Anonymous telegram channels and Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric report that Russian Defense Minister Serhii Shoihu said in an interview that “if the United States supplies Ukraine with cluster munitions, the Armed Forces of Russian Federation will be forced to use similar weapons”. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications investigated this case. In May 2022, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch published a report stating that the Russians use at least 6 types of cluster munitions in Ukraine. Russia bombarded Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and other cities with them. On April 8, 2022, the Russians used a Tochka-U ballistic missile with a cluster warhead and struck it at the Kramatorsk railway station. Then 54 adults and 7 children died.

Thus, Russian propagandists transfer responsibility for Russia's crimes to Ukraine and expose themselves as a constant victim of “aggression”. Like, Ukraine attacks first, so Russia will have to use cluster munitions in return. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukraine is making fake attacks on nuclear facilities in order to discredit Russian troops.

Anonymous telegram channels and Bulgarian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that during a visit to Sofia, Volodymyr Zelenskyi “rose claims” against  Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. As a result, Radev allegedly refused to supply weapons to Ukraine. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. The meeting of the Presidents of Ukraine and Bulgaria was held on July 6. During the meeting, Radev expressed his opinion that “this conflict has no military solution” and Volodymyr Zelenskyi replied that Ukraine is defending itself.

According to the Bulgarian Constitution, the Bulgarian President does not determine foreign policy - this is the responsibility of the Cabinet of Ministers. Bulgaria promised additional military supplies, assistance in strengthening Ukraine's energy system, and support for joining NATO.

Earlier in December 2022, the People's Assembly (Bulgarian Parliament) voted to provide military and military-technical support to Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propagandists promote the narrative that the West is tired of the war and does not believe in the victory of Ukraine, and also discredit the authorities in Bulgaria. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that in Finland they want to deprive Ukrainian refugees of social assistance.

This thesis was circulated in social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the United States is ready to provide Ukraine with the Israeli Iron Dome system, just to protect its weapons. In particular, the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. The authors refer to the material of the international television news channel PressTV.

The fact checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found out that, first of all, such information was not indicated in the material. The United States itself considered the Iron Dome program to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses. This was explained by the fact that the Patriot can shoot down ballistic and cruise missiles, aircraft, but is less effective in intercepting low-flying small drones. And the Iron Dome can handle such drones. And the material just said that US officials were considering providing Ukraine with a dome system, taking into account a number of features of its use.

The authors use the rhetoric of “protecting their own weapons” to hint at the low combat capability of the Ukrainian army. Allegedly, the United States wants to protect their weapons, and not Ukraine and Ukrainians. Thus, the authors expose the Ukrainian military as incompetent.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the Russians are successfully destroying Ukrainian ammunition depots. Like, Ukraine loses its combat capability and loses the war. As evidence, the authors cite as an example a video of an allegedly “destroyed” ammunition depot in Uman. The authors add that this happened on June 8, 2023 during rocket attacks.

The case was noticed by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project who found that on June 8, 2023, the Russians actually hit at an industrial facility and a car wash, and not at an ammunition depot. In addition, the Russians hit the supermarket. As a result, there are casualties. That is, propagandists use the rhetoric about the destruction of military objects  to cover up their war crimes because the invaders are shelling civilian infrastructure, public places where people can be. For example, on June 27, 2023, the Russians shelled the center of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, hitting the nearby cafes and shops. This is not a rare case.

Thus, propagandists seek to whitewash themselves, as if they do not kill civilians and do not commit genocide. At the same time, they are trying to convince that they are shelling military targets (which also does not justify their aggression), when in fact the Russian army is destroying civilian infrastructure, killing people.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukraine is using munitions unsuitable for combat. They say that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are sorely lacking weapons, so the military is using old weapons. The authors add that in this way the equipment will break down quickly, and nothing will resist Russian technology. They add to the publication a photograph allegedly from the Ukrainian composition of weapons.

The case was noticed by StopFake fact-checkers who found out that the thesis about the use of damaged weapons is unfounded. The propagandists did not provide evidence, since in fact the image is a warehouse of Russian weapons, which was recently found by the State Special Transport Service in the Kharkiv region. Suitable shells were given to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the damaged ones were disposed of. That is, the photo showed Russian weapons and the shells were indeed damaged. However, this does not apply to the Ukrainian army and their combat stock.

The propagandists reflected the situation and passed off Russian equipment as Ukrainian. The authors use the rhetoric about the use of damaged ammunition or equipment to convince the lack of decent combat capability in the Ukrainian army. Thus, it is propagandists’ wishful thinking, they say that Ukraine allegedly constantly loses.

Propagandists claim that the EU allegedly thoughtlessly blames Russia for any problem, as well as for blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, but in fact it was destroyed by the “Kyiv regime” with Western weapons.

This message was brought to the attention of the EUvsDisinfo project specialists. They found out that he was an unsubstantiated accusation and a combination of other messages. Allegedly, military support from the West continues the war and continues the suffering of civilians.

Propagandists spread such information in order to once again justify Russia's aggression. However, in reality, it is Russia that causes significant damage to the Ukrainian economy and kills thousands of people. It is Russia that is trying to destroy Ukraine, its people and culture, project experts say. NATO member countries independently decide on the provision of assistance to Ukraine and it is not illegal, since Ukraine uses it for self-defense, provided for by the UN Charter.

In addition, Russia wants to shift responsibility to Ukraine for a number of provocations, artificially creating for it the image of a “terrorist regime”. Propagandists equate the explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant with fakes about “dirty bombs”, devaluing the scale of the disaster. However, Russia blew up the dam. In particular, this is evidenced by the data on seismic activity in the area of the Kakhovka HPP, recorded by the Norwegian seismic station in Romania. Detector Media has already written about what propagandists said about the bombing on the day it happened.

The thesis that the West is violating international law by supplying weapons to Ukraine was promoted by Putin at meetings with war correspondents. He also stated: “We have a lot of depleted uranium ammunition, we will use it in response”. Such a thesis is unfounded.

By annexing part of Ukrainian territory, launching a massive offensive, and committing war crimes since the invasion, Russia is violating international law and a number of international security agreements and the rule of law. In particular, it ignores treaties that guarantee the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states, as well as the rules of law governing the basic principles of warfare. In May, Russia initiated a meeting of the UN Security Council on the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. Then the representative of Japan to the UN said that Ukraine is defending itself from aggression, and the international community is providing assistance “so that peace and security reign in the world”. And the representative of France to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, noted that Western partners supply weapons to Ukraine legally whereas Russia buys weapons - illegally - to replenish its stocks. “Russia buys drones from Iran, and missiles and ammunition from North Korea. By these actions, Russia violates the UN resolution”, Nicolas de Riviere said.

By spreading this message, Russia is trying to discredit its Western partners and portray them as violators of international law. Thus, propagandists are trying to divert international attention from Russian war crimes, violations of rights and treaties and shift responsibility for what has been committed to others. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukraine is a tool of the West to undermine Russian statehood.

Propagandists are spreading a video on social networks in which the Ukrainian military, together with NATO soldiers, allegedly drowned a Piranha 3C armored personnel carrier during their training. It's fake.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the video had nothing to do with the training of the Ukrainian military abroad, or with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in general. The event in the video took place on June 3 during the international NATO training Saber Guardian. Then the armored personnel carrier sank while trying to cross the Borcha River. The press service of the Romanian Ministry of Defense (since the equipment is in service with this country), according to StopFake experts, reported that the armored car sank due to water penetration inside. It has already been lifted from the bottom and started to repair. In addition, Switzerland, as a manufacturer of this type of armored vehicles, blocked the provision of them to the Armed Forces of Ukraine after Denmark announced the idea. Therefore, there was no need to learn how to manage them. Thus, propagandists want to accuse Ukrainians of damaging foreign weapons and the inability of the Ukrainian army to quickly master the methods of controlling equipment. 

All this is another attempt to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is also evidenced by the fact that the propagandists began to distribute the video after it was published on one of the TikTalk accounts of the Wagner terrorist organization.

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks, in which a report by the Mexican TV channel Milenio allegedly mentions that Mexican drug cartels are receiving weapons transferred to Ukraine as military aid. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the AP Fact Check project drew attention to the video. They found out that the propagandists deliberately mistranslated the comment from him. In fact, it says that members of the Golf Cartel “own javelins”. The host of this news program only recalls that this is the type of weapon used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but does not say that the drug cartel received it with the participation of Ukrainians or that the specific weapon from the video should be in service with the Ukrainian army. In addition, the journalists of the TV channel incorrectly identified the weapon in the report - in fact, it does not show the Javelin, but the AT4, another type of anti-tank weapon.

Thus, propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and disrupt the supply of armed aid from NATO countries. Like, Ukrainians resell it on the black market, and it falls into the hands of criminals. However, military experts, at the request of AP Fact Check specialists, replied that the drug traffickers probably bought the weapons in a way not related to Ukraine.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has allegedly offered to stop arms supplies to Ukraine in order to stop the war. The authors of the messages refer to the El Intermedio interview. This is manipulation.

The VoxCheck project drew attention to the case and determined that Josep Borrell did not say this in an interview. He explained that there are several scenarios for the end of the war, and in all possible scenarios the EU will help Ukraine. He also explained that “immediately” the war can be stopped if, for example, the EU does not supply weapons, and Russia seizes Ukraine. He further explains that this is not the end of the war, and such a scenario does not amount to a single victory for both the EU and Ukraine. That is, according to him, it is clear that such an option of ending the war is impossible. And the propagandists distorted the context of what was said and reported that supposedly the EU would not help Ukraine.

Thus, the propagandists are trying to show that everyone is already tired of constant assistance to Ukraine. Allegedly, the West is ready to stop the war and allow Russia to seize Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Official protests were held in Athens on May 7 against the war in Ukraine, including against the supply of weapons to the Ukrainian army. The authors of the messages add that this rally in support of Russia was initiated by NATO itself. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, and they found that anti-war rallies were indeed held in Athens, consisting of several dozen people and during which the participants chanted pro-Kremlin slogans. However, this rally was not held with the participation of the current authorities of Greece and, accordingly, it does not reflect the official position of Greece regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. As the fact-checkers explained, the rally was initiated by Russian forces, Greek communists and left-wing parties that do not have political weight in their own country. At the same time, the Greek authorities support Ukraine in confronting Russian aggression, even the country's defense minister noted that Greece “will provide military assistance to Ukraine as much as necessary”.

By spreading such manipulation, the propagandists are trying to convince everyone that Ukraine should allegedly not be supplied with weapons, because, first of all, the Europeans are against it. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to reduce military aid to Ukraine.

Similar theses were heard on the air of Russian propaganda TV channels. They say that the Ukrainian authorities demonstrated to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Ukrainian weapons disguised as Russian. With these weapons, Ukraine allegedly fired at the civilian population of Donbas, Belgorod, Briansk and Kursk regions. “It has been proven that the rocket fired at the railway station [in Kramatorsk] was Ukrainian. The same “Tochka U” missile that we [Russia] have long since withdrawn from service”. It's fake.

According to EUvsDiDiNFo analysts, there is strong evidence that Russian troops attacked the Kramatorsk railway station on April 8, 2022 with a Tochka-U missile. Contrary to propaganda claims, the Soviet Tochka-U missile system is still in use by the Russian army. This is evidenced by video recordings of transportation through Belarus in March 2022, which were posted on the Belarusian Haiun telegram channel.

Also, according to military experts from the Conflict Intelligence Team, an analysis of the Tochka-U flight path proves that the missile was fired at Kramatorsk from the southwestern region, where the Russian army and illegal armed formations of the occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions are located.

Thus, Kremlin propagandists are trying to hide their shelling of civilians and civilian objects in Ukraine. They call it another provocation by Ukraine to discredit the Russian troops. Earlier, Detector Media told how the Russians boasted on social networks about the shelling of the station in Kramatorsk, and then deleted their messages.

Such information is disseminated by the Russian media, referring to the words of Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasyl Nebenzia. He stated it on March 10 during a meeting of the UN Security Council. They write that Western weapons supplied to Ukraine “have already begun to appear in the states of Europe and Africa, replenishing the arsenals of organized crime”. And in this way, “assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-tank guided missiles and Western-made man-portable missile systems fall into the hands of bandits and radical regimes”. It is not true.

The StopFake fact-checkers drew attention to the case. In 2022, an Interim special commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was established in Ukraine to monitor the receipt and use of international logistical assistance during martial law. The government of Ukraine has pledged to ensure proper storage and accounting of the transferred defense equipment, said US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood. He was supported by representatives of Great Britain, Albania, Japan, Poland, France.

Such fakes are necessary for Russia in order to discredit Ukraine and weaken international support. Detector Media has already investigated the emergence of disinformation in the Financial Times about “arms smuggling from Ukraine”.

This thesis was spread in social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the awakening of the volcano in Kamchatka in Russia is the work of the United States, creating a climate weapon against Russia, so the volcano is “just the beginning” of US dashing actions. The authors add that the White House and the US Congress have adopted a five-year “climate intervention” plan, which involves the creation of climate control technologies. One of the goals is to fight the “new dominance of Russia”.

The fact-checkers of the EU vs Disinfo project investigated the case and found that the existence of a “climate weapon” that they want to use against Russia is another Moscow conspiracy theory. The document referred to by propagandists as a “climate intervention plan” is actually a “White House request for contributions to a five-year plan for climate intervention research”, and there is no indication in the document that the US is “managing the climate” to fight Russia.

A climate weapon is a hypothetical physical weapon capable of controlling the climatic conditions of the world. In particular, in the context of this message, climate weapons are capable of awakening volcanoes and accumulating magma in order to kill people later.

On the night of April 11, a powerful eruption of the Shyveluch volcano occurred on the Kamchatka peninsula. After the volcanic eruption - the northern active volcano of Kamchatka - the strongest ash in the last 60 years was recorded on the peninsula. Then a cloud of ash rose into the sky to a height of 15 to 20 kilometers.

In anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric, including in Polish language, propagandists are outraged by the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to Canada. They don't like the fact that on the plane that Shmyhal flew in, one can find stickers in the form of an emoji of an airplane and hands drawn up in prayer. According to propagandists’ conclusions, in this way the Ukrainians are approaching the aborigines. They say Ukrainians do not have enough words, because it is a shame to humiliate themselves for the sake of weapons.

Although the idea with stickers is somewhat non-standard, this is not a reason to draw such conclusions based on it. In addition, such remarks are humiliating for both Ukrainians and aborigines, who are considered a special ethnic group in a number of countries as part of their indigenous peoples.

Thus, propagandists want to ridicule Ukraine and show that no one supposedly perceives it anymore. Like, Ukraine is again begging and begging to give everything to it. However, they are deliberately silent about the fact that Ukraine would not have had to do this if Russia had not attacked it. In addition, the supply of weapons to Ukraine is not decreasing, which indicates the continued interest of foreign countries in helping Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular in the Russian Ministry of Defense. Reports say that Russia managed to intercept the first American guided missile GLSDB. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council explains that Ukraine did not officially receive such a missile from its partners, which means that Russia could not intercept it. The GLSDB missiles are not even in service in the United States yet, since the American leadership is ordering these weapons for Ukraine.

The United States military aid package for Ukraine was announced on February 3, 2023, and according to Western analysts, the first batch of GLSDB missiles can be produced in nine months.

By spreading this fake, propagandists want to distort reality and show that Ukraine is constantly losing and even powerful equipment does not help, because the Russians “successfully” destroy it.

We recall that earlier Detector Media refuted the fake about the destruction of the American M1 Abrams tank near Soledar and the “hitting” out of the Leopard2A5 tank near Vuhledar.

Propagandists write that the European Union does not adhere to its own principles. Like, it encourages the UK to supply weapons with depleted uranium to Ukraine, but condemns Belarus for placing Russian tactical weapons on its territory. It seems to be the same, but the EU is only playing to substitute concepts. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the EU vs DisInfo project drew attention to it. They argue that propagandist material creates the false impression that depleted uranium weapons and nuclear weapons have the same effect. As a conclusion, the deployment of tactical weapons in Belarus is a completely different case. On March 21, a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense stated that although Russia is trying to equate the status of weapons with depleted uranium with the status of nuclear weapons, this is not true due to the fact that weapons with depleted uranium are not prohibited.

Propagandists want to distract the world community from Russia's actions in this way. In particular, it is Russian troops who in Ukraine use weapons with characteristics prohibited by international law.

Such information appeared in the Russian propaganda media. They say that the use of shells provided to Ukraine by the UK is a crime against humanity and the planet. The reports add that the use of such projectiles is unacceptable and immoral.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to the case. According to them, such a message is part of the Kremlin's disinformation campaign against the supply of depleted uranium to Ukraine.

However, the depleted uranium shells that the UK sends to Ukraine are not prohibited by any international agreement. Also, crimes against humanity are traditionally defined and prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, mass systematic rape and sexual enslavement during war, etc.). The use of depleted uranium projectiles cannot be considered one of the crimes against humanity. In 2007, the UN General Assembly began research to find out the impact of depleted uranium weapons on human health. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) found that the effects of depleted uranium did not cause significant poisoning.

With the help of such messages, Russian propaganda seeks to portray Ukraine as the aggressor. They say that it is Ukraine that violates the rules of war, uses prohibited weapons that can cause a catastrophe, and the countries of the West, in particular, Great Britain, only help him.

This thesis was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. The reports say that Estonia is a follower of “Nazi Germany” because the country's leadership has banned “certain ethnic groups” from carrying weapons. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the “Beyond the News” project drew attention to the case, who investigated that the basis for creating this manipulation was amendments to the law on weapons, according to which, from March 15, 2023, permits for the issuance of weapons will be invalid for citizens of countries outside the EU and NATO. The changes will affect not only ethnic Russians or Belarusians living in Estonia. However, these categories will also cease to issue new permits. Innovations will affect about 1,300 residents of the country, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia notes.

Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs Lauri Läänemets does not hide the fact that the restriction is a direct consequence of unprovoked Russian aggression in Ukraine and, in general, the policy pursued by Russia against countries that do not support the so-called “special operation”. In the appeal from the ministry, they do not hide the fact that there are indeed quite a few Russians or Belarusians among the 1,300 people. However, the restrictions will apply to these people not because they are Russians or Belarusians, but because of the countries' aggressive policies towards Ukraine.

By spreading this manipulation, propagandists feed the narrative about the existence of so-called “russophobia” – hatred towards Russians and everything Russian. Allegedly, xenophobic sentiments are professed in countries that do not support the aggressive policy of Russia. However, the so-called russophobia is a response to the actions of the Russian army, leadership and people, because the Russians are collectively responsible for the aggression against Ukraine, which they supported with appropriate statements or silence.

This thesis was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. The reports say that the West did not provide the Armed Forces with the necessary amount of equipment to create full-fledged units. Like, the Ukrainian military has no weapons. The authors of the messages refer to the material of “Forbes”. This is a manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to this case, investigating that propagandists distorted the context of the material. As the fact-checkers explain, the Forbes article says that the lack of heavy equipment in some units is not a problem at all and is a “temporary state of affairs”. A military journalist explained in his material that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have enough other weapons. He gives the example that while heavy tanks have not arrived on the battlefield, the Ukrainian army already has “a bunch of other weapons, including lightly armored tanks”. That is, the military journalist did not say that there were “not enough weapons” in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but on the contrary, he talked about the presence of “a bunch of other weapons”, at the same time he called the absence of heavy tanks a matter of time.

Propagandists systematically spread manipulations designed to discredit the West and allegedly show that the Western countries allegedly do not care about Ukraine, which will not be sent the promised weapons and so on. Thus, the authors of the messages discredit Western partners and undermine Ukrainians' confidence in the West.

Detector Media has repeatedly refuted fakes about Western weapons, for example, about the destruction of an American M1 Abrams tank near Soledar, which had not yet been handed over to Ukraine. He also denied the fake creation of Leopard 2 tanks with so-called “nuclear warheads” and explained the message that the West came up with a new deadly weapon called “tectonic weapons” to punish Turkey with an earthquake.

Propagandists are spreading information that Ukraine is building a nuclear weapon, namely a “dirty bomb”. They say that it is used in a provocation against Transnistria, and for its manufacture, radioactive materials have already been brought to Ukraine from the West, namely California-252. It's fake.

StopFake analysts drew attention to it. They found that Californium-252 is an extremely rare and expensive radioactive metal. It does not occur in nature, and its production is made exclusively in the laboratory and lasts an average of two years. Only two countries in the world produce California-252: the USA and Russia. Due to the specifics of production, the price per gram of this metal can reach $ 27 million, so it is not stored in large quantities in warehouses, as the Russians say. In addition, its use is closely monitored by a number of US and international agencies. The speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolaienko has already called the inventions of propagandists “fake”.

Thus, propagandists try to justify the actions of the aggressor again and shift the responsibility for them to the victim of aggression. Like, Russia is fighting against a disenfranchised Ukraine that wants to destroy Europe. Detector Media has already written about disinformation about the alleged creation of nuclear weapons by Ukraine, which the IAEA once denied.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that in Europe, in particular in Spain, they are afraid of “possible nuclear threats from Ukraine”. That is why, according to the authors, the leadership of Spain is introducing a campaign to fight the spread of weapons of mass destruction in order to protect itself from “provocations of Ukraine”.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to this case and found that this is another conspiracy theory of Russian propaganda that has no evidence. Probably, as analysts explain, the basis of this conspiracy thesis was the Spanish national security meeting held in February. The meeting adopted a draft national strategy to fight the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Both the meeting and the draft document had nothing to do with Ukraine, since only national security measures were discussed. Moreover, there were no statements from Spanish officials regarding the so-called “protection from Ukraine”.

By spreading this message, propagandists want to convince that Ukraine is an aggressor and that it carries out so-called provocations and terrorizes Europeans. Thus, the authors of messages use the tactics of reflection, attributing their actions to opponents. Because intimidation and “nuclear blackmail” is one of the ways Russian propaganda achieves its goals.

We recall that earlier Detector Media also denied a fake, which claimed that radioactive substances were allegedly brought to Ukraine to prepare provocations against Russia.

In social networks and telegram channels, messages are spreading allegedly about large-scale protests in Copenhagen. Users claim that they are allegedly protesting against the provision of weapons to Ukraine. It's fake.

There were indeed protests in Denmark, but they have nothing to do with the supply of weapons to Ukraine. According to VoxCheck, these are rallies against the abolition of the state holiday, which took place on February 6. The Danish government has proposed abolishing the public holiday on the Day of Great Prayer on 5 May. According to officials, this will help to quickly increase the country's defense budget. In response, the unions protested. There was no talk of the need to increase the defense budget through military assistance to Ukraine. The protesters also did not demand to stop helping Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to distort information about the level of support for Ukraine abroad. They say that citizens of Western countries are holding rallies demanding to stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Previously, propaganda spread fake news about protests in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Belgium, etc.

Videos of alleged mass protests in the Netherlands are being circulated online. Users claim that people allegedly protest against the provision of weapons to Ukraine and demand the restoration of farms that went bankrupt as a result of sanctions against Russia. This is manipulation.

There were indeed protests in the Netherlands, but they have nothing to do with the supply of weapons to Ukraine. The demonstrators opposed the government's initiative to introduce a central bank digital currency. VoxCheck fact checkers found that the protests took place in Amsterdam on February 5, 2023. The organizer of the demonstration and the protesters believe that the government is trying to limit the freedom of citizens to spend money anonymously and at their discretion, and technology can be used to control the society of the Netherlands. The demands of the demonstrators were neither about the provision of weapons to Ukraine, nor about the restoration of farms.

Russian propaganda is trying to create the appearance that the level of support for Ukraine in European countries is falling. Propagandists have previously spread fake messages about protests against arms supplies to France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Belgium, etc.

Russian and foreign media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric use the recent statement by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz against Ukraine. Like, the chancellor is against NATO supplying weapons to Ukraine, because it weakens the Alliance. As a result, according to the authors of the messages, Germany will no longer supply Ukraine with armed assistance.

Analysts of the EUvsDisInfo project found out that in fact, in his statement, Scholz did not criticize the supply of weapons to Ukraine, but that the members of the Alliance turned this process into a “public competition”. This, according to the Chancellor, is what weakens NATO, threatening its unity. Scholz said that unity helped Ukraine in the early days of the war and countries should not argue about arms supplies to Ukraine.

Propagandists are trying in every possible way to condemn Western countries for providing military assistance to Ukraine, using various methods for this. They either call it “foul play” or direct intervention in the war. Very often this is combined with manipulations on the topic of the attitude of society in NATO member countries to the provision of weapons to Ukraine.