The social network TikTok is distributing a video in which the military command of Ukraine, in particular Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Serhii Shaptala, Dmytro Marchenko  allegedly created a petition for the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the subsequent mobilization of deputies. The video also features Vitalii Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. Social network users are encouraged to follow the link and sign the petition. It's fake.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. In fact, such a petition does not exist, the video is fake, and the link to the petition leads to various telegram channels and third-party sites.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the military command of Ukraine and promoting the message that there is a conflict between it and the leadership of the state. Previously, we talked about a message that allegedly Zaluzhnyi “was asked to reduce the level of his publicity due to the conflict with Zelenskyi”.

In the Russian segment of TikTok, a video is being distributed where supposedly ants are carrying an icon of the Savior “from a house destroyed by a shell in Makiivka, where all the inhabitants died”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project. The video that was discovered shows that the image of Jesus Christ was added in a photo editor. The ants were actually carrying cookies. Also, fact checkers from Reuters previously refuted this video. According to their research, it appeared back in 2019, that is, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Previously, we talked about the manipulation that supposedly because of the blasphemy of Kyiv, flocks of dark birds are circling over the city.

Russian propaganda resources began to spread the fake news that allegedly the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umierov accidentally revealed data on Ukrainian losses during the counteroffensive. A number of anonymous telegram channels disseminating pro-Russian rhetoric promoted the message, allegedly Minister Rustem Umierov in his first public speech named the amount that is not enough to pay the relatives of dead servicemen - UAH 250 billion. Next, propagandists resort to the following arithmetic: the amount is not paid immediately, the first payment is 3 million UAH. Consequently, according to propaganda, the Ministry of Defense must pay the families of more than 83 thousand victims. They say that this is the number of Ukrainian losses in recent months, and it indicates the failure of the counteroffensive. It is not true.

Rustem Umierov really spoke about 250 billion, speaking as a candidate for minister before the vote in the Verkhovna Rada. Quote: “Just until the end of this year we will need an additional 250 billion hryvnia for cash allowance, and these costs are growing every day”. Thus, Rustem Umierov was not talking about payments to the families of the victims, but about monetary allowances, in other words, about salaries for military personnel. We see that Russian propagandists took the real figure announced by Umierov, but grossly manipulated its value.

Let us recall that on September 6, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed a new Minister of Defense. The candidacy of Rustem Umierov was supported by 338 people's deputies. In 2019, Rustam Umierov was elected as a people’s deputy of Ukraine from the Voice party, in 2022-2023 he headed the State Property Fund of Ukraine, and after being confirmed as head of the Ministry of Defense, he became the first Crimean Tatar in the history of independent Ukraine to hold a ministerial post.

Propagandists ridicule the new minister, who “knows how to count money well”, but allegedly casually reveals state secrets about the number of deaths. Russian propaganda is also trying to sow panic among Ukrainians against the backdrop of the counteroffensive, saying that there are many losses in the Ukrainian army. Previously, we refuted the fake news that in Ternopil they are threatening to cut off gas and hot water to conscripts who do not come to the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support.

Anonymous telegram channels, Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, and propagandists are spreading information that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, allegedly received a British passport along with his wife and two close relatives. These passports were personally brought by Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his last visit to Ukraine on September 8. Ukrainian sources reported this. “A foreign passport provides the Ukrainian authorities with guarantees and protection of NATO countries”, the propagandists explained. It's fake.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. In fact, Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit on September 8 to participate in the Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum and went to Lviv on September 9. Propagandists do not provide any evidence that the ex-prime minister brought passports to Budanov. And since Russian propaganda refers to Ukrainian sources, such information cannot be verified.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit representatives of government bodies and cause disdain and mistrust of them. Previously, we refuted the fake that First Lady Olena Zelenska received an Israeli passport, and Kyrylo Budanov is in a coma.

Ukrainian media are disseminating information that from October 1, 2023, emergency power outage schedules will come into effect in Ukraine. It seems that government officials and energy companies have already prepared them. It's fake.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. The official website of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine reported that “the energy system will be fully ready for the heating season without power outages and, accordingly, consumer restrictions” and “the use of outages from October 1 in any of the regions of the country is not planned”.

Since last year there were power outages due to Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, the ministry notes that this year they “can only be used in the event of shelling and damage to energy equipment”.

Russian propaganda media published information that Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilver allegedly made a statement in which he called on the Ukrainian government to move military operations, barracks and enterprises away from the common border so that Romanian territory would not be damaged. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers from the Myth Detector project. The Romanian fact-checking organization Factual told the fact-checkers that the Romanian defense minister did not make such a statement. Also, the Romanian Ministry of Defense officially denied this quote and published a statement on the media monitoring platform Inforadar.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense suspects that this fake appeared as an echo of Russian attacks on the territory of Ukraine, which resulted in drones falling onto the territory of Romania. Fragments of drones fell on September 4 and 9.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to quarrel between Ukraine and its allies and shift responsibility onto our state for the fall of Russian drones on Romanian territory. They say that if there were no Ukrainian barracks there, there would be no strikes. However, it was Russia that started the war in Ukraine and is destroying infrastructure and civilian objects. Previously, we refuted the fake that Ukraine confirmed that Russia carries out precision strikes exclusively on military targets.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing a photo of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson allegedly “showing a Z letter” during a visit to Ukraine. This happened at Lviv University named after Ivan Franko, where he was awarded an academic degree. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. They determined that the photo had been edited in a photo editor. In the original photo, Boris Johnson has his arms down, while other ceremony participants hold one hand to their heart.

Moreover, in Ukraine, the use of the Nazi salute or “zigging” is prohibited by the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Article 436) as a public use of symbols of the totalitarian Nazi regime.

Thus, Russian propaganda continues to promote the narrative that there is Nazism in Ukraine, which the Russians are allegedly fighting against. Previously, we refuted the fake news that in the Azovets children's camp children read Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

Russian propagandists on anonymous telegram channels claim that Ukrainian refugee Oleksii Shynkarenko allegedly burned down a laboratory in the United States after learning that he was not 100% Ukrainian. Al Jazeera allegedly reported this in a separate video. It's fake.

In particular, this is indicated by the fact that there is no news about this story in either American or Ukrainian sources. Despite the visual aesthetic similar to Al Jazeera, there is no mention of such a story on the agency's official accounts of the video distributed or any mention of such a story. Moreover, at the request of “Oleksii Shynkarenko” there are no accounts of Ukrainian refugees in the United States. Major Russian media have not even written about this situation yet. All this indicates that, most likely, the story is fake.

With its help, Russia wants to discredit Ukrainian refugees and show them as ungrateful and uncivilized people. They say that if necessary, they are ready to destroy and break America and do not know how to behave in it, which means they do not show due respect.  Detector Media has repeatedly debunked other Russian fakes aimed at humiliating Ukrainian refugees.

In the chats of Ukrainians in Ireland, a “letter” from the Irish Ministry of Justice was distributed, which alleged requests for the extradition of Ukrainians to serve in the Armed Forces. According to the “letter”, its recipients were scheduled to appear in court for an “extradition hearing” in October. Failure to comply with the “instructions” “may result in an arrest warrant being issued”. These letters are fake.

It was reported by Facebook users and The Irish Times. They note that although the form resembles the real one in appearance, the address in the image of the “letter” is rather random, since no Ukrainians live behind it. In addition, the Irish Ministry of Justice stated that it had not received any extradition requests and had not sent any such letters. It also urged recipients to apply for a special phone number to detect the fake.

With its help, Russia wants to cause panic among Ukrainian refugees and support the narrative of the “failure of the counteroffensive”. They say that everything is so bad in Ukraine that it is forced to mobilize its refugees from abroad. Detector Media has already refuted the fake news about the “extradition” of Ukrainians from Poland.

Russian media are disseminating information that Ukrainian Serhii Dubinin, “associated” with the Azov battalion, stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In addition, propagandists claim that American intelligence services “have already discovered other Ukrainians who were near the Capitol that day. But none of them were brought to justice.” It's fake.

Analysts from The Insider project drew attention to it. They found out that the photo that is being distributed online as evidence of this thesis shows Inter TV channel operator Serhii Dubinin. He filmed reports at the Donetsk airport, in other places along the collision line in 2014, and was even put on the wanted list of the so-called LNR for “carrying out terrorist activities”. On January 6, 2021, he was reporting on the onslaught of the Capitol for the Details program. During the shooting, he took a photo with Jacob Chansley, a man with the pseudonym Shaman Q-Anonu, which is said to be evidence of his participation in the onslaught. In fact, Dubinin has nothing to do with either the Trumpists or Azov.

With the help of this fake, Russia wants to discredit the Ukrainians, justify its actions against them and indicate the “selectivity” of American justice. They say that the participants in the assault were convicted, but the Ukrainians were condemned not once because of the war.

Anonymous telegram channels disseminating pro-Russian rhetoric published a photo showing a brochure calling for Ukrainian refugees in Germany. In it, one can see certain vocabulary for searching for work before coming to the country. The “vocabulary” consists mostly of words related to cleaning. Under the publications, “Ukrainians” complain that the Germans allegedly do not even think about highly paid and skilled labor for refugees. However, this is fake.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that there was no such advice on the website of the online platform Handbook Germany, whose logo was used by propagandists to create the fake news. In addition, on its Facebook page it is noted that all of their materials are available only in digital format: on their website or official social media accounts.

With the help of this fake, Russia wants to humiliate Ukrainian refugees and deal a reputational blow to the organizations that support them.  Detector Media has already written about how Russian propaganda is weaponizing refugees and their problems for its own purposes.

Similar theses were heard on Russian propaganda television channels. They say that the border with Estonia lies not far from Pskov and some strange sounds were allegedly heard from there. Russian propaganda states that “the question of Estonia’s participation remains open”. “Pskov is located on the NATO border. Where did the launch come from? From Ukraine or what? In any case! From the Baltic territory? Destroy the hell out of the Baltic countries if that’s the case”, the propagandists said on air. It's fake.

As EUvsDiDiNFo analysts note, on the night of August 29, a series of explosions occurred at Pskov airport. It later became known that four Il-76 military transport aircraft were damaged as a result of drone strikes, and at least two aircraft were destroyed. A spokesman for the government of the Republic of Estonia commented to Newsweek about Estonia's involvement in the attacks on Pskov and stated: “This is false information”. Also, the Latvian Ministry of Defense issued a similar statement, denying any involvement by Latvia, and condemned the accusations against the Baltic countries.

The drone strike on Russian territory is the result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. Thus, Kremlin propagandists are trying to accuse the Baltic countries of “provocation” and are using nuclear blackmail to intimidate the inhabitants of these countries. Earlier, Detector Media talked about manipulation, as the UN said that Ukraine threatens nuclear security in the world.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels and Volodymyr Putin’s press secretary Dmytro Pieskov are disseminating information that the depleted uranium shells that the United States will bring to Ukraine will lead to “environmental consequences” and “an increase in the number of patients with oncology and other diseases” in Ukraine, as well as this is “a clear sign of inhumanity”. It is not true.

The US Department of Defense announced a new aid package to Ukraine, the cost of which is estimated at $175 million. The package will include tank ammunition with depleted uranium. Deputy US Department of Defense spokeswoman Sabrina Singh refuted the propaganda claim about the health effects of the shells: “The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that there is no evidence that depleted uranium shells cause cancer. The World Health Organization reports that there has been no increase in cases of leukemia or other cancers following any exposure to uranium or depleted uranium”. The IAEA states that depleted uranium residues dispersed in the environment “do not pose a radiological hazard to the public”.

Moreover, Russia itself used depleted uranium shells during a full-scale war.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to sow panic among Ukrainians and slow down the transfer of necessary shells to Ukraine that can counter Russian tanks. Previously, we refuted the fake news that uranium ammunition exploded in the Ternopil region.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that soldiers of the 79th separate air assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Zaporizhzia receive drugs from the United States namely ephedrine. Video evidence is added to publications. It's a lie.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project analyzed this case and determined that the propaganda video was published in the fake telegram channel of the 79th separate air assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, where supposedly the military was receiving “another help from fellow Americans”. The video itself was published in the Russian segment of social networks, and the official channel of the 79th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces does not exist in the telegram. Most likely the video is compiled. At the same time, a USAID representative stated that the United States did not supply ephedrine or any other substances for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to Ukraine.

In addition, Russian channels claim that the military received ephedrine in Zaporizhzhia. However, the 79th brigade operates in the Mariinsk and Uhledar directions of the Donetsk region. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in July.

By the way, read how the Russians create fake accounts of the Ukrainian military on social networks and what the Kremlin achieves in this way.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular in the Georgian segment of Facebook. Reports say that US General Anthony Potts was killed in a Russian missile attack on NATO headquarters in Dnipro. It's a lie.

Georgian fact-checkers analyzed this case and explained that the American general actually died in a plane crash while on board a single-engine aircraft (Piper PA-28 Cherokee) on July 25, 2023. The plane crashed in Havre de Grace, Maryland. The cause of the accident is still unknown. The accident is being investigated by the US National Transportation Safety Board. That is, this is simply a spread of unconfirmed information from Russian propagandists.

Russian troops attacked Dnipro on July 28 and hit a high-rise building. As a result of the shelling, 60% of the apartments in the residential complex were damaged in one way or another. That is, Russia did not shell Dnipro on July 25 and then the general could not have died. He was in the USA.

However, in this way the authors seek to show that the Russian army is omnipotent and, they say, is ready to destroy the American military or fighters involved in NATO. Moreover, Russian propaganda demonstrates that NATO and the US military are directly involved in the Russian-Ukrainian war. That is why the occupiers are supposedly destroying their opponents on the territory of Ukraine.

But Russia is once again promoting the thesis about “countless NATO headquarters” in Ukraine and hinting that Western officials have an allegedly unhealthy interest in Ukrainian territories. Allegedly, Ukraine is already governed from the outside, and Ukrainian deputies, military personnel and other actors in the political process are generally incapable of making any decisions without prior approval.

Moreover, the Kremlin seeks to hide its own criminal actions against Ukrainians, hiding behind “military targets” that are supposedly a legitimate target. However, it is not military facilities that suffer from Russian missiles and drones, but Ukrainian peaceful cities and civilian infrastructure. In addition, any attack on another country, even on military targets, is a crime. The Kremlin’s baseless rumors about “shelling of military targets” exist to fuel the narrative of the West’s struggle against Russia.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the newspeak concept “decision-making centers”, with the help of which Moscow legitimizes the daily shelling of Ukraine and the killing of civilians. There you will also find a chronology of Russian shelling of residential buildings since the beginning of 2023.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports note that allegedly two departments will be disbanded in the Rozhyshche multidisciplinary hospital (Volyn region) and 50 medical workers will be fired because they decided to send them to the front. The authors add that replacements are already being found to replace the mobilized personnel. The publications refer to the material from the Public. This is manipulation.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up this case and found out that the Public article stated that the hospital plans to disband the maternity and children's departments by the end of 2023. That's why 50 health workers were fired. The director of the institution, Viktor Redzii, assured that such actions are caused by a lack of funding and a general lack of attendance at the departments. Consequently, propagandists distorted the context of the material and invented desired talking points to spread their agenda. Since the material did not talk about any mobilization of medical staff. Only about optimizing a medical facility.

The fact-checkers explain that according to the 2018 reform, the hospital financing system has changed. That is, the institution now receives funds for each patient visit, and not per bed, as it was before. So, if fewer patients come to the hospital, the institution receives less money from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NSHSU).

Interestingly, manipulative messages subsequently migrated to Facebook. There, a local user allegedly commented on a post by the Volyn News Group and also stated that doctors and physicians were being mobilized. She allegedly introduced herself as a former doctor of this particular hospital with ten years of work experience. But the Facebook page looks suspicious: it was created on August 24, 2023 as a page for a marketing agency, with Kharkiv as her city of residence. And in the work section it is noted: “Physical office nurse at the Volyn Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital”. The director of the Rozhyshche hospital denied information that such a person worked there.

So propagandists are trying to intimidate Ukrainians and spread panic among them. It seems that everything is so bad, there is no one to fight, so officials are forcibly mobilizing doctors to the front.

By the way, in our review of disinformation for August 21-27, 2023, we have collected a selection of fakes about the so-called total mobilization in Ukraine. But they explained what the Kremlin is trying to achieve when it claims that the Territorial center of recruitment and social support mobilizes pregnant women and their children. And in the Newspeak section, we found out how Russia mobilizes its resources, hiding behind the term “partial mobilization”.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric disseminate information that “most likely, the strike was carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in order to beg for more weapons”. Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly decided to “put pressure on Blinken”. They also call Kostiantynivka a “large village”. It's fake.

The case was studied by fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. On September 6, 2023, the Russian military shelled the city of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, as a result of a missile attack by Russians on a market in Kostiantynivka, 16 people were killed and 33 were injured.

During a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Matte Frederiksen in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyi emphasized: “This is yet another deliberate terrorist attack by the Russian Federation”. He also commented on Russian statements about an allegedly Ukrainian plane that “got to the wrong place”: “This is an absolute lie. We understand what is happening there and what types (of weapons) they hit us with”.

Russian propaganda is trying to shift responsibility for the actions of the Russians onto the Ukrainians, saying that it was Ukraine itself that launched a missile strike on Kostiantynivka, in order to intimidate the citizens of our state. Also, in this way, Russian propagandists intend to encourage Ukrainians to put pressure on the authorities to stop the counter-offensive or demand peace negotiations. Earlier we wrote that the Russians disseminated information that the missile attack on Kostiantynivka was allegedly carried out by the Ukrainian military.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing the cover of the supposedly French publication Franc-Tireur with the headline “The House That Zelenskyi Built”. It depicts Volodymyr Zelenskyi standing at the door of the building, and the bloody bodies of Ukrainian soldiers. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. There is no edition with this cover, and the cover of issue 95 looks different on the magazine's website.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Russian propagandists systematically publish fake covers of famous foreign publications to show that the West is allegedly laughing at Ukraine, and Zelenskyi is to blame for the war because he does not want to stop it. Previously, we refuted the fake news that the American publication Chronicles published a cover story about Russia’s superiority over Ukraine in aviation.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi staged a circus by arresting Ihor Kolomoiskyi. This is happening to show Ukrainians that no one is untouchable, to show Russians that there is real democracy in Ukraine, and to show citizens of the United States and Europe that Ukraine is fighting corruption. “The showmen of the Kyiv regime are organizing a circus for the poor and poorly educated”, the text says. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the EUvsDiSiNFO project.

Russian propaganda is trying to discredit ongoing anti-corruption measures in Ukraine so that the country receives EU membership. The arrests and release of well-known people in Ukraine, in particular the oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi, are one of such measures as part of this campaign.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and ridicule the President of Ukraine, appealing to his past as a comedian. The ongoing anti-corruption initiatives refute the narrative of Russian propagandists that Ukraine is the most corrupt state. Previously, we explained the message that international support for Ukraine is being reduced due to corruption.

Russian propaganda media are disseminating information that the largest mobilization is taking place in the Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine. Russian propaganda notes that this is genocide - under the pretext of conflict, the Russian-speaking population is destroyed, but sometimes they are forced to mobilize residents of western Ukraine. It is not true.

EUvsDiSiNFO fact-checkers drew attention to the case. There are no facts or evidence that mobilization in Ukraine is aimed at the Russian-speaking population. The idea that Ukraine is committing genocide of its own population is promoted in his speeches by Volodymyr Putin. However, there is no evidence to support this in the reports of the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the OSCE.

It is Russia that attacks Ukrainian cities where many Ukrainians live who use the Russian language, such as Odesa or Kharkiv.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow discord between the Russian-speaking population and the Ukrainian-speaking population, to divide them and discredit the authorities. Also, Russian propagandists are trying to shift responsibility for the crimes of Russians onto Ukrainians.

In the Russian segment of Facebook and TikTok, a video allegedly from a protest in Odesa was distributed. People went to the rally allegedly to demand “Ukraine without Zelenskyi”. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the MythDetector project fact-checker. They found that the people in the video did not demand Zelenskyi's resignation, but took to the action against the allocation of funds from the budget for the repair of the Kyiv District Court and the Theater for Young Spectators. People gathered for the action in Odesa for several days in a row, starting from August 28. On September 2, they came out with posters “First the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then everything else”, “My taxes for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, “The Armed Forces of Ukraine in the first place”. The Facebook users themselves who shared this video are posting posts broadcasting Kremlin narratives.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to spread the opinion that Ukrainians do not support Volodymyr Zelenskyi, but rather demand his resignation. Like, they are dissatisfied with the president of the country and the decisions they make. Earlier, we talked about the manipulation that in Polish online stores Zelenskyi's book is sold in the section about the Nazis.

The Kremlin media are spreading information that the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov was removed from his post, allegedly due to the fact that “the conflict with Russia dragged on”. Russian propaganda refers to an article in The New York Times. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. After analyzing the New York Times article cited by Russian propagandists, they came to the conclusion that the publication did not indicate this reason as the key reason for the dismissal of Oleksii  Reznikov. “The fate of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has become the subject of growing speculation in Ukraine as financial irregularities at the ministry became known and the government launched several investigations into official corruption”, the NYT article says. They also add that as the war dragged on, there was a need for new leadership that could solve the accumulating problems.

Thus, Russian propaganda discredits the Ukrainian authorities and tries to shift the responsibility to Ukraine - they say, it is to blame for the duration of the war that Russia started. Russian propaganda uses the “most guilty” tactics.

In the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, the Russian segment of Facebook, TikTok and the social network VKontakte banned in Ukraine, anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating an alleged BBC News report about the head of the Wagner group. The video with footage from the crash site and photographs of Pryhozhyn contains the following text: “An Air Force source refutes the information about the death of the owner of the Wagner group. According to the information, the plane crash was staged by the Russian authorities, and Yevhenii Pryhozhyn is alive”. It's fake.

The case was studied by Reuters fact-checkers. Such a video was not distributed on the official pages of the BBC in the social network X, in the accounts of the broadcaster in English on Instagram and Facebook. In a comment to Reuters fact-checkers, a BBC spokesman said: “We are aware of this fake video and our lawyers are urgently investigating. In a world where disinformation is on the rise, we encourage everyone to check links and URLs to make sure they're getting news from a trusted source”.

Russian propaganda is trying to fuel the conspiracy theory that Pryhozhyn is actually alive and that his death was staged. The Russians need such mythologization in order to glorify the leader of the Wagner group, to raise the morale of the Russians and to absolve themselves of responsibility for the likely downing of the plane. Detector Media talked about messages spread by Russian propagandists, authors of anonymous telegram channels and pro-Kremlin media after the death of Wagner leader Yevhenii Pryhozhyn.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels are distributing photos and videos showing flyers ostensibly to launch a UFA campaign to increase mobilization. The flyers allegedly handed out in Kharkiv deliver the message “Education will not save the country! Join the Armed Forces!” and “Update data in Territorial centers of procurement and social support”. However, this is fake.

Specialists of the NotaYenota project drew attention to it. They found out that the flyers are actually fake, and the primary source of information about them is a Russian anonymous telegram channel “with an audience of many thousands”. From there, it began to be distributed in other telegram channels, VKontakte and TikTok. In addition, they found English advertisements for these flyers on Facebook. In particular, the flyers contain inaccurate hotline numbers, and the design style of Kharkiv regional territorial center of procurement and social support does not match the flyers.

By creating and spreading this fake, according to project experts, the propagandists want to discredit the information campaign recently launched by the Ministry of Defense “Update data in the Territorial centers of procurement and social support”. This is happening against the backdrop of a bill to abolish the deferment from mobilization for men over the age of 30 who receive additional higher education. The Ministry of Defense notes that the processes for updating data and mobilization are different. And the Russian propaganda wants to unite them in order to cause panic among the population. Detector Media has already refuted a number of fakes on mobilization in Ukraine, including the “mass mobilization” of Ukrainian students.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels are circulating a photo that allegedly shows an order from the commander of the 123rd Trooper Brigade to create mobile crematoria. In the “document” this decision is explained by a large number of losses on the Ukrainian side and overcrowded morgues. However, this is fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They checked the document for errors and found out that the text indicated a period of 5 days instead of a period. In addition, the format of the name does not meet the current requirements for official documentation, according to which the document should not contain “R. Tokarenko”, but “Roman TOKARENKO”. Moreover, since the 123rd TRO brigade is a territorial defense formation in the Mykolaiv region, such orders should be issued in Mykolaiv, and not Kherson, as in the photo. There were no reports of command redeployment. The seal is also not real - there is no organization with the EDRPOU code 07849800. VoxCheck specialists tested the print with the InVid plugin and found signs of being added in the photo editor. Also in the photo one can see that the text is above the seal, but should be below it. The 123rd troop brigade also denied the fake on their Facebook page, calling it “another IPSO of Russian propaganda”.

By creating and spreading such fakes, propagandists want to exaggerate the scale of losses and the situation, as well as demoralize Ukrainian society. They say that the Ukrainian army has heavy losses, which indicates the loss of Ukraine. However, such fakes only indicate that Russia wants to cover its own numerous losses and failures at the front.  Detector Media has already refuted the Russian fake from the “Kyivstar video” about the losses of the Ukrainian army.