Such information was disseminated in social networks, including the Georgian segment of Facebook. Reports say Zelenskyi has renounced NATO membership, saying he no longer wants to pressure Western officials. The authors of the messages convince readers that Zelenskyi was making concessions to Russia. They also refer to France 24 material. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case, who found that Zelenskyi did indeed say that he would not insist on joining NATO, although he did not indicate that this was because of Russia and pressure on him. The authors of the messages simply distorted the context of the material, which does not even indicate that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is making concessions.

In the material itself, journalists wrote that in the context of NATO membership, Zelenskyi said that he did not want to be the president of a “begging country on its knees”. That is, there are no concessions to Russia, Zelenskyi only said that he would not try to whine about membership and would not insist.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Propagandists in anonymous telegram channels with Russian rhetoric are spreading information that Marilyn Manson has allegedly published a new version of the cover of his album Antichrist superstar on his Instagram stories. It has the word superstar crossed out, a blurry trident in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi with red eyes. Manson allegedly released the cover, along with lines from the song: “I don't like drugs. But drugs love me”. It's fake. 

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They looked through the official accounts of the performer and did not find such a publication, as well as other publications of an anti-Ukrainian nature. In addition, they did not find any material from Ukrainian or foreign media on this matter. The original version of the 1996 album Antichrist superstar features Marilyn Manson himself.

By writing such stories, propagandists want to personally discredit the President of Ukraine and make the population doubt his actions. Allegedly, he continues to wage war, because he is constantly under drugs, and therefore it is necessary to surrender to Russia. However, in this way, Russia also wants to divert attention from its crimes, playing with religious sentiment.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Zelenskyi attended the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19. At the same time when Zelenskyi was delivering his speech, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad allegedly removed his simultaneous translation device “in protest”. Like, the Syrian president ignores Zelenskyi when he talks about Russian war crimes. It is not true.

Reuters fact-checkers took up the case, explaining that Bashar al-Assad was fluent in English and did not need a device to translate into Arabic. At the same time, within the framework of the summit, there was direct communication between officials, which means that no one “ignored” Zelenskyi. Moreover, information about the “protest” of the Syrian president is only published in the Russian segment of social networks.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to show how Zelenskyi is allegedly not favored in diplomatic circles. Like, his speeches are ignored and protested against him. Thus, Russian propaganda distorts reality, portraying the image of Zelenskyi as a failed president.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular on Twitter. Reports say that during Zelenskyi's recent visit to Rome, he wore a jumper with an OUN emblem patch. The authors claim that Zelenskyi supports “Nazism”.

Fact-checkers of the Reuters news agency took up this case and found that the coat of arms of Ukraine was embroidered on Volodymyr Zelenskyi's sweater. That is, it is the Ukrainian national symbol. Fact-checkers also explain, it is quite understandably that the OUN may have used symbols historically associated with Ukraine. Since, first of all, this is the coat of arms of Ukraine, and not the symbols of some organizations / associations. Moreover, the trident was recognized as a Ukrainian symbol long before the existence of the OUN.

By spreading this fake, the propagandists once again speculate on the topic of Ukrainian nationalism and distort it into “Nazism”. It seems that being a Ukrainian is already a reason to receive accusations of Nazism from the Russians. Like, even Europe began to indulge the tricks of Zelenskyi who, without any fear put on “Nazi symbols”.

Pro-Russian users of social networks on Facebook and Twitter are spreading a screenshot allegedly from the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. In a tweet published on December 22, 2018, before the presidential elections in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense allegedly calls Volodymyr Zelenskyi a “naked clown” and an “American puppet”  and urges not to vote for “this piece of shit” because he will “destroy our country with the help of NATO”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Reuters media drew attention to the case. This tweet was not found in a Twitter search on a verified account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Google. Also, searching for news by keywords in English and Ukrainian in Google did not bring any results. Also, Reuters specialists did not find this tweet in the archived versions of the confirmed Ministry of Defense Twitter profile.

Fact-checkers found out that the screenshot was edited. After all, photos posted on Twitter have rounded edges. However, in the screenshot they are square.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, humiliate Volodymyr Zelenskyi and show that even representatives of the Ukrainian authorities allegedly do not respect him.

Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Zelenskyi allegedly sold Ukraine to a Western fund.

Kremlin propaganda media and a network of Twitter bots are spreading the information that Zelenskyi came to a recent meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican wearing a sweater with supposedly Nazi OUN-UPA symbols. It's fake.

The case was noticed by specialists from the StopFake project. Volodymyr Zelenskyi did indeed wear a black sweatshirt to the meeting at the Vatican, but it features a stylized white coat of arms on a black chevron. This image is not the symbol of the OUN-UPA, which was drawn by the Ukrainian graphic artist Robert Lisovskyi and approved in 1932 (yellow coat of arms with a middle element in the shape of a sword on a blue background). The Ukrainian trident has been used in state heraldry for hundreds of years.

Stylization of the emblem of the OUN 1932 and the Ukrainian trident are not Nazi symbols and are not prohibited in the world. Moreover, during the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-1946, none of the national liberation movements, in particular the OUN and the UPA, were found guilty. Nazi and fascist symbols are prohibited in Ukraine by the law “On the condemnation of the communist and national socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols”.

Propagandists systematically spread the narrative that Ukrainians are Nazis and the real killers that Russia is fighting. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to justify Russia's crimes by shifting responsibility from the aggressor to the victim of the aggression. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that Zaluzhnyi had a “bracelet with a swastika”.

We, analysts of Detector Media, repeatedly noticed this thesis while monitoring social networks, in particular, on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Again, the message appeared in the information space as a reaction to the interview of the President of Ukraine for the American edition of The Washington Post, in which he stated: “if there is martial law in effect, we will not be able to hold elections. The constitution forbids holding any elections during martial law”.

Russian propaganda is not in vain raising the topic of elections in Ukraine, because in Russia itself they are now feverishly trying to find a way to hold elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories - ORDLO, Kherson region, Zaporizhzhia, where, according to Russia, martial law has been in effect since October 2022.

Parliamentary elections in Ukraine are to be held on October 29, 2023. However, after the declaration of martial law and in accordance with Article 19 of the Law of Ukraine “On the legal regime of martial law", elections of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada and local governments are prohibited. To hold elections, one must either declare the end of martial law, or make appropriate changes to Ukrainian legislation and obtain the consent of the Constitutional Court on the legality of holding elections under martial law.

Active hostilities and constant attacks by Russians against peaceful cities and villages of Ukraine make it impossible for an act of will to be expressed - polling stations can become easy prey for Russian missiles or drones. In addition, part of the territorial communities are under occupation, so the potential elections would not take into account the votes of local residents. Millions of Ukrainians are out of the country, and if the problem of lack of polling stations near the foreign constituency arose before, now the voting process would be simply impossible. There is also a question about the current voter lists due to the increase in the number of IDPs. A separate issue is the Ukrainian voters who ended up on the territory of Russia. For security reasons, Ukraine liquidated all of its polling stations in Russia back in 2018. Whether this category of citizens will be able to get into the embassies in Georgia, Kazakhstan or Finland to vote is an open question. In addition, it is unlikely that a sufficient number of international observers will be able to come to a warring country. Moreover, elections are billions spent from the state treasury, of which, in the current realities, almost half goes to war. Finally, during martial law, freedom of speech and information may be significantly more restricted than during times of peace. The Russians are well aware of these arguments, but still resort to the tactics of substitution of concepts. Like, elections are impossible not because of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, but because of Zelenskyi's personal whim. Allegedly, he deliberately slows down various processes, impedes the holding of elections in order to stay in power. However, it is Russia that really contributes to the postponement of elections in Ukraine, which continues to conduct active hostilities against Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric report that Volodymyr Zelenskyi sold Ukraine through an agreement with the American company BlackRock. Reports say that from now on, this company allegedly owns “the largest enterprises in Ukraine, which were nationalized from Ukrainian oligarchs”.

Specialists of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. The message comes amid news that the Ukrainian government has begun cooperating with the world's largest investment company, BlackRock. However, in reality, this is not about selling Ukraine to a Western fund, but about valuable cooperation, thanks to which Ukraine will attract foreign investment in the future to restore the Ukrainian economy after the victory. But Ukraine will take the main financial expenses. The funds raised will be directed to the development of agriculture, energy, infrastructure, production, and information technology.

By spreading this message, propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities in the eyes of Ukrainians and emphasize once again that Ukraine depends on the West. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukraine is allegedly a tool of the West to undermine Russian statehood.

The third episode of the Ukraine Inc. cartoon series about Volodymyr Zelenskyi was released by an allegedly French animation studio. The authors write that the cartoon shows the “strict everyday life” of Ukraine, and Zelenskyi sends the Ukrainians to the “meat grinder”. In the third episode, the president of Ukraine changes his face to ask for money from partners, and at the end of the series he tries to escape with this money. It's fake.

According to specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation, it is impossible to find a mention of the French studio on the Internet, and news about the series is spread by the Kremlin propaganda media. Therefore, it follows from this that the Russians themselves created the animated series.

Russian propaganda uses ridicule tactics to create the illusion that the President of Ukraine is despised in Europe. Thus, propagandists are trying to manipulate the feelings of Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the first episode of the Ukraine Inc. cartoon, which says that Zelenskyi, at the request of the West, launches a “military meat grinder”, meaning that he is escorting Ukrainians to death.

Telegram channels spreading propaganda rhetoric reported that Zelenskyi allegedly said he was carrying a gun with him to shoot himself. “It’s even scary to imagine where he wears it”, propagandists write. This is manipulation.

The case drew the attention of specialists from the VoxCheck project. Volodymyr Zelenskyi did say in an interview with Dmytro Komarov that he carries a pistol with him and knows how to shoot, but he needs it for self-defense. In the film “Year. Behind the scenes”, when Komarov asks why he needs a gun, Zelenskyi replies: “No, what are you talking about, we are not killing ourselves. But shooting - yes”.

Russian propaganda is systematically trying to discredit Zelenskyi and sow discouragement among Ukrainian society. Like, Zelenskyi is ready to commit suicide at any moment, and left without a head of state, Ukraine will lose the war. Earlier, Detector Media denied fakes that Zelenskyi allegedly has a Russian passport and allegedly is supporting Russia, because he wears shoes with the letter “Z”.

In the Lithuanian segment of Facebook, information has spread that Volodymyr Zelenskyi wears shoes with the letter Z, a symbol of the Russian invasion. As proof, they added a cropped video from an interview with the President of Ukraine to the German TV channel ZDF, where this letter is clearly visible on his shoes. Also behind the scenes, a man swears and allegedly asks for shoes. This is manipulation.

The journalists of the 15min project drew attention to the case. The sound superimposed on the video is from the meme and does not concern Zelenskyi's shoes. As for the shoes themselves, the President of Ukraine wears New Balance sneakers and the letter N, the brand logo, is embroidered on them. In the video, the President of Ukraine crossed his legs and leaned on the floor with the toe of his sneaker. That is why the letter N became similar to Z.

Russian propaganda is systematically trying to discredit the President of Ukraine, to convince Ukrainians of his insincerity and to impose the opinion that he supports Russia and does not believe in the victory of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Earlier, Detector Media denied fakes that Zelenskyi allegedly has a Russian passport, Ukrainians allegedly protested against him, and he himself seems to be dreaming of uniting part of the territories of Ukraine with Poland.

Propagandists are spreading a photo according to which the British magazine The New European allegedly published a cartoon on the cover of one of its issues, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi sits on the lap of the Dalai Lama who put forward his tongue. Zelensky seems to be saying “I'll suck it if you pay me!”, which is a parody of the situation with the Dalai Lama and the boy to whom he offered to “suck his tongue”. In the drawing, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak glares at the other two characters, and at the top of the drawing is the title: “How much is Britain willing to pay to solve the Ukrainian crisis?”. It's fake.

It was noticed by many fact-checking projects, by particular, in Mythdetector. Project specialists found out that the cover is not real. The real cover of number 337, shown on the fake, features a photo of the current British Prime Minister with the heading: “Rishi Sunak's war on the elites”. In addition, the publication on its Twitter published a photo from the printed issue of the magazine, which, under the heading “Lies of the Week”, depicts the mentioned cartoon.

By publishing fake covers of foreign publications, propagandists want to show that the West seems to understand and support Russia's actions, while Ukraine seems to have tired everyone. Detector Media has already debunked such reports, in particular, “covers” of Charlie Hebdo.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Offensive Guard is a “group of evaders to defend the regime of Zelenskyi”. Like, the brigades of the Offensive Guard are subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which means that they will protect Ukrainian officials from civilians and from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Allegedly, the Offensive Guard will work in the event of mass protests by Ukrainians, hindering freedom of speech.

The fact-checkers of VoxCheck drew attention to the case, and found that the brigades of the Offensive Guards were created to conduct combat operations since the National Guardsmen, policemen and border guards fought at the front even before the full-scale invasion of Russia. The main goal of the Offensive Guard is to form assault brigades that will liberate Ukrainian territory. Currently, 9 brigades are being formed. All these units participated in the fighting, but under a different name or in a different structure.

That is, the Offensive Guard, like the Armed Forces of Ukraine, serve Ukraine and the Ukrainians. This is not an initiative of “individual officials” to introduce their own agenda. The military, on the contrary, protects every Ukrainian man and every Ukrainian woman, and does not interfere with their freedom.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an art object dedicated to Volodymyr Zelenskyi has been created at the Paris City Museum of Modern Art - a nose that “sniffs white powder”. It is not true.

The case was noticed by the specialists of the VoxCheck project, who investigated that it was an object of an exhibition in Italy in 2018, the author devoted it to dependencies. There was no mention of Volodymyr Zelenskyi at the exhibition.

The art object was created by artist Tom Palluh and first presented in September 2018. The exhibition was held in Parma (Italy), at The Mori Center. Palluh’s Instagram account has a selection of stories about this installation, one of which contains photos and videos that are now being circulated online.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that after meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyi, many politicians allegedly “retired or died”. The authors add photos of politicians and military personnel who previously met with Zelenskyi to the publication. The authors of the message add that, for example, Xi Jinping does not want to repeat the fate of his predecessors and meet with the head of Ukraine because of Zelenskyi's “damned handshake”.

The VoxCheck project specialists worked on the case and found that the allegation of “Zelenskyi’s damned handshake” is unfounded. At the same time, in the photo, the propagandists brought both active servicemen and former ones. That is, there is no “certain pattern” between the meeting with the President and the “further fate” of another person. For example, the photo shows the following current politicians: President of the State General Reserve Fund of the Sultanate of Oman Abdulsalam al-Murshidi, Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas, etc. Others remained in office long after meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

That is, the resignation of politicians is not connected with Zelenskyi, they resigned for various reasons and at different times after the meeting with the President of Ukraine.

Propagandists spread information on social networks that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly owns a villa in Florida (USA) worth $35 million, a total fortune of $1.2 billion, 15 houses, three private jets and $11 million of monthly income. It's fake.

Analysts of the CheckYourFact project drew attention to it. They could not find any confirmation of the data indicated by the propagandists. According to Forbes, Zelenskyi's total net worth as of April 2022 reached $20-30 million. There is no evidence of private jet ownership, and his real estate portfolio is valued at $4 million. Zelenskyi owned a $4.6 million villa in Italy but sold it in 2020. Forbes Ukraine and Presidential speaker Serhii Nikoforov, in comments to AFP Fact Check in March of this year, stated that the propagandists' information on this matter was not reliable.

Thus, propagandists want to discredit the President of Ukraine. Allegedly, the Ukrainians are fighting, and he earns in the war. Personal attacks against Zelenskyi often appear in Russian propaganda. In particular, Detector Media has repeatedly written about fake covers of various world publications, directed personally against the President.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the vain Zelenskyi is once again cashing in on the Ukrainians. This time, according to the authors of the messages, Zelenskyi “appropriated”  400 million dollars, which in fact the United States allocated to help the Ukrainians. As proof, the authors of the messages refer to journalistic material published in the “authoritative” media. It's a lie.

The case was noticed by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project, who found out that the thesis about the theft or misappropriation of money by Zelenskyi is unfounded, since the White House did not reveal any violations by Ukraine regarding the use of Western weapons or material assistance. As for the so-called “journalistic material” in the “authoritative” media, this is also not true. This material is published on the author's platform, where everyone can register and publish arbitrary messages. That is, the material was not published in the media, it is only part of the personal blog of journalist Seymour Hersh. At the same time, the information about the misappropriation of money in Seymour's material is not supported by any facts. The journalist refers to sources anonymous to him. Consequently, the fact of misappropriation has not been proven, and the journalist expressed his own opinions and observations.

By spreading this fake, propagandists seek to once again discredit Zelenskyi and show that he does not care about Ukraine and Ukrainians. Allegedly, Volodymyr Zelenskyi is looking for profit in the war and earns on it. In this way, Russian propaganda wants to cause people to distrust high-ranking officials who are dismissive of Ukrainians.

Let us remind you that analysts of Detector Media recently refuted a fake about Zelenskyi having 10 “golden trains”, on one of which he travels to Poland.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say British weekly newspaper The New European has published a cover purporting to show Volodymyr Zelenskyi sitting on the Dalai Lama's lap with a disgruntled British prime minister standing by. Also, on the cover there is the inscription: “How much money is a Briton willing to pay to end the “Ukrainian crisis””. This is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to the case, and determined that such a cover does not exist. Fact-checkers went to the official website of the publication and found that the indicated number of the newspaper on the fake cover (No. 337) had not even been published yet. Now on the official website there is only a newspaper under the number 336.

Propagandists systematically spread fake stories about Ukrainian officials, in particular Zelenskyi, in order to discredit him. Thus, Russian propaganda uses the tactics of ridicule and tries to create the illusion that the leadership of Ukraine is despised in Europe. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

For example, earlier analysts of Detector Media refuted the fake about another cover with the image of Zelenskyi who was numb from the evil Jesus and Putin.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a stand with Zelenskyi has been set up in Milan, which “absorbs money” through the nostril. As proof, the authors attach a shot to their messages, in which people try to move money through the nostril, and a special mechanism “absorbs” them. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council says that the video is not real, since there is no such stand that “takes money” from behind a nostril in Milan. In particular, experts cite a number of signs of a fabricated video:

One of the fragments clearly shows how a couple of venerable age has an “unnatural look”;

The “video material” itself is glued together from many frames, since in this way the authors sought to hide the ongoing manipulations with the video. There was no clear shot from start to finish.

This thesis was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. Reports say that the vain Zelenskyi is spending money inappropriately and has left for Poland on “his golden train”. The authors of the messages add that Zelenskyi has a “dozen more” such trains. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and found that Volodymyr Zelenskyi really went to Poland by a high-class train. However, the so-called “golden” car is not the property of the President of Ukraine. Such cars are provided by the Ukrainian railway company “Ukrzaliznytsia” for more comfortable transportation. In addition, everyone can use the services of such a VIP carriage by paying the appropriate amount for a ticket. For example, a trip from Kyiv to Odesa in November 2021 cost UAH 24,000. At the same time, saloon cars can be ordered from the following cities: Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Dnipro.

That is, Zelensky’s thesis about the “golden train” is untrue, but he really used the services of Ukrzaliznytsia, which provides such cars for everyone to use.

By spreading such manipulation, propagandists want to discredit Zelenskyi. Allegedly, he is wasteful and vain, that instead of helping Ukraine and Ukrainians, he travels on “ten golden trains”. Thus, the authors wanted to oppose the incumbent president and the ex-president, the fugitive and traitor Yanukovych, allegedly Zelenskyi is “nothing better”.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo featured Zelenskyi on the cover, numb to the “evil Jesus” and Putin trying to “keep” Jesus from attacking Zelenskyi. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council says that such a cover does not exist. Fact-checkers went to the official website of the newspaper, and did not find a similar cover. Also, the unreliability of the column is confirmed by the fact that on April 05, 2023 No.1602 was published, but not No.1603, as indicated on the fake cover.

Propagandists systematically spread fake stories about Ukrainian officials, in particular Zelenskyi, in order to discredit him. Thus, Russian propaganda uses the tactics of ridicule and tries to create the illusion that the leadership of Ukraine is despised in Europe. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are distributing a seemingly new cover of the French weekly Courrier International, in which Zelenskyi, with the words “Ukraine needs it more”, steals Easter eggs from French children. Like, the local taxpayers spend a lot of money on the whims of Zelenskyi to support Ukraine. However, this is not true.

According to experts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, the weekly Courrier International has never been published with such a cover. One can verify this by checking the official website of the publication. Another confirmation of the inauthenticity of the cover is that it was published in edition number 1692, although the edition with this number is planned to be released only on April 6, 2023.

This disinformation campaign is aimed at discrediting Ukraine and its President in the eyes of the world community. Let us recall that this is not the first time Russian propaganda has promoted fake covers to denigrate Zelenskyi's reputation. The French cartoon magazine “Charlie Hebdo”, the German satirical magazine “Titanic”, the American weekly “Newsweek”, the French magazine “FRANC-TIREUR” and others have already been used to spread such fakes.

Against the backdrop of news about the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to Poland, disinformation messages appeared in the information space, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, with the help of which propaganda is trying to advance its agenda. A team of analysts of Detector Media has identified the most common of them.

1. Zelenskyi dreams of uniting part of the territory of Ukraine with Poland

Pro-Russian telegram channels spread the message that the main purpose of Zelenskyi’s visit to Poland is to “bring together state institutions”, because “Zelenskyi wants to assimilate with Poland”. The authors of the messages convince readers that the Polish leadership “does not cease to be interested in the western part of Ukraine”, and Zelenskyi will gladly help them and give up the territory.

This is not a new message of Russian propaganda as they systematically claims that they want to tear Ukraine apart and cut off its territories. Like, first of all, Poland wants to seize the West of Ukraine, because it is important for the Poles to restore “historical justice”. Russian propaganda spread a number of fakes and manipulations on this topic. For example, about the recruitment of Poles into the Ukrainian army or about Poland building up its military force to seize the territories of Ukraine.

In fact, the head of the international policy bureau at the Office of the Polish President, Marcin Przydacz, said that the negotiations between Zelenskyi and Duda would cover “the entire spectrum of Polish-Ukrainian relations, starting with security policy”. He even assured that historical issues would be raised during the talks.

However, propagandists need such messages in order to expose Poland as an aggressor and level the assistance that Poland provides to Ukraine in the conditions of war. Allegedly, in fact, Poland is helping Ukraine not because of good intentions.

2. Zelenskyi’s arrival in Poland means the formation of an “anti-Russian coalition”

This thesis was propagated by propagandists to feed the narrative of the existence of a “collective West”. Allegedly, all the actions taken by the Ukrainian leadership are aimed at discrediting Russia. According to the authors of the messages, during the meeting with Andrzej Duda, there were “mentions of Russia”.

It is not about any “anti-Russian coalition”. Of course, the leaders of Poland and Ukraine probably gathered to discuss security issues first of all. However, such negotiations are caused by unprovoked Russian aggression. The so-called anti-Russian coalition is a response to Russia's criminal actions against Ukraine and its civilians. Russian propaganda claims that Zelenskyi is only looking for a reason to convince the whole world that Russia and Russians are bad, but in fact “Western countries are sick with Russophobia”. However, global condemnation and sanctions against the aggressor are the consequences of Russia's criminal actions, and not vice versa, as Moscow wants to present it.

3. Zelenskyi's words should be interpreted as “preparation for the surrender of Bakhmut”

Anonymous telegram channels spread the thesis about the so-called “surrender of Bakhmut by Zelenskyi”. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi deliberately left for Poland in order to divert the attention of Ukrainians and the rest of the world from the “situation” with Bakhmut. According to propagandists, Zelenskyi does not want to receive a stream of negativity in his direction, so he “runs away to Poland”.

As proof, the propagandists quote Zelenskyi from a joint press conference with the President of Poland that “if there are even hotter events and the danger of personnel losses due to the encircling of the city, the appropriate correct decisions will be made on the spot”. However, these words do not indicate that the President of Ukraine is running away from problems. Volodymyr Zelenskyi assesses all the risks and does not talk about the alleged withdrawal of troops from Bakhmut.

Moreover, the authors do not add any evidence confirming the thesis about the “surrender of Bakhmut” in their publications. Thus, they shift the responsibility for what is happening in the city from the Russian army to the Ukrainian president. It was Russia that attacked Ukraine, and it is precisely because of the actions of the enemy army that the situation in individual Ukrainian cities and villages is difficult. However, Russian propaganda whitewashes itself and demonizes the Ukrainian president, who allegedly is not interested in events in his country.

According to the latest data, as of April 4, the Russian army continues to storm the city and concentrate its main efforts for the offensive, in particular in the Bakhmut direction.

4. Most Western leaders meet with Xi Jinping, while Zelenskyi is “only” going to Poland

In this case, the authors of the messages contrast the meeting between the leaders of China and Russia with today's event. Like, Zelensky’s meeting with Andrzej Duda is “window dressing”, and Xi Jinping “meets only influential politicians”, attributing such a title to Putin in particular. So, Zelenskyi “only took advantage of the possible option”.

China expressed its position on Russia's war against Ukraine when, on February 24, 2023, their Foreign Ministry presented a plan to resolve the war. The document contains 12 points, which, according to Beijing, will contribute to the end of the war. Among them are a ceasefire and hostilities, the start of peace talks, and an end to unilateral sanctions.

At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was skeptical about China's plan, arguing that Beijing “does not deserve much credibility” because it “failed to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine”.

China formally recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine and has never declared Russian recognition of Crimea or other Ukrainian regions that Russia wants to seize. However, for example, China is at the time of voting for the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, which provide for the recognition of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. And on the eve of his visit to Moscow, in an article for “Rossiiskaya Gazeta” (Russian Article), Xi Jinping called the war “a total aggravation of the Ukrainian crisis”. In addition, China can supply Russia with weapons to help it continue the war against Ukraine.

However, by spreading such a message, propagandists want to devalue the role of the President of Ukraine and show who really “leads the agenda”: Xi Jinping and Putin. Allegedly, Zelenskyi is not so “influential” to meet such “politicians”.

Propagandists are spreading a video that allegedly in the morning program of the American CBS television channel, during a report on a new concept for toilets that allow one to spend less time in the toilet, they accidentally included footage with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, from which the host of the program starts to laugh. It's fake.

Analysts of the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They claim that in the video that propagandists are distributing, footage with Zelenskyi was added over the original video due to editing. In the original version, there is no video with the President of Ukraine at all, and the presenter starts laughing after the remark that new toilets will save the lives of millions of people. This news program aired on December 19, 2019 on the Boston Regional affiliate of the CBS News network and was hosted by Diana King Hall.

In this way, propagandists want to once again raise doubts about the sincerity of American support and personally discredit Zelenskyi. Like, why does one need such a president, even if they laugh at him during reports about toilets. This is far from the first personal attack by propagandists against the President of Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly debunked fake covers of foreign media, where Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly ridiculed.