In the Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, and in the Russian segment of Facebook, information is being disseminated that Ukraine has “thwarted” the rotation of the IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The rotation did not take place due to the fact that allegedly the Ukrainian military began shelling. Russian propaganda refers to collaborator Volodymyr Rohov, a representative of the occupation administration of the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region. It's fake.

According to Stop Fake experts, the IAEA mission did not really take place on the specified date, but it was postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions. This statement was made by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

“The planned rotation of the current IAEA team of experts at the site - the eighth one since the mission was established last September - has been delayed due to local weather conditions”, Grossi said in a statement.

Russian propagandists once again want to convince the whole world that Ukraine is an aggressor and it is committing so-called provocations at the ZNPP. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that the IAEA resolution allows Ukraine to shell the ZNPP.

Anonymous Ukrainian telegram channels and Russian channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing a video showing the explosions at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on June 6, 2023. Russian telegram channels also note that the Ukrainian military carried out strikes that destroyed the dam. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated the case and determined that the video that went viral on Telegram channels was first published on November 12, 2022. On it, we see the undermining of the bridge at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. In 2022, it was distributed by the Russian media, and the explosion itself, experts say, could have occurred on November 11. That is, on the day when the Russian troops retreated from the right bank of Kherson. Consequently, these are shots on undermining the Antonivskyi bridge, and not the hydroelectric power plant.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the West and shift the responsibility for Russia's crimes to the victim. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the manipulation that Ukraine allegedly blackmails Western partners with terrorist attacks if they stop supplying weapons.

Such a message is allegedly being spread on the Ukrainska Pravda media website and on Facebook on the Biohosdo page. The messages write that we are “winning exclusively in the information war” and add images of skeletons that should personify the dead Ukrainian military. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. They found that the site, which posted the text about the defeats on the battlefield, is a clone of the Ukrainska Pravda website. Russian propaganda uses the pravda-ua.com domain, while the real address is pravda.com.ua. Also, these narratives are spread through the empty Biohosdo page. According to the information received, this campaign was launched on June 5, and the fake page was created on May 17.

Thus, propagandists are trying to sow discouragement among Ukrainians and convince them that there is no point in resisting. Earlier, Detector Media explained the manipulation that, according to the US general, Russia was defeating Ukraine in the war.

The Russian Defense Ministry and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric published a video captioned “destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks”. They even suggest that they have attracted the Vykhor (whirlwind) anti-tank missile system (VTRK). It's fake.

OSINT community experts determined that the Russians fired from the Ka-52 not at Leopard 2 tanks, but at agricultural equipment - a sprayer and a combine. Later, the specialists of the Stratcom project of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed this.

Thus, propagandists are trying to convince the whole world of the effectiveness of Russian technology. It has no equal, and Western technology can be easily destroyed. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that the Russians “hit” the Leopard2A5 tank near Vuhledar.

Propagandists are spreading a video on social networks, which allegedly depicts the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi in a national outfit. They claim that this is what it looks like after surgery to treat head injuries. It's fake.

Analysts of the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They found out that the video was created using a deepfake, where Zaluzhnyi's face was superimposed on an already published video of a Ukrainian blogger. In addition, propagandists previously distributed photoshopped images that allegedly show damage to the head of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This information has already been repeatedly refuted by videos and photographs showing Zaluzhnyi without injuries.

Thus, propagandists are trying to personally discredit Valerii Zaluzhnyi and cause panic among Ukrainians. Detector Media has recently repeatedly denied reports of the “death” of Zaluzhnyi.

Information is being disseminated on social networks that postcards with xenophobic overtones are being distributed in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The first postcard reads: “Pure blood means a healthy nation. If you hate Russians, bulbash (Belorussians), Tatars, Gypsies, Psheks (Poles) and other shit, join us. Harvest time has come!”. The second shows several dates, namely: the birthday of Adolf Hitler, the birthday of Stepan Bandera, the creation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the clash between supporters of Euromaidan and Anti-Maidan in Odesa in 2014, and the day of the explosion on the Crimean bridge. At the end of this postcard is written “your time for exploits” and the year 2023 is mentioned. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. Experts analyzed the text of the leaflets and found out that they correspond to the stereotypical image of a Ukrainian Nazi and contain a number of inaccuracies indicating that the text was created by foreigners without knowledge of the local context. In addition, analysts have not found publications with postcards in Ukrainian resources. Messages with them were published only by Russian propagandists and Polish-language anti-Ukrainian resources. Additionally, experts checked the photo postcards through FotoForensics and found out that some of them had images added using software. Moreover, on the postcards you can see photos with Azov fighters and members of the Centuria organization, but they did not spread the hate speech contained in the postcard.

Thus, propagandists are trying to justify the war against Ukraine and reinforce stereotypes about Ukrainians. In addition, they want to discredit the Ukrainian armed forces and Ukrainian civil society. However, by creating such fakes, Russians reinforce their own xenophobic beliefs, which is adjacent to the ideology of Nazism.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that Moldovan President Maia Sandu, during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyi on June 1, allegedly confirmed her readiness to provide her territory for the military operations of the Ukrainian army, namely to “deal with” the so-called Transnistria. The authors add that this allegedly is how the president of Moldova expresses her “disposition” towards Ukraine and the troops. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case and determined that Maia Sandu did not say this. The propagandists simply made up her words about the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Actually, the presidential office denied this information and called it fake. And in a meeting with the press, Maia Sandu said that Ukraine ensures the security of Moldova and that their country respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and its internationally recognized borders.

Of course, Ukraine can respond and help other countries if there is such a request. And there was no request from Moldova, so we are not even talking about any dispatch of troops. At the same time, during the same meeting on June 1, Zelenskyi said that Ukraine does not claim the territory of Transnistria.

By spreading such a message, propagandists seek to show that the Armed Forces of Ukraine want the war to escalate, to continue it outside of Ukraine, or, for example, to resolve other conflicts. Allegedly, Ukraine is ready to dispose of the territories of neighboring countries as it pleases, especially when the military “gets permission”. Thus, Russian propaganda exposes the Ukrainian military as aggressors who allegedly claim other territories outside Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that recently the German publication Eulenspiegel published the cover of its magazine called Ukraine continues to collect money from everywhere for its suicide. It is not true.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. Instead, with the specified barcode on the fake cover, one can find a real one: it has a different image and inscription on it. This fact was checked by the fact-checkers on the official website of the German magazine.

We have repeatedly refuted fakes related to fake covers on magazines / newspapers of foreign production. In fact, in this way propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Ukraine is groaning for money) is also repeated in Europe. So, readers may get the impression that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use fake covers of humorous magazines, hinting that people are making fun of the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that during the last air raid, Kyrylo Budanov died from a missile attack. The authors of the messages convince readers that they are preparing for the funeral procession. It's a lie.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and explained that this is another propagandist stuffing about the “death” of the Ukrainian military leadership. Kyrylo Budanov is on duty.

By spreading this fake, propagandists seek to demoralize Ukrainians and show them that “there is no one to protect them anymore”. Thus, propagandists sow panic among Ukrainians.

Let us remind you that we recently refuted similar fakes regarding the “death” of the military leadership. This was one of the cases about the commander of the territorial defense units, Ihor Tantsiura, who, according to Russian propaganda, was allegedly killed in Bakhmut. And we also refuted the fake about the “death” of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Poles seem to accuse the Ukrainian refugees of manifestations of Nazism. They say that anti-Ukrainian billboards have appeared in many Polish cities, and rallies against Poland's involvement in the war in Ukraine are increasingly taking place in Warsaw. The authors refer to the publication Myśl Polska. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found that such theses are unfounded and have no evidence. As they explain, Myśl Polska, referred to by the pro-Russian media, consistently spreads pro-Kremlin rhetoric. For example, in their materials, the authors of Myśl Polska accuse the West, and not Russia, of “unleashing” a war in Ukraine. That is, the likely “material” about the anti-Ukrainian sentiment rally may include a number of fakes and manipulations. At the same time, fact-checkers add that the Polish media do not have any mention of billboards with anti-Ukrainian appeals or mass rallies against Ukraine. They are convinced that this is a stuffing of propagandists.

By spreading this fake, the authors seek to demonize Ukrainian refugees and show that Europe does not support Ukraine and Ukrainians in general. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, as a cultural and economic threat to the EU, in order to reduce support for Ukraine. We mentioned this in our own investigation.

The Kremlin propaganda media and anonymous telegram channels spread information that in Ukraine they are allegedly distributing announcements with the inscription “Join the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, and below the abbreviation ZVO (institution of higher education) is crossed out. Also, in the announcement there is an inscription “To be a student in Russia or to be a defender in Ukraine”, a pink emblem of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a phone number. It’s fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. The number indicated in the photo (0800507028) belongs to the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and not to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also, the experts turned to the Forces Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for comment, and they said that “there are no such messages in any outdoor advertising in Ukraine ordered by the Troops”.

Also, this announcement was not found by searching Google Images. However, such a picture can be found on the site of stock photos, as well as through VPN on Yandex Images, which is banned in Ukraine. In Ukrainian online stores one can find paintings by numbers and posters with this pattern. As for the call to join the Ukrainian army, it was posted on the official Facebook page of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in video format.

Russian propagandists systematically spread fake news about mobilization in Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to demoralize the Ukrainians and convince them that there is no one to fight, the army is weak and Ukraine will not win. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that dogs are being mobilized in Ukraine, and mass mobilization of students is being carried out at Ukrainian universities.

The Kremlin propaganda media are spreading information that Ukraine can join NATO if it refuses to return the temporarily occupied territories. This was stated in an article by the American edition of The New York Times, which was written by correspondent Steven Erlanger. It's fake.

Experts of the Stop Fake project analyzed the article “If a Divided Germany Could Enter NATO, Why Not Ukraine?” in The New York Times cited by the propagandists. They found that the article does not mention that NATO put forward the demands of Ukraine. Steven Erlanger wrote an article in which he thinks about the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO without temporarily occupied territories and draws parallels with Germany in 1955. Then the Federal Republic of Germany joined the Alliance, and in 1990 the former German Democratic Republic. That is, it happened after the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990.

At the same time, the journalist writes that the issue of the integrity of Ukraine will not be removed from the agenda, and the experts he interviewed note that the ceasefire is an unfortunate decision, since in this case the war could start again after some time.

Russian propagandists systematically disseminate information that Western partners do not want to help Ukraine and do not want to see it in NATO. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Ukraine is not expected to join NATO.

Kremlin propaganda media are spreading information that London is allegedly inciting Kyiv “to attack civilian objects and civilians within Russian borders”. Russian propaganda refers to British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley and writes that he is ready to take responsibility “for the damage and suffering inflicted on the citizens of the Russian Federation, as well as for the dangerous escalation of the conflict”. It's fake.

The fact-checker of the Stop Fake project drew attention to the case. According to Article 51 of the UN Charter on the right to self-defense, Ukraine, while repelling Russian aggression, should not be limited to striking Russian targets exclusively on its territory. According to international law and the laws of warfare, Ukraine's legitimate goals to counter Russian aggression are military installations on Russian territory, such as airfields. That's what the British Foreign Secretary was talking about. “Ukraine defends itself”, “it does have the right to project force beyond its borders to undermine Russia's ability to project force into Ukraine itself”, said James Cleverly. 

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Western partners and intimidate the whole world with war. They are also trying to shift the responsibility for the invasion and Russian crimes to the victim. Earlier, Detector Media explained the message that Ukraine is allegedly a terrorist country, and also talked about manipulations, that Ukraine allegedly blackmails Western partners with terrorist attacks if they stop supplying weapons.

Russian telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the Italian media had allegedly confirmed about the radioactive cloud - it is on its way from Ukraine to Poland. They also note that the cloud was formed as a result of the explosion of ammunition with depleted uranium. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. On May 20, the Italian newspaper Metro published a statement by Mykola Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, about the spread of radiation. However, they further cited the position of the National Atomic Energy Agency of Poland, which claims that there is no radiation threat, all indicators are normal.

This is not the first time Russian propagandists have spread fake news about the radiation threat from Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to intimidate Ukrainians and Western partners, as well as to convince them that Western weapons do not help, but only aggravate the situation. Detector Media refuted the fakes that a “radioactive cloud” was allegedly approaching Europe, which arose as a result of the destruction of ammunition in Ukraine.

However, the quoted Italian newspaper quotes the position of the National Atomic Energy Agency of Poland: there is no radiation threat in the country.

Propagandists are circulating a video in which US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken allegedly congratulates Yevhen Pryhozhyn, head of the Wagner terrorist organization, on gaining control over Bakhmut. In the video, Blinken seems to be saying something like this: “I just want to congratulate Pryhozhyn on a brilliant victory last night in Ukraine, the fight was very fierce”. It's fake.

Analysts of the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They watched the video and came to the conclusion that it was most likely created using a deepfake. The original video, which became the basis for its creation, was released in November 2022, and in it Blinken congratulates the US national football team on a successful match at the World Cup. A quotation of genuine congratulations can be found in the official transcript of a speech during the meetings of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest on 30 November last year.

Thus, propagandists want to convince everyone that Russian troops have occupied Bakhmut. Like, even US officials have already recognized this. However, in such cases, it is important to trust only official sources of information.

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

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

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

Propagandists in the Russian media spread information that the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi is no longer alive and that he was replaced with a double. Like, in the latest videos, Zaluzhnyi has a different eye color. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They watched the relevant videos and saw that Zaluzhnyi's eye color was still the same. The propagandists simply chose a shot that was beneficial to them, where the light falls so that the eyes appear brown, not blue. In addition, in all media materials released later, the color of the eyes is gray.

 By writing such stories, propagandists want to demoralize the Ukrainian population and cause panic among them. Like, the commander-in-chief was killed, which means that now the Ukrainian army is doomed to failure. However, they have repeatedly tried to personally discredit Zaluzhnyi and arouse distrust in him. For example, inventing fakes that he and his family are laundering funds abroad.

Similar theses were heard on the air of Russian propaganda TV channels and media. They say that the German authorities are silent about the war crimes of the Ukrainians, and the Ukrainian military, who came to study in Germany, show videos of the torture and execution of Russian prisoners of war. Russian propaganda says that Ukrainians are more interested in ways to intimidate the enemy than in exercises, and refers to the words of General of the Bundeswehr Andreas Marlow, who allegedly spoke about this. “They praise the punitive operations that the SS troops carried out during World War II, they show the swastika”,  Marlow allegedly said. He seems to be trying to get through to the German courts, but he and other German officers are ordered to be silent, otherwise they will be fired. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of The Insider media drew attention to the case. Propaganda telegram channels refer to the telegram channel Übersicht Ukraine, which, in all likelihood, was the first to publish an article with a “statement” by Andreas Marlow with the headline German General Confirms Ukraine’s War Crimes. The channel itself does not name its sources, but the description states: this channel offers translated content from Russian sites for the German-speaking region. We do not advocate war or violence.

In February, General Marlow gave an interview to the German television channel ntv Nachrichten, where he spoke about the Ukrainian military: “What strikes me deeply is the seriousness and motivation of the people who come to us. They are inquisitive and would rather not stop learning and exercising as much as possible”. That is, in fact, Marlow expressed directly opposite opinions to those that were disseminated by the propagandists.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads the narrative that Ukrainians are Nazis and murderers. And as if the West supports them in this. Thus, Russia is trying to shift responsibility from the aggressor to the victim of aggression. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Zelenskyi allegedly wore a sweater with Nazi symbols to a meeting with the Pope.

Screenshots of the alleged cover of the magazine with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi are distributed in the Russian segment of Facebook, telegram channels and Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. In the caricature, Zaluzhnyi and the Ukrainian soldiers are sitting in a boat and sailing along the Styx River - the river, according to mythology, is a transition to the other world. This cartoon is fake.

Myth Detector specialists drew attention to the case. There was no such cover in any May issue of Courrier International, including the special issue. On May 25, a cover was published with serial number 1699, which does not include Zaluzhnyi. This is the last issue of the magazine to date. However, Russian propaganda published a detailed cover on the edition numbered 1700. Also, Courrier International's website does not have this cartoon in the specials section.

Thus, propagandists are trying to show that the West is allegedly tired of the war and really supports Russia, while in Ukraine they do not value human lives. Earlier, Detector Media debunked such reports, in particular, the “cover” of The New European with a caricature of Zelenskyi.

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

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

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

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the West is preparing to lose the war because the Ukrainian counteroffensive will fail. The West does not expect anything from Ukraine, so it plans the future of Ukraine as if it had already failed the counteroffensive. In support of this thesis, the authors refer to the material of the publication Foreign Affairs.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case and determined that the Foreign Affairs article did not say anything about the need to plan for the future of Ukraine “already after the failure of the counteroffensive”. The authors of the fake just came up with these theses from the material. At the same time, the authors of the article wrote that the West should plan to support Ukraine in the long term, since now there is no clear plan after the counteroffensive. The authors went on to highlight how Western officials have repeatedly said they will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to show that the West is desperate in Ukraine. Allegedly, they no longer want to support Ukraine, because they know that it will lose. Thus, the authors undermine confidence in the West as a strategic partner of Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukraine is allegedly planning to pass a law (the draft law No. 8225) allowing the authorities to alienate real estate - houses and land plots. Allegedly, Ukraine will transfer the houses to the property of “Polish mercenaries” who fought in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, and found that the draft law No. 8225 nowhere states that land or real estate will be given away to “Polish mercenaries” free of charge. The draft law refers exclusively to the use of seized real estate for the construction, restoration or reconstruction of critical infrastructure facilities of categories I and II.

This draft law is an addition to the law “On the alienation of land plots, other real estate objects located on them, in private ownership, for public needs or for reasons of public need”. That is, it regulates the alienation of land plots for the construction or reconstruction of critical infrastructure facilities. Thus, according to the authors of the draft, they facilitate the transfer of a land plot of communal or private property to the state for the restoration of infrastructure.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that in Odesa they have already begun to recruit schoolchildren for the front under the guise of summer volunteer work. The authors attach a screenshot of a Google form (allegedly spread by the school administration), where, they say, children are asked if “they have a desire to work in the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the summer”. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, and they determined that the information about the trip of children to the front was false. In Ukraine, children are not recruited to serve in the army - those liable for military service from 18 to 60 years old are subject to mobilization. At the same time, the Google form contains many spelling errors indicating the use of third-party services, such as a translator. For example, in the column from the full name in the screenshot, the Name, Last name and letter O is shown (from “patronymic” - in Russian). The description of the survey itself is also misspelled: “we ask for your opinion on improving the work of the school”. It is most likely that this survey was compiled using Google Translate.

Propagandists systematically spread fakes and manipulations on the topic of “total mobilization” among young men and women, because they are allegedly mobilized because there is no one else. Thus, the authors of the messages seek to convince that the Ukrainian leadership violates its own laws and mobilizes children, women, and students.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that people living in Africa or the Middle East are calling to take part in the war against Russia on the side of Ukraine. Allegedly, people are “attracted” by EU citizenship. The authors of the messages add a screenshot of an ad on a job search website, which offers to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and note that employers will be able to provide an accelerated acquisition of EU citizenship. It is not true.

The case was taken up by Reuters fact-checkers, who turned to officials for comment in order to find out “the EU citizenship program”. At the same time, the representative of the EU Commission said that the ad has nothing to do with EU initiatives, because they did not implement or finance something similar. The speaker also added that he is sure that the ad  is part of a disinformation campaign against Ukraine and the European Union. Since there is no document certifying exclusively EU citizenship. EU citizenship is determined by the presence of citizenship of one of the EU member states. In other words, any citizen of a country of the European Union is considered a citizen of the Union. And “EU citizenship” is just a term that allows a person to better understand his or her belonging to the Union. That is, it is impossible to obtain “EU citizenship” and not become a citizen of one of the states of the European Union.

By spreading this fake, the authors are trying to show that there is no one to fight in Ukraine. Allegedly, people are already being recruited to the front, using various baits such as “EU citizenship”.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyryl Budanov, announced his intention to exterminate three million residents of Crimea. Allegedly, he said that people in the Crimea will be "physically destroyed", as they are imbued with Russian propaganda. The authors refer to Kyryl Budanov's interview for the documentary film “Year” and add a video excerpt from the film. It's a lie.

The case was noticed by the VoxCheck project specialists, who found that the video had been edited. The phrase about the “physical destruction of people” was mounted on several different answers by Budanov. In fact, in an interview for the documentary film “Year”, Kyryl Budanov said that after the victory he plans to go to Sevastopol. However, he added that after the victory, the process of reintegration of Ukrainian territories would be lengthy. He did not mention the so-called destruction of civilians. However, he added that the physical destruction of enemies concerns Russian soldiers who committed war crimes in the temporarily occupied territories. These parts were compiled to make it look like Kyryl  Budanov is talking about killing civilians.

By spreading such a fake, propagandists seek to once again nourish the narrative about the existence of Nazi Ukrainians who are ready to kill civilians. Therefore, the Russians whitewash themselves and justify a large-scale war and daily war crimes. Allegedly, the goal of Ukraine is to destroy the Russians, so they are defending themselves.