Spilnota Detector Media

Fake Ukraine will receive F-16 fighters after the end of the war

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, and  the Russian segment of the X social network, formerly known as Twitter, spread the information that “Ukraine should not rejoice”, since it allegedly will receive F-16 fighters only after the end of the war. They link to material published on the Dutch site GeenStijl. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. The political leadership of the Netherlands has repeatedly stated that Ukraine will receive the F-16 after the necessary conditions are met. A press release on the government website says that Denmark and the Netherlands will be able to transfer the F-16 after training Ukrainian pilots, establishing logistics processes and building the necessary infrastructure. According to the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, the training of the Ukrainian military will most likely last from 6 to 8 months.

Regarding the Dutch site GeenStijl, which Russian propaganda links to, it is one of the popular political blogs among skeptics. The blog has been involved in scandals more than once, and in the past has opposed the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Western partners and sow discouragement among the Ukrainian military and civilians. Like, the event allocates assistance, but not on time, so it will not be possible to win the war against Russia. Previously, we refuted the manipulation that Ukraine is going to attack the Hasidim in Uman in order to get the Israeli air defense system.

Fake More than 10,000 Poles died in Ukraine in 1.5 years of war against Russia

The Kremlin media, citing the Polish edition of Mysl Polska, disseminated information that over 10,000 Poles died in Ukraine during the 1.5 years of the war against Russia - reservists, military personnel who were sent to war, calling them volunteers. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. There are no publications on this topic on the Mysl Polska website, although the publication has repeatedly published Russian fakes, but journalist Mateusz Piskorski denied the information, saying: “I explain to my Russian colleagues: the material they allegedly quote does not exist. It is necessary to check the sources, and not risk the image of those few Polish media that objectively write about the current war and do not join the choir of russophobes”. He also added that they have no information about the losses of the Polish military, moreover, according to him, even the Polish Ministry of Defense does not know them.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic and despondency among the Poles and Ukrainians, sow discord in relations between the two states. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Poland is asking to open the border with Russia for trade.

Fake Ukrainian military administration fled from Kupiansk

In the pro-Kremlin media and in the Russian segment of Facebook, they spread information that the Ukrainian military administration allegedly fled from the city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region. The news appeared against the backdrop of fakes that the Russians allegedly took Synkivka. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. There is no information on the official pages of the Kupiansk city military administration and the Kharkiv regional military administration that the administration left the city. Andrii Besedin, the head of the city administration of Kupiansk, told the fact-checkers: “Everyone is at their workplaces. We are working as normal”. And the speaker of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Olena Shapoval, on the air of Radio Svoboda (Liberty) said that everyone was in their places.

Also, after the publication of information about the flight of the administration, Andrii Besedin published a post about a working meeting with photographs from his office. Also on August 21, he posted a video from the city center near the memorial sign of the defender groundhog - the symbol of Kupiansk.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to spread panic among Ukrainians and cause distrust in the authorities, saying that the Ukrainian military administration left them and Ukraine does not need them. We have previously refuted the manipulation that Ukraine is going to attack the Hasidim in Uman in order to get the Israeli air defense system.

Fake A fighter of the Wagner group posted a photo proving that he was on the Polish border

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric have circulated a photograph of a Wagner fighter allegedly standing on the Polish border. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. They determined that the photo had been edited with a photo editor, adding a Wagner chevron and a Russian flag. In fact, the original photo shows a Polish soldier. This fact was determined by the Google reverse. Also, Stanislav Zharyn, the Commissioner of the Polish government for the security of the information space, said that the photo is not real and can be used to spread panic.

Using the relocation of the Wagner group and leader Pryhozhyn to Belarus after an unsuccessful rebellion in Russia, Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic and create pretexts for an attack on Poland. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Poland is asking to open the border with Russia for trade.

Fake Forced mobilization in Ukraine is a special operation of the Kremlin

In the Russian segment of Facebook, they distributed a screenshot of supposedly news from the Deutsche Welle website with the heading “Forced mobilization in Ukrainian regions controlled by Kyiv may be a special operation of the Kremlin”. They also write that such publications are an example of the work of “Western propaganda”, which is trying to whitewash Ukraine and shift responsibility to Russia. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. The image has been specially edited to spread misinformation. In fact, there is no such publication either on the Russian version of the Deutsche Welle website or in other languages. The publication published only articles about forced mobilization in the territories occupied by Russia. Olesia Halkina is also listed as the author of the news, but the name of this person cannot be found in open sources.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the West and Western media that allegedly whitewash Ukraine. Like, they also distribute fakes in order to create an image of solid evil in Russia. Earlier, we talked about the manipulation that in Ukraine they created a military uniform for pregnant women in order to send them to the front.

Fake The American edition of Chronicles published a cover about the superiority of Russia over Ukraine in aviation

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are circulating the alleged cover of the American magazine Chronicles about Russia's superiority over Ukraine in aviation. The picture shows a Russian fighter jet, a ghost hunter, hunting down the Ukrainian ghost of Kyiv. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. There is no issue of the American Chronicles magazine with this cover. The image indicates that this is the August edition, but the Chronicles website, which has covers for every issue of the magazine, does not have such a cover. And the August issue was dedicated to the US elections.

Russian propaganda systematically publishes fake covers of world publications. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also repeated in the West, and the whole world is laughing at Ukraine, and Russia is winning the war. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that the German magazine Handelsblatt depicted a destroyed Leopard tank on the cover.

Manipulation Ukraine is going to attack the Hasidim in Uman to get the Israeli air defense system

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that Ukraine is preparing to carry out armed provocations against Hasidic pilgrims. The Ukrainian military will allegedly launch a missile attack on Uman during Rosh Hashanah New Year celebrations to blackmail Israel into getting their air defense system. They refer to the words of Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniichuk. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In an interview with Liga.net, he said that Russia may resort to provocations against Hasidic pilgrims who come to celebrate the New Year in Ukraine. That is why Ukraine offered Israel to provide air defense to protect its citizens. The Russian media distorted what the ambassador said and said that Kyiv was preparing a provocation against the Hasidim.

Russian propaganda uses repulse tactics to shift the responsibility for Russia's crimes to Ukraine - to accuse it of shelling Ukrainian territories. However, it is Russia that is shelling Ukrainian cities. Also, propagandists are trying to quarrel Ukraine with Western partners. Earlier we talked about the message that the Russian military “destroyed” an ammunition depot in Uman.

Fake Most Ukrainians want capitulation

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that, according to the results of a sociological survey, the majority of the Ukrainian population is demanding surrender. In particular, 30% of Ukrainians are allegedly ready to do anything for the sake of peace. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker.

On July 28, 2023, the “War, Peace, Victory, Future” poll referred to by Russian propaganda was published by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, conducted jointly with the Center for Political Sociology and in cooperation with the OPORA Civic Network in June 2023. The report notes that “30% of Ukrainians want a speedy end to the war under any conditions, but only 8% of respondents are really ready to make at least some concessions for the sake of a quick end to the war”. So the Ukrainians want peace, but are not ready to make concessions. 77% of respondents are confident in the victory of Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow discouragement among the Ukrainian population and sow doubts about the victory over Russia. Earlier we talked about the tactics of how Russian propaganda uses fear, uncertainty and doubt to achieve its goals.

Fake The US is ruining the European Union with the war in Ukraine

In the Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric there are reports that the United States allegedly specifically transferred the main financial burden “in support of the anti-Russian war” in Ukraine to the countries of the European Union in order to impoverish them. They seem to be “ruining the EU, provoking record inflation there and worsening living standards”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In fact, the financial military support for Ukraine from the United States is 43 billion dollars, and the EU countries - 20 billion euros. So, the US is providing a lot of help, and the pro-Kremlin media are manipulating information.

Russian propaganda systematically promotes narratives about a “starving Europe” and sanctions that harm Europe. Thus, they are trying to reduce the assistance of partners to Ukraine. Earlier, we talked about the message that the EU's GDP is allegedly declining to critically low levels, while Russia's is only increasing.

Fake CIA paid Wagner $6.2 billion

In the Italian segment of TikTok, a video is being circulated in which President Volodymyr Putin says that “he who organized and prepared the military rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades in arms, betrayed Russia”. The video is also overlaid with text stating that the CIA allegedly paid $6.2 billion “for the loyalty of the Wagner fighters” and this could allegedly lead to a civil war in Russia. It's fake.

The fact-checker of the Facta project drew attention to the case. There is no information in any foreign newspaper and among the official statements of the CIA that the CIA paid 6.2 billion dollars to the Wagner group. The leader of the Wagner mercenaries himself has been criticizing the Russian military leadership for several months.

In fact, weapons sent to Ukraine over the past two years have been inflated by $6.2 billion. The figure on the financing of the “Wagner” group follows from this news about military assistance to Ukraine. Moreover, it all started with the fact that several verified users of the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo announced this. The message circulated on Weibo actually mistranslated the title of the Los Angeles Times article from English to Chinese and contains a photo of a paramilitary group that is not actually in the US newspaper article.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the United States and state the involvement of Americans in the rebellion in Russia. Like, Russia is a victim of a conspiracy and illegal actions. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Pryhozhyn's rebellion was allegedly planned in the West.

Fake US President Richard Nixon predicted an American war in Ukraine

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the 37th US President Richard Nixon wrote in his letter to Bill Clinton that an “American” Revolution of Dignity and an “American War” would take place in Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Richard Nixon envisioned a change in Russia's nascent democratic course to an authoritarian one and an invasion of Ukraine. Russian propaganda manipulates real quotes from Nixon's declassified 1994 letter to Clinton. He also noted that the situation in Kyiv is “explosive” and asked to strengthen the US diplomatic presence in Ukraine. There was no mention of “American” wars and revolution in Nixon's letter.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads the message that Ukraine depends on Western partners and is a puppet of the event, and the war is a confrontation between the United States and Russia, and not Russian aggression against Ukraine. However, it was Russia that started the war in Ukraine and is fighting not with the collective West, NATO or the United States, but with Ukraine. Earlier we talked about the message that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is a puppet of the West, and the “Kyiv regime” is similar to apartheid.

Manipulation The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine admitted that “Ukrainian air defense missiles hit” residential buildings

Russian media are spreading information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have confirmed that they are placing air defense systems near residential buildings and have recognized “hits of homes of civilians”. This is manipulation.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the propagandists deliberately took out of context and disfigured a quote from Yurii Ihnat, a representative of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, he did not speak about the “deliberate deployment of air defense forces near residential buildings”. On the air of the national telethon on July 16, Ihnat said that the forces of the Ukrainian air defense system were positioned to protect previously peaceful cities, as well as important critical and military infrastructure. He stressed that due to the fact that it is impossible to cover the entire territory of Ukraine with the available air defense systems, these complexes are located near settlements. On July 21, Ihnat even reacted to disinformation saying that it was Russia that was spreading it.

According to the speaker, propagandists make such statements to cause panic among Ukrainians and justify their aggression against Ukraine. Detector Media has already written about how other propagandists support their message about the “harm” of the Ukrainian air defense system for civilians.

Fake Shelling of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa was planned by the Ukrainian authorities in advance

Russian propagandists in the media and anonymous telegram channels claim that Ukraine was planning an attack on the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa in advance. Like, this is confirmed by the fact that the Wikipedia article about the cathedral was supplemented with information about the destruction a few hours before the Russian missile struck Odesa. It's fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that such a statement was conspiracy theories and that in fact the information was added to the article after it became known about the destruction of buildings in Odesa as a result of the Russian attack. The project accepted a comment from the administrator of the Ukrainian Wikipedia Anatolii Lutsiuk. He noted that in the history of editing Wikipedia, the UTC time zone is used, that is, with a difference of 2 hours from Kyiv time.

By spreading such conspiracy theories, the propagandists want to justify the crimes of the Russians and shift the responsibility for them to the Ukrainians. Detector Media explains every two weeks how Russian propaganda uses conspiracy theories for its own purposes.

Manipulation Zelenskyi “called up” 3,000 US soldiers to war in Ukraine

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say Volodymyr Zelenskyi recently made the decision to call up 3,000 U.S. military reserve soldiers due to “huge losses” in the war. The authors refer to the “edition” of The Babylon Bee. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the Brekhunets (Liar) project took up this case and found that the propagandists really took the news from The Babylon Bee humorous forum and passed it off as information from an authoritative source. Although someone can write on the forum and the moderation rules there are completely different. The site also indicated that they publish fake news and that they are satirical. That is, propagandists distorted the context of the news and passed it off as real.

Russian propaganda systematically nourishes the narrative that regular military personnel of other states, the so-called “foreign mercenaries”, are fighting in Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is also trying to justify the failures of the Russian army. Like, they are fighting not with “weak” Ukrainians, but with “specially trained NATO members” or Americans.

Fake Zelenskyi admitted the United States started a war in Ukraine

Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, spread the information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi, in an interview with ABC News, allegedly stated that “the United States was in charge of the Ukrainian aggression” and allegedly added that “the United States could end the conflict in Ukraine at any second, since they [the Americans] unleashed it”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has not made any statements that the United States has unleashed a war in Ukraine. He confirmed that Ukraine itself decides on the occupation of its territories. Zelenskyi commented on Donald Trump's words that he could end the war in 24 hours. The President of Ukraine said that Trump already had his 24 hours, but then he had other priorities. He also added that the option of ending the war with Russia through trade in its own territories is unacceptable for Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propagandists are once again trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and worsen relations with Western partners, hoping that they will reduce military assistance to Ukraine. Earlier, we refuted the manipulation that Jens Stoltenberg refused to shake hands with Zelenskyi.

Fake Russia has not yet used cluster munitions in Ukraine

Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, spread the information that Putin said that Russia still does not use cluster munitions in Ukraine. “If they are used against us, we reserve the right to mirror actions”, the Russian president said. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of The Insider media drew attention to the case. On February 25, 2022, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch reported on the strike of a Russian ballistic missile 9M79 fired by the Tochka-U complex on a hospital in Vuhledar. It was equipped with a warhead filled with 9N123K cluster munitions. As a result, 4 people died.

On February 28, 2022, investigative journalists from Bellingcat tracked the use of cluster munitions by Russia in Ukraine. And already at the end of March 2022, the chairman of the UN Human Rights Council, Michelle Bachelet, said that Russia had used cluster munitions 24 times at that time. The attack on the Kramatorsk railway station on April 8, 2022, which killed 58 civilians and wounded about 100, was also carried out by Tochka-U.

Russia discredits Ukraine and tries to make it guilty of the war. They say that it is the Ukrainians who are the aggressors, and Russia was forced to enter the war and use cluster munitions. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Ukraine does not have the right to use cluster munitions because it signed the convention in 2008.

Fake “No Zelenskyi - no war”, an advertising banner was placed in New York

Propagandists in social networks are spreading information that they have placed an advertising banner in New York with the words: “No Zelenskyi - no war”. It's fake.

Specialists of the Beyond the News project and the Center for Countering Disinformation drew attention to it. They found out that the video, which allegedly depicts a banner, is the result of video editing. Based on footage from Fifth Avenue, however, it was filmed before the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Analysts have noticed that the banner is missing from recent street panoramas on Google Maps and video footage of the street. In addition, they note that in the video there are black traffic lights, while since 2021 there have been yellow traffic lights on this street. The absence of the banner was also confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists continue to try to personally discredit Zelenskyi and create the false impression that they no longer want to support Ukraine abroad precisely because of the behavior and rhetoric of its president. For a similar purpose, they create fake covers of foreign publications, as Detector Media wrote about more than once.

Message Ukraine commits war crimes because it “transferred” the war to Ukrainian cities

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say Ukraine is actually committing war crimes by taking the war to the cities. Like, there are more people in cities, and they suffer from the fact that the military builds fortifications, “military bases in hospitals”, etc. According to the authors, the Ukrainian Defense Forces deliberately do not evacuate people from cities so that Ukrainian civilians would die.

The fact checkers of the VoxCheck project took up this case and determined that these theses are not true. They explained that Ukraine does not commit war crimes and did not “transfer” the war to Ukrainian cities since it is Russia that has been committing war crimes on the territory of Ukraine since 2014, shelling peaceful cities and terrorizing civilians. And after the start of a full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian authorities constantly organize evacuations from the front-line territories. The Russians are shelling Ukrainian territories, cities and villages, respectively, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are protecting civilians from the invaders.

It is clear that the military can equip the territory of the city for the needs of protection, without violating basic human rights and international law. Therefore, the allegation about the construction of military fortifications (or any fortifications in cities or villages) and violation of the rules of warfare is unfounded. On the contrary, it helps protect people from Russian shelling. With this message propagandists transfer responsibility from the aggressor to the victim as if the Ukrainian troops are to blame for the fact that Ukraine is shelled daily and they must defend themselves.

Message Ukraine oppresses foreign journalists for telling “the truth” about the war against Ukraine

Propagandists create and distribute publications that Ukraine has imprisoned journalists from abroad for publishing “inconvenient truths” about Russian aggression. They say that such “Western values” are supported by the Ukrainian government, hiding behind the silence of the West.

As the main example, the authors of such publications use the situation with a citizen of the United States and Chile, journalist Gonzalo Lira. Allegedly, he was imprisoned only for what he said: “facts recognized by Kyiv.”

However, in reality, the journalist was arrested for spreading openly anti-Ukrainian aggressive rhetoric and Russian disinformation. For example, Lira called Ukrainian President Zelenskyi a “thug”, EU leaders “incompetent” (supporting the words of Russian Prime Minister Medvediev), and also accused the US and Poland of intentions to “divide Ukraine”. The journalist justified Russia's actions by saying that it needed the entire territory of Ukraine so that there would be no worse problems. In addition, he called on the International Criminal Court to arrest the ex-president of Ukraine Poroshenko for allegedly “killing children in the Donbas”.

All these and other statements by Lira were once drawn to the attention of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. By spreading this message, Russia wants to shift the responsibility for its actions to other forces and divert attention from its own systemic problems with freedom of speech.

Fake In the UK, they recruited “mercenaries” before the Ukrainian counteroffensive

Kremlin propaganda media, anonymous telegram channels and users of the Russian segment of Twitter spread information that the UK is allegedly recruiting “mercenaries” for the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south and east of Ukraine. Proof of this is the announcement of the EU Citizenship Program on the Adzuna job site. Russian propaganda refers to the publication of the British edition of The Times. It's fake.

The fact-checker of the Stop Fake project drew attention to the case. The UK did not recruit “mercenaries” to Ukraine because of the Adzuna website. What's more, Adzuna chief executive Doug Munro told The Times that the ad was created for the purpose of propaganda and that his site was “a victim of Russian disinformation about the war”. After the message began to circulate among the military, The Sunday Times contacted Adzuna. And the company immediately froze the advertisement and contacted the police. Doug Munro believes that this provocation was created by “Russia or pro-Russian fans”.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes and manipulations by so-called foreign mercenaries in Ukraine. Thus, Russian propagandists seek to create the appearance that Russia is actually at war not with Ukraine, but with the so-called collective West. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that the West allegedly does not allow the Ukrainian military to use its equipment, because “foreign mercenaries” are doing this.

Message Russia is trying to end the war Ukraine unleashed in 2014

The thesis that Russia is trying to end the war that Ukraine started in 2014 was promoted by Putin at meetings with military corps. He stated that “we are not the aggressors, the aggressors are they [Ukrainians], but we are trying to end the war by force of arms”. However, such conclusions are unfounded.

Russian propaganda is systematically spreading the thesis that allegedly Ukraine unleashed a war back in 2014, began to conduct hostilities against itself, and subsequently refused to sit down at the negotiating table. Since 2014, Russian propagandists have used the tactics of substitution of concepts and talked about the “civil war” in Ukraine. Behind this term, Russia's participation in the hostilities in the East of Ukraine was hidden. Now the Russians are conducting a “special military operation” on the territory of Ukraine.

By spreading such messages, Russian propagandists are trying to justify their actions and shift the responsibility for them to the victim. Allegedly, Ukraine started the war in 2014, and Russia is now trying to stop it. However, Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, started a war in the East and annexed Crimea. Earlier, Detector Media reported that a war broke out in Ukraine over the ban on the Russian language.

Message Mobilization in Ukraine is illegal as the state of war has not been declared

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that draft law No. 7114, allegedly declaring a state of war, registered on February 24, 2022, has disappeared from the website of the Verkhovna Rada. The authors argue that mobilization is illegal. They add a screenshot to messages that show a citizen's request for public information. In response to a request, the Verkhovna Rada stated that the draft law No. 7114 was not in the database.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case, and they found that Volodymyr Zelenskyi submitted the draft law “On declaring a state of war” for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada on February 24, 2022, and it was indeed not approved. However, this does not mean that we are not at war. For example, back in March 2022, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar explained that it was not necessary to adopt a special law or decree declaring war. She cited Article 3 of the UN Resolution “On Aggression” of 1974 and stressed that an invasion or attack by the armed forces of a state on the territory of another state, bombardment or blockade of ports is qualified as an act of aggression.

In addition, after the start of Russia's full-scale aggression, Volodymyr Zelenskyi issued a decree “On the introduction of martial law in Ukraine”, adopted on February 24 by the Verkhovna Rada. This document empowers military administrations to assist in the organization of mobilization and communicate to the population the order of the military commissar to announce mobilization.

By spreading this message, Russian propaganda wants to prove that, as they say, the war is staged in Ukraine, but in general the state of war has not been declared. Like, there is no war, and mobilization is also impossible. Thus, propagandists deliberately hide the fact of a full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine.

Manipulation Zelenskyi does not believe in victory, therefore he is afraid to announce a counteroffensive

This message is circulating in the Russian segment of Facebook and Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. As proof, they cite Stephen Bryen’s article What happened to Ukraine’s General Valerii Zaluzhny? posted on the Asia Times website. Zelenskyi seems to have doubts, despite the Ukrainian Armed Forces being equipped with American and European weapons, including Leopard tanks, because “Ukraine will have to go mostly without air cover for any advance and will face a heavily electronically jammed battlefield where Western smart weapons may not work”, as the article notes. This is manipulation.

Stop Fake experts drew attention to the case, noting that this article in Asia Times is an outright manipulation. The author of the article, Stephen Bryen, is spreading fake Russian propaganda about the allegedly missing Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Earlier Detector Media denied this information.

Bryen also writes that the United States is allegedly pressuring Zelenskyi to launch a counteroffensive, and then adds that “There are other rumors pointing to an ongoing struggle in Ukraine between military and civilian leaders”. The opinions expressed in the article spread Russian narratives.

Detector Media found out that on May 13, 2023, in an interview with Italian media, Zelenskyi said that the issue of a counteroffensive is the most popular in Ukraine, but the president cannot disclose details so as not to do harm.

And on May 29, he wrote on his telegram: “I just finished the Headquarters. Important questions. Important decisions. The main thing is timing. And most importantly, there are answers regarding the timing”.

Russian propagandists continue to spread narratives about an upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive that is supposedly doomed to fail. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to demoralize the Ukrainian military, discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and sow discouragement among Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that NATO military experts are confident in the failure of the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian military, and also that the West is allegedly preparing for the loss of Ukraine in the war.

Fake American military analysts acknowledged the defeat of the West in the war in Ukraine

The Kremlin propaganda media spread an article with the headline “The West has lost. The US revealed the truth about the Ukrainian counteroffensive”. In the text, military experts Michael Kofman and Rob Lee commented on the war in Ukraine. They allegedly stated that “The event pins hopes on a Ukrainian counter-offensive, but its outcome is unlikely to live up to expectations, instead giving Russia an advantage” and noted that “Putin may assume that this offensive is the highest point of Western assistance to Ukraine and that subsequently Russia will be able to deplete the Armed Forces”. It's fake.

The Insider drew attention to the case. In fact, the article by Kofman and Lee states that the future offensive of Ukraine, no matter how successful, will not lead to an immediate end to the war and that one must prepare for a protracted conflict.

“Ukraine may well succeed on the battlefield, but it will take time to turn military victories into political results”, the article says. Experts also noted that even if Ukraine wins a military victory or a series of victories, this does not mean that the war will end there. However, there is no question of Russia's advantage on the battlefield or recognition of the defeat of the West.

Thus, Russian propagandists continue to promote the narrative that Ukraine is dependent on the West and its interests in the war and wants to demoralize Ukrainians. Like, take a look, even American military experts do not believe in the victory of Ukraine. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukraine is a tool of the West to undermine Russian statehood.

Message The Office of the President deliberately drags out the war in order to postpone the elections in Ukraine

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the cancellation of the upcoming elections is an expected move from Zelenskyi who wants to stay in power longer. According to the authors, Zelenskyi understands that he will not be able to secure a victory in the presidential election, since society is “extremely unhappy” with him. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi is losing Ukrainian lands and at the same time the support of Ukrainians. The authors argue that Zelenskyi wants to seize all power in Ukraine.

However, this thesis is unfounded. According to Ukrainian law, elections cannot be held under martial law. That is, Zelenskyi will remain president until the end of the war. This is not his desire, but a forced step in order to avoid violations of the law and various conflicts. Moreover, no one “drags out” the war if the Russians shell Ukraine every day. Recently, the head of PACE Tiny Kox spoke about the possibility of holding Ukrainian elections. He explained that elections should be held in Ukraine, however, most likely after the end of active hostilities, when martial law will still be maintained. He acknowledged that it is difficult to hold elections under such conditions. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities at the PACE event said that the elections should be held in 2024. The head of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE, Mariia Mezentseva, said that the Ukrainian authorities are now striving to adhere to the usual calendar. That is, 2024 is the year of presidential and parliamentary elections as planned, and 2025 is the year of local elections.

The Ukrainian government does not refuse to hold elections, but rather seeks ways to hold them. However, politicians consider all the risks associated with the war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine. Under such conditions, Russia is preventing the elections from being held, as they shell Ukrainian cities and villages on a daily basis, and the Russians kill Ukrainian civilians.