In the Italian segment of Facebook, the social network X, which was formerly called Twitter, and TikTok, a video allegedly staged by Ukrainian military personnel is being distributed. The video shows two soldiers in camouflage pulling a dummy behind a tree, while a woman in a green vest follows them and takes pictures. One of the users who shared the video signed it: “Hollywood in Ukraine. It would have been nice if the woman in the green vest had stepped out of the frame when they were filming the scene”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the Facta project. In fact, the video was published on the page of the NGO of the Training Center 12 of the city of Kremenchuh. The video is signed as follows: “It is better to test yourself and really evaluate your strengths in training tasks ... Basic military training of the civilian population of GO STC 12”. So, the video shows the moment of military exercises.

In this way, Russian propaganda promotes the message that Russia does not commit any war crimes, and Ukraine lies and films “performances” to discredit it. The Russians are trying to remove responsibility for war crimes, saying that they do not kill Ukrainians, and Ukraine itself fakes events. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Ukrainian servicemen were filming “staging” with the wounded.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the Russians carry out precision strikes exclusively on Ukrainian military installations, and do not attack social infrastructure and religious buildings. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. The UNESCO international organization cites the following figures: as of July 20, 2023, experts have documented 270 cultural sites (temples, museums, historical buildings, monuments, libraries and archives) in Ukraine that suffered at the hands of the Russians. And the Institute for Religious Freedom said it had recorded the destruction, damage, or looting of at least 494 religious buildings.

On the night of July 23, as a result of Russian missile strikes on Odesa, the Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral and 2 architectural monuments were damaged and 6 residential buildings were destroyed.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to whitewash Russia, which is attacking Ukrainian cities. They say that their goal is exclusively military facilities, and the Russians allegedly do not commit war crimes against Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukrainian officials allegedly pass off military facilities as civilian ones.

In the Italian segment of TikTok, a video is being circulated in which President Volodymyr Putin says that “he who organized and prepared the military rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades in arms, betrayed Russia”. The video is also overlaid with text stating that the CIA allegedly paid $6.2 billion “for the loyalty of the Wagner fighters” and this could allegedly lead to a civil war in Russia. It's fake.

The fact-checker of the Facta project drew attention to the case. There is no information in any foreign newspaper and among the official statements of the CIA that the CIA paid 6.2 billion dollars to the Wagner group. The leader of the Wagner mercenaries himself has been criticizing the Russian military leadership for several months.

In fact, weapons sent to Ukraine over the past two years have been inflated by $6.2 billion. The figure on the financing of the “Wagner” group follows from this news about military assistance to Ukraine. Moreover, it all started with the fact that several verified users of the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo announced this. The message circulated on Weibo actually mistranslated the title of the Los Angeles Times article from English to Chinese and contains a photo of a paramilitary group that is not actually in the US newspaper article.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the United States and state the involvement of Americans in the rebellion in Russia. Like, Russia is a victim of a conspiracy and illegal actions. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Pryhozhyn's rebellion was allegedly planned in the West.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the 37th US President Richard Nixon wrote in his letter to Bill Clinton that an “American” Revolution of Dignity and an “American War” would take place in Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Richard Nixon envisioned a change in Russia's nascent democratic course to an authoritarian one and an invasion of Ukraine. Russian propaganda manipulates real quotes from Nixon's declassified 1994 letter to Clinton. He also noted that the situation in Kyiv is “explosive” and asked to strengthen the US diplomatic presence in Ukraine. There was no mention of “American” wars and revolution in Nixon's letter.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads the message that Ukraine depends on Western partners and is a puppet of the event, and the war is a confrontation between the United States and Russia, and not Russian aggression against Ukraine. However, it was Russia that started the war in Ukraine and is fighting not with the collective West, NATO or the United States, but with Ukraine. Earlier we talked about the message that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is a puppet of the West, and the “Kyiv regime” is similar to apartheid.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that Ukrainian soldiers allegedly set up dungeons for children when the Russian army protects them. It's fake.

The case was studied at the Center for Strategic Communications. There is no evidence that the Ukrainian military tortures children. However, it is the Russians who illegally take Ukrainian children from the occupied territories to Russia, which is deportation, kidnapping and a war crime. It is for this that Volodymyr Putin and the Commissioner for Children's Rights in Russia, Mariia Lvova-Bielova, were put on the wanted list by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Also, the Russian military set up dungeons for children in the Kherson region and tortured and starved children.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian servicemen. They use the tactics of reflection: after the Russians were accused of torturing Ukrainian children, they began to accuse the Ukrainian military of the same crimes. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Ukrainian battalions kill Ukrainian children and then export their organs under the grain export code.

Users of the American segment of the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook and in the Russian segment of TikTok, are distributing a video with a digital billboard image with the alleged inscription: “Stop Zelenskyi, stop the war”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of The Reuters paid attention to the case. A video circulated online allegedly featuring Zelenskyi on a billboard in Japan has been edited. Russian propaganda took a long video filmed 2 years ago as a base; before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it was posted by the verified YouTube account “Virtual Japan”, a streaming channel that shares videos of everyday life in Japan. At 21:22, pedestrians and passing cars can be seen in the background in the edited video. The video was filmed in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the support of Western partners and convince Ukrainians that tabroad they believe that it was Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyi who started the war with Russia. In fact, Japan supports Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor, that is, Russia. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that the West is supplying weapons to Ukraine and thereby allegedly violates international law.

On August 1, 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that an attack by drones allegedly launched by Ukraine against the Serhii Kotov and Vasylii Bykov patrol ships had been repulsed. They say that allegedly Ukrainian drones attacked them in the Black Sea. It's fake.

On August 2, 2023, the speaker of the Navy forces Dmytro Pletenchuk on the air of Radio Svoboda (Liberty) announced that the Ukrainian naval forces were not involved in the alleged attack on Russian ships. Firstly, such drones are not in service with the Navy. Secondly, regarding the incident that allegedly took place ... the naval forces have nothing to do with it”, Pletenchuk noted. The ship “Serhei Kotov” performs the “task of controlling shipping”, which may mean its involvement in the blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Ukraine in order to reduce Western support. They are also systematically trying to shift responsibility for the crimes of Russians in Ukraine in matters related to the export of grain. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that the Russians are destroying hangars not with grain, but with Ukrainian equipment.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are circulating a cover allegedly published by the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo depicting Volodymyr Zelenskyi against the backdrop of the burning Crimean bridge. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. No issue of Charlie Hebdo had such a cover. On the fake cover it is indicated that this is a special issue of July 18, 2023, the number of which is 1579. The publication’s website has an archive of all issues, so the fact-checkers found the magazine under the number 1579. It was released on October 26, 2022 and had a different cover.

Russian propaganda systematically distributes fake covers of famous foreign publications. Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to laugh at Volodymyr Zelenskyi and show that the President of Ukraine is not respected all over the world. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the American magazine The Nation dedicated a cover to Zelenskyi calling him an “evil boy”.

Propagandists spread through anonymous telegram channels with pro-Russian rhetoric a photo of the book “War and the Bible”, where one of the chapters is allegedly called “Killing Russians is not a sin”. However, this is fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the book is being sold at the Kovcheh online store. On his website one can find its content, where there is no section “Killing Russians is not a sin”. The section on page 67 is actually titled “Who will win the future war”, which contradicts the image that the posters are spreading.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to justify Russia's actions and accuse Ukrainians of “blasphemy” and desecration of religion. They say that the Ukrainian authorities oppress the real sincere faith and adjust it to suit their political goals. Detector Media also wrote about other examples of the use of this message, in particular, about a fake with blackened crosses in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

Propagandists spread information in anonymous telegram channels with pro-Russian rhetoric that in Russia they sell Pringles brand chips with a St. George ribbon on the tube, the Russian flag in the design and the “taste of victory”. However, this is fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that Kellogg, the owner of the Pringles brand, stopped supplying its goods to the Russian market after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In addition, in December 2022, Kellogg sold its facilities to a local manufacturer and does not manufacture products for Russian consumers.

The project specialists also noticed that on the shelf where the author of the video takes a tube of chips, there are no price tags for this particular category of goods. Also, there are no other Pringles products around. In Russian online stores, chips “with the taste of victory” are not sold. Most likely, the fake packaging was made specifically for this video. In addition, it depicts the brand's old logo and painted the mustache of a mosquito in the colors of the Russian flag. However, in 2021 the company rebranded. VoxCheck analysts also looked at the barcode on the tube and found that it was a limited edition of the brand's chicken ramen-flavored chips.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit Western companies and raise doubts about the appropriateness and effectiveness of sanctions against Russia. Like, really Western companies do not leave the Russian market and even support the war. Thus, the authors of the fakes provide false validation for Russia's actions.

Propagandists are spreading a screenshot from a video, according to which the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov allegedly gave his daughter a house in Cannes worth 7 million euros, bought with the money of allies, for her wedding. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the mentioned video was first published by a TikTok user under the nickname vladyslavyaschchenko1. The video says that Reznikov's daughter allegedly bought a house for 7 million euros in the city of Vallauris, near Cannes. The purportedly purchased home shown in the video has a pool, an elevator, and 7 bedrooms. However, a reverse image search on Google revealed that the house is actually still for sale and costs not 7, but almost 12 million euros. In addition, there is no news about such cases of theft on the main Ukrainian investigative journalism platforms.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to arouse distrust in the government and force people to go against it. In addition, they are also created for the audience of Western countries in order to cause skepticism among their population about providing more assistance to Ukraine, raising doubts about the appropriateness of its use.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo recently allegedly featured an illustration on its cover of the recent situation at the World Fencing Championships in Milan. Then the Ukrainian saber fencer Olha Kharlan refused to shake hands with the losing rival from Russia. In the messages they add that the authors ridiculed the act of the Ukrainian athlete. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project investigated this case and determined that such a cover does not exist. According to the archive, there is no magazine with this cover on the official website. At the same time, the false cover was made using Photoshop.

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers can get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine and supports Russia.

Anonymous telegram channels and Russian media are circulating a video of US President Joe Biden reviewing books in the “brain exercises for dementia” section. The video shows a sign “brain exercises for dementia”. The authors report that this was recorded by journalists in one of their stories. It's a lie.

VoxCheck fact-checkers took up this case and found out that the video was edited. The original video was recorded by CBS News back in 2012 and doesn't have a dementia sign on it. The story itself shows then-Vice President Joe Biden visiting the new Costco bookstore in Washington. In the video, one can see that Biden is looking at children's books, and there are no dementia signs nearby.

Dementia is a syndrome characterized by the loss of a person's cognitive functions, that is, the functions of thinking, memory, and the ability to do daily activities. Dementia mostly appears in old age. Actually, this is how propagandists hinted that Joseph Biden was ill and, for example, he could no longer hold the presidency.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that during a meeting with Israeli President Joe Biden involuntarily fell asleep. In the publication, the authors add an excerpt from the video of the meeting. It is not true.

VoxCheck fact-checkers determined that the propagandists cut the original video of the meeting at a favorable moment. Then the President of the United States simply lost his mind and put his head down correcting himself. The authors passed it off as a “dream”.

By spreading this fake, the propagandists want to discredit Joe Biden and show that Ukraine is supported by supposedly “unlucky” politicians. The authors have repeatedly spread fakes about Biden, which we have refuted. Among such anonymous telegram channels claimed that Joe Biden “sniffed” a teenager or that three hands were found on an official.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an Indian magazine recently ran a cover featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyi as Lord of the Rings character Gollum the Hobbit. Also on the cover there is an inscription: “No ring can help hide the truth”. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fake cover states that it is scheduled for release on August 2, 2023. The announced magazine has a completely different cover as the official website of the magazine published the announcement of the magazine. 

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that Poland began to reach the eastern borders of 1772. The visit to Ukraine of the State Secretary of the Ministry of Development and Regional Policy, authorized by Poland for Polish-Ukrainian cooperation in the field of development, Jadwiga Emilewicz, testifies to the beginning of economic expansion. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. Jadwiga Emilewicz’s visit to Ukraine was connected with a project that attracts Poland to restore Ukraine. She arrived at the seminar “Polish-Ukrainian cooperation and prospects for the restoration of Ukraine”. And this pilot project itself includes the restoration of 8 western and central regions.

Thus, Russian agitprop is systematically spreading messages that Poland wants to take over the western part of Ukraine. All this in order to sow discord between the two states and reduce Poles' support for Ukraine. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Andrzej Duda met in Lutsk to implement the first stage of the Warsaw Union.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric and the Ukrainian segment of Twitter spread the advertisement allegedly filmed by the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party. In the video, people in uniform come to a German family and begin to take everything of value out of the apartment. Then they hang a portrait of Volodymyr Zelenskyi and say, “Heil Zelenskyi”. The main opinion of the video is that Ukraine is robbing the inhabitants of Germany. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. They determined that there was no such video on the website of the Alternative for Germany party. It is not mentioned in the German press, moreover, the video is actively distributed in pro-Kremlin blogs. Radio Liberty journalists found that Russian actors played the roles in this video, which suggests that the video itself was probably also filmed by Russians.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Germany and show that Ukraine is draining the resources of other countries. All this to reduce Western aid. Previously, we talked about the manipulation that Latvia transferred all the air defense systems to Ukraine and was left without protection.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that in the village of Piskivka, Buchanskyi district, Kyiv region, the director of the cemetery allegedly refused to provide a place for the burial of a Ukrainian military man, which is why the funeral procession was not allowed into the cemetery. They also add videos. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. In the video, the woman is outraged that the procession was not allowed through the main alley of the cemetery, because of which she went along the field road. Fact-checkers turned to the Piskivka community, where they completely denied this information. Moreover, this cemetery is not located in the village of Piskivka.

Probably, the procession was not allowed because of the main entrance, because repairs were being carried out there, so they had to take a detour. The checkers also confirmed that this cemetery is located in the Sviatovasylevska community of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to show that in Ukraine the Ukrainian military is treated with disdain and the society is split. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the Ukrainian military fired at the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline.

Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, spread information that Ukraine “threatens to continue terror against the Crimeans” and announces new attacks on the “civilian infrastructure” of the peninsula. This was told by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov. They also wrote that Ukraine was striking at the Crimea, despite the “prohibition of the Americans to strike at the territory of Russia”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project. The fake appeared against the background of news about explosions on the Crimean bridge on the night of July 17, as well as frequent explosions at military training grounds in Crimea. Pro-Kremlin media are calling the attacks “terrorist attacks on civilian targets”, but the bridge was built in defiance of international law, and the Russian military is using it to deliver ammunition to military firing ranges.

Ukraine does not comment on the attacks on the Crimean bridge, but on July 25, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov gave an interview to CNN, in which he said that Russian ammunition depots in the temporarily occupied Crimea and an illegal bridge are legal targets for attacks by the Ukrainian military. He also noted that cutting off the path of military supplies to the enemy is a normal practice during the conduct of hostilities.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to feed the narrative about the existence of Nazi Ukrainians who are ready to kill civilians. But to convince that Russia was forced to enter the war in order to defend itself from the attacks of Ukraine. Earlier, we talked about the message that Ukraine is committing war crimes because it “transferred” the war to Ukrainian cities.

In the Georgian and Russian segments of Facebook, an alleged cover of the American edition of The Nation is being distributed, in which Volodymyr Zelenskyi holds three frightened leopards on leashes, mines lie next to them, and a little further under a tree there are Russian military men in helmets with the letter “Z”. The leopards allegedly personify the Leopard tanks handed over to Ukraine, which seem to be unable to break through the Russian defense line. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. They determined that The Nation had never published such a cover. Moreover, fact-checkers contacted the publication, where they confirmed that such a cartoon was not published in any issue of the magazine.

Russian propagandists systematically distribute fake covers of foreign publications. Thus, they are trying to ridicule Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Ukrainian authorities and show that the West does not support Ukraine. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the humorous magazine LeMan depicted Zelenskyi on the cover, who was tied to a pole with burning military equipment.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, allegedly admitted that Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and certain territories of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Russia. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. Mykhailo Podoliak on the Rada TV channel said that there are three options for ending the war, but Ukraine is satisfied with only one victory over Russia and the complete de-occupation of Ukrainian territories. The adviser to the Office of the President did not speak about the fact that Ukraine was forced to give up part of the territories to Russia.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities, saying that they are not going to recapture the occupied part of Ukraine. And also sow panic among Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the manipulation that the British supposedly assumed that the Ukrainian army and NATO would be defeated by Russian Armata tanks.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the Azovstal garrison allegedly surrendered without the order of Volodymyr Zelenskyi in order to save their own lives. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. The operation to leave Azovstal was coordinated with the leadership of Ukraine, the garrison carried out the order of the highest military command. On May 16, 2022, the commander of Azov, Denys Prokopenko, announced that the defenders of Mariupol had complied with the order of the top military leadership. On May 17, 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that the commanders of units at Azovstal received an order to save the lives of personnel.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Azov battalion and the defenders of Mariupol, saying that they themselves decided to leave Azovstal, and the top military leadership has no influence on them. Allegedly, the Ukrainians again made heroes out of traitors. Earlier, we refuted the fake that NATO could involve the Azov and Kraken battalions to suppress protests in France.

Russian propagandists in the media and anonymous telegram channels claim that Ukraine was planning an attack on the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa in advance. Like, this is confirmed by the fact that the Wikipedia article about the cathedral was supplemented with information about the destruction a few hours before the Russian missile struck Odesa. It's fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that such a statement was conspiracy theories and that in fact the information was added to the article after it became known about the destruction of buildings in Odesa as a result of the Russian attack. The project accepted a comment from the administrator of the Ukrainian Wikipedia Anatolii Lutsiuk. He noted that in the history of editing Wikipedia, the UTC time zone is used, that is, with a difference of 2 hours from Kyiv time.

By spreading such conspiracy theories, the propagandists want to justify the crimes of the Russians and shift the responsibility for them to the Ukrainians. Detector Media explains every two weeks how Russian propaganda uses conspiracy theories for its own purposes.

Russian propagandists in anonymous telegram channels claim that allegedly in the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region, the “new government” is conducting an active vaccination campaign after the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. Like, the authorities in Ukraine ignored the vaccination and urged citizens not to do it. It's fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact the local authorities of Kherson systematically reminded adults and children to do routine vaccinations. In addition to the fact that undermining the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is a crime of the Russians, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine periodically reminds about routine vaccinations for adults and children. Project analysts note that the network has evidence that not only the Ministry of Health, but also the local authorities of Kherson systematically reminded the locals about vaccination.

After the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, the Russians vaccinated the population of Oleshki against hepatitis A, typhoid fever and tetanus. However, despite the promise of three vaccinations for civilians, they actually received only one. Russian “police” and military received three vaccinations each. Also, local Gauleiters promised to distribute 10 thousand rubles to civilians for vaccination against hepatitis A. In fact, the money was given only to Ukrainians with a Russian passport. Using vaccination issues, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and shift the responsibility for the crimes of the Russians to the victim of aggression. Allegedly, Russia started the war to “put things in order”.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. American actor Elijah Wood allegedly recorded a video addressing President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi with words of support and an invitation to “go to treatment centers for alcoholism and drug addiction”, reports say. The authors add a screenshot and a video supposedly from stories on Instagram. It is not true.

StopFake's fact-checkers managed to analyze this case, and they determined that there is no such video on the actor's official social media pages. It is most likely that the video was compiled using special programs. Experts explained that the video contains obvious editing facts, because it is sketchy. That is, the continuity of the video (one of the signs of the originality of the video, shot live without pauses) is broken. Moreover, on the fake screenshot of the story, the name of the actor's Instagram account is false. He also repeatedly stated that his Instagram page is now non-public and closed. Now only Twitter is an open and public page on the actor's social networks.

Fact-checkers also found out that the actor has a page on cameo.com. Here you can order an appeal from a star with any text for a certain amount of money. Elijah's address costs £265. Experts suggest that the authors of the fake message used this particular resource.