The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the German Embassy in the Philippines have firmly denied claims by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova that Filipino citizens are allegedly being recruited to take part in the war against Russia on Ukraine’s side.

This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications.

Zakharova claimed that an alleged recruitment scheme was operating in the Philippines through the U.S. company RMS International, which supposedly promised earnings of $5,000, training by U.S. instructors, and the issuance of Schengen visas at the German Embassy in Manila.

MFA spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told the Center for Strategic Communications that these claims are groundless fabrications.

“These statements have no factual basis whatsoever and do not correspond to reality. Ukraine and the Philippines have strong, friendly, and dynamic bilateral relations based on mutual respect, trust, and commitment to international law. This was confirmed just yesterday during a telephone conversation between the Presidents of the two countries,” the MFA representative said.

The ministry emphasized that such statements are another element of Russia’s systematic disinformation campaign. Previously, the Kremlin spread similar fakes, including claims about alleged “recruitment” in South Korea. Now Russian propaganda is targeting countries in Southeast Asia.

Kremlin media and social media users are spreading claims that Ukraine is allegedly recruiting citizens of South Korea to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As “evidence”, the propaganda shows photos of posters supposedly put up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the streets of Seoul.

This was reported by StopFake.

The propaganda materials claim that the ads call on Koreans to join the Ukrainian army and promise a “special right to obtain Ukrainian citizenship”. Propagandists assert that this allegedly indicates “panic” in Kyiv.

The author of the circulated photographs is said to be Alan Kellow, a contributor on the Medium platform, where anyone can publish. He claimed that he had allegedly seen such posters while walking around Seoul.

The photos show contact details belonging to the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea. At the same time, there is no information on the embassy’s official resources about recruiting foreigners. Fact-checkers contacted the embassy for clarification and received a response confirming that these materials are fake.

“We inform you that neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine nor the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea distributed such leaflets,” the diplomatic mission emphasized.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also confirmed that the posters are fake and are part of another Russian disinformation campaign.

In response to an inquiry from the Center for Strategic Communications, MFA spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that Ukraine has no connection whatsoever to the distribution of such materials, and that similar provocations have recently been recorded in other countries as well. According to him, this indicates a systematic attempt to discredit Ukraine abroad.

Russian propaganda media and Telegram channels are spreading an edited video allegedly taken from a broadcast of the Ukrainian TV channel “Kyiv”. In the clip, a man presented as a serviceman proposes “chipping” all mobilized Ukrainian men in order to prevent unauthorized absence from their units. In reality, this is a fabrication.

Ukrinform reports this.

The propagandists altered the image of the program’s guest using graphic editing tools and overlaid a fake audio track. The fake was shared, among others, by the Russian so-called “opposition figure” Yuliya Latynina.

In the original news broadcast on November 11, the host was speaking with Dmytro Kukharchuk, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The discussion focused on the issue of unauthorized absence from units and the situation in the Kupiansk direction, but no statements about “chipping” servicemen were made. The fake video features a completely different person.

At the same time, Russian Telegram channels are spreading a photo allegedly from a Ukrainian school, where a so-called “desk of shame” was supposedly installed for children whose parents went AWOL.

This image is also fake – it was generated by artificial intelligence. This is confirmed by AI-detection services such as WasitAI, Reversely, and DecopyAI.

Both fabrications are part of another Russian information and psychological operation aimed at inciting conflict between the Ukrainian authorities, the military, and society.

On social media, particularly in the Polish segment of Facebook, alleged photos of an overweight man in a Ukrainian military uniform are being actively shared. The authors of these posts claim that he is an officer responsible for mobilization in the Ukrainian army, and that his appearance supposedly proves that international aid “does not reach those who truly need it”. Such posts have attracted hundreds of comments and shares. In reality, no such person exists, and the image was generated by artificial intelligence with the aim of fueling anti-Ukrainian sentiment. The fake was debunked by Polish fact-checkers from Demagog.

The image comes from a video that originally appeared on TikTok. A closer look at the clip reveals signs of AI generation: for example, the chair blends into the background, the shadows on the clothing “move” unnaturally, and the positioning of the character’s hands looks artificial. In the video, the supposed “officer of the Zhytomyr Territorial Recruitment Center” says, “Our team is against a ceasefire”. At the same time, the audio is out of sync with the movements of the lips in the footage.

To confirm this, Demagog fact-checkers analyzed the frame using the specialized tools Hive AI and Sightengine – both indicated a probability of over 90% that the content was generated by artificial intelligence.

The TikTok account that posted this video is filled with similar content of a pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian nature. The profile description contains a link to a closed Telegram channel called “MATRYOSHKA”. When attempting to join it, users are asked provocative questions, such as “Whose is Crimea?”, which indicates the channel’s propagandistic nature.

Posts featuring this image gained significant traction: one of them received more than 1,000 reactions and over 200 shares. In the comments, many users perceive the photo as real. One commenter wrote: “This person is sick, and only people like this serve in the Ukrainian army, because the healthy and strong are in Poland”. Another added: “This war is strange—they stuff themselves with food, relax at resorts, drive luxury cars, carry money in shopping bags, get positions without rights, and want to be in our government”.

Such fakes are aimed at undermining trust in Ukraine and spreading anti-Ukrainian narratives within Polish society.

In early November, a video circulated on the Georgian segment of Facebook showing a young man in military uniform. He is crying, claiming that he is being forcibly sent to the front, that he does not want to die, and urging viewers to share the video. The accompanying caption reads: “Clowns are forcing young people to fight”. Many commenters perceived the person in the video as a Ukrainian soldier. This fake was debunked by Georgian fact-checkers from MythDetector.

In reality, this is an AI-generated video containing a manipulative appeal related to military assistance. It features errors characteristic of artificial intelligence, and its original source is a TikTok account that had previously uploaded similar fake content.

The video shows technical flaws typical of AI-generated material. The speaker’s face and tears appear artificial: the image is overly smooth, and the tears on his chin and nose shine unnaturally. If you look closely at the glasses, in some places they seem to merge with the face.

In addition, there is a patch on the uniform where the soldier’s surname should be written, but instead it displays blurred, unreadable symbols – a common issue in AI-generated imagery.

According to the caption, the video originated from the TikTok account fantomoko, which has since been blocked. Myth Detector fact-checkers analyzed similar videos previously shared by this user. For example, in one AI-generated video that circulated in Russian- and Georgian-language communities, a “Ukrainian soldier” claimed he was 23 years old and had been forcibly mobilized.

As of November 4, the fantomoko account contained several similar pieces of content. Some depicted “Ukrainian soldiers”, while others showed figures wearing uniforms with a Russian flag. The themes varied – from tearful complaints about being forced into war to a scene in which a person holds a Ukrainian flag near the Kremlin.

These videos were also investigated by the Italian fact-checking platform Open, which identified the person whose face was used for the AI generation. It turned out that one of the “characters” whose face most frequently serves as a template is a Russian video blogger with the nickname kussia88, known on YouTube as KASHA STREAM. A comparison of facial features confirms that it was his likeness that was used in the fake video.

Russian propagandists and networks affiliated with them spread such AI-generated fakes to manipulate public opinion, especially in countries where there is potential skepticism about supporting Ukraine.

A fake is being spread online claiming the alleged capture of 277 soldiers “in the very center of Pokrovsk”. The post is presented as a sensational story, but the information has no confirmation. The post itself does not specify which military personnel are supposedly involved. Official sources and international media have not reported any mass capture on such a scale, VoxCheck reports.

The fake, which appeared in early November, is based on a manipulative publication by the website “Life in Details”, which, without any evidence, refers to a journalist from The Economist. The actual article in The Economist contains no such data. Moreover, the photos used to illustrate the “news” were taken from unrelated events: one image has been circulating since 2022, while another is a frame from a video by the 79th Brigade published as far back as January 4, 2025.

Similar anonymous pages quite often spread distorted or false information in order to boost their reach. Disinformation mechanisms are also used in other information attacks – as previously discussed in the case of Russian information-psychological operations (IPSO) farms and a series of TikTok videos in which AI-generated “soldiers” allegedly report the complete encirclement of Kupiansk and a catastrophic situation at the front.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are actively spreading an edited screenshot of an article from a Ukrainian media outlet, claiming that a serviceman of the 158th Separate Mechanized Brigade was allegedly detained in Chernivtsi Oblast for storing a TNT block. According to their version, the soldier supposedly planned to use the explosives to take revenge on his commander for “abuse”. This photo fake was debunked by experts from VoxCheck.

A check of the information source showed that the propagandists altered the original headline of the article.

The information about the alleged detention of a “serviceman of the 158th Separate Mechanized Brigade who stored explosives” is a deliberate disinformation plant and a manipulation aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and creating a false picture of internal discord.

A video is actively circulating on social media, particularly on TikTok, in which a woman emotionally claims that her husband, a serviceman, has gone missing and that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is completely covering up the situation. She also alleges that half of the personnel in his brigade have supposedly disappeared. This is a high-quality video fake (deepfake) created using artificial intelligence technologies. The fake was debunked by experts from VoxCheck.

VoxCheck experts conducted a thorough analysis of the video, which confirmed that it is not authentic:

The TikTok account that posted this fake video is systematically used to spread AI-generated content aimed at discrediting Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

Propagandists rely on the same manipulative themes and visual archetypes to provoke maximum public reaction and distrust toward military command:

This video is part of a coordinated enemy information operation aimed at demoralizing society, undermining trust in military leadership, and spreading panic by using realistic but entirely fake “testimonies” generated by AI characters.

In Polish social media, a video is being widely shared showing a group of Ukrainian soldiers near the district hospital in Stalowa Wola (Poland). This sparked a wave of outrage and speculation: some users and politicians claimed that the soldiers allegedly received medical care ahead of Polish patients, putting an extra burden on the local healthcare system. However, as Polish fact-checkers from Demagog found, this is a manipulation.

Social media users claimed that these men were “burdening” the Polish healthcare system or were being treated out of turn, forcing Poles to wait in queues. The topic was picked up by some Polish politicians, including Włodzimierz Skalik of the Confederation of the Polish Crown and Konrad Berkowicz from the New Hope party. Berkowicz, for example, stated: “Ukrainians are being hospitalized in our hospitals at the expense of Poles who are standing in queues. The case of Stalowa Wola is not an isolated incident; it is a symptom of a country that puts foreign interests above principles. We are not masters in Poland. We are giving up territory to foreigners in our own country”.

Such claims quickly gained traction, but they are based on assumptions rather than facts and resemble Russian narratives aimed at polarizing society.

Official responses

Poland’s Ministry of National Defence (MON) and the head of Stalowa Wola county, Janusz Zarzeczny, quickly responded to the rumors. In a statement posted on X on November 3, 2025, MON emphasized that there are no laws or regulations in Poland that give Ukrainian soldiers priority in medical care over Polish patients: “There are no legal provisions in Poland that guarantee medical treatment in hospitals for Ukrainian soldiers instead of Polish patients. This attempt at manipulation fits the Russian narrative aimed at stirring negative emotions and polarizing Polish and Western society,” the official statement said.

According to Janusz Zarzeczny in an interview with Wirtualna Polska, the soldiers were undergoing scheduled screening tests as part of training at a nearby training ground in Lipy. These procedures were not financed by the National Health Fund (NFZ) but were provided on a commercial basis, with the costs covered by the Ministry of National Defence. “These are invoices amounting to hundreds of thousands of zlotys. This is additional income for the hospital,” Zarzeczny explained.

The hospital does not serve only Ukrainian soldiers. In a specially separated part of the building, similar tests are carried out for soldiers from Slovakia, Norway, and France who are also training in the region. This is standard practice for foreign units and does not affect queues for local residents.

The level of health insurance contributions and the cost of treatment for Ukrainians in Poland

In the context of the debate on Ukrainians’ access to Poland’s healthcare system, it is worth noting that according to available data, in 2024 the treatment of people from Ukraine cost 2.24 billion zlotys, compared to 1.95 billion zlotys the year before. Revenue from health insurance contributions paid by Ukrainian citizens to the National Health Fund (NFZ) amounted to 3.8 billion zlotys and 3.1 billion zlotys in those years, respectively.

This means that health insurance contributions paid by Ukrainians exceed the costs of their medical treatment in Poland. In 2024, the surplus amounted to 1.56 billion zlotys, and in 2023 to 1.15 billion zlotys.

This story is a typical fake that exploits emotions and national prejudices. A video taken out of context is easy to misinterpret, while politicians and bots on social media amplify it for their own purposes. MON directly points to links with Russian narratives that seek to sow discord between Poland and Ukraine.

Russian propaganda has launched a new video fake to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Enemy Telegram channels are spreading a clip in which a so-called “Ukrainian soldier”, tied to a tree, is allegedly being punished by his commanders “for drinking”.

This was flagged by fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

This is a fake, analysts say. Deepfake detection services confirm that the man’s face was generated by AI. In reality, such “punishments” are a typical practice in the Russian army itself. There are numerous videos online showing Russian soldiers being tied up and beaten for disciplinary violations.

Such videos, spread by hostile Telegram channels, are aimed at Ukrainians who are hesitant about mobilization, relatives of service members, and residents of frontline regions. By showing alleged “punishment” for drinking in the form of being tied to a tree, the enemy seeks to sow fear and distrust toward military command and to discourage people from serving.

For the international community, through translated versions, a narrative is being created that “both sides are equally brutal”, which blurs the moral distinction between the aggressor and the victim and reduces support for Ukraine.

Russian media are spreading false claims that “Nazi crosses” are being installed at the National Military Memorial Cemetery in Ukraine, allegedly similar to those used at German military graves during World War II. This claim is not true.

This was reported by VoxCheck.

The design of the National Military Memorial Cemetery includes the installation of the Cossack cross – a traditional Ukrainian symbol that has no connection whatsoever to Nazi burials. Cemeteries of the Third Reich used a completely different symbol – the Iron Cross.

The National Military Memorial Cemetery was established in 2022 and officially opened in August 2025. According to the government-approved project, two types of gravestones are developed: the Cossack cross and a memorial plaque. These forms were officially approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

The Cossack cross is an element of Ukraine’s military and spiritual tradition. It has been used in the burial of warriors since Cossack times and symbolizes honor, remembrance, and faith. This cross is part of the symbolism of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, the Security Service of Ukraine, as well as certain state awards and departmental insignia.

By contrast, the Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz), which was indeed used in German military burials, has a completely different origin. It was established in 1813 in Prussia as a military decoration. In 1939, Nazi Germany reinstated the award and added the swastika to it – an element that became a symbol of totalitarian ideology.

The Cossack cross and the Iron Cross differ in both form and symbolism. The Cossack cross has straight edges and a simple geometric design, while the Iron Cross is characterized by curved edges, a dark core, and a silver frame. The former is a religious and cultural symbol, while the latter is a military decoration that was later used by the Nazis in their propaganda.

The Cossack cross has existed for centuries, long before the emergence of Nazism, and contains no ideological elements associated with the Third Reich. Moreover, modern Russia also has awards in the shape of a cross – for example, the St. George Cross, whose form may visually resemble the German order. This further demonstrates the groundlessness of accusations of “Nazism” based solely on the external similarity of symbols.

Russian propaganda continues to spread false claims about alleged “atrocities committed by Ukrainian soldiers against the civilian population of Donbas”. This time, Russian propaganda outlets are promoting a fabrication that Ukrainian troops supposedly “use civilians to clear roads of mines in Pokrovsk”. According to this narrative, local residents are allegedly forced to walk along mined roads so that they would “neutralize the mines with their bodies”. The only “evidence” cited for this story is the words of a single Russian occupier. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

Russian Telegram channels are spreading a screenshot of what is allegedly a Facebook post by the National Police of the Sumy region. The fake message claims that a conflict occurred in the village of Nyzy in Sumy district between soldiers and local residents, during which fighters of the 95th Separate Assault Brigade supposedly killed three people. This was reported by VoxCheck.

In reality, the post is completely fabricated. The National Police of the Sumy region did not publish any information about such an incident, and no such event took place. A review of the official pages and website of the Sumy Regional Police confirms that no such message exists. The police press service also debunked the fake, stressing that the post is a forgery and that the described events never happened.

On social media and anonymous Telegram channels, a screenshot of a headline from a Ukrainian news outlet is being circulated, claiming that a serviceman of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade allegedly attacked a man with a knife in Kharkiv during an argument over a parking space. However, this is a photo fake and a manipulation, VoxCheck experts have determined.

The original news headline was altered by propagandists in order to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This photo fake is part of a systematic Russian propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting Ukrainian military personnel. By falsely linking a specific combat brigade (the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade) to a domestic crime, the adversary seeks to sow distrust and division between civilians and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian propaganda sources are spreading a story about a soldier from the 22nd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who allegedly left the army, returned home, and later killed his partner. The soldier is described as extremely ‘unstable and inadequate’, with his comrades supposedly claiming that he was “on special watch” by his superiors and subjected to physical torture for refusing to contribute to the brigade's ‘needs’.

In reality, this information is false. The incident actually occurred in the Sumy region. On January 15, 2025, the Sumy Regional Police reported the arrest of a man who killed his partner during a conflict that arose between them at a gathering.

However, official resources from the Sumy Regional Police did not mention that the arrested man was a soldier from the 22nd Mechanized Brigade who had left the army. This claim was not found in the local news article from the Dancor Online portal, nor in any other regional resources from Sumy. This is a fabrication by Russian propaganda.

There are also no comments from the command of the 22nd Brigade or the soldier’s comrades regarding the incident, which contradicts the claims made by propagandists. The man was not an active soldier at the time of the incident.

The actions of the suspect were classified under Article 115 (intentional murder) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He faces up to 15 years in prison for his actions.

In the context of recent news about the mass occurrence of desertion and leaving the army, Russian propagandists are spreading such disinformation to undermine trust in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and create panic within Ukrainian society. To address this issue, in November 2024, the Verkhovna Rada passed Law No. 12095 on voluntary return to service for those who first left their military units or deserted.

Earlier, we analyzed Russian disinformation claiming that a soldier who left the army found and raped a police officer who had previously mobilized him.

Propagandists are spreading claims that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have allegedly mined the rear, installing two million explosive devices. However, this is false.

This is reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Its experts have determined that manipulations concerning the ‘mining of territories by the AFU’ are actively used in Russian propaganda. In July 2024, they falsely claimed that explosives were supposedly placed under dams and bridges in Odesa. In reality, it was Russian forces who, retreating from Kherson in 2022, left behind numerous mines. They mined roads, residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and other civilian objects, creating threats to civilians. Because of this, Ukraine has become one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world. According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the contaminated area covers approximately 139,000 square kilometers. Annual economic losses due to this amount to $11.2 billion. The occupiers' mining of territories has already caused over 760 civilian casualties, including 86 children. These tragedies are a direct consequence of Russia's war crimes and its tactics of terror against Ukraine.

Propagandists disseminate this disinformation for several purposes. Specifically, they aim to convince international audiences and Ukrainians of the alleged incompetence or bad faith of Ukraine's military command. Such propaganda is also designed to create panic and despair among the population, fostering the perception that Ukrainian authorities act against their own citizens. Moreover, by doing so, Russia seeks to shift responsibility for mining onto Ukraine to divert attention from Russia's war crimes, including the mining of civilian facilities.

Pro-Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that 70% of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel use alcohol to fall asleep, and that 80% of those with an addiction had already encountered this problem before mobilization.

However, this is a manipulation that experts from VoxCheck have drawn attention to. In late December 2024, Hromadske published an article in which military personnel expressed their views on the situation with alcohol in the army. However, there is no official data on the level of addiction among military personnel.

Indeed, a company commander did note that some soldiers may drink alcohol to fall asleep: “I think about 70% of personnel take 50 grams just to sleep peacefully. But there’s a difference between drinking for sleep. One person takes a little, sleeps, and is ready for any task in the morning. The other can’t get out of bed without 100 grams. It’s these people who are the problem. They drink as long as they have something to drink, and they always do”.

At the same time, the senior sergeant of the 93rd Brigade noted that someone who didn’t abuse alcohol before joining the army won’t become an alcoholic in the military. According to his observations, about 80% of soldiers who abuse alcohol already had such a problem in civilian life.

Through this manipulation, propagandists are trying to deflect attention from problems in the Russian army by creating a distorted reality. For example, according to a 2023 report by the UK Ministry of Defence, referencing a Russian Telegram channel, information was released about the “exceptionally high” number of incidents, crimes, and deaths among Russian soldiers caused by alcohol use. 

“Russian commanders likely see widespread alcohol abuse as a serious threat to combat effectiveness. However, since alcoholism is common in Russian society, it has long been tacitly accepted as an inherent part of military life, even during combat operations”, noted British intelligence.

Russian agitprop manipulates facts to discredit the Ukrainian army, creating an impression of its weakness and moral decay. Such manipulations aim to undermine trust in the Ukrainian Armed Forces both among Ukrainians and international partners, as well as demoralize society.

Russian propagandists claim in the media that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are allegedly preparing a ‘new Bucha’ in Sudzha and are using civilians as human shields. However, such reports are part of an information campaign aimed at concealing a war crime committed by Russian forces - specifically, the killing of a civilian resident of Russia during an airstrike on an orphanage in Sudzha.

This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Its experts assert that in this case, the responsibility for the deaths lies with the Russian authorities, who refuse to organize humanitarian ‘green corridors’ for evacuation, while continuing to shell their own citizens using aviation and artillery. On the other hand, Ukrainian soldiers strictly adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law: they provide civilians with access to drinking water, food, medications, hygiene products, and also offer medical assistance. Meanwhile, during the occupation of the Bucha district of Kyiv in 2022, Russian war criminals killed at least 1,190 Ukrainian civilians.

Propagandists spread such fake news for several reasons, aiming to achieve political, military, and psychological goals. Such statements divert attention from the war crimes committed by the Russian army. Creating a false narrative of Ukraine's ‘guilt’ allows the actions of Russian soldiers to be justified as those of ‘defenders’. Propaganda shapes a false picture of events for Russian citizens, justifying the war as ‘defense’ against an imagined threat. The creation of an enemy image, which is allegedly committing crimes, strengthens support for the war among the population. Through such fakes, the Russians also seek to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the international community, portraying it as a violator of international law. Such statements often serve as informational cover for future provocations or terrorist acts that the Russian side plans to carry out, but attempts to blame Ukraine for them.

Russian anonymous Telegram channels are actively circulating a video claiming that a sniper from the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine allegedly killed several pensioners near Pokrovsk. This is being presented as another fabricated ‘war crime’ by Ukrainian forces. In reality, this is a complete fake.  

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security reports that propagandists distorted the context, portraying Russian soldiers as ‘pensioners’ in their disinformation. The original video, published by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense Intelligence, shows a person in camouflage carrying a water bottle in their left hand and a rifle in their right hand. This clearly identifies the individual as a combatant, not a civilian, as falsely claimed by Russian propaganda.  

This is not the first instance of such disinformation. Since early January, Russian propaganda resources have been spreading dozens of synchronized fake reports, aiming to manipulate public opinion. In the first half of January alone, over 600 fake messages were detected on Telegram, alleging ‘murders’ of civilians, prisoners, and the wounded, allegedly committed by Ukrainian forces.  

These disinformation campaigns are designed to undermine trust in Ukrainian military personnel and distort the reality of the war. A central tactic of Kremlin propaganda is to depict Ukraine’s armed forces as ‘criminals’ committing acts of violence against civilians. Propagandists seek to reverse the narrative, presenting Ukraine as the aggressor while framing their own war crimes, such as killing civilians and destroying infrastructure, as defensive actions.  

By spreading such fake stories, Russian propaganda also aims to weaken international support for Ukraine and justify their military operations by shifting the blame for violence onto Ukraine.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are circulating a purported NBC News clip claiming that Ukrainian hackers allegedly hacked WhatsApp and began sending mass fake news to Americans about Ukraine's military successes and minimal losses in the Russia-Ukraine war. Propagandists mockingly comment that “when victory doesn’t happen in reality, Ukrainians decided to bring it closer in WhatsApp”.  

In reality, this information is false, as reported by VoxCheck. Using Google’s reverse image search, it was discovered that the video features Gadi Schwartz, a reporter from NBC News' Stay Tuned NOW program. The fake news used a snippet from a segment titled The Future of Everything published on NBC News’ official YouTube channel on December 4, 2024.  

While the original NBC News segment did mention a large-scale hacking attack on nearly all major U.S. communications companies, the report attributed the attacks to China, not Ukraine.  

Additionally, the segment includes an interview snippet with Chris Krebs, the former director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. In the actual NBC News report, Krebs comments on China's cyberattacks on U.S. telecommunications systems, not on any actions by Ukraine.  

This is not the first instance of Russian disinformation regarding NBC News. Previously, similar claims were made, alleging that an American official admitted on NBC News that U.S. intelligence data on Russia was mostly fabricated - a claim also proven false.

Pro-Russian Telegram channels have been circulating a video, allegedly showing a Ukrainian soldier being executed for refusing to fight. The propagandists claim that such incidents are widespread, but are supposedly not being reported.

However, this video is a staged production. In the footage, the man, who is said to have refused to fight, is purportedly executed by hanging. However, the victim’s hands are not visible, suggesting that the individual is likely holding onto something above him. If this were truly an execution by hanging, the hands would logically be tied behind his back to prevent any chance of escape.

Another indication that the video is staged is the language used by the ‘Ukrainian soldier’ carrying out the ‘execution’. He asks the man, “Are you really refusing to defend our country?” in broken Ukrainian. Moreover, the pixelated uniform worn by the man posing as the ‘Ukrainian soldier’ could have been acquired in battle and used for such propaganda purposes.

This video is yet another example of Russian-produced staged propaganda. Previously, we have analyzed similar faked videos, including:

- (Fake) Ukrainian soldiers shooting ‘foreign mercenaries’ in the Ukrainian Armed Forces;

- (Fake) Russia Today publishing footage of a ‘captured Ukrainian saboteur’ detained in the Kursk region;

- (Fake) Posters with an ‘expired’ Zelenskyi appearing in Kyiv.

A disinformation video is being spread on social media claiming that Ukraine is leading the world corruption ranking among other countries. Dozens of completely identical posts, which have garnered thousands of views and hundreds of comments, also claim that Ukraine, despite being ‘the world’s most corrupt country’, is ‘the last in terms of salaries’.

However, the disinformation videos lack any references to the source of the primary information. The authors of the posts do not provide any data on which ratings they refer to or where the corresponding figures came from.

The level of corruption perception in the world is measured by many private companies, but the most extensive rating is provided by the independent organization Transparency International in its annual studies. According to the results of 2023 (the rating for 2024 has not yet been published), Ukraine scored 36 points out of 100 possible in the global Corruption Perceptions Index and ranked 104th among 180 countries. At the same time, Ukraine showed an increase in the rating by 3 points - this is one of the best results in 2023 in the world. Thus, Ukraine ranks approximately in the middle of the rating and is very far from the title of ‘the most corrupt country in the world’.

The Center for Countering Disinformation reports that Russian propagandists continue to implement an information operation aimed at discrediting the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are performing tasks in the Pokrovsk area. In particular, the Russians are spreading new fakes about ‘mass killings of civilians’. The propagandists lie that the Ukrainian military is killing civilians who are allegedly moving towards Russian positions in search of salvation.

Russia seeks to intimidate the people who still remain in the city, turn them against the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and disrupt the evacuation from Pokrovsk. Finally, the Center for Countering Disinformation adds that Russia intends to use the civilian population as a ‘human shield’ to deter the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Previously, we analyzed disinformation about the alleged mass registration of Ukrainians in Pokrovsk ‘to become Russian citizens after the occupation of the city’.

Russian propaganda sources are spreading a fake video by the American online publication Wall Street Journal that claims that Ukrainian soldiers from “nationalist battalions” are receiving medical care at the frontline, as WSJ journalist Ben Solomon allegedly reported.

“Hundreds of ordinary soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are dying on the battlefield because of this unspoken rule”, they write in the video.

However, this information is not true, as reported by VoxCheck. The Wall Street Journal did not publish such a video, and Ben Solomon did not make similar statements. That is, Russian propagandists created another fake video with a link to a well-known reliable media outlet to promote narratives aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian army.

Thus, Russian propaganda speculates on the topic of the unprofessionalism of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the contemptuous attitude of the Ukrainian command towards soldiers in order to undermine the trust of Ukrainians in the army. In addition, propagandists demonize the term “nationalism” in the context of choosing a conscious path for Ukrainian society. First of all, in order to split the population of Ukraine into camps of “their own” and “alien”.

Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that 76,000 Ukrainian soldiers from the Lviv region died at the front. In addition, propagandists write that, according to Chinese estimates, the total losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces exceeded 1.8 million people killed.

However, this is disinformation, the VoxCheck project reports. In fact, Russian resources do not provide any confirmation of this data - they do not indicate the source of the statistics on the number of dead fighters from the Lviv region. That is, it is unknown where the information came from that the number of dead exceeds 76 thousand from just one region.

It is worth noting that the Lviv Regional Military Administration or other representatives of local authorities have not commented on the losses of military personnel from their region. In turn, the thesis “China confirmed 1.8 million losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” has been spread on Russian channels since at least April 2024. However, the situation is similar here, there are no official comments from China on the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in open sources.

On December 8, 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi wrote on his Telegram channel that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, and another 370,000 have been injured.

International media are also counting losses in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The latest estimate was published in The Economist on November 26, 2024. According to the publication's journalists, at least 60-100 thousand Ukrainian soldiers died in the war and, probably, about 400 thousand more were wounded. The journalists based their calculations on data on the death of soldiers from merged or published reports of intelligence services, comments from representatives of defense structures, researchers, and observers.

However, it is currently almost impossible to verify either President Zelenskyi’s data or the data of international analysts from open sources. The Economist does not provide links to all the sources it considered in its calculations, and points out that they are difficult to verify independently.

Previously, we recorded a fake video that the hosts of an American TV show were “laughing” at a story about the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.