This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say Ukraine is ready to give up Western weapons “due to supply difficulties”. The messages refer to material from The Wall Street Journal. This is manipulation.

Analysts from the StopFake project investigated this case and found that the WSJ material did not claim that Ukraine abandoned Western weapons precisely because of “supply difficulties”. This is an invention of Russian propaganda, because the leading theme of the material is how Ukraine, with the help of Western partners, intends to establish its own weapons production. Actually, the point is that Ukraine wants to start producing more of its own weapons. “Restoring Ukraine’s arms industry could help ensure the country’s long-term security and stimulate its economy, officials say”, the author adds.

That is, the material discussed the prospects for the development of our own weapons production and what caused this. At the same time, propagandists distorted the theses in their own way.

Using quotes from public figures, journalists, military officers, politicians and allegedly quoting Western publications, Russian propaganda is trying to convince consumers of disinformation of the authenticity of such an expression. Like, if a journalist from a foreign publication said this himself, he can be trusted, because he is an authoritative source although the authors do not explain how reliable the information presented in the manipulative publication is. This is how propagandists use the tactic of appealing to authority.

Information began to spread online that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during his visit to Kyiv on November 20, offered Ukraine to exchange American Abrams tanks for German Leopards in a ratio of 1 to 4. That is, for seven American tanks, Ukraine was allegedly promised 28 German ones. This statement is explained by the fact that the supposedly low efficiency of the Abrams could cause “serious reputational damage to these tanks around the world”, something the Americans would like to avoid. It's fake.

In fact, Lloyd Austin did not offer Ukraine to exchange American Abrams tanks for Leopards during his visit. This is not mentioned in any leading world media, and the information itself was disseminated mainly in Russian or pro-Russian media. At the same time, Lloyd Austin stated at the time that “the United States, along with its allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine’s immediate battlefield and long-term defense needs”. During the visit, the Pentagon chief also announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth $100 million, but there were no concerns about the loss of image of Abrams tanks as a result of the unsuccessful performance of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield.

By spreading disinformation, as in this case, Russian propaganda aims to discredit international support for Ukraine’s partners in the war against Russia. In addition, propagandists aim to convince everyone around them that the Russian military has an advantage on the battlefield, and the defeat of Ukraine is a matter of time.

Earlier, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Ukrainian defenders are very effectively using Western weapons, and in response to this, Russia is increasing its aggression against civilians.

This information was recorded by specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They explained that pro-Kremlin telegram channels are disseminating information about the defeat of the Grim-2 OTRK launcher. Video evidence is added to the messages.

However, in fact, the primary source of such “news” was a satirical telegram channel, the description of which clearly states that all messages are only humorous in nature. But in fact, the video depicts the defeat of Russian equipment. On December 6, 2023, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko published a video of the defeat of the Russian operational-tactical missile system on his telegram channel. It is most likely that the authors of the satirical channel used this particular video to create the news. And then the Kremlin resources replicated this.

Still, it is impossible to say that the Russians did not destroy Ukrainian equipment on the battlefield, because this is more than possible during the war. But propagandists deliberately exaggerate the significance of “destroyed” equipment on the battlefield, hinting at the supposedly low combat capability of the Ukrainian army. And they use supposedly reliable information to support such a thesis.

The head of the Main Directorate of Missile Forces and Artillery and Unmanned Systems of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhii Baranov, in an interview with the military radio station Army FM, when asked whether the Grim-2 installation was at the development stage, replied that the installation was “being improved so let the Russians experience its effects on themselves”.

Read here on how Russian propaganda devalues the weapons that serve Ukraine.

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. Reports say that Ukraine seems to be using prohibited methods of warfare, in particular using prohibited weapons. They say this is stated in the Landmine Monitor 2023 report, compiled by independent experts from different countries, which was presented to the UN on November 14, 2023.

The case was studied by StopFake project specialists and explained: the analysts who worked on the report reported that Ukraine began an investigation into the case of how the Ukrainian Armed Forces “used anti-personnel mines in the city of Izium and its environs in 2022, when the city was under Russian control”. The report emphasized that Ukraine then used mines against Russian military targets, but as a result, “civilians suffered”. This case in relation to Ukraine is isolated, and international experts have recorded hundreds of facts of widespread use of prohibited weapons in Ukraine by Russian occupiers.

Among other things, the document wrote that Russia, probably with the help of neighboring Belarus, is actively using anti-personnel mines in Ukraine. According to the data presented in the report, in Ukraine in 2022 there was a tenfold increase in the number of victims of anti-personnel mines compared to the year before the full-scale Russian invasion.

Russia tries to ignore cases of the use of prohibited weapons and pays attention only to Ukrainian actions - although the case of the use of an anti-personnel mine is isolated, and it was primarily used to replace a Russian military facility.

The online media of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, ArmyInform, explains that the Ottawa Convention of 1997 provides for a complete cessation of the use of non-directional anti-personnel mines, a cessation of their production and accumulation. Ukraine signed the mine ban agreement on February 24, 1999 in New York and ratified it on December 27, 2005, becoming a state party on June 1, 2006. Russia is not a party to the Convention, so it has been using them since the beginning of the war back in 2014.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that on November 9, 2023, a fire broke out in Vinnytsia, allegedly at “NATO weapons” warehouses. The authors add to the messages that Zelenskyi allegedly did not turn on the air raid sirens in the Vinnytsia region, and the air defense did not work. It is not true.

In Vinnytsia on the evening of November 9, a large-scale fire broke out in warehouses where laminate flooring was stored. This was reported by the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of the Vinnytsia region. At 22:40 the fire was localized.

This is how the authors try to dispel the thesis about their “irresistible technology”, which is ready to destroy everyone, and as confirmation of this they give an example of “shelling” an object with ammunition. Although it was a fire, experts localized it.

In our Newspeak section we described the Russian phenomenon of “irresistible technology”. In short, this is how the Russians try to convince the domestic audience of constant victories.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, allegedly manipulates the topic of shelling of critical infrastructure. He declares that Ukraine is preparing for the “worst winter in history”, plays on the feelings of partners and thus seeks to increase aid. And Russia actually carried out “light strikes” on the heating and energy infrastructure in the fall and winter of 2022-2023. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Dmytro Kuleba gave an interview to Die Welt, where he said that Russia may start shelling critical infrastructure again. After all, Russian attacks are not fabrications or blackmail. On October 10, 2022, Russia launched massive missile strikes allegedly “in response to a Ukrainian attack” on an illegally built bridge across the Kerch Strait.

According to the UN, 42 out of 94 (45%) key high-voltage transformers in Ukraine were damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian missile attacks. In the fall and winter of 2022-2023, there will be almost no whole thermal and hydroelectric power plants left in Ukraine.

That is why Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview: “I bought dozens of candles. My father bought a truck full of firewood. We are preparing for the worst winter in history. Therefore, we will turn a blind eye if we do not get Taurus , but we do get air defense systems. We try to protect our power plants as best we can. But the Russians are learning. They will once again test our endurance with their missiles”.

In this way, Russian propagandists are trying to legitimize attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and devalue the problems of our country. They are also trying to discredit Dmytro Kuleba, hoping that this will reduce Western support. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that there may be blackouts in Ukraine in November even without shelling.

Anonymous Telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that “the supply of Ukrainian weapons to the Hamas group has tripled over the past month”.  Russian propaganda refers to an article published by The Washington Post, in which they allegedly wrote that Hamas currently has no problems with providing weapons thanks to Ukraine. This is a fake.

According to fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation, The Washington Post did not actually publish such an article. And the screenshot used by Russian propaganda was first published by the Ministry of Defense of Russia in 2022.

In this way, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Ukraine and reduce aid from the West, including the supply of weapons. Previously, we refuted the fake that the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Paris thanked Ukraine for weapons for Hamas.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that representatives of the Hamas group allegedly recorded a video thanking Volodymyr Zelenskyi for the transferred weapons, which help resist Israel. It's fake.

Fact-checkers at the Center for Countering Disinformation analyzed the video and determined that it was fake. It is this video that is being distributed by Russian propaganda resources and fake foreign accounts, the time and place of filming are unknown. Moreover, the video cannot be verified because Hamas representatives have their faces covered.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and reduce the assistance of Western partners. This is a continuation of the disinformation campaign about Ukrainian weapons in the hands of Hamas. Previously, Detector Media refuted the fake that Ukraine sells weapons to Hamas and debunked the fake that Hamas militants use weapons from Mukachevo.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly said that “if Ukraine loses the war, it will be because of the Jews”. This is a fake.

Analysts of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security Council of Ukraine and the Georgian MythDetector project drew attention to it. They found out that the circulated quote is a fake, because it cannot be found either on the official pages of the President, or in Ukrainian or Western mass media. On the contrary, Zelenskyi condemned the actions of Hamas and drew parallels between the current events in Israel and the Russian-Ukrainian war. He condemned terrorism and emphasized Israel's right to self-defense.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to convince Ukrainians that after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Western countries will redirect the aid intended for Ukraine to Israel and Ukraine will not have the support of the international community.  Detector Media explained how propagandists still manipulate the topic of events in Israel.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric disseminate information that Ukrainians will allegedly use ATACMS weapons systems transferred from the United States against civilians. “The vile hand of the United States always promotes death, because we know that these weapons in the hands of Ukrainian Nazis will be used against civilian targets”, the message said. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the EUvsDiSiNFO project. There is no evidence to support that these weapons will be used against civilian targets. There is also no evidence that Ukrainians attack civilians, unlike Russia, whose crimes have been documented by human rights organizations and the UN.

Moreover, in September 2023, the United States introduced the so-called Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, the purpose of which is to track and prevent civilian deaths from weapons supplied by the United States, including to Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to promote the narrative that Russians are fighting Nazism in Ukraine, as well as demonizing the Ukrainian military, saying that they don’t care about the Ukrainian people. Previously, we talked about the message that Ukrainian refugees in Europe are demonstrating their “Nazi tendencies”.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the German concern (an association of several enterprises, in this case in the field of defense) Rheinmetall is canceling the construction of a tank factory in Ukraine through Russia. We are talking about constant shelling of infrastructure, so German representatives are supposedly afraid of the power of the occupying army. The authors refer to news from the Reuters news agency. This is manipulation.

The VoxCheck fact-checkers analyzed the case and came to the conclusion that the news indicated: Germany did approve the creation of a joint venture between the main German Rheinmetall and the Ukrainian Ukroboronprom. Further, the journalists wrote that Rheinmetall will be involved in technical maintenance of the equipment. But on the official website of the German defense concern it is indicated that its specialists will be engaged in the maintenance and repair of combat vehicles, and in the future they will produce equipment together with Ukraine.

Actually, the fact-checkers write that this format of work was assumed from the very beginning of the conclusion of the strategic partnership agreement in May 2023. According to the agreement, the enterprise was supposed to begin its work in July, but the project implementation deadlines were delayed. In mid-August, the general director of Rheinmetall explained that tanks within the united concern would begin to be repaired “before the end of the month”.

That is, we are not talking about any canceled construction projects or agreements. According to Reuters, the German defense company, on the contrary, approved the decision to create a joint organization. During the implementation of the construction plan, there were no reports of cancellation of such a plan. Propagandists distorted the context of the material and wrote that even the NATO representative country allegedly fears Russia and curtails any companies on the territory of Ukraine.

This is how the authors try to dispel the thesis about their “irresistible technology”, which is ready to destroy everyone, and as confirmation of this they give the example of the “cancellation” of construction.

In our Newspeak section we described the Russian phenomenon of “irresistible technology”. In short, this is how the Russians try to convince the domestic audience of constant victories.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are disseminating information that the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Paris allegedly thanked Ukraine for weapons for Hamas to attack Israel. An article allegedly appeared about this in the French publication RFI, Russian propaganda refers to it and seems to cite screenshots from it. It's fake.

The case was examined by the fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. There is no article with similar content on the resources of the French publication RFI. Ukraine does not resell weapons from Western partners to Hamas militants.

Russian propaganda systematically promotes the narrative that Ukraine resells the weapons provided to it by the West. Thus, Russian propagandists seek to discredit Ukraine and reduce the support of Western partners. Previously, Detector Media refuted the fake news that Ukraine is selling weapons to Hamas.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social media claim that Ukraine has used the Black Sea Grain Initiative to smuggle weapons. In particular, Western weapons allegedly reached Hamas through the “grain corridor”. It's fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that the statement was not true. The Black Sea Grain Initiative (Initiative for the Safe Transport of Grains and Food Products from Ukrainian Ports) consists of two agreements that constitute one “grain agreement” - between Ukraine, the UN and Turkey and between Russia, the UN and Turkey. According to it, under the auspices of the UN, a Joint Coordination Center (JCC) was created in Istanbul (Turkey), which had representatives of all parties to the agreement. A team of inspectors, including representatives of Russia, on behalf of the SCC inspected each vessel “for inappropriate cargo and crew on the way to and from Ukrainian ports”. During the entire period of its work, the JCC never reported that Ukraine was allegedly using the Black Sea Grain Initiative to smuggle weapons to the Middle East or other territories.

Also, to date, there is no confirmation that Hamas militants are allegedly using weapons transferred to Ukraine as military aid from Western countries. The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine draws attention to the fact that Russian intelligence services have already handed over to Hamas representatives “captured weapons manufactured in the USA and EU countries”, that is, acquired in battle. The department emphasizes that it can be used against Ukraine, accusing it of selling Western weapons.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit Ukraine and reduce the scale of military assistance from its partners. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other Russian fakes and manipulations regarding Western weapons.

Propagandists claim that American porn actress of Lebanese origin Mia Khalifa expressed gratitude to Ukraine for helping the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas. In such “news”, users refer to some kind of recorded conversation with Khalifa, allegedly published by the American publication USA Today. This is fake.

The fact-checkers from the StopFake project investigated this case. Neither Russian media nor social media users provided a direct link to the American media. After checking the information with the fact-checkers of the publications related to military operations in Israel, it turned out that such a conversation was not published either on the website or in the official accounts of this media on social networks. The media only mentioned Mia Khalifa in the context of her support for the Hamas attack on Israel, as well as Playboy magazine's decision to terminate her contract.

Propagandists are trying to support the narrative that Ukraine is supplying weapons to the Hamas group. We recently denied information that Hamas militants are using weapons from Mukachevo.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Volodymyr Zelenskyi, while on a visit to Romania, allegedly boasted about the large amount of money that Ukraine “received from Western leaders”. The authors refer to the president’s interview with Romanian journalists. It's a lie.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and found out that Zelenskyi did not say this in an interview. At the very least, there are no phrases that would hint at “bragging about Western money”. The fact-checkers add that during the president’s conversation with journalists, they discussed the war in Israel and how this could affect the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president responded, in particular, that one cannot compare one war with another, and whoever starts these wars is “crazy”. In addition, he gave answers about the Russian-Ukrainian war itself. He said that Ukraine has enough fears about money and weapons, but, in his opinion, the war is now in its last and most difficult phase.

The fact-checkers suggest that Russian media misinterpreted a quote from the Ukrainian president, where he noted that there are fears about money and weapons. At the same time, Russian propaganda passed it off as “bragging”.

Pro-Kremlin media are disseminating information that the West may reduce aid to Ukraine due to the war in Israel. Russian propaganda referred to Russian “experts”. It is not true.

As fact-checkers at the Center for Strategic Communications note, Western partners assured Volodymyr Zelenskyi that the difficult situation in Israel would not prevent them from helping Ukraine. The President of Ukraine also noted that he discussed this issue with his partners, they “assure that Ukraine will still receive help, no one will abandon Ukraine”.

Moreover, on October 11, the United States announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth $200 million, and Belgium will provide assistance worth €1.7 billion.

Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Western partners, saying that it is more important for them to help Israel than Ukraine. All this should undermine the spirit of Ukrainians and despair of victory. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the manipulation that in Ukraine they want to abolish a disability status in order to send more people to the front.

On October 10, information spread on pro-Kremlin telegram channels that Hamas terrorists had acquired weapons from Ukraine, provided by Western partners. It seems that even before the Black Sea grain agreement, merchant ships took some of the weapons from Ukraine through Lebanon to Palestine. They say, “after the publication of information in the Western media about the Ukrainian trace of Palestinian weapons, mass purges began in Mukachevo”. Russian propaganda notes that officials, military personnel and diplomats were detained and a diplomatic scandal is brewing. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. A search was indeed carried out in the Mukachevo City Council, but it was related to the transfer of part of the city’s central sports complex to private ownership. This was officially confirmed by the SBU and NABU. The searches are not related to the transfer of Western weapons to the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

Moreover, the “Western media” to which Russian propaganda refers did not write about the “Mukachevo trace of Palestinian weapons”. And the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) said that all this was “fabrication and lies”.

Russian propagandists are trying to use the war between Israel and Hamas to discredit Ukraine. They say that Ukrainians resell weapons provided by Western partners on the black market, and they fall into the hands of terrorists. Thus, Russian propaganda seeks to reduce Western assistance. Previously, we refuted the fake that Ukraine is selling weapons to Hamas.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, including the Georgian segment of Facebook. The authors publish the video and claim that it depicts the process of transferring Western weapons to the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The authors add that the transfer of weapons was allegedly initiated by the Ukrainians. In the video, a man in Arabic “thanks the Ukrainian authorities for the supply of weapons”. It's a lie.

The analysts from the Myth Detector project took on the case and found out that the speaker is not visible in the video, and the location and time of filming cannot be determined, because the video itself consists of several frames where the weapon lies on the floor. Moreover, the fact- checkers emphasize that this video is actively disseminated in the Russian segment of social networks. Neither Israeli nor international media come out with news about the transfer of weapons to Hamas. Most likely the video is compiled.

Experts also refer to a statement by the Institute for the Study of War on October 7, which states that the Kremlin is actively using the Hamas attack on Israel for information operations aimed at weakening US and Western support for Ukraine. This includes promoting the thesis of a “black market for the sale of weapons”.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists once again want to show Ukrainians as ungrateful provocateurs who want to destabilize the situation in the world and incite armed conflicts. They say that Ukrainians resell weapons on the black market and they fall into the hands of criminals. Thus, the authors undermine the authority of the Ukrainian authorities and try to disrupt future supplies of armed assistance from NATO countries. After all, such fakes previously target Western audiences and leaders in order to inspire despondency towards Ukraine’s actions.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an American auditor who was investigating possible thefts in the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine was allegedly killed in Kyiv. The publications refer to an alleged press release from the Kyiv police. It's a lie.

Analysts from the StopFake project took up this case and found out that the Kyiv police did not report such an incident and did not publish a single press release about the murder of the auditor - which means this is simply an invention of Russian propaganda. The fact-checkers also contacted the US Embassy in Ukraine with a request to confirm or deny the death of an American auditor in Kyiv. The embassy told them that the “news” disseminated by Russian propaganda was fake.

Russian propaganda is trying to portray Ukraine as a cradle of corruption in order to devalue and neutralize Ukrainian intentions to combat corruption and further European integration measures. Allegedly, Ukrainian officials are ready to kill and get rid of Western auditors, just so as not to record the “theft” of Western weapons. In addition, the fight against corruption is one of the requirements of European integration. By spreading such fakes, propagandists are trying to show that corruption in Ukraine allegedly cannot be corrected, so it will not be accepted into the EU or NATO.

In the Russian and Georgian segment of the social network Facebook, as well as in pro-Kremlin media, information is being spread that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin allegedly advised the Russian military not to hunt Abrams tanks, so as not to repeat the situation with Leopard tanks. It seems that he said: “A repetition of the situation with the German “Leopards”, when they were hunted, is unacceptable, I saw these calls. Play by the rules!”. It's fake.

As fact-checkers of the MythDetector project note, this news is fake, and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin did not say such a phrase. Using search engines, experts determined that before getting onto Facebook, this phrase, allegedly belonging to Austin, first spread on September 25 on the social network X (formerly Twitter). However, its original source is not indicated.

During the 15th meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine, held in Germany, Lloyd Austin spoke about assistance to Ukraine, but did not utter phrases regarding the content of the hunt for Abrams tanks. This quote does not appear in any official source or reliable media.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Western partners and show that the US Secretary of Defense is making strange calls to take care of the equipment of the Ukrainian military. Propagandists are trying to create the illusion that the Russian military with its weapons is invincible and is destroying the weapons provided to Ukraine by its partners. Recently, Detector Media refuted the fake that Sweden confirmed the loss of all its tanks provided to Ukraine.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that Sweden has allegedly confirmed the loss of all Leopard 2A5 tanks with the Swedish modification of Strv 122, which were provided to Ukraine as part of military aid. However, this is a fake.

The Reuters fact-checkers drew attention to the case. In response to their request for comment from a spokesperson for the Swedish Armed Forces, they received information that no such official statements had been made. Experts also could not find any reliable materials on the Internet that all 10 Swedish tanks were destroyed. In the press release of the Armed Forces of Sweden for September 21 on the topic of Swedish tanks, there is no mention of their loss. For example, in the article for September 23, the Forbes publication claims only two Swedish tanks were destroyed by a Russian air attack.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian military and Western partners. For example, either Ukrainian soldiers do not know how to use Western weapons, or the weapons themselves are of poor quality compared to Russian ones. Detector Media has already refuted a number of other fakes aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces.

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. Reports say that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, allegedly admitted that Abrams tanks on the front line “won’t last long”. He also said that the long-range ATACMS missiles that the United States can provide to Ukraine “will not change the situation at the front”. The publications refer to an interview with an official of The War Zone portal. This is manipulation.

The VoxCheck fact-checkers analyzed the case and found out that in fact, in an interview, Budanov stated that, in his opinion, ATACMS missiles will not radically change the situation at the front, at least hundreds of them are needed. That is, it is about the fact that the official outlined a certain number of missiles and explained that for a better result, even more of this type of weapon is needed. But propagandists distorted the context and presented it as if Ukraine would “lose” anyway and did not need weapons, which supposedly would not bring any results. In the end, Budanov explained that the Ukrainian Armed Forces need longer-range artillery installations in order to hit Russian command posts and logistics trains.

Russia systematically deals with the distortion of quotes. This helps it promote its own theses, and if they are “consonant” with the statement of authority, the information acquires legitimacy in the eyes of users of anonymous telegram channels. Read the latest cases:

- how the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces admitted that Ukrainian air defense hits residential buildings;

- when Zelensky “called” the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive a failure;

- how the Ukrainian Parliament decided to legalize medical cannabis so that people “endure pain, stress and injury”. 

This information is disseminated by users of the Russian segment of Facebook. Reports say that the Ukrainian Armed Forces appear to be stockpiling kamikaze UAVs and depleted uranium shells at the Khmelnytsk and Rivne nuclear power plants. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project analyzed this information. They managed to find out that on September 22, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) distributed a report in which experts claim that there are no violations on the part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. But at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, temporarily occupied by the Russians, experts still noticed weapons.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to sow panic among Ukrainians and divert attention from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Detector Media has already refuted the Russian fake that the West is carried away by Russia’s effectiveness on the battlefield.

Russian propagandists on anonymous telegram channels and in the media claim that the weapons transferred from Western partners to Ukraine ended up in the hands of European terrorists. Referring to the American ultra-right conspiracy portal Breitbart, they report that the police in Northern Ireland allegedly confiscated these weapons from two radicals of the New Irish Republican Army. This is manipulation.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that on September 9, during a preventive counter-terrorism operation, the police actually confiscated several grenades and explosives from several members of the organization. The New IRA has been recognized as terrorist in the UK and the USA, and its members advocate continuing the armed struggle for the unification of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) into one state. However, the weapons that were confiscated from them are not Western-style weapons transferred to Ukraine as part of military assistance. The radicals were found to have a new type of grenade, which is used exclusively by the Russian army. StopFake analysts note that although the investigation does not exclude the possibility that these weapons fell into the hands of radicals from the front line in Ukraine, it is currently unknown how exactly this happened.

Using this manipulation, Russia wants to undermine its partners’ trust in Ukraine. They say that the weapons provided by Western states are sold by Ukraine as smugglers, so there is no need to provide them. Russian propagandists have repeatedly manipulated the topic of the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, as Media Detector has already written about.

After yet another Russian shelling of Ukrainian territories, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a message on its official telegram channel with an image of a missile launch and the inscription: “Exactly on target!”. This happened on April 28, 2023, when one of the Russian missiles hit a high-rise building in Uman and killed 23 people, including 6 children. That is, Moscow showed how its high-precision weapons actually work.

Such rhetoric ingrains in the minds of Russians the idea that the weapons of their army are incapable of missing and are used in war as accurately as possible. When the Russian Ministry of Defense says that they attacked some object in Ukraine, they can use the phrase “high-precision weapons” to glorify their achievements. Gigantomania is reflected here too: Russians consider Russia to be the standard of statehood, and its defense-industrial complex to be one of the most powerful in the world, because such weapons are a limited resource.

In addition, in the event of a Russian missile hitting a high-rise building in Uman and other similar situations, Russian propaganda uses deflection tactics and shifts the blame to Ukraine. They say that tragedies occur as a result of inept development of the Ukrainian air defense system. Russian missiles seem to be unable to hit a civilian home. So the Russians are confident in the correctness of their actions - they are opposing the “Ukronazis”.

According to the encyclopedia of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the so-called high-precision weapons are capable of providing the impression of an object with a probability of 50%. Accordingly, the Russians themselves claim that, in theory, every second ammunition does not reach its “exact” target.

To maintain trust on the part of the Russian civilian population and justify the bloody aggression against Ukraine, Russian propaganda resorts to all possible methods. It turns out that “high-precision weapons” are killing civilian Ukrainians, and not getting to the planned geographical coordinates. Moreover, with high accuracy, this weapon is capable of convincing the average Russian that everything is under control in the Russian army in the war against Ukraine.