On anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, they write that Zelenskyi plans to purchase uranium from Niger for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The authors of the fake explain that the purchase contract seemed to have been signed in November 2023 by the current Minister of Defense Rustem Umierov. At the same time, they cite the African publication Sene News, where journalists quoted one of their military personnel to support this thesis. It is not true.

The fact-checkers at the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council wrote that there were no official statements from Ukraine about the so-called “purchase of nuclear weapons”. And Rustem Umierov did not make any trips to Niger and did not sign such purchase contracts. That is, this is another stuffing of Russian propagandists who continue to replicate the Kremlin’s rhetoric about the use of “dirty weapons” against Russia including in order to justify unprovoked aggression and bloody war.

Read in our material why Moscow is implementing a disinformation campaign against Ukraine and why it lies about the use of nuclear weapons by Ukraine (and threatens nuclear bombing on its part).

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has issued a decree on the annexation of Russian territories to Ukraine. With this decree, he allegedly declared the right of sovereignty over the Krasnodar Territory, Voronezh, Kursk, Rostov, Briansk and Belgorod regions.

Thus, on January 22, 2024, Zelenskyi signed a decree “On the territories of the Russian Federation historically inhabited by Ukrainians”, but it does not talk about the “annexation” of these territories to Ukraine or the “declaration of sovereignty” over them. Propagandists resorted to yet another manipulation of facts, because the real purpose of the decree is to begin work to preserve the national identity of Ukrainians living in Russia. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

This decree, in particular, is about restoring and preserving the historical memory of crimes against Ukrainians in the past and present; on countering disinformation and propaganda; development of cooperation between Ukrainians and other peoples conquered by Russia; preparation and distribution of materials, as well as updating and inclusion in educational programs of information about the true history of ethnic Ukrainians in Russia.

With this media manipulation, Russian propaganda seeks to fuel its narrative: “Ukraine is the aggressor”, so Russia had no other option but to attack Ukrainian lands. They say that in this way Russia wanted to protect its territorial integrity, as well as Russian-speaking Ukrainians who were allegedly “oppressed” in Ukraine. However, the truth is that this is only a justification for Russian aggression by Moscow, which has been encroaching on Ukrainian territories for centuries and seeking to seize them, today committing a real genocide of the Ukrainian people.

• Read also: Map from a bar in Baghdad proves that Ukraine was going to conquer Russia and Georgia (photo fake)

Users of social networks spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are distributing a video where President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi expressed a proposal to suspend the Constitution. Some of them claim that he has already allegedly implemented this solution. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the quote was distorted by video editing and taken out of context. By performing a reverse quote search, they found the original of this speech by Volodymyr Zelenskyi, which took place on December 22, 2022 at the Conference of Ambassadors of Ukraine. Proof that the excerpt was taken specifically from this event is the same clothes of the president and the background, where part of the inscription of Ukraine and the coat of arms are visible. However, the quote, since, firstly, the President addressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the heads of diplomatic missions. Secondly, the speech said that in conditions of war they should work harder and more efficiently. “All those rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine are now on pause for you and me personally as representatives of our state”, Zelenskyi noted.

This is the only time the Constitution was mentioned in a speech, and the President did not make any decisions that “paused” the operation of the Constitution. Any changes to this document must be approved by the Verkhovna Rada, and in some cases, an all-Ukrainian referendum is held. In addition, according to Article 157 of the same document, changes leading to the abolition or restriction of the rights and freedoms of citizens cannot be made. Article 64 provides that conditions of martial law or a state of emergency may lead to the restriction of certain rights of citizens, but this also occurs within the framework of the provisions of the Constitution.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian government. They say that it restricts the rights of citizens and neglects the Basic Law of the state.  Detector Media also wrote about other inventions of Russian propaganda aimed at personally discrediting Zelenskyi.

Information about an allegedly new tattoo on the hand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi with the inscription “There is no God” was distributed by the Russian Foreign Ministry on the social network X (formerly Twitter). However, this is an absurd fake.

In the general photographs of Rishi Sunak with Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the military Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, it is clear that in fact the tattoo belongs to the Ukrainian serviceman standing next to Zelenskyi. This is especially noticeable in the frame where the President of Ukraine stands opposite the military man and photographs him together with the Prime Minister of Great Britain, writes the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. In addition, one can make sure that Zelenskyi has no tattoos on his hands by watching any of his latest videos.

Russian propaganda continues to systematically discredit Zelenskyi in the hope that the Ukrainian people will rise up against the President of Ukraine. Moreover, these photos were tied to the fact that, supposedly, “hence the persecution of Orthodox Christians”  (obviously, believers of the UOC-MP) in Ukraine. However, let us recall that at the beginning of a full-scale invasion, Patriarch Kyryl of the Russian Orthodox Church blessed Russian troops for a bloody war in Ukraine. Subsequently, the SBU began to conduct searches at the facilities of the UOC-MP throughout Ukraine and identify there Russian passports, St. George ribbons, anti-Ukrainian materials, party cards of the Communist Party of the USSR, etc. And all these things are evidence of a threat to the national security of Ukraine.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric through social networks claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi admitted that only 30% of American aid reaches Ukraine, with the rest remaining in the United States. They say that this indicates corruption schemes and kickbacks and therefore Zelenskyi will cease to be President. However, such statements are manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that the fact that a significant portion of US financial aid intended to support Ukraine goes to defense plants in the United States is not evidence of corruption or kickbacks. This is a legal procedure for providing military assistance to other countries, and information about it is publicly available.

During a press conference in Riga, Volodymyr Zelenskyi indeed noted that more than 70% of the allocated funds remain at American defense enterprises. The President explained that this is due to the fact that the cost of weapons provided to Ukraine does not include their free transfer, and American enterprises receive the funds for their services. However, this situation does not indicate any misunderstanding or misconduct, but is part of the normal procedure for providing military assistance.

The StopFake analysts point to an article by The Washington Post writer Marc Thiessen for more context on this process. In particular, this approach helps support the American economy by creating jobs and helping local businesses that support weapons production. This is not a corruption scheme, but a legitimate mechanism to promote defense production.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to reinforce their narrative of “corrupt Ukraine”. Detector Media has already written about other methods that Russia uses for this.

Russian propagandists are disseminating information that President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s visit to the Baltic countries is an attempt, through the “advocate countries” of Ukraine, to obtain a positive vote in the EU for the allocation of new military loans. They say that without this, Ukraine has almost no chance of receiving financial assistance from the EU.

This information is not true, as explained by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. The real purpose of the visit of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the Baltic countries is to deepen cooperation with these states in many areas. In particular, in the area of security, integration into the EU and NATO, and military cooperation.

It should be noted that Zelenskyi’s visit to Lithuania has already brought significant results:

- work began on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees, as provided for in the Joint Declaration of the Group of Seven and the Ukrainian Peace Formula;

- Lithuanian officials approved a new package of military assistance worth 200 million euros, which included ammunition, detonation systems, armored vehicles, and training for the Ukrainian military;

- new agreements in the field of military-industrial complex and military cooperation were signed, support for the renewal of Ukraine continues.

Russian propaganda seeks to convince everyone that Europe is already tired of the war in Ukraine, so they no longer want to provide financial assistance to it. In addition, in this way, propagandists are trying to discredit Ukraine in the international political arena, saying that the Ukrainian leadership is “grasping at the last straw” to receive money from the EU to continue the war.

A video is being circulated in the Bulgarian TikTok segment in which a seemingly barefoot Volodymyr Zelenskyi dances in an oriental costume. Mirella Petkova from the Facthceck.bg project drew attention to this video.

A video with Zelenskyi’s face appeared in December 2023 on a page on the TikTok network. However, this video is technically flawed. The original video, filmed in 2020, shows Russian dancer Vusal Mehdiyev, with Zelenskyi's face superimposed later.

The video from which the deepfake of Zelenskyi was compiled consists of two parts. The first part was first uploaded to TikTok on the profile of Vusal Mehdiyev on October 16, 2020. And the second – January 12, 2022. The second post received over 20 million views on TikTok.

In the original video, the music is different from the one put on by the fakers. In the initial videos, the music has oriental motifs, while in the fabricated version the Russian song “New Year” is played.

This is not the first time that artificial intelligence has been used to add Volodymyr Zelenskyi's face to dance videos. A similar video was distributed in July 2023. Then Zelenskyi’s face was put in place of the Argentine dancer and choreographer. This deepfake was debunked, in particular, by France Presse and Deutsche Welle.

The real Volodymyr Zelenskyi has many videos of him dancing. When he was an artist, he took part in many dance and singing performances of Kvartal 95 in KVN and on television, which were mandatory elements of the humorous program. And in 2006, he and dancer Olena Shoptenko won the first season of the Dancing with the Stars TV show.

Pro-Kremlin media are spreading information that allegedly after another scandal related to the “purchase” of the villa of Hitler’s propaganda minister Goebbels for 8 million euros, Zelenskyi decided to get rid of the so-called investigative journalist who had previously exposed the purchase of other real estate; namely, the villas of Zelenskyi’s mother-in-law. It's a lie.

Fact-checkers of the EU vs Disinfo project explained: firstly, just like the first case of buying a villa, the second one is not true. Let’s say, with regard to the so-called villa of Zelenskyi’s mother-in-law, the “investigation material” includes many factual errors. The authors provide a photo of an alleged document about the purchase of real estate, where the future owner of the house is indicated. So the document says that Olha KIYASHKO owns the house, although according to the current standards of the state migration service, the transliteration on all documents would look like this: Olha KYIASHKO. The authors did not prove the authenticity of such a “document” and did not explain where they got it from. That is, the contract for the purchase of the villa at least definitely does not concern Olha Kyiashko.

And the identity of the investigative journalist himself raises many questions. Since, upon request in the search engine, Mohammed Al-Alawi investigative journalist gives only a link to the material about this villa and no additional information about the person - it is most likely that this name was invented. That is, they killed no one, because such a person simply does not exist and no one bought the villa.

Also with the second example of “taking possession” of real estate: quite recently, Russian propagandists were convincing people that the Ukrainian president allegedly acquired the former villa of the main propagandist of the Third Reich. In support of such theses, a video of a “former employee” of a Berlin real estate company was attached. The woman called herself Sabine Mels.

However, it was not possible to establish a connection between the so-called Sabine Mels and the Berlin real estate company. And when asked in a search engine, “Sabine Mels” gives just a link to material about this villa and nothing more. In this case, the situation is repeated: most likely, the name of this person was also invented.

As for the “investigation” video, it was published on an inactive YouTube channel, where there are only three videos. One of these videos is dedicated to the ultra-right movement. The author posted a story from the Indian news service WION about the growing number of sympathizers of the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The second video is called “anti-fascists agreed to tell” and the author himself, throughout the third video, talks about the “purchase” of a villa, wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “Antifaschistische aktion” (anti-fascist action). According to the German Federal Service for the Protection of the Constitution, this movement belongs to left-wing extremists. Anti-fascism (opposition to Nazism and fascism) as an ideology can have different “dimensions” of development: left, liberal, etc. The Federal Service, among other things, cited cases of violence from members of such communities: you can read here.

In the end, 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 buying up real estate with misappropriated funds from Western partners. 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.

Pro-Kremlin media are distributing a photo of a French supermarket, on the window of which a Zelenskyi sticker with the “beggar” inscription was allegedly placed. It's a lie.

This case was investigated by Myth Detector fact-checkers - and first of all, they contacted the store administration to refute the information. Indeed, in the distributed photographs one can see the name of the store, namely Franprix. The company administration denied the fact that such a sticker was placed on the doors of any stores in the French chain. In addition, the image of Zelenskyi, that is, the sticker on the window, was created using graphic editors and inserted into a regular photo of the Franprix store.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines, newspaper columns or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

With the help of Russian propaganda, Zelenskyi was able to appear in various roles, in particular: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction; theft of Western money; a puppet controlled by the West; a monster who throws “everyone in a row” to the front, etc. This is how the Kremlin uses the tactic of imposing shameful epithets.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that in 2023, interest in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the Internet fell by 63%. People became less interested not only in Zelenskyi’s profiles on social networks, but also in content related to the president, interest in which allegedly fell by 47%. Claiming this, Russian propaganda is distributing a video containing the logo of the American online publication Politico, and the information on the video is apparently based on a report from the SocialBlade service.

In fact, the information about a 63% drop in interest in the president on the Internet is false, write fact-checkers from the StopFake project. The same situation applies to the “47% drop in interest” in Zelenskyi-related content. Politico has never disseminated similar information on its official website or on its social networks. Other reputable media outlets also did not report such information. Information about the rapid decline in interest in Zelenskyi, like the fake video with the Politico logo, is distributed exclusively on pro-Russian telegram channels and Facebook groups. Real data from the SocialBlade service regarding the president’s social media profiles can be found on their website. On the platform, you can notice that the number of new subscribers on Zelenskyi’s pages has remained at approximately the same level since July 2022.

Propagandists spread fake information in order to create a picture that Zelenskyi has already got everyone, so foreign media “tend to talk less about Ze”. In addition, Russian propaganda is trying to convince Ukrainians that the West is already tired of the war in Ukraine, so its military support will only weaken. Previously, we refuted information that Zelenskyi was allegedly going to “escape” to the United States in the spring of 2024.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that Diia, the online government service, has begun selling tickets to the commercial show Evening Kvartal (“Evening Quarter”). Propagandists claim that in this way the state is promoting business, in the creation of which the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is involved. “Proof” of such information is a screenshot from the phone, which shows that the Diia mobile application offers the user to buy tickets, also at a discount.

This case was analyzed by the fact-checkers from the StopFake project and they found out that the information was not true. There is only one service in the official Diia app that could potentially offer a concert ticket purchasing feature: Entertainment. However, you can only watch TV, listen to the radio or play the game Drone Army. There is no “buy tickets” option there. It was also not possible to find the corresponding service on the official website of the Diia and the online service’s Facebook page.

In addition, specialists from StopFake contacted the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which is responsible for Diia, with an information request whether Diia really offered users to buy tickets for the Evening Kvartal concert. The press service of the Ministry responded that it was “undoubtedly fake”.

This information dump is intended to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi, as well as the online public service service Diia, which allegedly cannot be considered trustworthy under these conditions. Moreover, according to Russian propaganda, such a “service” as selling tickets through Diia allegedly appeared in addition to another “service” of the mobile application - sending out draft notices for those liable for military service. However, the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly denied information about “draft notices in Diia”. 

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Chalyi said that Ukraine has once again “confirmed the peaceful intentions” of Volodymyr Putin in the Russian-Ukrainian war. This is manipulation.

StopFake project specialists took on the case and determined that the basis for creating this manipulation was the speech of Oleksandr Chalyi during a discussion about the Russian-Ukrainian war in Geneva, which took place in early December 2023. Among other things, the diplomat said that dictator Putin “very quickly” realized his mistake and tried to resolve the conflict with peace treaties - which he ultimately failed. At the same time, anonymous telegrams distorted the context and demonstrated Mr. Oleksandr’s statements as if the head of the Kremlin was trying to end the war “peacefully”.

The Russian dictator developed his public activity in December 2023 - this included his “Direct Line”, where he summed up the results of the year and found it difficult to answer awkward questions and also a meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense. With all this, he demonstrated that his unhealthy desires are unchanged: to take over Ukraine, occupy and seize other territories, and turn it into a satellite of his empire. And it also gives a clear signal that nothing will stop him on the path to capturing Ukraine.

Russia continues to terrorize the Ukrainian civilian population: for example, on the night of December 29, Russia carried out a massive attack on Ukrainian cities. It literally ran everything: it used Daggers, ballistics, S-300, cruise missiles, Shahed type drones, etc. In Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Sumy and Cherkasy regions there are casualties and deaths.

That is, they are not talking about any peaceful ways to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war; Volodymyr Zelenskyi, in an interview with The Economist, assured that he does not see “any fundamental steps towards peace on the part of Russia”.

On anonymous telegram channels they are distributing a photo of the church calendar of the OCU, which supposedly states: January 7, they say, one cannot celebrate Christmas, since then only “Russians and their accomplices” celebrate. And on January 25, the calendar allegedly (at the state level) marks the birthday of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. At the same time, May 25 is the “day of Saint Javelin”. It's fake.

Analysts from the StopFake project investigated the case and found out that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine did not publish such a calendar; it was created by Kremlin minions and then presented as the work of the Ukrainian church. The real church calendar was published on the official website of the OCU - and there is no mention in it of the Ukrainian president or the so-called Saint Javelin. The calendar indicates that on January 25, Orthodox Christians commemorate St. Gregory the Theologian, and on May 25, the Third Finding of the Head of John the Baptist.

Moreover, the false calendar contains numerous errors: the author of “Saint Javelin” is considered to be Christian Borys, and not Chris Shaw, as the fakes wrote; There was also a mistake in writing the surname of the head of Ukraine - they wrote “Zelinsky” instead of “Zelenskyi”. And the word “accomplice” is in most cases used in criminal or judicial contexts. The literary version is “supporter”.

And “Saint Javelin” was never canonized to mark the day in church life. Even during the creation of a mural in Kyiv dedicated to the concept of Our Lady holding a Javelin in her hands, the Ukrainian Council of Churches - an association of Ukrainian religious leaders - opposed its creation. Subsequently, they had to sketch the halo at the request of the local administration.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distributed a video with an advertising banner that appeared to be located in New York. The likely video says, “If Snoop Dogg gave up drugs, you can do it too”. Subsequently, a photo of Volodymyr Zelenskyi appears on the screen. It is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts were able to analyze the case and found out that the video is not real. After all, while watching a video with an advertising banner, they noticed the logo of one of the rehabilitation centers for people with various types of addictions in the United States - namely Wish Recovery. That is, the fake news suggests that it was this establishment that distributed the video on its own behalf. The VoxCheck specialists checked whether the rehabilitation center used a video with Zelenskyi in its advertising communications. It turned out that the Ehab clinic did not publish a similar video on its pages on social networks and it was also not possible to find any mention of it either. Essentially, the “advertising” was compiled using special editors.

Other advertising banners placed alongside the fake video of a rehab clinic indicate that the area itself was filmed at least in the fall. For example, on the screen one can see an advertisement for the song Lollipop by Darell, which was released back in July 2023, and the video was published on October 8, 2023; Allegedly, the song has been advertised for two months. Or an advertisement for the cosmetics brand Charlotte Tilbury, a collection dedicated to the festive period, starting with Halloween 2023. That is, the advertising banners were filmed in advance, and then a video with Volodymyr Zelenskyi was inserted.

With the help of Russian propaganda, Zelenskyi was able to appear in various roles, in particular: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction; theft of Western money; a puppet controlled by the West; a monster who throws “everyone in a row” to the front, etc. This is how the Kremlin uses the tactic of imposing shameful epithets.

This information is disseminated by pro-Russian telegram channels. According to the real estate purchase agreement, the villa was purchased by Film Heritage Inc, a company associated with the current president of Ukraine. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council established that the primary source of this information is allegedly a former employee of the BIM consulting company, Sabina Mels. However, it was not possible to establish the identity of Sabine Mels and her affiliation with BIM, which casts doubt on the existence of such a person. Then the fake news about the villa was spread by pro-Russian resources: the Nigerian publication Independent and the website OKV e.V., the content of which corresponds to pro-Russian rhetoric. It should be noted that previously, Nigerian publications were already involved in the dissemination of fakes about Zelenskyi, in particular, the publication PUNCH.

Propagandists continue to systematically discredit Zelenskyi and the first lady of Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to evoke a negative attitude towards them from Ukrainians. Also, by spreading their lies on behalf of fake foreign publications, Russians are trying to give them more credibility. Previously, we denied information that the foundation of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is allegedly connected with child trafficking.

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing a video that allegedly states that Volodymyr Zelenskyi supported the so-called petition of Ukrainian linguist Iryna Farion for the “dismissal” of Russian-speaking fighters from the Ukrainian Defense Forces. “From now on, we will mobilize only Ukrainian-speaking citizens”, Zelenskyi was quoted. It's a lie.

The Voxcheck specialists analyzed the case and found that there is no such petition on the website of the official Internet representation of the President of Ukraine, and the quote from Volodymyr Zelenskyi was completely invented. Analysts also checked the social networks of the former deputy of the 7th convocation - they did not find any information about the presentation of the petition. And the original source of this video is a TikTok account in which the author systematically disseminates fakes about mobilization, humanitarian aid and creates deepfakes with the participation of Ukrainian politicians. The author also runs a telegram channel, where, according to analysts, he relays Kremlin narratives: for example, he does not call Russia an aggressor.

This fake is most likely spread against the backdrop of Iryna Farion’s scandalous statements about Russian-speaking military personnel on the air of the program “Rendezvous with Yanina Sokolova”. Then she stated that “she cannot call Russian-speaking military personnel Ukrainians”. After all, according to her, if there is no discipline in the army (to study the Ukrainian language - DM), then it is a rabble. Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets appealed to law enforcement officers and the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting to verify Farion’s statements about Russian-speaking military personnel.

Subsequently, on November 8, 2023, she released an email from a Crimean student, which supported his position on the importance of using the Ukrainian language among the military. At the same time, Farion published the letter and did not hide the student’s personal data. Anonymous and pro-Russian telegram channels “thanked” the linguists for the information provided and a few days later they published a video in which the guy confirms that it was he who sent the letter to Farion. In the video, he also said that he was at the Center for Combating Extremism of the Russian occupation Ministry of Internal Affairs and they had an “intelligent conversation” with him. As a result, Dmytro Lubinets contacted the Security Service of Ukraine regarding the disclosure of confidential information.

Now criminal proceedings have been opened against Farion under several articles, in particular, violation of the equality of citizens depending on their race, nationality, regional affiliation, religious beliefs, disability and other characteristics.

Russian propagandists are spreading information in the media that Egyptian investigative journalist Mohammed Al-Alawi, who published material about “Zelenskyi’s mother-in-law’s villa”, was allegedly killed. They say that the relatives of the “deceased” are sure that he was killed because of his professional activities. However, this is fake.

This was found out by specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. In fact, the information about the “murder” is as fictional as the very existence of the so-called Egyptian “investigative journalist”, since there is no information on the Internet regarding such a person, except for the above-mentioned fake article about the “villa of the mother-in-law of the President of Ukraine”.

By disseminating such fakes, according to the Center, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Ukraine and, in particular, President Zelenskyi personally, and is also spreading the myth about the “absence” of freedom of speech in Ukraine and large-scale censorship.

Propagandists are circulating a cover on social media that they claim is a special issue of The Nation magazine. It depicts Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Joe Biden and Henry Kissinger. It is noted that the issue is timed to coincide with the death of Kissinger, who, according to the cover, went to hell and is trying to take Biden with him. In the picture you can see the publication date – November 30, 2023. However, this is fake.

The VoxCheck team noticed it. It found out that The Nation magazine had not published a single issue with such a cover. The publication's website and its pages on social networks do not contain the mentioned issue. In addition, the publication does not have a November 30, 2023 issue.

Propagandists continue to create and distribute fake covers of global publications to create a false impression of resistance to support for Ukraine among foreigners. Thus, they also want to personally discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.  Detector Media also refuted other propaganda fabrications directed against him.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing what appears to be a new cover of the American political publication Washington Monthly. It depicts a Thanksgiving dinner. Volodymyr Zelenskyi is at the table with the Americans, who seem to have eaten all the food, sitting with a full belly and saying: “Thank you! But I need more!”. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated this case and found that none of the issues of Washington Monthly magazine had such a cover. For example, the fake cover states that this is a November-December 2023 issue. The actual cover from this period depicts American President Joseph Biden. There is no mention of Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the cover of this issue.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also repeated in the West.

An audio telephone conversation is being distributed on social networks in the Russian segment, in which Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly criticizes Ukraine’s allies in a conversation with Olena Zelenska. He allegedly claims that his allies are forcing him to fight corruption in the country, but without corruption the presidential administration will supposedly collapse, because “everyone in Ukraine is stealing now”. The messages refer to The Intel Drop. However, this is a lie.

The VoxCheck specialists were able to analyze the case, explaining that the “primary source” of the recording is indeed The Intel Drop - this publication publishes anti-Ukrainian materials containing disinformation or manipulative theses. Moreover, the site quotes statements of Russian politicians. That is, the recording of the “telephone conversation” between Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Olena Zelenska was compiled. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian language is supposedly spoken during the conversation, the characters make numerous spelling and grammatical errors and mostly use Russian words.

For example, such Ukrainian words as “finished”, “wink”, “homeland”, “you understand”  in the interpretation of the hero who pretended to be Volodymyr Zelenskyi were pronounced like Russian ones. And here are Olena Zelenska’s alleged phrases: “it’s in their interests that you wink”, “impossible”, “I understand”. Both the first lady and the Ukrainian president speak Ukrainian at a high level.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing a video allegedly from Euronews, which depicts “graffiti” with Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the image of a maniac from the film “The Shining”, in the interpretation of the creators of street art demanding money. The reports also refer to material from the publication Der Tagesspiegel, which allegedly cites this graffiti as evidence of the growth of anti-Ukrainian sentiment. It is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated this case and found out that Euronews did not publish the video on its social media pages. This means that the probable plot is compiled. In addition, there is no material about the caricature and the growth of so-called “anti-Ukrainian sentiments” in Germany on the Der Tagesspiegel website or on the publication’s social networks.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines, newspaper columns or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Social media users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are disseminating information that allegedly during a telephone conversation, President Zelenskyi expressed a negative attitude towards US President Joe Biden, calling him a “hypocrite” and US Secretary of State Blinken a “clown”. However, the audio recording of this conversation is fake.

This was brought to the attention of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They found out that the audio recording of the conversation was fake and that it was mainly distributed on the X network (formerly Twitter). This is a recording made with the participation of actors with a distinct Russian accent and pronunciation vaguely reminiscent of Zelenskyi and his wife.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists aim to antagonize world leaders and create preconditions for the withdrawal of financial and military support for Kyiv.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks and media about blogger Gonzalo Lira, who is allegedly illegally detained in a Ukrainian pre-trial detention center. They say that Lira was detained because of “criticism of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi”. However, this is fake.

The specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that this information was first published on his X page by American presenter Tucker Carlson, who is a supporter of Donald Trump and criticizes any assistance to Ukraine. Detector Media has already written about dangerous narratives in his author’s program. After Carlson’s statements, American billionaire and head of X (Twitter) Elon Musk demanded an explanation from the Ukrainian side in connection with the arrest of an “American citizen” on Ukrainian territory. Musk also accused Ukraine of torturing Gonzalo Lira.

There is no evidence that Gonzalo Lira was subjected to torture. In addition, in Ukraine there is no criminal liability for criticizing the president. The American blogger was arrested on May 1, 2023 in Kharkiv for violating Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine). In a commentary for the Ukrainian publication NV.ua, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the actions of Ukrainian law enforcement officers to arrest the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira occurred exclusively in accordance with the law. In particular, Gonzalo Lira argued that Ukraine seems to be shelling its own territory, and that the country is led by a neo-Nazi regime.

The SBU documented Lira's activities and handed the blogger a suspicion. In May 2023, the court chose a measure of restraint for him in the form of detention with the possibility of bail. He was initially released under house arrest after posting bail, but in July Lira was arrested again while trying to cross the border into Hungary on a motorcycle. Lira is in a pre-trial detention center in Kharkiv. Court hearings in his case are scheduled for December 12 and 21, 2023.

It should also be noted that Gonzalo Lira denied the facts of the massacre of civilians in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities, disclosed the location of Western journalists and Ukrainian military personnel, and also disseminated their personal information. In addition, Lira defended Putin's motives, arguing that the Russians allegedly take special care to avoid destroying civilian infrastructure or harming civilians. On his social media accounts, the blogger spread a number of previously debunked conspiracy theories, including Russia's claim that there are American laboratories in Ukraine for the production of biological weapons. The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications, in its article “What’s wrong with the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira, for whom Carlson and Musk stood up”, spoke in detail about Gonzalo Lira’s months-long anti-Ukrainian activities. Detector Media previously wrote about other ways Russia uses the opinion of foreigners in the media field.

This information is disseminated by pro-Kremlin resources. As proof, propagandists attach a photo of a “certificate” addressed to Volodymyr Zelenskyi granting him US citizenship. In addition, they add that the President of Ukraine plans to escape not alone, but with his family. For this purpose, it seems that all the relevant documents have already been prepared. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council examined this information. The center has established that the primary source of this “news” is the fake publication The DC Weekly, which has repeatedly spread lies about the President of Ukraine and the First Lady. The photo of the so-called certificate of US citizenship is also not real - its number cannot be found in the database. After all, the author of the material is a fictitious person named Jessica Devlin, whose profile generally contains a photo of actress Judy Batalion.

Accordingly, this fake, within the framework of the narrative about the alleged insignificance and treachery of the Zelenskyi family, aims to discredit the President and First Lady of Ukraine. Another motive for creating this type of disinformation is the desire of propagandists to awaken panic among Ukrainians regarding the future of the country. Previously, we refuted information that the foundation of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is allegedly associated with child trafficking.

Users of social networks that spread pro-Russian rhetoric are distributing a video claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly called on Commander-in-Chief Valerii  Zaluzhnyi to resign from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Allegedly, Zelenskyi said that Zaluzhnyi is involved in politics and elections. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. In fact, such statements are not true, but they are consistent with Russian propaganda narratives that there is a conflict between the president of Ukraine and the commander-in-chief. It has been spreading since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and was accompanied, in particular, by the appearance of a deepfake with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, where he allegedly called Zelenskyi a traitor and called on the military to march on Kyiv. However, there were no statements by the president in which he blamed Zaluzhnyi, and especially with instructions for his dismissal. There were also no decrees on the dismissal of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the website of the President of Ukraine. On November 30, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podoliak, said on Radio Svoboda (Liberty) that the conflict described by Russian propaganda does not exist.

Propagandists spread such fake news to create distrust in the Ukrainian government and create the impression that the situation is not under control. They say that Ukraine is approaching failure due to internal contradictions among those in power. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other fakes about Valerii Zaluzhnyi.