Propagandists are distributing on social networks a quote allegedly said by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, commenting on the situation at the front: “The Armed Forces of Ukraine are not retreating. The earth is round, so we are advancing behind enemy lines”, said Syrskyi. In fact, this is another invention of Russian propaganda.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi did not make such statements. On May 23, he stated about the situation in the Kharkiv region that after the first minor successes during the offensive battles in the region, the enemy “was completely immersed in street battles for Vovchansk and suffered very heavy losses in the personnel of the assault units”. In addition, according to him, the enemy is now deploying reserves in different directions, trying to “support active assault operations, but to no avail”. Offensive actions were also being carried out on other sectors of the front, but nowhere in his statements did Syrskyi say that propaganda was being spread.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit the Ukrainian army and its leadership, as well as to distort the real situation at the front.

Russian telegram channels are distributing an alleged cover of The Economist magazine with the image of former Russian Defense Minister Serhii Shoihu. The “cover” bears the title “The Last 120 Days” and the message adds that “the final phase of the conflict has already begun”. Propagandists claim that the magazine allegedly published material about decisive events that will lead to Russian victory in the coming months. In fact, this is a fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that on the official website of the magazine in the All Issues section there is no issue with a picture of Shoihu. Additionally, there is no publication date on the cover. Russian and pro-Russian outlets began circulating the cover on May 14, although The Economist did not publish any new issues that day. The covers for May 4, 11, and 18 are significantly different from the fake ones, and the topics in these issues do not concern ending the war “in 120 days” or any other time frame. This image of Shoihu is also missing from The Economist's social networks.

In addition, a link to the telegram channel “The Economist” was added to the fake message. This channel is not the official channel of The Economist, since the publication does not have a telegram channel at all. The fake channel imitates the British publication, copying its description and logo.

This is not the first time Russians have used Western brands to spread misinformation. They take the name of a Western publication, its logo, and through fake photos and videos they promote narratives that are beneficial to Russia. The authority of the publication gives information to fictitious “legitimacy” and creates the impression that supposedly even Western journalists recognize the inevitability of Ukraine’s defeat.

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks in which police allegedly forcibly take a child from his parents. In addition, there were reports that it supposedly depicts a Ukrainian family of refugees in Lithuania, and the police are taking away the children due to “improper upbringing”. “It is known that such cases occur not only with Ukrainians, but also with Belarusian families who seek asylum in the countries of the European Union”, the publications note. Propagandists also claim that in the Baltic countries, justice authorities “remove children from their families for washing dishes or caring for younger brothers and sisters”. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this case. They discovered information from the Lithuanian news portal Lrytas.lt that the incident in the video occurred in September 2023. The child's parents divorced and the court ruled that the child should live with his father. Despite this decision, the mother and child went into hiding, forcing social security authorities to intervene with the help of the police. The director of the State Service for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption, Ilma Skuodene, in a comment for lrytas.lt, said that the video recorded a particularly difficult process that social workers have to carry out.

Although the procedure was legal, the actions of social services and the police attracted criticism. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda noted that social services lack a “sincere, non-bureaucratic approach to child care”. In his post on Facebook, he emphasized that the actions of the services should not traumatize the child, but should ensure his interests. Later, the Office of the Ombudsman for Children's Rights found that the social workers who separated the child from his mother in Palanga acted inappropriately and unprofessionally, which could have resulted in negative experiences, stress and fear.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Ukraine’s Western partners and Ukrainian refugees, as well as to cause panic.

Propagandists are distributing a video on social networks in which a Ukrainian serviceman allegedly says that three days before the shooting, his “brothers” were grabbed on the street by representatives of the Territorial center of recruitment and social support and sent to the front line, where they immediately died. The caption for the video is: “Show this to everyone while there are still men left, so that they don’t even think about going there!!!!! Khazarian faces and Territorial centers’ employees are corrupt nits... Here's mobilization for you... They were at home for another three or four days, and now... They are immediately sent to certain death!!! Without any preparation, just like meat”. The video has already been viewed more than 200 thousand times on Meta and shared more than 3.4 thousand times.

In fact, this video is staged and probably created by Russian propaganda to discredit the mobilization campaign in Ukraine. Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this. They found that the video had several obvious signs of being staged. Firstly, the voiceover tries to speak Ukrainian, but for native speakers it is clear that the native language of the author of the video is Russian. The voice-over text, read in a calm and emotionless voice, is full of anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

The author of the video claims to show the consequences of mobilization, showing the supposed bodies of three dead “brothers” who were allegedly mobilized just a few days ago. However, it is very difficult to recognize the “dead” in the video - the bodies lie at a considerable distance from the camera, and their faces are hidden. The author of the video also claims that a group of soldiers was hit by artillery fire, but no blood or shrapnel was visible on the bodies. All the “dead” have typical Ukrainian surnames - Morozenko, Gontarenko, Sidorenko, but call signs are not given.

In addition, recruits could not be sent to the front lines three to four days after receiving draft notices, as stated in the video. After mobilization, all recruits undergo military training at training grounds, which can take several weeks. Also, the video does not indicate the name of the military unit where these soldiers served; there are no chevrons or other special signs. The date and location of the shooting remain unclear. Instead of grass, typical of May in Ukraine, it is clear that the video was filmed in early spring, but for some reason was published only now.

The video has a caption in Russian, “Valkyrie of Light”, and in the center of the frame is an empty vodka bottle, placed to discredit the Ukrainian army. It is unclear why the “real Ukrainian military man” who allegedly filmed this video did not remove the bottle. The video was distributed from an account that masquerades as Ukrainian, but regularly publishes Russian narratives about mobilization in Ukraine.

Propagandists spread fake news to undermine the mobilization campaign and discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on this topic.

The network is disseminating information that the famous sports journalist Larry Merchant allegedly called the victory of the Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk in the fight with the British Tyson Fury “political”, and the attention to the boxer’s figure as “theater for the tired Ukrainian people”.

“When you have no hope, but you need to be forced to fight, a hero like Usyk is perfect”, some netizens allegedly quote Larry Merchant.

StopFake fact-checkers add that such news was invented, because there are no publications about Usyk’s “political victory” on BBC Sport. Moreover, as experts explain, the sports commentator is 93 years old. Recently, due to health reasons, especially after he was admitted to the intensive care unit in 2023, Larry Merchant does not appear in public and does not make any comments.

A photo of a man showing a Nazi greeting is being circulated on anonymous telegram channels. In the post, propagandists claim that the man allegedly made a similar gesture during the celebration of Ukrainian Embroidery Day on the main square of the German city of Rostock.

VoxCheck analysts explained that the photo of the man was taken back in 2015 in the German city of Freital. The Nazi gesture was addressed to a group of demonstrators.

This man, a former miner who grew up and worked in the German Democratic Republic under socialism, in an interview with the German publication Welt called his action a “complete failure” and assured that he gets along well with foreigners and has nothing against them.

An alleged new cover of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo is being circulated online. The drawing depicts a French military man in the form of a dead man. The picture also has the caption: “Cold, smelly, full of holes, made in France, but not cheese”.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed the case and found that such a cover was not in any issue of Charlie Hebdo magazine. The cover of the magazine indicates that this is issue No. 1659 dated May 7, 2024 - but on the official website of the publication there is the original issue of the magazine for the specified period, which was also published under number 1659.

The cover may be linked to calls by some French MPs for a boycott of the participation of Israeli athletes in the Olympic Games in Paris.

Pro-Russian telegram channels write that the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleg Syniehubov, allegedly fled the city and is hiding in Poltava.

VoxCheck analysts explained: no evidence of escape was found, and photographs and photos from social networks of the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration prove that Syniehubov remained in the city.

For example, the day after the “news” about the escape was published, the head of the Regional State Administration recorded a video message. In it, he said that he had instructed his relevant deputy to gather all participants in the process of constructing fortifications so that each contractor would report on the work done.

Another example: on May 16, Volodymyr Zelenskyi held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Kharkiv. The head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration was present at it.

A video allegedly filmed by Ukrainian soldiers burning an effigy of former US President Donald Trump is being circulated on social networks. The military claims in the video that Trump delayed the provision of US military aid to Ukraine and “must pay for it”.

VoxCheck analysts explained that the videos are mainly distributed by Russian propaganda telegram channels and pro-Russian accounts on various social networks. At the same time, there are no such publications in the Ukrainian media.

And the assertion that the Ukrainian military is in the video is unfounded - someone could dress in a similar uniform and attach a chevron with the flag of Ukraine to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian propagandists write that Ukraine has been refusing to exchange 500 Ukrainian prisoners of war for four months, because Zelenskyi selected only 38 Azov soldiers, and Ukraine, as they add in fake messages, does not need all the rest.

Analysts at the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security explain that this is simply a propaganda hoax, because Ukraine is making every effort to ensure that all prisoners return home to their loved ones as soon as possible. Moreover, the Ukrainian authorities constantly insist on an exchange procedure based on the “all for all” principle.

Russia uses Ukrainian prisoners as a means of putting pressure on Kyiv and Ukrainian society. For example, on May 17, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that Moscow continues to unilaterally block the exchange of prisoners.

The Kremlin media writes that an incident occurred in Ukraine involving a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier - he allegedly entered a church and began attacking parishioners, and then attacked the priest himself. As evidence to the messages, they add videos from inside the temple.

“Most likely, Bandera is a follower of yet another satanic teaching, which is now flourishing in Ukraine due to the connivance of the authorities. For obvious reasons, there are many such Satanists in the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, adds the pro-Kremlin resource.

StopFake fact-checkers write that no authoritative media reported such an incident anywhere. There were no reports of any attack on the official websites of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Kyiv Patriarchate or the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, where such an incident could have occurred. Also, specialized religious media, such as the Religious Information Service of Ukraine, did not write anything about such an incident. There is no information about such an attack on the police website.

So, most likely the video is staged.

In the Russian segment of social networks they claim that the property of “Ukrainian mobilization evaders” seems to have begun to be put up for auction. Proof of this is a screenshot from the Ukrainian Universal Exchange (UUB), where such an announcement was allegedly published.

“The property of Ukrainian residents began to be put up for auction, including apartments. You can now lose property in this country just because you don’t want to die for the Zelenskyi regime”, the users conclude.

StopFake fact-checkers took up the case and checked whether an advertisement for the sale of an “evader’s” apartment was actually published on one of the Ukrainian asset sales platforms - it turned out that this was not the case. The UUB website states that in fact the apartment belongs to the bankrupt person. That is, we are talking about a person who, for example, was unable to pay their loan obligations and because of which he or she was considered insolvent. Consequently, their property was put up for auction.

But it is not the case about the “Ukrainian evaders”.

Anonymous telegram channels write that Ukraine has allegedly become a hub for drug trafficking in the world, citing an article in a German newspaper. The author of the article asks the question about the ultimate goal of “legalizing marijuana” in Ukraine and makes the reader wonder whether Volodymyr Zelenskyi legalized this substance due to his own “capture”. At the same time, the authors of the fake news allegedly cite data from the report of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC) to support such theses. In it, the organization allegedly writes that against the backdrop of failures, the Ukrainian military is becoming easy prey for drug lords.

VoxCheck analysts explained that GITOC did not call Ukraine a “hub” for drug trafficking in its report. At the same time, Ukraine legalized not recreational marijuana, but medical cannabis, which contains almost no narcotic substance.

At the same time, the publication Junge Welt actually published material filled with Kremlin anti-Ukrainian narratives. After all, it is the pro-Russian media that is spreading fake news not for the first time.

According to the memo, Ukrainians are advised to buy fast food products, reduce watching TV, prepare a month's supply of panties and socks, save the charge of gadgets and keep an eye on children, since they often increase energy consumption.

However, having verified the information with the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine reports that the distributed monument with “advice” has nothing to do with the Ministry of Energy.

Thus, propagandists seek to sow panic among Ukrainians and confuse them. Previously, we refuted the information that allegedly no one needed the “Points of invincibility” and that they were opened for the sake of PR and they provoke the enemy to launch missile strikes. 

Russian telegram channels are distributing a video that allegedly shows dead Ukrainian soldiers mobilized in different cities of Ukraine 3-4 days before they died.

However, after analyzing this video, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council discovered that it was a fake. In fact, the video was directed and edited by Russian propagandists in order to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine.

Firstly, the supposedly dead “mobilized” military clothes are too clean and there is no blood on their uniforms. Secondly, the image quality shows that the video was shot on a professional camera and not on a phone. In addition, it is impossible to determine the location of the shooting. There is also the possibility that the sounds of explosions in the background are superimposed on a separate soundtrack.

In the end, mobilized Ukrainians first undergo training before being sent to the front, the Center adds. Previously, we analyzed a fake propaganda video that the Russian military allegedly captured a pregnant Ukrainian soldier.

Russian propagandists are disseminating information that in Kyiv, employees of the Territorial recruitment and social support centers ordered creative advertising to be placed with the text that “life has no meaning”, “it will only get worse”, “you can’t get out of depression”, and an appeal to call their contact number.

However, this information is not true. Territorial recruitment and social support centers have nothing to do with the appearance of texts with such calls on the streets of Kyiv. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

In fact, the contact number and text on the citylights belong to the call center #вартожити (Worth Living), the charitable foundation of Ukrainian journalist Yanina Sokolova, which provides free psychological support to Ukrainian civilians.

After criticism about the unethical design and text on the city lights, Sokolova apologized to the Ukrainians, from whom this idea caused the opposite reaction from the desired one, and promised to replace the texts.

This fake is another attempt by Russian propaganda to disrupt the mobilization campaign in Ukraine and discredit the activities of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine workers. Read more fakes on the topic of mobilization here.

Propagandists are distributing a report allegedly created by Deutsche Welle, which states that Polish journalist Agata Grzybowska was fired because she published her own investigation in the publication Rzeczpospolita. Grzybowska allegedly said that European media heavily edited videos of Ukrainian soldiers to hide Nazi symbols on their uniforms. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to the fake. They found out that Deutsche Welle did not actually publish such a video on its official website or social networks. There is also no such investigation on the website of the Polish publication Rzeczpospolita.

A reverse image search on Google revealed that clips from other videos were used for the fake report. For example, the image of Agata Grzybowska is taken from a presentation of her work at the cultural institution Dom Spotkań z Historią in Warsaw. The photo of police detaining her was taken in 2020 during women's protests against an abortion ban in Warsaw. The video with the 59th brigade was filmed in Kramatorsk in February 2024.

Agata Grzybowska is a Polish photographer. On her Facebook page she covers events in Ukraine, in particular the Revolution of Dignity and the Russian full-scale invasion. In a comment to the Belarusian Intelligence Center, Grzybowska denied information about her dismissal and the publication of the investigation. She explained that she does not write articles because she is a photojournalist by profession.

Propagandists are spreading this fake news to once again reinforce their message about “Ukrainian Nazis” and the “need for denazification”. Thus, they justify the crimes of Russians against Ukrainian civilians.

Propagandists are distributing a report allegedly created by the German television channel Deutsche Welle about the Gisec Global exhibition, which took place in Dubai from April 23 to 25. The video claims that robot Sophia, answering a question about Ukraine's victory, allegedly said: “It is obvious that Ukrainians need to surrender, because this is the only chance to save themselves as a nation. The Ukrainians have no chance of winning, but they create the opposite picture. I urge them to accept reality and do what the whole world expects of them”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that there is no such video on the official website of Deutsche Welle and on the official accounts of the channel on social networks.

A reverse image search on Google showed that the fake video consisted of excerpts from various open sources. For example, the video with the robot Sophia is taken from an episode of the American talk show “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”, which was released in April 2017. The footage of artificial intelligence researcher Ben Goertzel comes from an interview with Discover Crypto published in March 2024.

While the Gisec Global cybersecurity exhibition did take place in Dubai from April 23 to April 25, 2024, there are no reports of Sophia's work being included in the event. She attended The Global AI Show on April 16-17, which also took place in Dubai. The video, where the robot Sophia allegedly calls on Ukrainians to surrender, was assembled from excerpts of her interview with Aletihad during this exhibition. In the interview, Sophia did encourage the UAE to invest in research and development for AI innovation. She did not call on Ukrainians to surrender and did not mention Ukraine.

Propagandists spread such fake news to dishearten Ukrainians and convince them that the world no longer supports them.

Propagandists are distributing a video allegedly released by Reuters, which states that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi may pass a law to revoke the passports and driver’s licenses of Ukrainians abroad. According to the video, these norms will come into effect on June 1, which will oblige all Ukrainian men from 18 to 60 years old to return to Ukraine. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that there was no such video on the Reuters website or social networks. Also, there is no corresponding bill on the Verkhovna Rada website, and Ukrainian media did not report the possibility of making such a decision.

In addition, the video is a compilation of publicly available footage. The first frame with Volodymyr Zelenskyi is taken from his speech in the Verkhovna Rada on July 1, 2022, where he did not mention the revocation of passports or driver’s licenses and did not talk at all about men of military age who are abroad. Footage from the vehicle checkpoint in 2022 was distributed by Ukrainian media, citing the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Footage of Ukrainians standing in line at passport offices was published by international media and the Ukrainian military in April 2024.

The fake video also states that since April 22, about 50 men of military age have returned to Ukraine, but the source of this data is not specified, and the State Border Service did not provide such statistics. The agency reports weekly only the total number of border crossers, without indicating age and gender.

Russian resources create such fakes, releasing them through the publication of authoritative international media, in order to cause panic among Ukrainians both in Ukraine and abroad, as well as to disrupt the mobilization process. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on this topic.

Russian propagandists are spreading a story on telegram channels, allegedly published by the Italian publication Il Messagero, in which Vatican Cardinal Mario Zenari accuses the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmytro Kuleba of “genocide” of his own people. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found that Cardinal Zenari did not make such statements, and the story was not published in any Italian publication.

The logo is visible in the video. A Google Images search for this logo revealed that it belongs to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. However, this publication did not publish such a story either on its website or on its pages on social networks. Russians often use logos of well-known media to make their fakes more credible. In addition, the original Il Messaggero videos have a logo in the lower right corner, while vertical videos do not add a logo at all.

Propagandists claim that, first of all, Cardinal Zenari criticized Kuleba on the Vatican News channel. However, Vatican News is the news portal of the Holy See, which only has a radio and YouTube channel, but does not have its own TV channel. There was no such story on the Vatican News YouTube channel. The last news about Mario Zenari on the Vatican News website appeared on April 10, 2024 and concerned the lives of civilians in Syria, while the Russians began distributing the video in question on April 26.

In addition, Russian disinformers edited videos from different, unrelated recordings. For example, the fragment where the cardinal speaks in black clothes is taken from his 2022 interview about the Open Hospitals project in Syria, where he did not mention Ukraine. Part of the video with Dmytro Kuleba was taken from a recording of his meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó on January 29, 2024.

Russians are also speculating on the topic of changes to the mobilization law, citing a quote from Kuleba’s message about limiting consular services for men of military age abroad. We are talking about obtaining passports; men from 18 to 60 years old can now only obtain them in Ukraine. However, these restrictions do not apply to persons with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, victims of Russian actions, those who left for treatment, etc.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists are trying to disrupt the mobilization process in Ukraine. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on this topic.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg allegedly called the Ukrainian Armed Forces military “cannon fodder”. However, this is not true.

VoxCheck project specialists found that Stoltenberg did not say this. They found the speech that the Russians are quoting. The Secretary General voiced these theses at a press conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on April 23, 2024. His words were taken out of context.

In his speech, Stoltenberg did not call the Ukrainian Armed Forces military “cannon fodder”. At the same time, he said that NATO countries must pay a certain price, that is, provide assistance to Ukraine in order to live in a safer world. Stoltenberg noted the need to support Ukraine. In his opinion, this is an investment in the security of other countries that are threatened by Russia.

NATO officials say the organization was created for defense, not to participate in wars. Although NATO does not intervene in the war with Russia, NATO member countries condemn the aggression and provide assistance to Ukraine.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Ukraine’s Western partners and devalue the Ukrainian authorities. They say that NATO does not send its soldiers to war, but “uses” Ukrainians for its own whims. They say, therefore, Ukraine should follow the road with Russia.

Propagandists are again spreading fake news about the Ukrainian healthcare system, in particular about organ transplantation. They claim that former CIA agent Larry Johnson, in an interview on the YouTube channel Judging Freedom, said that in Ukraine children are sold for organs or given into sexual slavery. However, his statement is not true.

This was found out by specialists from the VoxCheck project. They found an interview with Larry Johnson, where he said that the West is selling Ukrainian children to remove their organs or use them in sexual slavery. However, Larry Johnson is not a reliable source of information. He systematically discredits Ukraine by spreading fake news about the destruction of air defense systems, so-called mercenaries, and support for Russian conditions to end the war. The host of the Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom channel, Andrew Napolitano, also supports the Kremlin propaganda, in particular accusing the United States of “direct war with Russia”.

Previously, the Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine noted isolated cases of illegal removal of children from Ukraine, but there were no reports of their sale in Western countries. There is no evidence of child trafficking for organ removal.

The European Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) said in its 2023 report that two Ukrainian women were likely victims of sexual exploitation in the Netherlands in 2022, but it is unknown whether any of them were minors. In Poland, 5 cases of human trafficking were investigated, where two 17-year-old Ukrainian women were forced to provide sexual services. One case has been confirmed. The report contains no information about children being sold for organs in the EU, and Larry Johnson did not provide any evidence for his claims.

Propagandists spread such disinformation statements from media figures to create “false confirmation” of their messages. Allegedly, if a foreigner said it, it’s true.

Propagandists are disseminating information that the wife of Juraj Chintula, who shot Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, is allegedly a “refugee from Ukraine” and incited her husband to take revenge on Fico because of his critical position towards Ukraine. The Russians claim that the woman was allegedly arrested, but do not specify the charges. Some Russian social media users call Chintula’s actions a “SBU operation”, comparing them to terrorist attacks in Russia, and point out that the shooter had pro-Ukrainian views.

In fact, Juraj Chintula’s wife is not a Ukrainian refugee and did not incite her husband to take revenge on Fico. This was found out by specialists from the StopFake project.

According to Slovak media, Chintula’s wife worked as a teacher at a gymnasium. However, they do not mention anywhere that she is Ukrainian. Neighbors describe them as a “very friendly couple” who have lived together for decades and have two adult children, far longer than the concept of “Ukrainian refugees” from Russian aggression against Ukraine has existed.

According to the Slovak website Pluska.sk, Chintula's wife was summoned for questioning in connection with the attempted murder of Robert Fico. She was accompanied by investigators as she left the apartment, covering her face. Juraj Chintula was a former miner, bodyguard and writer. The couple's son Chintul is also in shock and does not know his father's motives. Elenka, Chintula's wife, hides her face for fear of persecution.

The motive for his assassination attempt on Robert Fico in the press was initially disapproval of government policies. However, according to Euronews, investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi found Facebook posts where Chintula supported the pro-Russian paramilitary group Slovenski Branci, known for ties to the Kremlin. According to TV Markiza, Chintula planned the attack several days in advance, having legally owned the weapon for more than 30 years.

Robert Fico was wounded after a government meeting in the city of Handlove. He is now in hospital in Banska Bystrica, his condition is serious. Police charged 71-year-old Chintul with attempted revenge murder.

The fakes about the “Ukrainian trace” in the assassination attempt on Fico are an attempt by Russian propaganda to discredit Ukraine in the international arena and deprive it of support.

Pro-Russian resources are spreading messages that say, “against the backdrop of the successful advance of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are seizing kindergartens and hospitals, and they plan to put Kharkiv itself under water”.

However, this is fake. The Defense Forces do not use objects protected by international law for military purposes. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

Typically, Russian propaganda broadcasts such fakes in anticipation of planning the next massive attack by Russians against civilian targets on the territory of Ukraine, the Center adds.

In addition, with the help of collaborators, this is not the first time that Russians have spread lies about the blowing up of a dam by the Ukrainian military and the flooding of Kharkiv. This stuffing can be launched as informational preparation for the next crime of the Russians.

Previously, we denied information that the State Emergency Service was calling on residents of Kharkiv to evacuate.

Information is being spread online that the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) allegedly predicts an early offensive by the Russian army in the Kharkiv direction. ISW believes that after the capture of the village of Lyptsi, the Russians will pull up their reserves and, with the support of artillery and aviation, will begin a full-fledged assault on Kharkiv.

In fact, this information is not true. This was reported by specialists from the VoxCheck project. On the Institute’s website one can find a summary, the map from which the fake news was published. However, the report does not provide forecasts for the rate of advance of the Russian army. Also, ISW does not believe that the Russians will try to storm Kharkiv.

The summary provides an assessment of the Russian offensive as of May 10, 2024 and an analysis of its goals. However, the Institute does not put forward hypotheses about how quickly the Russian army will advance in the Kharkiv direction.

The Institute’s experts indeed suggest that the Russian army has reserves that it is ready to later bring into battle in this direction. In its first attacks, the Russian Federation used a relatively limited number of personnel and equipment. However, the Institute does not believe that the enemy intends to carry out a large-scale operation to capture or encircle Kharkiv. ISW analysts suggest that the goal of this campaign is to push Ukrainian forces back from the border with the Belgorod region and advance into Kharkiv within range of cannon artillery, that is, closer than 25 km from the city. The institute estimates that it will most likely be difficult for the Russians to capture Kharkiv if the Kremlin makes such a decision. In addition, ISW claims that by their actions the Russians are trying to divert the maximum number of Ukrainian Defense Forces from other sectors of the front to the Kharkiv direction in order to intensify their own efforts in the Donbas: there they are trying to break through to the northwest of Avdiivka and in the direction of Chasiv Yar.

Previously, we refuted information that Russian paratroopers could supposedly land near Kharkiv in the rear of Ukrainian troops.