" were transferred from Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv to Mykolaiv to
carry out this operation.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia dispelled a similar
fake in April. At that time, Russian propagandists invented that the
territorial defense was already carrying out punitive raids to detect any signs
of pro-Russian views among residents.
The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense
Council of Ukraine emphasizes that it is false.
In the spring, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration,
Vitaliy Kim, answered a question about pro-Russian sentiment in the city:
"in Mykolaiv, there are those who showed their love for Russia solely to
achieve their political goals, in fact, a tiny percentage were ideologically
for Russia. Now all forces have united in the city, and pro-Russian narratives
are a thing of the past."
Message
The battle for Donbas will end before Putin's birthday. Ukraine will lose this battle
Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels combine three messages into one:
By October 2, as a "conditional gift" to Putin on his birthday, the "Battle for Donbas" will end.
"Ukraine, without a doubt, will lose Donbas."
Referendums on the occupied lands will be held by the same date if "the West cannot convince Ukraine to start peace talks and make territorial concessions by the end of the summer."
Such a combination, similar to an ultimatum, aims to demoralize Ukrainians and further promote to Europeans the idea of the need for peace talks. At the same time, we draw attention to the fact that according to the classic scheme, propagandists base their messages on gossip and anonymous sources. In addition, anonymous telegram channels are moving the dates of occupation referendums in this way: before that, they were announced for September 11.
Fake
The West wants to conclude an urgent peace treaty with Russia because Ukraine will face disaster — Politico
Russian mass media and social networks spread this message concerning Politico.
The site, which allegedly published this news, does not contain any material
about the possibility of peace between the West and the Russian Federation, the
fact-checkers of the StopFake project write after checking the publications of
the publication. On the contrary, they added that Politico cites politicians'
statements about the EU and the US setting up long-term support for Ukraine.
More details.
Fake
The Russian army destroyed the Georgian legion near Lysychansk
Russian propaganda
media spread this information. They refer to the statements of the Russian
Ministry of Defense. They said that during the battles for Lysychansk, the
Armed Forces of Russia allegedly destroyed 14 "mercenaries" fighting
for Ukraine, including fighters of the Georgian Legion. However, it is not
true.
Some propagandists even stated that the Russian military allegedly succeeded in
destroying the entire volunteer Georgian National Legion, which has been
fighting in Donbas since 2014. As StopFake writes, this information is refuted
by the commander of the Georgian National Legion, Mamuka Mamulashvili, and the
Georgian fighters fighting in Ukraine. Members of the Legion claim that it is
another disinformation campaign by the Kremlin against Georgian fighters who
are fighting against Russian aggression. The mass death of Georgian Legion
fighters is also not confirmed by other sources, particularly the Armed Forces
of Ukraine. More details.
Fake
The Kharkiv Teroborona is holding local residents hostage
The Russian propaganda
media spread this information regarding the words of the head of the national
defense management center of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Mykhailo
Mizintsev. Reports say that in Kharkiv, territorial defense fighters have
equipped firing positions on the lower and upper floors of residential
buildings on Rymarska Street. At the same time, locals are not allowed to leave
their apartments because they are held hostage. Russian propagandists add that
local radicals harshly stop any attempts to move civilians through the
territory of Kharkiv. However, all this is not true.
Journalists of the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center turned to the Department of
Information and Public Relations of the Kharkiv City Council for a comment.
They refuted the information spread by the propagandists and explained that the
city council had not received any complaints from the residents of Kharkiv
about there being held hostage by the armed forces. The city council also
denied a fake about the arrangement of armed forces firing positions in
residential buildings on Rymarska. We will remind you that it is not the first
time propagandists have reported that the military is firing positions in
residential buildings, hospitals, and schools in various cities, including
Kharkiv and Odesa. However, all these cases of "capture of civilian
objects by the Ukrainian military" were not confirmed.
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.
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.