Spilnota Detector Media

Fake In Ukraine, they take children from families living in the war zone

Such information is disseminated by the Russian media, referring to the statement of Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasyl Nebenzia. He made it on April 5 during the so-called “Arria Formula” meeting, an informal meeting during which UN member states can learn more information on international security issues. According to Nebenzia, the Ukrainian authorities “commit crimes against children”: they are kidnapped from parents who refuse to evacuate from the war zone. It's fake.

The fact checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. Ukraine does not kidnap children. On April 4, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine supported the initiative of the Donetsk regional military administration on the mandatory evacuation of 126 children from 21 settlements in the region due to active hostilities. Children were evacuated from dangerous settlements in the Donetsk region in armored vehicles, accompanied only by their parents or guardians.

Also, 49 UN member states adopted a statement accusing Russia of “spreading disinformation about mass abductions and illegal forcible deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children”. UN member states note that Russia has been solely guilty of the deportation of Ukrainian children, and the International Criminal Court has a number of pieces of evidence that confirms this.

Russia needs such statements in order to legalize aggression against the Ukrainian people, present itself as a “peacemaker” and absolve itself of responsibility for these crimes. Detector Media has already investigated how Russia justifies deportation and other war crimes in Ukraine.

Fake Ukraine plans to ban photography of cemeteries

Such information appeared in social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. The authors of the messages added to the publication a screenshot allegedly from the Ukrinform website, which stated that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine plans to ban photography and video filming of cemeteries. The “news” that allegedly appeared on the Ukrinform website says that “according to lawmakers, public coverage of the state of Ukrainian cemeteries can provide valuable intelligence information to the Russian army, as well as create a negative information background in the country itself”. However, this is all fake.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. Fact-checkers found out that such a bill has not been registered in the Verkhovna Rada. The Parliament website has already passed a law on the creation of a National war memorial cemetery, but it also does not say anything about a ban on photography and video filming. “The screenshot of the news from the Ukrainian news agency itself is a fake. There is no such news on the Ukrinform website”, StopFake writes.

Russian propaganda needs such messages to create the appearance that the situation in Ukraine is too bad: people are dying en masse, there is no place to bury them, and the authorities are allegedly trying to hide the scale of the tragedy.

Fake Ukrainians can receive social assistance in Germany without any verification

Such information is distributed in the German-speaking segment of social networks, particularly on TikTok. Reports say that people from Ukraine in Germany seem to be able to get assistance very easily. To receive payments, they allegedly do not even need to pass the verification that people from other countries must pass. The videos that were being circulated also stated that the Ukrainians receive this aid without problems and spend it on vacations on the islands. It is not true.

Analysts of the Correctiv project drew attention to the case in the network. In fact, Ukrainians in Germany do not receive social assistance without any verification, according to a spokesman for the Federal Employment Service. However, like all people receiving social assistance in Germany, they can spend 21 days a year away from their place of residence and do not have to work within these days, so the claim that refugees travel on the islands is not logical.

Analysts note that such videos are added to a number of other false claims that have been circulated against Ukrainians in recent months in order to create a negative image for refugees from Ukraine. Russia needs such fakes in order to discredit Ukrainian refugees and change the attitude towards them in countries where there are now tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

Fake Polish TV channel reported on the real plans of Poland to divide Ukraine

Such messages appeared on social networks at the end of March. The reports said that a recent report by one of the Polish TV channels allegedly showed a map according to which Ukraine should be divided between Russia, Poland, Romania and Hungary. The publications claimed that the video was relevant and the map shows that “the entire south and east of Ukraine will belong to Russia”, and the western part will “join” Poland, small parts will go to Romania and Hungary. However, this is fake. The Polish channel did not show such a map in 2023.

As the analysts of the Correctiv project found out, the video is not up-to-date, it shows a report from Polish television in 2014, in which a Russian politician offered Poland to divide Ukraine. The Polish government called the proposal “strange” and one that should not be taken seriously.

Analysts have researched that the logos of the Polish news channel TVP1 can be seen in an online video that is being circulated in the messages, but what is heard is not what the messages claim: the speaker first speaks in Polish about “joining our territory”, and then says: “ […] Hungary and Romania received a similar proposal. There is no information about which regions Russia still wants to consider as its own, but only the central region will remain within the boundaries of modern Ukraine”.

Using the image from the video and the name of the broadcaster, analysts did a reverse image search and came across an original Polish TV report. It is dated March 23, 2014, so it is not relevant, contrary to what they say in social networks.

Russian propaganda regularly spreads messages about the plans of Poland and other countries to annex part of Ukraine. In fact, such statements are always unsubstantiated, but Russia needs it to partially justify itself by illustrating the desire of other states to seize part of Ukraine.

Fake On its cover, Charlie Hebdo depicted Zelenskyi as a symbol of mockery of the Ukrainian church

A photo of the cover of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Russian President Volodymyr Putin and Jesus Christ, is circulating on social networks. A description is added to the photo that the cover symbolizes Zelenskyi's “church race”, which angered even Jesus Christ, whom Putin supposedly calms down and says: “Don't! We'll figure it out ourselves!”. In fact, Charlie Hebdo never published an issue with this cover.

 Analysts at the Myth Detector project found that the cover published by the French satirical magazine on April 5 does not match the published versions, and there are no similar cartoons on the covers of Charlie Hebdo special issues. Charlie Hebdo's circulated cover bears a serial number (1603) and a release date of April 5. According to the official website of the publication, on April 5, a magazine with serial number 1602 was released, which has a different design. The cover is on the theme of the protests caused by the new pension reform in France.

This is not the first time Russian propaganda has been distributing fabricated covers of various Western publications, which allegedly mock the Ukrainian president. Thus, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and create the appearance that the level of trust in the Ukrainian president will fall in the West. Like, the Western community is already beginning to understand “who he really is”.

Fake In Ukraine, the post office issued stamps dedicated to the SS “Halychyna” (SS Galizien) division

Such information appeared in the Georgian-language segment of social networks,particularly on Facebook. The reports stated that the Ukrainian post office issued a series of stamps dedicated to the division SS “Halychyna” (SS Galizien). The authors of the messages did not refer to the words of the press secretary of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mariia Zakharova, however, it was she who first disseminated this information, back on January 27, 2023. According to Zakharova, the stamps were issued for the 75th anniversary of the division SS “Halychyna” (SS Galizien) and the Holocaust Remembrance Day in Ukraine. Like, the fact that Ukraine produces such stamps testifies to its Nazism, because the stamps were issued “in honor of the Nazi division”. It's fake.

In fact, the post of Ukraine did not issue the stamps shown in the photo, which is distributed in the messages. As analysts of the MythDetector project write, stamps with images of members of the SS “Halychyna” (SS Galizien) division have been distributed in the Russian media and on Russian-language forums since 2018. In addition, on April 27, 2018, the Russian Embassy in South Africa circulated a photo of the stamps on Twitter, claiming that the stamps were issued in Ukraine “in honor of the Nazi division”.

There are indeed such stamps, but they are not official, because they were issued by a group of enthusiasts who research the history of the SS “Halychyna” (SS Galizien) division. The stamps were issued in limited quantities and can be bought at online auctions.

Fake The United States resumed the program to create biolaboratories in Ukraine, which are disguised as non-governmental organizations

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that in Ukraine, non-governmental organizations are turning into “poison storage sites” and thus the US seeks to hide the real purpose of funding Ukraine and non-governmental organizations. It is not true.

The EU vs Disinfo project specialists worked on the case, they found that in Ukraine there are dozens of civilian health laboratories working on the study of dangerous diseases. Some organizations receive financial and other support from the US, the EU and the World Health Organization (WHO). At the same time, Russian propaganda deliberately blurs the line between biological weapons and biological research, saying that any research conducted on the territory of Ukraine could pose a threat to humanity.

The thesis about the US program to provide biological weapons in Ukraine has been repeatedly refuted. For example, Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament affairs explained that Russia is portraying Ukraine as an aggressor, and no signs of the creation of biological weapons, especially with US support, have been recorded.

Fake Zelenskyi promised Poland the western territories of Ukraine in exchange for “help during the counteroffensive”

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Zelenskyi is asking for help and is ready to give everything, even the territories of Western Ukraine. The authors of the messages refer to the material of the Polish edition Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny. It's a lie.

Specialists of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council explain that no such statement was made by Zelenskyi. At the same time, the Polish publication Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny is a fake publication that publishes propaganda articles translated into Polish. The portal was created to spread anti-Ukrainian narratives. The authors of the really existing material manipulate Zelenskyi's statement that “there will be no borders between Poland and Ukraine in the future”. However, Volodymyr Zelenskyi did not say that Poland could take the territories of Ukraine, he spoke about the all-encompassing friendship between the two brother states.

By spreading such fakes, the authors seek to portray Poland as an aggressor and level the assistance that Poland provides to Ukraine during the war. Allegedly, in fact, Poland is helping Ukraine not because of good intentions.

The propagandists also spread the thesis about “the appropriation of the western territories of Ukraine by Poland” when Zelenskyi visited Poland. Analysts of Detector Media have already spoken on what pro-Russian telegram channels wrote about Volodymyr Zelenskyi's visit to Poland.

Fake In Milan, a stand with Zelenskyi who “absorbs money” was installed

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a stand with Zelenskyi has been set up in Milan, which “absorbs money” through the nostril. As proof, the authors attach a shot to their messages, in which people try to move money through the nostril, and a special mechanism “absorbs” them. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council says that the video is not real, since there is no such stand that “takes money” from behind a nostril in Milan. In particular, experts cite a number of signs of a fabricated video:

One of the fragments clearly shows how a couple of venerable age has an “unnatural look”;

The “video material” itself is glued together from many frames, since in this way the authors sought to hide the ongoing manipulations with the video. There was no clear shot from start to finish.

Fake Hunter Biden financed the creation of biological weapons in Ukraine, as evidenced by the documents of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

Propagandists distribute photos depicting an archival document of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. According to it, on February 24, 2022, all materials related to the activities of Ukrainian laboratories collaborating with the American company Metabiota were allegedly specifically destroyed. Users spreading this information add that this is evidence that the son of US President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, personally oversaw this operation. It's fake.

Analysts of the Lithuanian project 15min drew attention to it. They found that the “document” contained many grammatical errors, indicating that it was probably written by a non-native speaker. In addition, Hunter Biden's involvement with Metabiota Inc. has not been proven. When searching for information about this, one can only find articles in the state Chinese and Russian media on this topic. Metabiota collects disease information and sends specialists to countries upon request. Collaboration with the company's scientists, as stated in the document, cannot mean working on biological weapons.

Thus, propagandists want to justify their aggression against Ukraine and again discredit the family of the US president. Together with conspiracy theorists, they repeatedly hacked into Hunter Biden's personal laptop and leaked data from it to the network, independently drawing conclusions based on these materials.

Fake Ukraine does not long for creating a commission to investigate the tragedy in Bucha

Propagandists are spreading a quote from a Polish deputy from the Confederation party, Janusz Korwin-Mikke. He claims that Ukraine does not want to create a commission to investigate the tragedy in Bucha, hinting that the events in Bucha were staged. It is not true.

Analysts of the Polish project Demagog drew attention to the quote. They found out that this is not the first statement of the deputy on the subject of Bucha. In particular, earlier he said that the Ukrainian military is responsible for the tragedy in Bucha. In addition, an Investigative Commission on crimes in Ukraine (including the events in Bucha) was created on March 4 last year at the initiative of Ukraine. Then the Commission concluded that the Russian armed forces killed civilians in 17 settlements of the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Sumy regions with the largest number of victims in the Kyiv region (in particular, in Bucha). In June 2022, Commission Chairman Eric Moese stated that the Russian military had committed these war crimes.

In addition, in February 2022, Ukraine initiated the creation of an international group responsible for collecting materials on crimes committed by Russians on its territory. The initiative was joined by Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania, the USA, the International Criminal Court and the Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation. Within the framework of the Eurojust, the ​​International Centre for Prosecution of the crime of Aggression (ICPA) was created, which collects evidence to bring perpetrators of crimes to justice.

In addition, at the end of March this year, Ukraine hosted the Bucha Summit, which was convened to strengthen international cooperation in the investigation of the tragedy. As a result of the meeting, the Bucha Declaration was created on strengthening responsibility for crimes committed against Ukraine.

Using such statements, politicians from different countries want to shift the responsibility for the actions of the aggressor onto the victim of aggression. This is skillfully used by propagandists, spreading narratives that the tragedy in Bucha is a staging.

Fake The United States “allowed Ukraine to strike at new regions of Russia”

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the United States allegedly “allowed Ukraine to strike at new regions of Russia”. According to the authors of the message, this was stated by the White House coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project investigated the case and found out what a statement from John Kirby was. White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby, in response to Russian President Volodymyr Putin's recent statement that “Western intelligence agencies” are involved in so-called “terrorist attacks” in Russia, said that the US does not “enable nor encourage" Ukrainians to strike outside the country.

Fake In Poland, crime rate increased because of Ukrainians

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that with the influx of Ukrainian refugees, the crime rate has risen significantly. Like, among the criminals in Poland there are many Ukrainian refugees. The authors of the messages refer to the research of the local analytical center UCE Research, as well as supposedly to the data of the Polish police. The authors argue that free entry into the European Union “became a good opportunity to realize their criminal intentions”. However, this is fake.

The case was noticed by experts from the StopFake project, they studied that from the reports published on the UCE Research platform, there is no information that the increase in crime in the country was due to the appearance of refugees from Ukraine.

Another source allegedly confirming the thesis about the increase in crime in Poland because of the Ukrainians is the police. However, the Polish police do not provide such data. Ukrainian refugees are mentioned in the annual reports only in the context of the fact that the tasks of the police officers were to protect the places where refugees were staying, the Polish police officers “led and helped organize a meeting for Ukrainians, organized numerous meetings with Ukrainians, and some of them provided them with their homes and helped them find themselves in a foreign country and in a new situation”. None of the police reports talk about the fault of Ukrainian refugees in the increase in the number of crimes in 2022.

One of the materials that really reveals the topic of crimes committed by foreigners in Poland is an article in the publication Rzeczpospolita, which analyzes what crimes were committed by migrants in Poland in 2022. The Main Directorate of the National Police has prepared statistics on crimes committed by foreigners in Poland especially for the publication. So, in total, in 2022, 15 thousand crimes were committed by representatives of different nationalities, most often Ukrainians, as the largest group, as well as Belarusians and Georgians, were included in the statistics. The most common type of crime among foreigners, notes Rzeczpospolita, is driving while intoxicated. In second place in popularity is possession of drugs.

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.

Analysts of Detector Media denied a number of fakes and manipulations on the topic of Ukrainian refugees in Poland. For example, we analyzed the manipulation of increasing thefts in Polish stores by a third allegedly because of Ukrainian refugees. And we also explained another manipulation, using which propagandists claimed that the attitude of many Poles towards Ukrainians had worsened.

Fake Soviet graves are destroyed in Lviv, and the remains of dead soldiers are “thrown away”

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that in Lviv, at the Lychakiv military cemetery, the remains of the First World War and Soviet soldiers are being “thrown out” from the graves. The authors add to the publications that, they say, the cemetery management “makes room for the fallen Ukrainian soldiers”. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, they established that excavations on the territory of the Lychakiv military cemetery are indeed being carried out in order to discover the remains of the bodies of the Soviet military and from the time of the World War. However, according to archival documentation, all the burials of the First World War were moved back to Soviet times long ago. However, modern archaeologists find the remains of the bodies of warriors in the cemetery.

As Liliia Onyshchenko, adviser to the mayor of Lviv on the preservation of cultural heritage, explained, the purpose of the work at the cemetery is to identify older burials and their subsequent reburial. According to Onyshchenko, the Soviet authorities did not check how well the remains were transferred and began to carry out their burials there. At the place where the excavations are carried out, the remains of bodies are found, according to the documents of which there should not be.

A press release from the Lviv city council says that the remains will not be “thrown away” but will be reburied. Burials of the First World War will be hidden near the cemetery, where the Memorial Complex will be built later. At the same time, the remains of the Soviet era will be temporarily stored in a special depository (institutions providing storage services, in this case, the storage of the remains of bodies).

Fake Russians “massively destroy” tanks M1 “Abrams”

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the Russians are destroying Abrams tanks en masse. Like, they are so poor quality that they “burn like matches”. In addition, the authors of the reports are convinced that “the unwise production of Abrams tanks from depleted uranium negatively affects both the military and future generations due to chemical poisoning of the population”. It is not true.

The experts of the StopFake project investigated this case and found that the US Army M1 Abrams battle tank has not yet been delivered to Ukraine and therefore cannot “burn like a match” during military operations against the Russian occupiers. The Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive American tanks by the fall of 2023.

In addition, the thesis about the “danger of shells from depleted uranium” is untrue. Yes, pure uranium is a radioactive element, but not depleted. Some countries are armed with tanks with depleted uranium shells.

To put it simply, the projectile “does not emit” radiation and only threatens Russian tankers. Exposure to radioactive radiation from depleted uranium is insignificant.

We recall that earlier analysts of Detector Media refuted the fake about the alleged destruction of the first M1 Abrams tank near Soledar. We also refuted the destruction of another tank on the battlefield - Leopard. We explained the message in which we claimed that only the foreign legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine uses foreign equipment on the  battlefield.

Fake Numb to the evil Jesus and Putin, Zelenskyi was featured on the cover of “Charlie Hebdo” satirical newspaper

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo featured Zelenskyi on the cover, numb to the “evil Jesus” and Putin trying to “keep” Jesus from attacking Zelenskyi. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council says that such a cover does not exist. Fact-checkers went to the official website of the newspaper, and did not find a similar cover. Also, the unreliability of the column is confirmed by the fact that on April 05, 2023 No.1602 was published, but not No.1603, as indicated on the fake cover.

Propagandists systematically spread fake stories about Ukrainian officials, in particular Zelenskyi, in order to discredit him. Thus, Russian propaganda uses the tactics of ridicule and tries to create the illusion that the leadership of Ukraine is despised in Europe. Previously, propagandists spread messages about fake graffiti with Zelenskyi in public places, fake magazine covers, etc.

Fake Poland “allocates more funds for Ukrainian refugees” than for Poles

Such information appeared in the Polish segment of social networks, in particular, on Twitter. Reports say that Poland's annual budget for helping the homeless in 2023 is PLN 5 million. Like, for Ukrainian refugees, Poland “spends” such an amount “in 5 minutes”. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the Polish fact-checkers of the Demagog project, who found that in 2023 the implementation of the government program “Overcoming homelessness” is PLN 5.5 million. However, these are not the only funds allocated in Poland to combat homelessness. The government program is an additional bonus, payments for organizations working in the field of social protection. This is not the general budget of the country. For example, in the budget of Gdansk for 2023, more than 11.7 million złotys are provided for “the development of a support system for homeless people and those at risk of being left without a home”. Moreover, this is only the local budget, significantly exceeding the amount indicated as stable (5 million) by the authors of the messages. 

By spreading such a fake, the authors of the messages seek to convince that Ukrainian refugees are treated better than Poles. Allegedly, Poland does not care about its inhabitants. Analysts of Detector Media denied a number of fakes and manipulations on the topic of Ukrainian refugees in Poland. For example, we refuted the manipulation of increasing the level of theft in Polish stores because of Ukrainians. We also explained another manipulation, saying that the attitude of many Poles towards Ukrainians has worsened.

Fake Ukraine “did not initiate the creation of an international commission” to investigate human rights violations in Ukraine

Such information appeared in the Polish segment of social networks, in particular, on Twitter. Reports say that Ukraine itself is to blame for war crimes, because it did not “initiate the creation of an international commission to investigate violations of human rights”. Like, in this way Ukraine wants to hide its crimes and whiten itself. However, this is not true.

The case was investigated by the Polish fact-checkers of the Demagog project, who determined that the fake quote belongs to Janusz Korwin-Mikka, a Polish right-wing politician and publicist. Janusz considers Ukraine “the main enemy of Poland”. However, his quote is not true. As the fact-checkers explain, the UN Human Rights Council created an international commission whose task was to investigate violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Ukraine. At the same time, the Ukrainian mission also made efforts to create an international team to investigate war crimes. Six EU countries have joined the cooperation, including Poland and the USA. Therefore, the thesis about Ukraine's inaction in identifying war crimes is untrue.

Evidence from the Commission of the UN Council on Human Rights shows that it was the Russians who committed the deliberate killings of civilian Ukrainians in the territories temporarily occupied by Russia. In addition, the Commission found numerous cases of rape, sexual and gender-based violence committed by Russians. That is, Ukraine is not trying to hide the so-called “its war crimes”, but rather wants to show the real aggressor - Russia.

Fake The United States calls on persons without a fixed place of residence to join the International Legion of Ukraine

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has launched an advertising campaign on the New York subway urging homeless people to join the Ukrainian International Defense Legion. The authors of the messages also add a photo of a leaflet with the inscription: “Tired of living on subsidies? Join the International Defense Legion of Ukraine!”. At the same time, they seem to promise a monthly salary and medical insurance. It is not true.

The case was noticed by the fact-checkers of the project “Beyond the News”, who investigated that the postcard was not real. As they explain, a fake can be recognized for a number of reasons, in particular:

The advertising card does not correspond to the unified design system of advertising banners. The location and color scheme of the fake postcard differs from the New York subway design code;

The number that poor New Yorkers are advised to apply for really exists. However, this number is for Washington, not New York;

Getting into the Legion is not easy. Among the requirements for candidates is the presence of combat experience. That is, a person without a specific place of residence will not be able to be accepted into the Legion if they really do not meet certain requirements.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to convince that everything is bad in Ukraine, that no one can fight, that the Ukrainian leadership resorts to recruiting people without a home. We recall that in our new section “Newspeak”, analysts of Detector Media analyzed how Russian propaganda discredits members of the Foreign Legion, calling them “foreign mercenaries”.

Fake Ukrainian nationalists set fire to the temple of the UOC-MP in the Mykolaiv region

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric are distributing a video on which the “canonical temple” of the UOC-MP in the village of Novopoltavka, Mykolaiv region, is allegedly on fire. Ukrainian nationalists are accused of setting fire to the temple, whose actions are comparable to Zelenskyi's allegedly anti-Orthodox policy.

Specialists from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council investigated this case and determined that the information being disseminated is not true. The burning church in the video is different from the one in Novopoltavka. In fact, this video depicts a fire in the Russian village of Illinka. It was made back in 2013, when the temple was burning there.

Propagandists use such fakes to sow religious enmity among Ukrainians and contribute to the division of society. This is not the first time Russian propaganda has been spreading disinformation on religious topics. Detector Media has already talked about the inventions of propaganda, that allegedly the United States guide Zelenskyi’s anti-Orthodox church policy, that crosses are allegedly blackened on the temple of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra because of “Ukrainian blasphemy”, or that the UN allegedly recognizes the oppression of the Orthodox Church.

Fake In Ukraine, “people in their twenties have actually ended” because of the war

The Kremlin websites disseminate information that in Ukraine, due to the war with Russia, there are allegedly almost no people of twenty years old left. Propagandists attribute this to “the West's order to Zelenskyi to fight to the last Ukrainian”. Like, precisely because the Ukrainians are forced to fight, the number of twenty-year-old boys and girls in Ukraine “has decreased by four in just a year”. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project investigated this case. They determined that the Russian propagandists were referring to “official statistics from the annual World Population Prospects published by the UN Secretariat”. Thus, Russian propaganda claims that last year in Ukraine there were about 200 thousand boys and 200 thousand girls of twenty years old, and this year's data show that in the age category of 21 years (these people are now 21 years old) there are only about 60 thousand boys and 50 thousand girls left.

However, the data presented in the World Population Prospects differ from the figures voiced by the propagandists. In 2023, about 133 thousand boys and 118 thousand girls aged 21 live in Ukraine, and not 60 and 50 thousand, respectively. And in 2021, when they were 19 years old, the number of boys was about 190 thousand, and girls - 180 thousand. That is, over the specified period, the number of young people in Ukraine has indeed decreased somewhat, but not by several times, as Russian propaganda claims. According to StopFake experts, the main reason for the decline in the population of Ukraine in 2022-2023 was emigration abroad due to Russia's armed aggression.

Russian propaganda spreads such fakes in order to discredit the Ukrainian authorities, demoralize Ukrainians and show the inexpediency of further resistance to Russia. They say that Ukraine is losing its youth because of the opposition to Russian aggression, and the authorities are not able to ensure the safety of their people. We note that this is not the first time Russia has manipulated figures on the population of Ukraine. Detector Media has already told how Russian propaganda counted Ukrainians by the amount of bread consumed and claimed that there are 5 million fewer Ukrainians every year.

Fake Zelenskyi steals Easter from the French, the French edition of Courrier International dedicated the cover to it

Pro-Russian telegram channels are distributing a seemingly new cover of the French weekly Courrier International, in which Zelenskyi, with the words “Ukraine needs it more”, steals Easter eggs from French children. Like, the local taxpayers spend a lot of money on the whims of Zelenskyi to support Ukraine. However, this is not true.

According to experts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, the weekly Courrier International has never been published with such a cover. One can verify this by checking the official website of the publication. Another confirmation of the inauthenticity of the cover is that it was published in edition number 1692, although the edition with this number is planned to be released only on April 6, 2023.

This disinformation campaign is aimed at discrediting Ukraine and its President in the eyes of the world community. Let us recall that this is not the first time Russian propaganda has promoted fake covers to denigrate Zelenskyi's reputation. The French cartoon magazine “Charlie Hebdo”, the German satirical magazine “Titanic”, the American weekly “Newsweek”, the French magazine “FRANC-TIREUR” and others have already been used to spread such fakes.

Fake The National Gallery in London demands to take away the painting because it shows a man who looks like Putin

Propagandists spread the information that the National Gallery in London intends to remove from the exhibition a portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434. Allegedly, visitors to the gallery are outraged that the person in the picture looks like Russian President Volodymyr Putin. It's fake.

Reuters fact-checkers drew attention to this trend. They received a comment from the gallery speaker, who said that there are no plans to remove the painting from the exhibition now, since there are no complaints about it either. It is impossible to find any press releases for the removal of the picture, nor public calls for such actions.

The propagandists want to show in this way that Europe is choking on absurd russophobia. Like, in their blind hatred for Russia and everything Russian, Europeans stick to everything in a row. Detector Media has already described a particular vision of “russophobia” propagated by propagandists.

Fake US saves on toilets to spend millions of dollars on Zelenskyi

Propagandists are spreading a video that allegedly in the morning program of the American CBS television channel, during a report on a new concept for toilets that allow one to spend less time in the toilet, they accidentally included footage with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, from which the host of the program starts to laugh. It's fake.

Analysts of the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They claim that in the video that propagandists are distributing, footage with Zelenskyi was added over the original video due to editing. In the original version, there is no video with the President of Ukraine at all, and the presenter starts laughing after the remark that new toilets will save the lives of millions of people. This news program aired on December 19, 2019 on the Boston Regional affiliate of the CBS News network and was hosted by Diana King Hall.

In this way, propagandists want to once again raise doubts about the sincerity of American support and personally discredit Zelenskyi. Like, why does one need such a president, even if they laugh at him during reports about toilets. This is far from the first personal attack by propagandists against the President of Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly debunked fake covers of foreign media, where Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly ridiculed.

Fake Timber and black soil are being exported from Ukraine under the guise of agricultural products

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that after agreements with Poland on a simplified regime for checking the export of agricultural products, timber, black soil and minerals will be exported from Ukraine. The authors of the messages add that Ukraine is “paying for help from the West”.

The case was noticed by the specialists of the VoxCheck project, who say that there is no confirmation that after the ban on the export of timber, it was exported from Ukraine. In addition, the West is helping Ukraine as a partner, not as a debtor for the provided weapons.

On March 3, 2023 Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland Henryk Kowalczyk agreed on simplified procedures for the passage of goods before export. In particular, this applies to Ukrainian grain and oil.