A video of an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he allegedly says he uses cocaine, is being spread on foreign networks on social media. In the video, Zelensky speaks Ukrainian, but the subtitles were translated for him. Correctiv fact-checkers drew attention to this fake. This video was edited from excerpts from Zelensky's 2019 interview with Ukrayinska Pravda. At that time, the Ukrainian segment of social networks also distributed videos with stickers from this interview, which allegedly showed that Zelensky admitted that he was using drugs.

Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan suggested that NATO declare that Putin's goal was the whole of Eastern Europe and that, thanks to NATO's actions, he did not achieve that goal, gaining only Ukraine. "NATO declares that Putin's goal was the whole of Eastern Europe. Or the whole of Europe. And he did not achieve this goal... In the end, Putin received only Ukraine. And no goals. And so, NATO prevented the escalation of the war. Take a good plan," the propagandist said.

In this way, she responded to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's words: "We have a responsibility to ensure that Putin does not achieve his goal, that the war does not escalate. At the same time, NATO must consider how to be a strong player and prevent war from escalating. "

Simonyan resorted to one of the most common tactics of Russian propaganda - the substitution of concepts and artificial blurring of real goals by much broader ones, which no one planned to achieve. In fact, since February 24, 2022, the Kremlin has constantly been changing the purposes of the war in Ukraine, its rhetoric, and its timing. These "updates" of versions show that Russia has failed to achieve its goals either in Ukraine or abroad. Fighting continues in Ukraine, and Ukrainian defenders are resisting Russian invaders. Indeed, some Ukrainian territories are now temporarily occupied by Russia - but this is no reason to say that "Putin got Ukraine."

Russian media reported that the Ukrainian military allegedly refused to fight with weapons provided by Western partners. This thesis is disseminated concerning a CNN article. CNN does have a paragraph saying that "some units (AFUs) prefer to use commercial drones equipped with explosives" instead of the American Switchblade. In other words, it is already clear from this quote that this is not a mass renunciation of all Western weapons by the Armed Forces, and Russian propaganda has distorted CNN material. Another quote from the material confirms this: "In some cases, according to one of the sources familiar with American intelligence, Ukraine has simply decided not to use unfamiliar Western systems."

This thesis was spread by Oleksandr Lukashenko, speaking about the alleged plans of the collective West to "capture" the territory of Ukraine. He tries to justify his statement, dragging Belarus deeper into the Russian-Ukrainian war, by saying that these "Western plans" may harm Belarus itself, saying that "they will not stop there."

The Russian propaganda media spread this statement. In particular, Svobodnaya Pressa, Moskva.news, eadaily.com, and ren.tv published this information concerning the German media Linke Zeitung. Reports say that American General Stephen Twitty noted that the Ukrainian army is rapidly retreating under the pressure of Russian forces and that the Armed Forces' losses may reach 200,000 soldiers. They also add that the retired general allegedly sees the successes of Russian troops in Donbas. However, the publication referred to by the Russian mass media cannot be considered a respectable media:

- the materials are published here without authorship.

- the messages are mainly of a nationalist and anti-Semitic nature.

- the Google search engine does not have any information about this resource.

As Gwara Media fact-checkers found out, General Stephen Twitty did not say that the Ukrainian army lost 200,000 soldiers. "During a discussion on the YouTube channel of the Council on Foreign Relations, the former deputy head of the US European Command, Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty, says: "We often hear about Russian losses and tiny about Ukrainian ones, even though they are also losing soldiers. Ukraine started with 200,000, but who knows where they are now?" The American general did not claim that the Ukrainian army lost 200,000 soldiers but only said that this was the number of soldiers in the armed forces at the beginning of the war.

Russian mass media refer to an article by the French online publication AgoraVox. In the article, the author expresses the opinion that Russia has won the communication war and writes as one of the arguments: "More and more Westerners (starting with the "wise old" Kissinger) are calling for a "ceasefire," for "peace negotiations" with Putin, even if it means forcing Ukraine "to make territorial concessions...".

What is wrong:

1. The article's author is anonymous under the nickname "Nikopol." It is only stated that he is "an engineer by education, a development aid manager by profession, a traveler, like a history and philosophy..." etc.

2. Nikopol does not reference the statements of the "Westerners" he is talking about, except for the former US Secretary of State.

3. Besides reflections, the author's arguments are based on fakes and propaganda messages, which "Media Detector" has already reported. In particular, about the "neo-Nazi battalion "Azov" and how "former ombudsman of Ukraine Lyudmila Denisova admitted that she lied about sexual crimes by Russian soldiers on Ukrainian territory."

4. AgoraVox is one of France's first citizen journalism sites, created in 2005 by volunteers and non-professional writers. Wikipedia wrote that in 2011, there were more than 70,000 volunteer authors on the site.

Russian propaganda continues its attempts to turn citizens of other countries against Ukrainians. This time, information was spread on the network that Ukrainians in Spain could show their passports at any institution in the service sector and receive 50 euros in aid. As confirmation there is a photo from one of the supermarkets where this allegedly happened is added to the posts. However, it is not valid. The refutation was published by Spanish fact-checkers concerning official information from the relevant Ministry and the Red Cross. As it turned out, in Spain, there is an established procedure of targeted assistance to refugees from other countries and low-income segments of the population (both Spaniards and foreigners) by providing special cards (cheques) that can be used, in particular, in stores. Through the Red Cross, aid is allocated to those who need it, not only to Ukrainians, and for different reasons. At the same time, the supermarket chain, one of which was in the illustrative photo, explained that they donated 1.5 million euros to support the Ukrainian people to "cover basic costs." They also explain that the "La Caixa" fund will use this money in Spain and the Red Cross in Portugal and will distribute aid in the form of €50 cards that can be exchanged at Mercadona stores in these countries.

However, such a project is still only in the plans and will be implemented from June to December 2022. Approximately 5,000 people can receive assistance in the form of cards.

Such information is distributed by various Telegram channels and the public of Kyiv, Odesa, and other cities. Reports state that tap water is unfit for use, so even brushing teeth and washing fruits and vegetables should only be done with boiled water.

However, it is not true. JSC Kyivvodokanal denied the information. "Information about allegedly low-quality tap water is part of the informational struggle that is taking place within the framework of the war with the Russian occupiers. Even during difficult times, during the period of active hostilities around the city, "Kyivvodokanal" strictly adhered to water treatment technologies and supplied safe drinking water to the homes of Kyiv residents. We will continue to do this in the future; there is no reason to worry about the safety of tap water," the company said.

A similar statement was made in Odesa: "As of 12 o'clock on June 10, 2022, there is no fact confirming the presence of the causative agent of cholera that has been found either in Odesa or in the Odesa region." Perhaps, in this way, Russian propaganda is trying to divert attention from the problems in the temporarily occupied Mariupol, where there is a real threat of cholera spreading due to the lack of centralized water supply and sewerage. It happened due to the occupiers who destroyed it during the city's capture. Thousands of unburied bodies of the dead have begun to decompose; garbage and filth have accumulated on the streets of the town and have not been taken to landfills since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. Moreover, all sewage enters the sea and reservoirs, which creates favorable conditions for the reproduction of bacteria, including cholera vibrio; Now, there is a lack of medical facilities, qualified doctors, and medicines, making it impossible to provide medical care to the infected. The journalists of Suspilne spoke in detail about the situation in Mariupol.

Note that the occupiers are deliberately hiding information about the epidemiological situation in Mariupol and spreading the news about the opening of the beach season in the city.

According to the fact-checkers from StopFake, this information was published by the Russian propaganda media "RIA Novosti" concerning comments on one of the publications of the French publication "Le Figaro." Propagandists claim that the French "assure that the West is guilty of today's conflict," and "Zelensky has two options: life imprisonment or physical execution."

However, it is not true. Under the title "The war in Ukraine: can new rocket launchers change the course?" to which they refer, there is no similar comment. Only its subscribers can comment on the publication's articles.

According to fact-checkers, such comments either did not exist or were deleted because the moderators considered them unreliable. It is stated in the "Le Figaro" Moderation Charter: "If the moderation team cannot quickly verify the information or find a reliable source, the comment will be deleted so as not to mislead readers."

However, if there were such comments, they would not reflect the position of all French people but would be the opinion of a specific person.

The fake, repeatedly refuted, is spreading on social networks again - about the crucifixion of an LPR soldier by the Azov Battalion. The VoxCheck project drew attention to this.

This video, in which a man is allegedly crucified and set on fire, has existed since 2015. Then the Russian media spread the video about the group "Kiber Berkut" - a Russian or pro-Russian hacker group - which allegedly received this video from the Azov fighters. According to the publication, there is no confirmation of the reality of this video or the fact that there is no Azov fighter in the video. Moreover, it is impossible to identify people on the video or confirm that it is not a production video.

At the same time, Kiber ​​Berkut has repeatedly disseminated fakes created by this group - non-existent orders, documents, fake videos, and photos allegedly obtained by Ukrainian hacking websites. The Azov Regiment reported in 2015 that it had nothing to do with this video. In addition, even the Russian media outlets that distributed the video wrote that there was no evidence that the video was authentic. But after the start of a massive information campaign against Azov in the Russian media in early 2022, this fake is again actively spread - and without the postscript "unverified video."

On the day of Russia, the propaganda media published a lot of news about the celebration of this date in the so-called "LPR," including a rally in the occupied part of the region. According to the propagandists, all this should have convinced the audience of Russia's support for the local population. But the fact-checkers from Russia received evidence that in the column of cars that went under the flags of the invader, there were cars with Crimean license plates, from Chuvashia, from other regions of Russia. They suggest that most of them belong to the Russian military. And in the column was an ambulance, which the occupiers seized from Ukrainian medics - and did not even stick the inscription on it in Ukrainian.

The fake about "Russia that did not attack anyone," which is constantly voiced by Putin, Patriarch Kirill, and other representatives of the Russian Federation, has received a new modification. Now, it seems that, as Putin said, Peter I was only "returning Russian lands" back, not seizing the lands of other states. "Peter І fought the Great Northern War for 21 years. It would seem that he was at war with Sweden; he took something there… He didn't take anything; he returned it! That's right. All of Ladoga, where St. Petersburg is founded. When he founded the new capital, none of the European countries recognized this territory as Russia; everyone recognized it as Sweden. And from time immemorial, Slavs lived there alongside the Finno-Ugric peoples, and this territory was under the control of the Russian state. The same is true in the western direction, which applies to Narva's first campaigns. Why did you go there? Turned and strengthened - that's what I did. We also had to return and reinforce. "

In fact, during Putin's Northern War, Peter I not only reclaimed part of Russia's lands (this is true because they were lost after the defeat in the previous war with Sweden) but also seized the territory of modern Estonia and part of modern Latvia, which never belonged to the Moscow state. Moreover, the Slavs who lived in Ladoga were not the indigenous people of these lands - they had captured them just before.

Putin is again using this manipulation and outright lies to convince the electorate that the war against Ukraine is not a war of aggression but only the restoration of historical justice. But appealing to the events of the XVII and XVIII centuries does not make sense - since then, any country has changed borders many times. After World War II, world security architecture insisted that governments not try to redistribute borders or return the former lands to their state.

You can read more about the history of the Great Northern War here.

The Russian media is constantly speculating on the food crisis, which all international organizations warn about. Most often, they write that Ukraine itself blocks ports and therefore does not export grain to countries that usually buy Ukrainian agricultural products. Are they claiming that Ukraine is selling its grain in exchange for weapons, or is it exporting grain to Europe to create an artificial famine in Ukraine itself? But there is a new thesis - there is not enough Ukrainian wheat at all, so the lack of exports can not affect most people worldwide.

For example, Soloviev and other propagandists write about it on telegram channels. In fact, it is a manipulation. First, the 16 million tons Russian propagandists write about is only an approximate level of wheat exports. But Ukraine does not only export wheat - in 2020/2021, the state exported almost 60 million tons of grain. And among them - barley, beans, corn, flour, and oil. And Ukraine cannot export all these products to Asia and Africa due to Russia's blockade of ports.

Secondly, Ukraine had convenient transport links with the countries it supplied grain, making it cheaper. Now, due to the impossibility of delivering them there from Ukraine, they are becoming more expensive - and therefore, countries are forced to buy less. Several countries, including Egypt and Lebanon, are a quarter dependent on grain supplies from Ukraine. The figures are as follows: 25 million tons of corn and wheat are equivalent to the annual consumption of all the world's least developed economies. And it was Ukraine that met the grain needs of these countries. In addition, recent years have been dry in many countries, so grain production has declined altogether - and this could lead to famine in the world's poorer countries. Ukrainian grain is now in dire need of Ukrainian grain.

According to the Center for Combating Disinformation, pro-Russian Telegram channels are spreading photos of a document on the conscription of women, which was allegedly signed by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhiy Shaptala. The document states that "by June 15, 2022, it is necessary to prepare lists of women on the military register and carry out mobilization activities, and by June 31, 2022, to organize activities for military registration of women aged 18 to 60 years." However, this is a fake, and the document attached to the posts is also false.

According to Oleh Honcharuk, military commissar of the Chernihiv Regional Territorial Center of Manning and Social Support, there is no need for compulsory conscription. The Center adds that this fake is designed for "domestic" consumers and aims to create centers of social instability in some regions of Ukraine. " Such a fake is needed to destabilize the situation in the country. He said things were going too badly at the front, so the authorities would mobilize women because there was a lack of human resources. However, some Ukrainian women join the Armed Forces voluntarily, without announcing mobilization.

Russian media are spreading fake allegations that the Ukrainian Armed Forces blew up the last bridge connecting Sievierodonetsk with Lysychansk. It is a fake because the Russian occupiers purposefully destroyed the bridges across the Siverskyi Donets for many weeks. It was repeatedly reported by the head of the Central Executive Committee of the Luhansk region, Sergei Gaidai, and other official sources.

In fact, three bridges connected the two cities. Two have already been destroyed by Russian artillery, and it is unknown whether the third remains intact. Still, civilians remain in Sievierodonetsk, part of the military, for whom the bridge is an important link and evacuation route. And it is the Russians who are destroying the ways of military retreat and evacuation of people - the American Institute also reported this for War Studies.

On the other hand, Russian attempts to destroy bridges across the river are illogical; researchers say: "Russian troops should seek to capture bridges, not destroy them because they have problems forcing the Siverskyi Donets River. They may hope to block Ukrainian defenders in Sievierodonetsk by cutting off their retreat. Still, it seems unlikely that the benefits of capturing a relatively small number of Ukrainian military personnel outweigh the costs of building a river crossing," ISW said.

Analysts do not see the logic in the actions of Russians - but the examples of Chornobaivka and Bilohorivka show that Russians are constantly acting against logic. And always trying to build pontoon bridges instead of those that destroyed themselves.

This thesis is spread by pro-Kremlin propaganda media, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. Reports say that Russian invaders allegedly "blocked 300-400 Ukrainian servicemen" on the Azot plant in Sievierodonetsk territory. Russian media also claim that the UAF fighters are "holding hostages" at the plant and "negotiating the occupiers" capture. However, this is not true.

In fact, according to StopFake fact-checkers, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to control the Azot industrial zone and chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk region. Also, the Armed Forces do not hold hostages - people are hiding in the bomb shelters of the plant from the continuous Russian shelling. According to the head of the Luhansk DMA, Sergey Gaidai, Russia has failed to establish "quick and easy" control over the city, as announced. Gaidai also denied reports that "the Ukrainian military is blocked at the plant and wants to be taken, prisoner." "Information about the blockade of the Nitrogen plant is a complete lie spread by Russian propagandists. The rest of the "details" are a sick fantasy of Rodion Miroshnyk, a collaborator. Our people are holding the Sievierodonetsk industrial zone and destroying the Russian army in the city," Gaidai said.

This was stated by collaborator Vladimir Saldo, who was appointed by the Russian occupiers as the so-called "head" of the Kherson regional state administration. According to him, "there will be no responsibility" for non-repayable loans. The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine stressed that this information is not true.

The Russian media spread such a statement by the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia, Tatiana Moskalkova. The relatives of the prisoners allegedly fear that their sons will either be sent back to the front or they will be repressed.

In April 2022, the Russian army captured a soldier of the National Guard of Ukraine. At first, the man was used in propaganda videos about the humane treatment of service members. And then they sent the mother a photo of her dead son. Can at least one mother ask Russia not to return her son to Ukraine after that?

We remind you the wives, sisters, and mothers of the Ukrainian military, who defended Mariupol, particularly the Azovstal plant, and are currently in captivity, founded an organization to protect the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war. They call for adherence to the Geneva Convention, ask international organizations to help bring our boys home to their families and families, demand the return of the bodies of fallen soldiers, and settle the issue of missing persons. Instead, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, among Russian prisoners of war, some do not want to return to Russia and those who have already been buried there.

The Security Service of Ukraine has exposed such fraudsters in Zaporizhzhia, said SSU spokesman Artem Dekhtyarenko.

They demanded a separate fee for their "services." Prices varied and, in most cases, depended on the emotional state of relatives.

Among the pseudo-services offered by fraudsters:

- a telephone conversation with a prisoner, for which they asked from 10 to 50 thousand hryvnias;

- release from captivity, which was estimated at 50 to 200 thousand hryvnias;

- transportation of the deceased's body - up to 10 thousand hryvnias.

"Of course, the attackers could not fulfill any of these mythical promises. And after receiving the money that was sent to them online, they just disappeared. The fraudsters monitored the Internet, where they collected data on missing Ukrainian soldiers and their families to make their words credible. The organizer of the scheme was a man currently in the temporarily occupied Mariupol. He was recently released from prison. In addition, in Zaporizhzhia, he had an associate who was responsible for the financial component and provided mobile calls, constantly changing numbers and operators. SSU special forces detained her, " Artem Dekhtyarenko said.

According to Dekhtyarenko, during the search of the suspect, in particular, the following were seized:

- Computer equipment with evidence of illegal activity;

- A large number of mobile phones and SIM cards;

- Bank cards for receiving payments; - A quarter of a million hryvnias in cash.

The Security Service draws attention to the fact that the issue of releasing prisoners of war is within the exclusive competence of public authorities.

Suppose you or your acquaintances find yourself in a situation where unknown people demand money for the "release" of a relative from captivity. In that case, you should immediately contact the Joint Center for Search and Release of Prisoners:

+38 067 650-83-32

+38 098 087-36-01

Russian propaganda media and telegram channels spread the "news," referring to the so-called ambassador of the terrorist group in the temporarily occupied territories of the Luhansk region Rodion Miroshnyk as if about 400 Ukrainian soldiers are hiding in the territory of "Nitrogen" and can not get out. Allegedly, some of them are trying to get in touch with units of Russia and the so-called "LPR" and even put forward their conditions - to release them to Lysychansk with "hostages," and they are told to lay down their arms and surrender.

Information about the blockade of "Nitrogen" is a lie spread by Russian propagandists. The head of the Luhansk regional military administration Serhiy Haidai reported about it. All other "details" described in a box - Miroshnyk's sick imagination. For reference: Rodion Miroshnyk is a Kremlin litter and a liar," Haidai wrote on Facebook. He stressed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are holding the Sievierodonetsk industrial zone and destroying the Russian army in the city.

This fabrication was spread by representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense. "To do this, in a densely populated area of ​​the city near the service station of the regional ambulance, where the burial place of plague victims, the Armed Forces plans to place an air defense complex or its model," said the head of Russia's National Defense Management Center Mikhail Mizintsev. According to him, hundreds of civilians may be injured during this provocation. The colonel-general also noted that if the Russian military strikes at the complex, Kyiv will spread information in the media "about the emergence of biological danger allegedly through the fault of the Russian military".

There is indeed a cemetery in Odesa, where thousands of victims of the plagues of 1812, 1829, and 1837 were buried. It is a famous mountain, popularly called "Chumka." The regional sanitary-epidemiological station has repeatedly warned that it is forbidden to touch the Plague Mountain and everything stored in it. And although the risk of infection is minimal, it is still there. Epidemiologist Valeriy Sushko says that the plague is not as persistent as, for example, anthrax, so there is nothing to fear.

A spokesman for the head of the Odesa regional military administration, Serhiy Bratchuk, stressed that the so-called news of the provocation as part of Russia's information and psychological operation aimed at fueling panic among Ukrainians.

"Another goal is to conduct an information and psychological operation by the enemy and an" information alibi "for the use of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine," Bratchuk added.

Another fake document was published by the Russian state publication RIA Novosti. It states that most (70%) of Mariupol residents are pro-Russian. And it also seems to contain an order in case of hostilities to create positions in populated areas.

According to fact-checkers from StopFake, the document has a lot of spelling mistakes. It is written in two languages ​​- for example, instead of the stamp "tayemno," on the document is written "sekretno." There are other mistakes. So, it is another attempt to accuse the Armed Forces of using the civilian population as a "living shield" and to prove to the Russians that many people in Ukraine support the war and are waiting for "liberators".

In Berdyansk, rumors are spreading about an alleged rapid offensive and seizure by the Russians of Zaporizhzhia and parts of the Zaporizhzhia region. The city administration drew attention to this. But, according to the military-civil administration of the Zaporizhzhia region, "at the moment, there are no preconditions for capturing the territory of the region. The Ukrainian army is firmly holding the defense, and in some areas is actively conducting counterattacks," - said a post by the Berdyansk City Council.

Earlier, the Russians spread such rumors to sow panic among the population after the liberation from the occupiers in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.

For several years, Russian media have constantly been promoting the narrative that Turkey plans to seize Crimea - and propagandists write that the "secret plan" to seize Crimea by Turkey includes not only the annexation of Crimea but also parts of Russia - such as Stavropol, Rostov, Astrakhan, Volgograd region, Chuvashia, Dagestan, Chechnya, Krasnodar region and several other regions. Such material appears whenever tensions between Russia and Turkey escalate, for example, over the recognition of Crimea as Ukrainian, as Turkish diplomats have occasionally emphasized. In proof of this theory, Russian propaganda demonstrates a fragment of a report on Turkish television.

According to StopFake fact-checkers, this video was made in 2009. It showed not the seizure of territories but a possible increase in the impact, primarily economic, of Turkey on neighboring countries over the next thirty years - until 2050. At the same time, Turkey has repeatedly insisted that it stands for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and does not recognize Crimea as Russian.

In recent days, Russian propaganda media, citing Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, have been spreading a fake that Britain, if it appeals against the "sentence" of foreigners captured and detained in the occupied Donbas, would mean recognizing a quasi-state.

It is a bunch of fakes in one. Firstly, neither the United Kingdom, Ukraine, nor any other state or international organization recognizes the "court decision" that found three foreigners, two British citizens and one Moroccan, guilty and "sentenced" to death. This sentence is illegal and will be recognized as another war crime of Russia and its puppet groups.

Secondly, three people - Aiden Eslin, Sean Pinner, and Brahim Saadun - are not mercenaries. They are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and one of them is a citizen of Ukraine. Like any other combatant, they are covered by the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War, which means that they must be exchanged, not tried, only in cases of actual crimes for which there is no evidence. And thirdly, Britain is negotiating the release of its citizens and will take all measures to exchange and return them - but these actions do not mean any legitimization of criminal groups. The newspaper "NV" wrote more about this.