Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric published a video on Instagram and YouTube in which American actor John McGinley, who played the role of Dr. Cox in the TV series Clinic, allegedly urges Volodymyr Zelenskyi to start drug addiction treatment and take care of himself. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Actor John McGinley does not have an Instagram account and did not publish his appeal to Volodymyr Zelenskyi. To create this fake, Russian propaganda used the cameo.com website, where one can order a celebrity appeal for a certain amount. The video only mentions the name Volodymyr, but there is no mention of Ukraine.

This is not the first time propagandists have been spreading the message that Volodymyr Zelenskyi has a drug addiction, and the whole world is trying to call him for treatment. Earlier, we refuted fakes that American boxer Mike Tyson and American actors Elijah Wood and Dean Norris called on Zelenskyi to be treated for alcohol and drug addiction.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing an allegedly Ukrainian version of the Call of Duty video game trailer, where they allegedly call to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated the case. They found that the Ukrainian version of the trailer for the video game Call of Duty does not exist. The official YouTube channel of Call of Duty posted the only English-language video in which there is no call to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also, in other versions of the trailer, translated into Russian, Arabic, and several European languages, there is no mention of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Moreover, there will be no official Ukrainian localization, and Activision, the publisher of the game, did not cooperate with Ukrainian localizers.

By spreading fakes in which the authorities allegedly use any means to mobilize people, the Russians are trying to discredit them. In addition, they want to raise a panic and convince everyone that Russia is winning on the battlefield.

Earlier, we refuted the fake that the Tetris game is banned in Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that, according to the results of a sociological survey, the majority of the Ukrainian population is demanding surrender. In particular, 30% of Ukrainians are allegedly ready to do anything for the sake of peace. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker.

On July 28, 2023, the “War, Peace, Victory, Future” poll referred to by Russian propaganda was published by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, conducted jointly with the Center for Political Sociology and in cooperation with the OPORA Civic Network in June 2023. The report notes that “30% of Ukrainians want a speedy end to the war under any conditions, but only 8% of respondents are really ready to make at least some concessions for the sake of a quick end to the war”. So the Ukrainians want peace, but are not ready to make concessions. 77% of respondents are confident in the victory of Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow discouragement among the Ukrainian population and sow doubts about the victory over Russia. Earlier we talked about the tactics of how Russian propaganda uses fear, uncertainty and doubt to achieve its goals.

On Facebook, on the page of the educational and documentary channel, a video was circulated in which they say that the leader of the Wagner group, Yevhenii Pryhozhyn, was arrested in Belarus. Allegedly, President of Belarus Oleksandr Lukashenko ordered the arrest of Pryhozhyn and handed him over to NATO. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the Check Your Fact project. Mercenaries of the Wagner group are in Belarus and train the Belarusian military, and Lukashenko did not give the order to arrest the leader Pryhozhyn. Neither NATO nor the Belarusian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Pryhozhyn was arrested and handed over to NATO.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted on August 10 that Wagner continues its presence at facilities in Belarus, and, according to rumors, the status of its withdrawal to Russia remains unclear.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to convince the whole world that there is a conflict between Lukashenko, Putin and Pryhozhyn, and it was the Russians who were bleached as if they were not involved in the war. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the US Secretary of State welcomed Pryhozhyn with the capture of Bakhmut.

Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, reported that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra will be populated by servicemen of the Azov Battalion, who will “shout, swear, suck on already legalized drugs, drink, mock, commit arbitrariness”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. The National Reserve Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra presented a program for military personnel “Spiritual Restoration of Culture”. Within 7 days, the military and chaplains will communicate with the clergy, historians, art historians, archaeologists, etc. Under this program, chaplains will reside on the premises of the National Academy of Cultural and Art Leadership. Therefore, we are not talking about the settlement of military personnel on a permanent basis or the transfer of Lavra to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Azov military personnel and split the society through religion. Earlier, we refuted the fake that NATO could involve the Azov and Kraken battalions to suppress protests in France.

Pro-Kremlin media are spreading information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly a war criminal. Russian deputy Sheremet said that the whole world knows about this: “I am sure that in the near future we will see, I hope, Zelenskyi alive in the dock”. The President of Ukraine allegedly destroys peaceful infrastructure in order to justify the financial resources invested in the “terrorist” regime of Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. Not a single institution recognized the President of Ukraine as a criminal. At the same time, Russian President Volodymyr Putin was recognized, and a warrant for his arrest was issued by the International Criminal Court. The strikes on the Kerch bridge, which Volodymyr Zelenskyi commented on, are used by the Russian military. This is a military target, illegally erected by the occupiers.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the President of Ukraine and shift the responsibility for Russia's crimes to Ukraine. Russian propagandists use the tactics of reflection and bring charges against Volodymyr Zelenskyi the same as they bring against Putin. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Zelenskyi admitted that the United States started a war in Ukraine.

Russian Defense Minister Serhii Shoihu said that “Russia, for humanitarian reasons, does not use cluster munitions, but may reconsider this decision”. It's fake.

Russia has repeatedly shelled the territory of Ukraine with cluster munitions. On February 25, 2022, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch reported that the attack on the hospital in Vuhledar was carried out by a Russian ballistic missile 9M79 fired by the Tochka-U complex. At the end of March 2022, the President of the UN Human Rights Council, Michelle Bachalet, stated that Russia had used cluster munitions 24 times at that time. On April 8, 2022, the Russians attacked the Kramatorsk station with Tochka-U. Then 58 civilians were killed and about 100 people were injured.

Russian propaganda is trying to shift the responsibility for the crimes of Russians to Ukraine. Like, Ukraine is provoking Russia, and it is forced to give an answer. Earlier, we refuted a similar fake that Putin said that Russia did not shell Ukraine with cluster munitions.

The American edition of Newsweek disseminated information that in Ukraine there is allegedly a possibility of “replacing the military leadership of Ukraine, headed by Valerii Zaluzhnyi”. The publication refers to sources close to the Ukrainian government. An anonymous person claims that this is allegedly due to “differences in the Ukrainian leadership on offensive strategy”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that this was a hoax, and there was a direct connection between the military and political leadership of Ukraine.

Such fakes are spread in order to undermine the credibility of the authorities and feed the narrative that there are alleged conflicts between the military-political leadership of Ukraine. Earlier, we refuted the fake about Valerii Zaluzhnyi who allegedly believes that the Ukrainian counteroffensive “turned into a clownery”.

The Polish radio station Radio Zet spread the information that the explosion of one of the grenade launchers that the Poles presented to the head of the Polish police Yaroslav Shymchyk in Ukraine undermined the confidence of Ukraine and the United States in Poland. Allegedly, because of this incident, Volodymyr Zelenskyi traveled through Poland without the knowledge of the Polish special services. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. The representative of the Polish special services, Stanislav Zharyn, denied this information and said that such stuffing “is designed to humiliate the structures responsible for the security of Poland”. For spreading a fake, a Polish radio station was fined by the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Poland.

Such fakes are spread in order to discredit Poland and create the appearance that there is tension between neighboring countries that support each other. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that the German edition of Eulenspiegel published a cover with Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Andrzej Duda.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that a “fiery” fire show party was held at the Forsage club in Kyiv in honor of the explosions at a gas station in Makhachkala. The poster of the event was also added to the news. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. They found that there is no poster of this event on the website or in the Forsage club accounts in social networks. Representatives of the institution also denied this information: “Many worthy people from Dagestan live in Kyiv, who often visited us and support Ukraine. All adequate people understand that such a poster could not be in our club. How can you even believe that such a poster stayed in the feed for 22 hours without a harsh reaction from those whom it offends? Do not react to the provocations of the evil empire”.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to dehumanize the Ukrainians, saying that they are real killers and rejoice in the explosions in Russia. Earlier, we refuted the fake that in Ukraine they sell the House of Trade Unions candle with the aroma of marshmallows on the fire.

Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, spread information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly have serious fears that Russia will once again launch an offensive against Kyiv. This was announced by the commander of the combined forces of the Ukrainian troops, Lieutenant-General Serhii Naiev. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In fact, Serhii Naiev did not speak of “fear” about such a development. On the contrary, in his interview with RBC-Ukraine, which was published on August 14, 2023, he noted that at the moment in this direction “there are no signs that the enemy is preparing for a ground offensive operation”. He also added that the likelihood of a second attack on Kyiv “now is not supported by the forces and means” of the enemy.

By spreading a fake about fears of a second offensive by the Russian military on Kyiv, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the top military leadership of Ukraine and sow panic and discouragement among Ukrainians. Earlier, we refuted the fake that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted that “the publicized counteroffensive does not bring the expected results”.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the Ukrainian military had allegedly looted a pharmacy in Chasiv Yar and set it on fire. It seems to be a typical tactic of the Ukrainian army. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. The house depicted in the photo distributed by Russian propaganda was damaged as a result of Russian shelling. Through a reverse Google image search, they determined that the photo was first published by the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko.

On July 26, civilian objects were damaged by enemy shelling, including 2 houses in the Chasiv Yar community. Kyrylenko did not give the address, but the photo posted on the telegram channel shows exactly this pharmacy, which is being distributed by propagandists.

Russian propaganda is using reflection tactics to divert the world's attention from Russia's crimes and blame Ukraine for them. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the Ukrainian military is equipping dungeons for children.

On the Russian segment of Facebook, on a YouTube page and in media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, a video was circulated stating that Norway had sold Russia a strategically important facility, the Olavsvern submarine base, for $4.4 million. It is also noted that Jens Stoltenberg, former Prime Minister of Norway, agreed to the sale. This base was bought by Gunnar Wilhelmsen, who later allegedly sold it to Russia. The Norwegians turned their attention to the base when two Russian ships stopped there. They employ Russian scientists who provide detailed analysis to the Russian military on NATO infrastructure. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. Norway did not sell a military base to Russia. In 2013, the Olavsvern military base was decommissioned, after which it was bought by a Norwegian private investment group. And in 2014–2015, Russian ships used the port of this base. However, Olavsvern itself has never belonged to either the Russian authorities themselves or Russian companies. This information was confirmed by the new owners of the base, WilNor Governmental Services AS, which bought it in 2020.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Norwegian authorities, sow discouragement among Ukrainians and quarrel Ukraine with Western partners. Earlier, we refuted the fake that a billboard appeared in Japan with the inscription: “Stop Zelenskyi, stop the war”.

Russian propagandists and media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Vadym Huttsait said that Ukraine is ready to go to the Olympic Games together with Russians and Belarusians. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. In fact, Vadym Huttsait, in an interview with the Japanese news agency KYODO NEWS, said that after the International Olympic Committee did not invite Russia and Belarus to the Olympics, Ukraine decided to compete for licenses for the Olympics in all international competitions where there are no Russian and Belarusian flags. The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOC) has a clear position that “peace in Ukraine is non-negotiable”, and the Olympic Games “should not be a platform for whitewashing or legitimizing actions that are completely contrary to these values”. Also, there is still no final decision on the participation of Ukraine in the Olympics in the event that Russians are admitted to them.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and sow discouragement among Ukrainians. We have previously talked about the tactics of how Russian propaganda uses sports to spread anti-Ukrainian narratives. 

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distribute the cover of an ostensibly German edition of Eulenspiegel, which depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Polish President Andrzej Duda and the text of the Volyn tragedy. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. They determined that there was no issue with that cover, and that the barcode on the cover was from another issue.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to spoil relations between Poland and Ukraine and create the appearance that there is tension between the countries supporting each other. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the manipulation that Poland officially demands an apology from Ukraine because of the Volyn tragedy.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that a bar ostensibly for Satanists called “Khram” (Temple) has been opened in Kyiv. “In addition to outright smut, there is also an active propaganda of homosexuality in the institution”, the messages note. It's fake.

The owners of the Khram establishment, despite its name, insist that they have refused to use any religious symbols and are not trying to offend the feelings of believers. In an interview with The Village, they noted: “We have no religion, nationalities, orientations, types, races, subcultures, ages. Our temple is open to everyone who is close to our philosophy - that the world is one and one must live with hedonism”.

Russian propaganda also uses the term “homosexuality”, removed from the official list of mental disorders. Currently, attraction to the faces of its article is not considered a mental illness and it is correct to use the term “homosexuality”.

Probably, Russian propaganda drew attention to the interior features of the institution, which has stained glass windows, 4 bars, an organ and a design made in dark colors, which confirms its origin for Satanists. Detector Media visited the institution and found no traces of Satanism or homosexual propaganda there.

Thus, Russian propaganda fuels the narrative that all Ukrainians are Satanists and Russia is fighting a new satanic regime. And, they say, the Ukrainian authorities are destroying Orthodoxy. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Ukrainian children were secretly taken to Turkey for the sake of British Satanists.

In the American segment of the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, a message with a photo is circulating that during excavations in Kharkiv near Hospital No. 6, corpses without organs, including babies, were found. The head of the All-Ukrainian Federation of Large Families, Tetiana Zakharova, allegedly believes that newborns could be sold to researchers or clinics that inject beauty with stem cells. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case. A photo circulating on social media shows the exhumation of bodies from a mass grave in Liman in 2022. The material itself was written 14 years ago and is based on quotes from Graham Smith, Moscow correspondent for the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.

Thus, Russian propaganda continues to promote the message that Ukraine is the world leader in “black transplantation”. They justify Russia's actions and accuse the Ukrainian authorities of crimes in order to discredit it and undermine Ukrainians' confidence in it. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Ukrainian battalions kill Ukrainian children and then export their organs under the grain export code.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that Western countries allegedly refused to provide security guarantees to Ukraine. Propaganda refers to the words of the lawyer Mykhailo Soldatenko, who allegedly wrote about this in a column for the Ukrainian Pravda publication. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In fact, Mykhailo Soldatenko did not claim that Western countries, in particular the G7, refuse to provide security guarantees. In his column, he noted that the very word “guarantees” is not mentioned in the declaration of the G-7 leaders after the NATO summit. Ukraine is currently negotiating with the US and the UK on a bilateral treaty on security guarantees.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Western partners and sow discouragement among Ukrainians. Earlier, we talked about the message that Russian propagandists spread that international support for Ukraine is being reduced due to corruption.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the Verkhovna Rada allegedly registered a bill that prohibits teenagers from 16 to 18 years old from leaving Ukraine. It seems that Ukrainians resort to such laws due to the fact that adult men are running out in Ukraine. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. On July 11, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered the “Draft Law on Amendments to the Civil Code of Ukraine on the Protection of the Rights of Children During Temporary Departure from Ukraine” No. 9480. It aims to protect the rights of children traveling abroad, and especially orphans and children deprived of parental care. The law does not talk about mobilization, but only about limiting the independent travel of children aged 16 and over abroad for unification with the rules of social services of the EU countries.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and sow discouragement among Ukrainians and military personnel. Earlier, Detector Media talked about how Russian propaganda manipulates the issue of mobilization in Ukraine, in particular, deliberately exaggerating its scale.

In the Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric there are reports that the United States allegedly specifically transferred the main financial burden “in support of the anti-Russian war” in Ukraine to the countries of the European Union in order to impoverish them. They seem to be “ruining the EU, provoking record inflation there and worsening living standards”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In fact, the financial military support for Ukraine from the United States is 43 billion dollars, and the EU countries - 20 billion euros. So, the US is providing a lot of help, and the pro-Kremlin media are manipulating information.

Russian propaganda systematically promotes narratives about a “starving Europe” and sanctions that harm Europe. Thus, they are trying to reduce the assistance of partners to Ukraine. Earlier, we talked about the message that the EU's GDP is allegedly declining to critically low levels, while Russia's is only increasing.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric disseminate information that the infectious disease leptospirosis is spreading among the military of the 103rd  separate territorial defense brigade. They refer to an article from the Public website, where they mention 4 people hospitalized in a Lviv hospital. It is not true.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. T. Aleksanian, head of the fourth diagnostic department of the infectious diseases hospital, stated that from July 31 to August 9, 4 people were hospitalized with a diagnosis of leptospirosis. However, the article does not report that the military from the 103rd brigade  were hospitalized.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the brigade and sow panic among the Ukrainian military and reduce morale. Earlier, we refuted the fake that an outbreak of cholera was recorded in Odesa.

The Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the weapons transferred by the Americans to Ukraine appear in the Mexican cartels. The United States allegedly fears that the Mexicans will begin to use weapons on the border against American security forces. This information is distributed with a link to an English-language site. It is not true.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. On the site referred to by the propaganda, in the About Us section, they posted people whose photos are found on other dubious sites related to conspiracy theories and fakes. And the story about the cartels is based on an article from The New York Times, where Ukraine is not mentioned at all. There is also no evidence that the partners' weapons they provide to Ukraine have been seen in other countries.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and spread the opinion that Ukrainians resell weapons of partners on the black market and they fall into the hands of criminals. Earlier we talked about the manipulation that Mexican drug cartels allegedly receive weapons provided to Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a banner advertising Volodymyr Zelenskyi was installed in New York with the inscription: “I made 10 times more than a Barbie movie”. The authors add photo evidence to the messages. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council determined that such a banner does not exist. The propagandists used a real photo of the banner and put a photo of Zelenskyi on it. Specialists of the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York confirmed to fact-checkers that the banner about Zelenskyi is not real, and explained what is now depicted on it: an advertisement for the Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter Exhibition.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also repeated in the West, so that people get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine and supports Russia.

Such information was disseminated on social networks and propaganda media. Reports say Ukraine plans to ban Tetris because it was developed by a Russian engineer and “Ukraine sees everything as propaganda”. The authors refer to the French edition of 20 minutes and add video evidence. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, and they explained that they did not find any information about the subject of the Tetris ban on the official website of the publication. Moreover, not a single government agency of Ukraine has come out with a statement on the so-called “ban”. So the propagandists just dropped this message without proof.

Thus, the authors mock and appeal to the fact that the refusal of Ukraine from the Soviet heritage (for example, the dismantling of the coat of arms of the USSR in the motherland) is supposedly wrong and generally ridiculous. The propagandists actually exaggerated this situation when they noted that the puzzle game was “banned” in Ukraine.

This information was disseminated by the propaganda media. Reports say that Poland and Lithuania recently secretly approved a plan to annex the western part of Ukraine. Like, the countries are agreeing to seize part of Ukraine and are preparing for an offensive. It's a lie.

The fact-checkers of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to the case, explaining that in January 2023 the presidents of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine signed a joint statement supporting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. And there is no “approved” annexation plan. This is a propaganda stunt. And the fact-checkers emphasized that all the messages about the “capture” of some part of Ukraine by Western states are conspiracy theories. After all, the authors of the fake do not give specific examples and facts.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists are trying to distort reality and show that Ukraine's strategic partners really want to seize its territories or at least harm the state.