Spilnota Detector Media

Message The counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army in the south of Ukraine can be considered a failure

 This thesis is actively spread by the Kremlin propaganda media. Like, an attempt at a counteroffensive undertaken by the Armed Forces of Ukraine failed instantly, and the Ukrainian army is not capable of anything. In such reports, Ukraine is called a helpless puppet of the West, which allegedly prompted the start of a counteroffensive right now. According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, the Russian Defense Ministry launched an information operation to present Ukraine's counteroffensive as a decisive failure almost immediately after it was announced - on August 29. Several well-known military bloggers — even those who have been critical of the Kremlin — are pushing the message, according to the Institute. The Institute also reports that there are those who are spreading the message that the Western leaders of Ukraine pushed Ukraine to launch a counter-offensive prematurely and/or too late for “political” reasons. In fact, it is too early to talk about the results of the counteroffensive, if it is successful or not. At the same time, it is beneficial for Russia to say that the Ukrainian offensive is failing in order to create the appearance of its power and invincibility.

Fake In the Donbas, wounded Ukrainian soldiers and locals with pro-Russian views become victims of black transplants

Anonymous telegram channels and Russian media write about this with reference to the militant of the so-called LNR, "representative of the people's militia of the LNR" Andriy Marochko. Allegedly, on the territory where hostilities are taking place, wounded Ukrainian servicemen and local residents with pro-Russian views are disappearing somewhere. Marochko says that he allegedly has evidence of the work of "Western transplantologists" who transport organs and Ukraine, and then to the West. It is not true.

Organs removed from the body remain viable for a limited period of time, during which it is impossible to transport them from the war zone in Donbas to the West. Organ retrieval requires a team of specially trained personnel of at least 6-8 surgeons. Transplantation is always targeted, based on a series of compatibility criteria. For this, a preliminary medical examination of both the donor and the recipient is always carried out, which is impossible in war conditions.

Message Any attempt of Kyiv's "aggression" against Russia will boomerang with "much stronger returns and irreparable consequences."

Russian media write about this with reference to an article in The Economist. They said, Kyiv was advised to "cool down" in the Kherson direction.

The Economist did publish an article called "Stay cool on Kherson". The authors talk about why the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kherson region should act with caution and explain that the Russians managed to capture Mariupol, Severodonetsk and other cities because they were not afraid to destroy them. Instead, the Ukrainian army is trying to avoid the destruction of Ukrainian cities. Propagandists manipulate the translation of the phrase "stay cool". It can be translated as "cool down", but given the text of the article, it is more about "keeping calm". The authors of the article analyze the advantages and disadvantages of both armies in the context of the battle for the Kherson region. However, Russian propaganda manipulates by emphasizing the advantages of the Russian army, and diverts attention from the fact that the authors of the article believe that the Ukrainian army will have better positions in this battle.

Fake The bodies of the dead Ukrainian soldiers will be "disassembled into organs" according to the will

Another fake within the framework of the Russian propaganda narrative about "black transplant specialists in Donbas". This time, anonymous Telegram channels associated with the Russian GRU spread a new fake. Apparently, changes in the legislation, which allows commanders of units to certify the wills of soldiers, were lobbied by "black transplant specialists". A "resident" writes that there will be an annex to all wills, in which it will be indicated that the soldier is leaving the state authorities or science, and it will read "a check for each soldier's body - a million dollars."

This is an outright lie. In Ukraine, it is possible to become an organ donor after death, but in case of the following actions: download the template on the website of the Verkhovna Rada. Fill it in and have it notarized - and hand over the application of consent to the transplant coordinator. Commanders were allowed to certify only wills, not any other documents - so it is even theoretically impossible to become an organ donor right in the trenches. As for the very procedure of harvesting organs during the war, this fake has also been repeatedly refuted: it is a complex procedure that requires several specialists, specific equipment, and is limited in time. So transplant specialists do not go to war zones to find an organ.

Message Western curators are planning the distribution and occupation of at least part of the Ukrainian lands

Russian media and anonymous telegrams write about this. They say that British instructors are preparing units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for small arms battles in cities, and are not preparing aviation, artillerymen and tankmen. It seems that no one in the West is preparing the Armed Forces of Ukraine for an offensive, because this requires completely different resources and scales. It seems that the British consider preparation for defensive battles necessary, because they plan to “gradually give each part of the Ukrainian land destroyed and at the lowest cost for themselves, but at the maximum cost for Russia”, because then the Russians will need to “restore devastation and beggarism”.

In fact, foreign instructors teach the Ukrainian military not only to shoot small arms, but also to use all types of weapons provided by Western partners. According to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, today the Ukrainian military is being trained in the UK, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, France and Germany. The main focus is on the training of application specialists:

artillery systems of large caliber; multiple launch rocket systems; means of artillery reconnaissance; air defense means; different types of wheeled and tracked vehicles; demining systems, including underwater; different types of ships and their weapon systems, including anti-ship ones.

The shooting training, which the propagandists write about, is allegedly included in the basic combined arms training course for the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has recently begun with the support of the UK.

Disclosure Users are lured into comments under fake messages about fallen soldiers and their photos and texts are replaced

In the West of Ukraine, in recent days, a message has been circulating on social networks calling for congratulations on the birthday of a fallen soldier. Users noticed that the message is distributing a portrait of Sashko Syvyi, who fell at the front in 2014, although his date of birth is different.

The authors of the "Brekhunets" project ("Liar" project) have tracked that messages calling for congratulations to fallen heroes in Facebook communities first collect a lot of comments, and then their content is transformed by replacing text, photos, or adding links to garbage sites.

Message Gays are recruited into the Ukrainian army because there is no one to serve anymore

The Russian media repeatedly manipulates the topic of LGBT military personnel. This time, messages are being spread that there is no one to fight in Ukraine anymore, so gays, lesbians, and transgender people are being recruited. Russian society is characterized by intolerance and homophobia, considering representatives of the LGBT community to be "perverts", people not worthy of respect. LGBT people in Russia are often discriminated against, for which the perpetrators, according to the law, cannot be brought to justice. When talking about LGBT people, propagandists pay attention exclusively to their sexual orientation, erasing the fact that homosexual people can be specialists in various fields just like heterosexuals. In particular, in the military.

LGBT people have been serving in the Ukrainian army for a long time and, in particular, have been defending the borders of Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, in 2014. The Constitution of Ukraine stipulates that "all people are free and equal in their dignity and rights. Human rights and freedoms are inalienable and inviolable". During the draft, the military commissions do not ask about sexual orientation, because people are not selected for the army based on it. On the contrary, the fact that additional attention will be paid to it can be considered discrimination.

In Ukrainian society, as well as in the army, there are still certain problems with bullying or intolerance towards LGBT people. Despite this, Ukrainian LGBT soldiers fulfill their duty to protect the state. Manipulations of Russian propaganda about the fact that in Ukraine "there is no one to serve" is a wish that is passed off as reality.

The fake about Ukrainian "gays in the army" is not new. Earlier, Russian propagandist Olga Skabeyeva voiced on the air of her program that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr ZeZelenskyon the orders of US President Joe Biden, sent "columns of Ukrainian homosexuals" to Donbas.

"Media Detector" previously refuted the myths about the LGBT+ community, which are widespread in the Ukrainian media and society, and also told how LGBT activists oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Disclosure A fake letter is being sent to the entrepreneurs of the Odesa region regarding participation in the humanitarian aid program of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

This was reported by the spokesman of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhii Bratchuk. Fraudsters send letters of appeal in personal messages to managers of many enterprises, private individuals, and the e-mail address of companies and organizations. In the letter, allegedly from Odesa OVA, signed by Maksym Marchenko, they are asked to participate in the humanitarian aid program of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and provide details for the transfer of funds. Fraudsters also write the amount to be transferred by the entrepreneur, allegedly for the purchase of military ammunition and equipment. The letter also states that "the actions have been coordinated with the President of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine." This letter is fake.

Fake The special unit "Kraken" has lost its combat capability

This is reported by the Russian media with reference to the representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov. He said that the unit suffered significant personal losses and combat effectiveness in general. Allegedly, they tried to fill the unit with local residents, but no volunteers were found. It is not true.

As the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center writes, the special unit "Kraken" has indeed announced the recruitment of recruits for the assault company. According to Kraken Chief of Staff Kostiantyn Nemichev, in the first two days, 800 questionnaires were received from those wishing to join the special unit. The selection will take place in several stages, including an interview and a "young fighter course". After that, the instructors will make the final decision.