This thesis appeared in Russian propaganda media and on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that one of the UN reports noted that Ukraine discriminates against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Like, the report was published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and concerned freedom of religion in Ukraine. However, this is not true. The UN has not published any report on this topic.

In the messages, the propagandists referred to a long document titled “Report on the situation of human rights in Ukraine – 1 August 2022 – 31 January 2023”, published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 24 March 2023. It contains a single paragraph about searches by the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) in the premises of the UOC and reports of suspicion to the clergy of the UOC, as well as the sentence: “OHCHR is concerned that the activities of the state against the UOC may be discriminatory”. But, in general, the report concerns war crimes of Russians in Ukraine. However, propagandists are silent about this in their messages.

Russian propaganda needs such fakes to discredit Ukraine and the Ukrainian authorities. Thus, Russian propagandists show that even in international organizations, the attitude towards Ukraine is allegedly changing and the world is beginning to understand what Ukrainians really are.

Such information is distributed in the Georgian segment of Facebook in Russian. Reports say that 60% of the Ukrainian military cannot return alive from the front line, and the losses are about 200,000 out of 800,000 fighters. The authors of the messages referred to information from The New York Times allegedly dated March 11. However, this is an unsubstantiated conclusion.

According to Myth Detector project analysts, the statistics presented in the viral post cannot be found in any official source. In addition, the New York Times did not publish an article about the liquidation of 60% of the Ukrainian military.

However, according to analysts, the New York Times is not directly mentioned as a source in the published information, although the text circulated on Facebook is accompanied by a screenshot of the publication, which gives the impression that this media published the information.

In fact, the March 11 issue of the New York Times pictured in the post contained two articles about Ukraine. The first one concerned the meeting between US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, where the main topic of discussion was the effective resistance of Russia against the backdrop of the ongoing war.

The second article is devoted to the grief of the fighter Dmytro Kotsiubailo who died near Bakhmut and was the commander of the “Da Vinci Wolves” unit. However, none of these articles contains information about the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and statistical information about the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Propagandists distribute photos, allegedly foreign publications, namely the American magazine Newsweek and the French magazine FRANC-TIREUR on March 21 came out with covers that ridicule the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Like, the meeting between the President of Russia and the leader of China left him behind the geopolitical trends. It's fake.

Analysts of the Georgian project MythDetector drew attention to it. They found out that the special edition of Newsweek, as stated on the fake cover, was not published on March 21st. Moreover, there are no regular editions of the magazine with this date, as the official website of the American Newsweek shows. On the FRANC-TIREUR website, it is also impossible to find a cover that is being distributed by propagandists.

Thus, they are trying to discredit the President of Ukraine and show that even in the West they supposedly understand what a geopolitical defeat Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow has become for them. This cover game is part of the disinformation campaign associated with this visit. Detector Media wrote about its main messages, including how Russia is trying to present it as a sign of a productive rapprochement.

Propagandists are spreading a video in which Ukrainian soldiers allegedly shoot at a civilian car of a woman with a small child. Like, that was the reaction to the Russian language, heard from them. According to the plot of the video, the military man and the driver allegedly belong to the Crimean Tatar people. It's fake.

The fake was refuted by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Its specialists found out that the location captured on the video is located in the temporarily occupied territory between Donetsk and Makiivka. In addition, one of the primary sources of the fake is a netizen under the nickname “Yurii Aleksieich Z V”. The Ukrainian military put solid crosses on their cars, and the Wehrmacht crosses are visible on the video. Moreover, the use of registrars in Ukraine is prohibited even in the rear. The Main Intelligence Directorate specialists also found out that the body of the car on which the Ukrainian military was traveling was manufactured in Russia and was not delivered to Ukraine. In the video, you can see signs of unsuccessful editing.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to show them as cruel and inadequate, and also to cause conflict with representatives of the Muslim community, in particular with the Crimean Tatars.

Propagandists are spreading information that the Instagram account of the American pop start Britney Spears was blocked for a post in which she expresses support for Russia in the war against Ukraine. Like, this is how American freedom of speech works, oppressing critics. It's fake.

According to a “screenshot” of the post that allegedly banned Spears' account, the singer “believes that Western media coverage of the crisis in Ukraine has the sole purpose of fueling the war”. In addition, she allegedly stated that she believes in “freedom from Western hegemony and controlling capitalist oligarchs [US media]”. At the end, Spears allegedly said that “Ukraine has been bombing Donbas since April 2014 and NOBODY has said a word”.

Analysts of The Insider project drew attention to the fake after it appeared on Russian television. They found out that the post was not real, and the singer deleted her Instagram page on her own, which she does regularly. In addition, the fakeness is indicated by the fact that not a single popular American show business media (for example, TMZ or Entertainment Tonight) wrote about the post. The fake was even refuted by some propaganda media.

Thus, Russian propagandists want to convince that the American elites are gradually turning away from Ukraine, and American freedom of speech is hypocritical. Like, how can the American government help Ukraine if it humiliates its own citizens. However, in this case, the propagandists created a fake that even they did not believe. Detector Media has previously written about other similar messages, for example, that Ukrainians are Nazis because they choose big dogs.

Propagandists distribute a “screenshot” of the website of the Russian-language service “Voice of America”. It depicts an “article” stating that, according to US Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden's “inappropriate behavior” is the work of Russian intelligence agencies. It's fake.

Analysts of the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They found out that the photos were not real. In addition, although the “screenshot” refers to Agence France-Presse (AFP) as the primary source, they do not have such articles. Analysts also contacted the Russian-language edition of the Voice of America, which denied the existence of such a publication.

Thus, Russian propagandists want to convince everyone that the West paranoidly blames Russia for all its mistakes, even if it is about the “inadequacy” of the president. Like, Joe Biden barely speaks, so how can he be considered the leader of the free world? This rhetoric is consistent with the messages spread by supporters of the ex-President of the United States Donald Trump, who are supporters of conspiracy theories. It is with them that this fake “plays”.

Propagandists distribute a video allegedly filmed in one of the shopping centers in Vienna. It shows a TV screen, which shows the inscription “Nicht unser Krieg” (Not our war) against the background of the Austrian flag. Like, the Austrians do not want to support Ukraine. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the photo with the inscription contained traces of inept editing. In particular, the pixels on the “screen” are uneven and moved out, which is impossible in a real screen. Moreover, on other screens shown in the video, you can see an advertisement for a waste reduction project in the Turmstraße residential center of the Mitte district in the city of Berlin. In addition, one of the Twitter users found out that the shopping center where the photo was taken is not in Vienna, but in Berlin.

Thus, Russian propagandists want to convince Ukrainians that Europeans are war-weary. Like, the Austrians do not want to help Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian diaspora in Vienna is actively implementing a number of projects that are of high interest among ordinary Austrians.

Propagandists are spreading information that Latvian cars which were donated as humanitarian aid are being resold in Ukraine. Like, cars confiscated from Latvian drunk drivers can already be found in the car markets of Lutsk and Rivne. The authors of these posts even add a “screenshot” from the video, supposedly proof of the veracity of this information. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found a video from the “screenshot” in the TikTok and found out that there was no inscription “Confiscated from Latvia” on it. In addition, the authors of the video do not say that the cars in the video were brought from Latvia and do not indicate the date the video was shot. The account on which it appeared is dedicated to auto-selection and car reviews.

VoxCheck analysts remind that on February 16, 2023, the Latvian Saeima decided to confiscate cars from drunk drivers. The seized cars are handed over as humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian military. As part of this initiative, eight cars have already been handed over, and on March 14, the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia decided to hand over another eighteen state-owned cars.

Thus, Russian propagandists want to accuse Ukrainians of neglecting the help and sympathy of foreigners. Like, ungrateful Ukrainians are begging for everything out of Europeans in order to resell it later. For the same purpose, propagandists wrote about how Ukraine allegedly plundered European humanitarian aid worth 342 million euros.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Ukrainians have created a “special website” “Slovotvir” (Word formation), where they come up with new lexemes for the Ukrainian language. The authors of the messages say that this is evidence of how Ukrainians are “inventing an artificial language”. A screenshot is added to the publication, where you can see “examples of fictitious lexemes”.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project, who found out that the Slovotvir (Word formation) project selects proper Ukrainian equivalents for words of foreign origin, and does not “invent” them. The project website states: “Slovotvir is a platform for searching, discussing and choosing accurate matches to borrowed words”. It allows people to find or suggest a Ukrainian approach to these words. Users can vote for the option they like or comment on certain matches.

The authors of the telegram channel chose the word “lemon”. Users have indeed picked up a few answers that can be used in place of the borrowed one: kyslyna, tsytryna, alomyi, kydra, kydro (a lemon). However, the propagandists decided that these were fictitious words and began to assert the existence of “artificial speech”.

The modern Ukrainian language has gone through a long process of formation and development, and is not artificially invented and imposed on Ukrainians. For example, the first three parts of the “Eneida” by Ivan Kotliarevskyi in 1798 were the first work written entirely in modern Ukrainian colloquial language. However, even by that time the Ukrainian language had already been formed. This made it possible to use it to write a full-fledged work.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the Russians “hit” a Leopard2A5 tank with an RPG-76. As evidence, the authors of the messages add to the publication a photograph of an allegedly Russian military man who is aiming at a Leopard2A5 tank. At the same time, there is a patch with the flag of Russia on the military uniform. It's a lie.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated the case and found out that the photo actually depicts a Lebanese military and Israeli Merkava tank, and a patch with the Russian flag was added in a photo editor.

The fact checkers decided to find the real photo through a reverse image search using the TinEye tool. Among the results of the search is a publication on the Twitter of the Lebanese Armed Forces, from where the propagandists took the photo.

Earlier, analysts of Detector Media denied the fake, which said that the Russians allegedly destroyed the first Leopard tank on the battlefield.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, including the Georgian segment of Facebook. Reports say that in one of Joe Biden's last speeches, he declared his “willingness to negotiate with Russia and Mykhailo Horbachov” to achieve peace. Like, the President of the United States no longer understands what he is saying and mixed up the names of the presidents. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the MythDetector project investigated this case and found out that Joe Biden did not say that in his statement: neither about negotiations with Russia, nor about Mykhailo Horbachov. As the fact-checkers explain, the White House website publishes statements by high-ranking officials, in particular Joe Biden, regarding a particular event. Fact-checkers were unable to find a statement on the White House website about “readiness for negotiations with Mykhailo Horbachov”. The last statement in which Biden mentioned Horbachov was published on the White House website on August 31, 2022, after Horbachov's death. In that statement, Biden noted that Horbachov was “a rare leader who had the vision that another future was possible and had the courage to risk his entire career for it”.

We recall that earlier Detector Media explained a message in which propagandists claimed that the United States plans to hold peace talks with Russia, since it is America that is waging war side by side with Ukraine against Russia.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that US President Joe Biden suffered a bruise as a result of a fall on the airstairs during a visit to Warsaw on February 20, 2023. As proof, the authors of the messages add a photo with a “bruise” on his forehead. It is not true.

Specialists of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case, who determined that in the photos shown it was indeed not a “bruise”, but follows from the remains of the ashes applied by the priest during Ash Wednesday. At the same time, Joe Biden did not fall down the stairs of the plane, as Detector Media analysts have already mentioned.

As the fact checkers explain, on February 22, 2023, Poland celebrated Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, so Biden joined the celebration. On this day, Joe Biden stayed at the Marriott Hotel, where the Polish priest Wiesław Davydowski held mass in the morning. The priest himself noted on his Facebook page that he had the honor to sprinkle ashes on the head of the US President. On the president's forehead, one can see a Catholic cross made of ashes, which some believers leave on their faces for the rest of the day. On this day, a summit was also held, in the photo of which you can see that the trace at the head of the cross still remains.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Ukrainian allegedly received official notice of the death of his son on a promotional booklet. Like, the advertising booklet was used as an official document and all the necessary information was written on its back side. As proof, the authors of the messages add a video to the publication, which allegedly shows this. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council explained that official structures, for example, the department of the Ministry of Defense, cannot send such a “document” because it is not properly formatted and generally compiled:

The seal of the Ministry of Defense with the code 12345678 was taken from an advertising template for a manufacturer of seals and stamps;

There is indeed a block of flats at the address indicated in the fake letter, but the recipient's apartment number is missing.

Therefore, the fact checkers are sure that the document is fake and no official structures sent it.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Newsweek and Franc-Tireur have dedicated their covers to Zelenskyi, who is watching the meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping from a burning room or sitting on fallen Ukrainian soldiers, reports say. As proof, the authors add a screenshot supposedly from real magazine covers. It is not true.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council explained that neither Newsweek nor Franc-Tireur published such covers. Fact-checkers were convinced of this when they went to the official websites of both publications. Fact-checkers did not find similar covers on the site. Experts also note that none of the publications printed editions were dated 21.03.2023 as indicated on the fake covers.

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.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a concentration camp has allegedly been organized near Odesa for those who do not want to fight with Russia. Like, this is evidenced by “intelligence data” of the occupying authorities. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the fake, and found out that the information about the “concentration camp” was not true. The representative of the Odesa military administration, Serhii Bratchuk, said that there were no concentration camps on the territory of the Odesa region. He noted that in Ukraine there are only camps and military training grounds, where citizens are preparing with the desire and motivation to destroy the enemy.

In addition, as analysts explain, there are no photo or video materials testifying to the existence of the so-called “concentration camp”. According to analysts, the information is simply fictional.

By spreading this fake, the propagandists are once again promoting the message of total mobilization in Ukraine. Like, there is no one to fight, so everyone is mobilized, and those who do not want to are transferred to concentration camps. Thus propagandists demonize the Ukrainian authorities, who allegedly mock Ukrainians.

We recall that earlier Detector Media refuted the fake, which said that the Territorial recruitment and social support centers were intensively recruiting female chemists and biological specialists, and explained the case about the alleged preparation of Ukrainian women and their children for mobilization. We also refuted the fake, in which the propagandists claimed that in Ukraine they “dug a ditch on the border with Moldova in order to stop the flight of men from mobilization”.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukrainian media have published an infographic that allegedly indicates the number of people mobilized since the beginning of 2023 in certain regions of Ukraine. According to these data, the largest number of mobilized is in the Odesa region. The Odesa region is followed by Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv regions. The authors of the messages add that, allegedly, the current Ukrainian authorities “destroy Russian-speaking Ukrainians” in this way. It's a lie.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case, they investigated that the Ukrainian media did not publish such infographics, while there is no data on the total number of the mobilized in open sources. As the checkers explain, the infographic contains a list of areas where one area is misspelled. Instead of “Mykolaiv” you can see “MIkolaiv”. Information on mobilization in the regions is indicated only in a few areas. For example, the situation in Kyiv, Transcarpathians, Cherkasy and other regions is not indicated, although mobilization continues throughout Ukraine. Analysts also failed to find Ukrainian media that would distribute such infographics. Therefore, analysts are convinced that the information on the infographics was invented and the Ukrainian media did not distribute the infographics.

Analysts of Detector Media have repeatedly analyzed cases related to Ukrainian mobilization. For example, we refuted a fake about the alleged forgery of a document of a minor by one of the Territorial recruitment and social support centers. We also explained a case about a false document that was distributed by the Russians, claiming that young people from 15 to 18 years old are forbidden to travel abroad.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. A shopping mall in Austria is reportedly displaying an ad with the inscription “It’s not our war” in German. The authors of the messages attach a video to the publication, where such advertising can be seen from the TV screen. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case, and determined that such advertising was fake. At the same time, analysts explain that the photo shows signs of editing. As the checkers explained, in the photo one can see the untypical placement of pixels on the TV screen. They should be placed evenly. In this case, they are placed unevenly and “moved out” on top of each other. Therefore, it lets fact-checkers verify that the photo has been edited with a photo editor.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the military of the 128th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine beat a man with his hands tied with a stick on his back. Like, it was a Brazilian volunteer who tried to escape from the position. A bound man in military uniform asked in Portuguese “not to beat him”. As proof, the authors add a video showing the process of beating an allegedly Brazilian volunteer with the participation of the Ukrainian military. At the same time, the authors of the messages note that the video was found on the phone of one of the prisoners of war of the Ukrainian military. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, and they investigated that the video was not real. As analysts explain, this is another production of Russian propaganda because the Brazilians are indeed among the volunteers but do not serve in the 128th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Like other volunteers from other countries, the Brazilians serve only in the Foreign Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In addition, StopFake analysts checked the video using language detection tools. That's how they figured out that the bound man in the video was speaking Portuguese. In Brazil, the official language is Portuguese. However, later the fact-checkers turned to Brazilian colleagues to clarify whether it was possible to determine from the pronunciation of the man in the video that he was Brazilian. They were told that the man was definitely not a native speaker and that he was studying European Portuguese, not Brazilian Portuguese. Actually, European Portuguese is spoken, in particular, in Portugal, and not in Brazil. These two varieties of Portuguese, for example, have a significant difference in phonetics that can be easily heard and recorded.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an increased mobilization of women has begun in Ukraine, first of all, women with a chemical or biological education are mobilized. The authors of the messages refer to the “results of intelligence” of the occupier. At the same time, the authors note that Ukraine is preparing to use chemical and biological weapons. It's a lie.

The experts of the StopFake project got down to the case, they investigated that in Ukraine they do not plan to carry out mandatory mobilization of women or the mobilization of women of certain specialties. According to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov, as of the end of 2022, 59,786 women served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, of who: about 19 thousand are civilian workers (in the field of medicine, office work, communications, finance and administration), and the rest are military personnel. Also, about 5 thousand women are directly involved in hostilities. That is, everything happens of its own accord and there is no question of any “forced mobilization”.

At the same time, analysts called the thesis about the use of chemical or biological weapons false. Experts have not found any evidence of the likely use of chemical or biological weapons.

In October 2022, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the voluntary procedure for taking women into military registration. According to the law, women who have received a medical or pharmaceutical specialty and are fit for age and health are subject to military registration. The rest can register voluntarily. Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar explained that there is no mobilization of women in the country. Until 2026, even Ukrainian women with a medical specialty do not have to be registered.

We recall that Detector Media previously also refuted fakes on the so-called mobilization of women. For example, the fake that women and children should allegedly prepare for mobilization.

Propagandists spread information that thousands of Ukrainians protested in defense of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Allegedly, they oppose the oppression of Orthodox Ukrainians. The authors of posts on this topic even add a “photo” from the “protests”. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that when looking for  images that are added as evidence of “protests”, one can see that they were actually taken on March 12 this year. On that day, believers gathered for Divine Liturgy at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on the feast day of the Cathedral of All Saints of the Caves. A video from this event was published by the page of the UOC-MP.

Thus, Russian propagandists want to intensify their information campaign on the “oppression of religion” by the “Kyiv regime”. Allegedly, the Nazi regime oppresses people for believing in God. For the same purpose, propagandists recently wrote about “blackened crosses” on the territory of Lavra.

Such information is disseminated in pro-Kremlin propaganda media and on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say last week Ukrainian refugees allegedly burned down a historic 400-year-old hotel in Midhurst, West Sussex, England. Like, the Ukrainians are criminals, and if it had not been for them, the building would have survived. It is not true.

The fire on North Street in Midhurst did indeed occur on March 16, and it did not only affect the Angel Inn, which the propagandists write about. Ukrainian refugees also really lived in a hotel. According to local authorities, 30 people were evacuated from the hotel due to the fire, including “several” Ukrainian refugees. However, claims that it was the Ukrainians who set the fire are unfounded.

The fact checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. They found out that local media wrote that the fire first started in the early morning in a nearby house on North Street, and only then spread to the roof of the nearby Angel Inn. “But not only this fact, but also the preliminary findings of the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service do not confirm any involvement of Ukrainian refugees in the fire”. A spokesman for the fire service told the BBC: “Preliminary investigations indicate that there are no suspicious circumstances associated with this fire, but our investigation is ongoing”, the fact-checkers wrote.

This is not the first fake of Russian propaganda about “bad” Ukrainian refugees. For example, propagandists have already claimed that Ukrainians burned a forest in Germany. By spreading such fakes, propaganda wants to create for Ukrainian refugees the image of criminals who can, for example, set fire to the house they live in. This is how propagandists try to convince the audience that Ukrainians should not be supported. Read more about disinformation regarding Ukrainian refugees in the Detector Media investigation.

Such information was disseminated in Russian propaganda media and on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. The report says that the International Criminal Court in the Hague allegedly acquitted the Russian army. Like, the court did not find war crimes committed by the Russian military in Ukraine. However, this is not true.

The propagandists’ reports also said that since the court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Volodymyr Putin concerns the suspicion of committing only one war crime: the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine. That is, propagandists conclude that the deportation of children is the only thing Russia is generally accused of. Like, this means that neither Russia nor its military is to blame for anything else.

In fact, according to StopFake, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Volodymyr Putin exclusively in the case of illegal deportation to Russia of children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Fact-checkers add that this does not yet apply to other possible crimes, since the court, according to lawyer Dmytro Koval, selects only the highest priority cases.

By spreading such fakes, Russian propaganda seeks to create the appearance that the Russian army is doing everything right and it does not harm civilians in Ukraine. This allegedly confirms the thesis of the Russian propaganda that the Russians bring peace.

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric publish information that it is currently impossible to buy antidepressants in Ukraine due to their shortage. Like, upon returning from the front, the Ukrainian military “swept away” them from pharmacies. It's fake.

When looking for antidepressants in Ukrainian pharmacies, even online, you can find the exact addresses of pharmacies where you can buy them at the moment. This is not about the presence of several items, but about a wide selection of antidepressants. Moreover, even if such a deficit did occur, it is impossible to confirm whether it was the military that provoked it or not. Civilians living in the stress of war can also buy these drugs, and antidepressants are even on the list of drugs provided under the government's “Affordable Medicines” program.

Thus, Russian propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces and demoralize Ukrainian society. They say that allegedly the Ukrainian soldiers cannot withstand the war, which means that they must give up and start negotiating.

In fact, the topic of mental health for both military and civilians during the war is quite important. However, Russian propaganda stigmatizes it. It seems that taking care of one’s mental health is the business of “weaklings”. However, the trauma of wartime experiences can interfere with a return to normal life.

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric publish information that the President of Ukraine, by his decree, created “information hubs for Ukrainian citizens to find work”, taking into account the “sharp increase in unemployment”. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the screenshot used by the authors of such messages is a fake. In particular, it contains the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 127/2023. It can be easily found on the website of the Office of the President and you can see that in fact it concerns the appointment of O.Kamyshin as an adviser to the President of Ukraine. In addition, there are no decrees with information about “information hubs” on the site at all.

Thus, the authors of telegram channels are trying to increase the number of their subscribers by misleading users. However, Russian propagandists also took advantage of this, presenting it as evidence of an economic disaster in Ukraine. Like, everything is so bad that even the government is forced to send people to work.

Propagandists are allegedly spreading a quote from an American intelligence officer, where he reveals Poland's plan to destroy Ukrainian soldiers. They refer to an interview with retired US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter for American journalist Stephen Gardner. Like, Poland deliberately transfers defective planes to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and turns Ukrainian soldiers into an easy target. It's fake.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to the fake. They refuted Ritter's words about the “plan for the destruction of Ukrainian soldiers”: Poland is one of Ukraine's main partners in military assistance. The example with the supply of German Leopard 2 tanks and MiG-29 combat aircraft is a clear confirmation. In addition, analysts found an interview with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, in which he said: “We help Ukraine, because our neighbor in the East determines how our future will look like”.

Talking about the personality of Scott Ritter, he is indeed a former US intelligence officer who served in it in the 1980s. Then (from 1991 to 1998) he worked as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq. But he was subsequently accused of pedophilia after trying to arrange a date with underage girls on the Internet (in all cases, the “girls” were police officers). On these charges, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. In 2014, he was released, but his “analytics” was in demand only from the Russian propaganda media. In particular, Ritter accused Ukraine of killings in Bucha, called Joe Biden a war criminal and claimed that Poland was trying to occupy the western regions of Ukraine.

Thus, propagandists use beneficial “experts” without due attention to their reputation. They nourish the narrative of the West, which wants “to destroy” Ukraine and Poland, which wants to take western Ukrainian lands for itself. Detector Media has already investigated this narrative and explained why it is dangerous for Ukrainians.