In the Russian media and occupational telegram channels, reports are spreading that allegedly Ukraine is massively bringing foreign mercenaries to Kharkov. The reports refer to “military expert” Andrii Marochko and the so-called “Luhansk intelligence”. They write that allegedly all the mercenaries are dressed in civilian clothes, but they have the same army-type backpacks with them. These people allegedly speak English, German, French and Polish. Also in the messages they write that under the guise of “mercenaries”, military personnel of other states come to Kharkiv. It's fake.

There is no evidence to support such reports. The fact-checkers of the Kharkiv anti-corruption center drew attention to the spread of the fake. Foreigners who have signed the relevant contract are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Otherwise, foreigners fight as volunteers, that is, they do not receive any financial reward from Ukraine. Russia uses the term “mercenaries” to substitute concepts.

Also, Russian propaganda systematically feeds the narrative that military personnel of other states are fighting in Ukraine. Recently, propagandists wrote that the military from the EU countries fought on the territory of Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion; Western countries are allegedly sending soldiers to Ukraine with weapons. Thus, Russian propaganda is also trying to justify the failures of the Russian army, in particular during the liberation of the Kharkiv region. Like, they are fighting not with “weak” Ukrainians, but with “specially trained NATO members” or Americans.

A video allegedly from an interview with the Head of the Defense Committee of the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, is being distributed on social networks. She says that German soldiers should be sent to war in Ukraine. It's fake.

The video circulating on social networks is compiled from phrases taken out of context. As the fact-checkers of the Correctiv project note, in fact, in an interview, the politician did not explain her expectations for the candidate for the post of German defense minister after the dismissal of Christine Lambrecht. In particular, the words of Strack-Zimmermann related to the fact that the minister would be responsible for people who, according to his decision, would go to war. That is, it was said that the Minister of Defense as a whole is responsible for the leadership of the army, and not for the participation of the German military in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Moreover, the Chairman of the German Defense Committee does not decide on the missions of the German army. Also, the fact-checkers did not find any evidence that Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann once spoke positively about the deployment of German soldiers in Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda nourishes the narrative that foreign military forces are fighting in Ukraine. Previously, propagandists spread the message that the EU and NATO were planning to unleash the Third World War, and the military from the EU countries fought on the territory of Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion.

Russian propagandists spread information that in Poland, namely in the Warsaw metro, you can allegedly see public service announcements with a call to “protect the original Polish lands in Ukraine”. The authors of the messages claim that in this way Poland is preparing to seize the western regions of Ukraine. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project came to the conclusion that the posters are not real. This is indicated by the link posted on the poster. It is not valid because instead of the referenced WKU, according to the updated Polish law, it should be WCR. The reason for this is that the Military Commander's Offices (WKU) in Poland have been replaced by Military Recruiting Centers (WCRs) that recruit volunteers for military service. In addition, in a commentary for Ukrinform, Grzegorz Popielaž, director of the rental and advertising office for the Warsaw metro, said that the metro does not have such advertisements. The propagandists took the old 2018 announcement for the recruitment of volunteers for the Polish army as the basis for fake posters.

Russian propaganda often frightens with the “imminent attack” of Poland on the western lands, diverting attention from their own crimes with baseless accusations. Detector Media has already investigated disinformation related to this topic.

Russian propagandists spread a number of fakes within the same topic: allegedly the Ukrainian army used chemical weapons at the front. The Russian media refer to the statements of a number of “officials” of the so-called “DNR”. According to them, a number of Russian fighters have “nausea, vomiting, severe dizziness”. Telegram channels are spreading a video where supposedly Ukrainians drop a grenade from a drone and, after the explosion, a Russian soldier has convulsions, which causes him to drown. In addition, the Russians say that allegedly even the Ukrainian military “exposed” chemical munitions in the video. Propagandists also claim that this is not the first time Ukraine has used chemical weapons. All of these are baseless accusations.

StopFake analysts denied these fakes. In particular, if we are talking about a video of dropping a grenade, its full version shows that in fact this is an attack with two grenades. The first of them knocked out the Russian soldiers, disorienting them in the water. This explains their convulsions. In addition, there are no prohibited weapons in the video: the military used an F-1 grenade and a VOG fragmentation munition.

The video where a military man “exposed a chemical weapon” is about the commander of a separate tactical aerial reconnaissance group “Madyar Birds” by Robert Brovdi (“Madyar”). In it, you can see the allowed VOG shells (grenade launcher shot). Together with the FPV drone, they form a kamikaze drone.

Western media also drew attention to these messages of propagandists. In particular, Reuters journalists failed to confirm the use of chemical weapons by the Ukrainian army. In a commentary for the publication, the General Staff stated that the Ukrainian military “never used chemical weapons anywhere”.

StopFake also reminds that in 1998 Ukraine ratified the international Chemical Weapons Convention. At the same time, the entire chemical arsenal that Ukraine inherited from the USSR was destroyed, which was confirmed by international observers.

This thesis is spread by the Russian media. Like, “without Western curators” Zelenskyi finally “told the truth” and turned to the Ukrainians. The authors of the messages claim that the President of Ukraine “does not understand what they (Ukrainians – ed.) are fighting for”, since they only have “loans”, and now also mobilization. It's fake.

StopFake analysts claim that Zelenskyi did indeed use such a phrase, but it did not refer to Ukrainians. The President addressed it to the Russians. In his appeal on September 28, 2022, he said:

‘If you want to live, run. If you want to live, surrender. If you want to live, fight in your streets for your freedom. Everything has been taken from you. Or do any of you have oil rigs? Any palaces? Any vineyards? Maybe you have yachts? Or any bank? What are you fighting for? You now only have loans, something to eat in the evening and now - mobilization. Fight for yours! Don't meddle in our land, in our soul and our culture”. Russian publications that distribute this fake deliberately do not leave a link to the full version of the appeal, because then it becomes clear what Zelenskyi really means.

Russian propaganda often takes the phrases of Ukrainian politicians out of context. Thus, they seek to demoralize the Ukrainians and show them that supposedly the Ukrainian authorities are indifferent to the people, unlike the Russian ones. Also, propagandists are trying to shift the responsibility for the crimes of the Russians to Ukraine.

Russian publications disseminate information that the only “compensation” from the state for relatives of the dead Ukrainian soldiers are toys. The authors of such messages in Russian telegram channels are ironic. Like, the life of the Ukrainian military is worth nothing for the state. It's fake.

StopFake analysts came to the conclusion that the basis for the fake is the real message of the Facebook page of the Third branch of the Lubenskyi district territorial center for acquisition and social support of the Chornukhy village, Poltava region. However, toys are only part of the help. According to the legislation of Ukraine, the families of the dead Ukrainian soldiers can receive monetary compensation in the amount of up to 12 million hryvnias. In addition, there are a number of non-governmental initiatives that provide material and psychological assistance to such families. The local authorities of the Poltava region also provided them with financial assistance in the amount of 50,000 hryvnias.

With such messages, Russian propaganda wants to show that human life is worthless to the Ukrainian government. Thus, Russia wants to demoralize the Ukrainians and persuade the government to negotiate. Like, the Ukrainians will be able to put pressure on the authorities, because without decent compensation, these efforts are worthless. However, as practice shows, compensations only in the form of food packages or items of clothing are the most common thing in Russia.

Such a fake was distributed in the Hungarian segment of social networks, including Facebook. The reports say that allegedly Ukrainian prisoners of war among the Hungarian national minority of the Transcarpathian region, will be handed over to the Hungarian government by Russia. Like, despite the fact that the military are Ukrainians, they need the protection of the Orban government, because they are ethnically Hungarians and no one will take care of them in Ukraine. The messages of the authors were picked up by Ukrainian users of the social network and began to distribute it in various groups on Facebook. It is not true.

Analysts of the Infopost project took the case and examined that this claim is unfounded, since Ukrainian prisoners of war are under the protection of Ukraine, regardless of whether they belong to any of the national minorities. According to the publication, the fake news was published by the Békekör Egyesület organization. According to journalists, this is a typical pro-Russian group. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this organization has dealt exclusively with the issue of Hungarians as a national minority in Transcarpathia.

This organization also joined marginal rallies, the purpose of which was to stop the mobilization of national minorities, in particular Hungarians, in Transcarpathia. As the journalists explain, representatives of the Russian special services, with whom the head of the pro-Russian organization is in close contact, were involved in the preparation of the action.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that the grain agreement, under which grain from Ukrainian ports was “actively exported to Western countries”, allegedly “turned into a disaster” for Ukraine itself. Allegedly, as a result of the grain corridor, almost all grain, about 20 million tons, including sowing grain, was exported from the country. Ukrainian farmers have nothing to sow the fields with. It is not true.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and turned to Denys Marchuk, deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian agrarian council, for a comment. The expert said that the information about the “disruption of the sowing campaign” is not true, since the strategic provision of Ukraine with grain fully meets domestic needs. At the same time, not all grain was exported from Ukraine. As the expert explains, the current sowing campaign, as in 2022, will take place in the most difficult conditions. He emphasizes that Russia's largest-scale invasion undermines the foundations of food security not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world.

Propagandists have repeatedly manipulated the issue of food supply for Ukraine. Thus, they nourish the narrative that Ukraine does not care about Ukrainians, but only tries to please Western countries by allegedly supplying all the grain.

Such a fake was spread on social networks and in propaganda media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Romania and Moldova have begun urgent construction of a road to Odesa. The construction project, according to the authors, is allegedly aimed at further transfering NATO forces into Ukraine. The reports refer to the words of the Minister of transport and infrastructure of Romania, who allegedly spoke about this. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case and investigated that on January 26, following the meeting of the Ministers of infrastructure of Romania and Moldova, the representative office of Romania really reported that both countries are considering the possibility of continuing the Romanian-Moldovan highway being built on the territory of Ukraine to Odesa. The ministers did not make any statements that the route was needed to “transfer NATO forces into Ukraine” or that the road was being built as part of military assistance to Ukraine. In particular, the statement about “the continuation of the highway to Odesa” only sounded like a possible version of the project and is not an officially approved point, because there were no agreements with Ukraine.

By spreading this fake, propagandists once again nourish the narrative, as if Russia is fighting not only against Ukraine, but also against the collective West, led by NATO. Thus propagandists justify the war and their defeats on the battlefield.

This is stated in one of the columns in the Polish publication Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny, which regularly publishes pro-Russian disinformation regarding Ukraine and Poland. Russian resources disseminated this point of view as a journalistic investigation. They say that foreign military equipment is being accumulated on the eastern border of Poland, the army is being strengthened, but not for a direct clash with Russia, but to suppress uprisings in case of the return of the western territories of Ukraine.

The author of the column, Marek Gala, claims that the alleged militarization of Poland indicates preparations for a conflict through the territory of Ukraine, and Warsaw is strengthening its military potential in order to subsequently protect the territories returned to itself from possible rebellions.

He believes that the process of transferring the western lands to the former Ukraine seems to have been planned for a long time and began from the first days of the Russian special operation.

Russian propagandists in their publications add to his column the assertion that it is Ukraine that intends to give up the western territories of Poland and that this is a matter of time. At the same time the Polish readers are just against Poland seizing the western part of Ukraine, because they believe that geopolitical ambitions are not worth the blood of the Poles.

This is not the first time propagandists have been distributing the materials of this Polish publication and each time they add their version of events in favor of Russia and expose Poland as an occupying country. Russians need such fakes in order to quarrel Poles and Ukrainians both at the private and interstate levels.

Telegram channels circulated reports that allegedly after the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to London, the British newspapers Evening Standard and The Times published cartoons of him on the front pages.

Like, the Evening Standard newspaper published how Zelenskyi was pulling the plane after the visit, and The Times published a cartoon showing the hypocrisy of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron. Allegedly, their “yes” to Zelenskyi’s pleas for the provision of fighter jets really means one big “No”.

In fact, none of these British newspapers published cartoons of Zelenskyi on their front pages.

The Evening Standard newspaper published on the front page how Rishi Sunak warmly hugs Zelenskyi. In another photo, they are walking together in London.

The Times on its front page on February 9 published a portrait of Zelenskyi with the victory gesture once shown by Winston Churchill. On February 10, The Times published an op-ed by Ros Clarke in the “Comments” section, illustrated with a cartoon depicting Zelenskyi with European leaders, but it was not brought to the front page.

With these fake first columns, Russia is imposing its own interpretation of Zelenskyi's visit to the UK, France and Belgium on the audience. Immediately after the visit, propagandists wrote on telegram channels that Zelenskyi was photographed against the backdrop of a British tank - this is the maximum that he can get from the trip; a visit to the European Parliament will not bring results; Zelenskyi will travel more in Europe in 2023, in particular because of the elections; Zelenskyi’s trip to Europe “extinguishes” the corruption scandal in Ukraine.

Detector Media has collected images of all the front pages of British publications, which depicted the visit of the President of Ukraine to London.

Russian publications distribute photos that allegedly depict a billboard with the Polish words “To nie jest nasza wojna” (This is not our war) against the background of the Ukrainian and Russian flags. The poster also features prosthetic legs wearing khaki trousers. According to propagandists, the poster symbolizes Poland's desire “to distance” itself from the war. It's fake.

StopFake and mythdetector.ge report that this photo was taken with the help of the Mediamodifier website. On it, one can insert any photo into the billboard template and the image search confirms this. The basis of the template is one image.

With such messages, Russian propaganda wants to illustrate Poland as an enemy of Ukraine, and that Polish people are tired of the war. The narrative about “Poland the aggressor” is one of the most widespread in Russian propaganda at the moment. By spreading such messages, Russia seeks to reinforce the view that even Ukraine's most loyal partners in this war are getting tired of it and will soon stop helping with money and weapons.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that against the backdrop of earthquakes that took place in Turkey, Volodymyr Zelenskyi turned to the victims with the goal of “pulling even more weapons”. Like, instead of compassion and words of support, Zelenskyi showed “hypocrisy” and demanded even more weapons. The authors of the messages add a likely screenshot from Twitter, where he allegedly wrote that “Turkey will be able to overcome the tragedy, and the supply of weapons will not stop”. It is not true.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and determined that Zelenskyi did not actually write such a thing, but a screenshot with a message was created using graphic editors. Analysts add that the official account first published an appeal in Turkish, and then in Ukrainian. The fake screenshot did not show the post in Turkish. Moreover, the fabricated nature of the screenshot is indicated by spelling errors, in particular the spelling of “my”.

By spreading such a fake, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Zelenskyi and present him as a beggar, as if the only thing he does is he begs for money and weapons from other countries.

We recall that Detector Media described the main messages that propagandists spread during Zelenskyi's visit to the UK, France and Belgium. In particular, among the many messages it was said that Volodymyr Zelenskyi was begging for weapons from the West.

Such a fake was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. The reports say that Ukraine is “throwing weapons to the left”, that is, it is engaged in various frauds, including smuggling. The authors of the messages refer to an interview with the Financial Times, in which the prime minister mentioned this. It is not true.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and found that there is no mention of this in the interview itself. In an interview, the prime minister only says that because of the war in Ukraine, the risks of arms smuggling have increased significantly, but there is no mention of possible evidence in the material. That is, the prime minister did not give any specifics and did not try to prove anything. In the Financial Times, she talked about the risks for the world community caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Propagandists have repeatedly manipulated the topic of arms delivery. Thus, they want to convince that allegedly Ukraine uses weapons for other purposes, therefore Ukraine is far from being a loyal partner who can be trusted.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Poland is not only preparing to take the territories of Western Ukraine, but will also try to cut off part of Belarus or Russia. Polish President Andrzej Duda allegedly wants to implement a plan for the restoration of the territories of the Rzeczpospolita (Poland republic) and will do everything possible for this. The authors of the reports add that the alleged military training planned for March will be an offensive campaign into these territories. It is not true.

As the fact-checkers of the EU vs Disinfo project explain, this is stuffing and a conspiracy theory of Russian propaganda. In the Polish segment of social networks and in the media, in particular, there is indeed information about military training, but this is a project of the Ministry of Defense, which is designed to train reservists during 2023. Reservists are persons liable for military service, but in peacetime they are leading service in a civilian way and making a career outside the armed forces. Therefore, they can study for one day or up to 90 days.

There was no talk of an attack. Poland respects international law regarding state borders and fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of neighboring countries.

Propagandists are spreading this message to once again promote the narrative of Poland being a hostile state to Ukraine. In this way, the authors of the messages want to discredit our allies, who, they say, really want to cut off the territories and pretend to be benevolent.

Telegram channels and pro-Russian media are spreading messages that allegedly the Ukrainian army and authorities are leaving Kupiansk. Such messages also found their way into the English-speaking segment. It is not true.

The head of the Kupiansk military administration, Andrii Kanashevych, denied this information. He said that the employees of the district military administration, the Security service of Ukraine, the National police, the prosecutor's office of the Kupiansky district are at their workplaces and continue to do their job properly. The Ukrainian army, according to Kanashevych, keeps the situation under full control.

According to the Kharkiv anti-corruption center, Russians have recently been spreading fake reports about a new offensive by the Russian army on Kharkiv, Kupiansk, Dvorichna, Izium and other settlements. Propagandists also say that Ukraine allegedly does not restore the liberated settlements.

Russian media and pro-Russian social media accounts are spreading reports about two Ukrainian soldiers who allegedly went to study in Germany and asked for political asylum “because of their unwillingness to die in a senseless war”. The messages refer to news published in the Financial Times. Like, the military believes that Western weapons will not help Kyiv win, but will only lead to an increase in casualties both among the military and among the civilian population. It's fake.

The Financial Times article, cited by Russian media, does not mention the Ukrainian military who asked for political asylum in Germany. It also does not contain statements by Ukrainians that Western weapons will not help Ukraine win the war. The screenshot of the publication was edited and a paragraph was added that was not in the original article.

As StopFake writes, in fact, in the article, citing two sources, they say that everything is ready at Eckernförde, the German training ground, for the start of training for the Ukrainian military on the operation of modern Leopard 2 tanks. The training will begin in two weeks.

In this way, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian army, sow panic among  and demoralize the Ukrainians. Allegedly, if the military does not believe in victory, the situation is quite bad.

After the earthquake in Turkey and Syria in the Ukrainian segment, the telegram began to spread messages that an earthquake with an amplitude of 8-9 points was allegedly moving to Ukraine. Reports say that the Vrancea zone in Romania could become its epicenter. Like, the residents of Volyn and Rivne should prepare for a natural disaster, in particular, teach children how to behave in such a situation. These messages are improper.

So far, there are no weighty arguments that an earthquake with a magnitude of 8-9 points can occur in Volyn and Rivne. The Vrancea zone is a seismically active zone located at the junction of the Southern (Romania) and Eastern (Ukraine) Carpathians. However, as the fact-checkers of the “Brekhunets” (Lier) project explain, the southwestern part of Ukraine, which is directly affected by the Vrancea zone, is potentially classified as a zone with an intensity of 6 to 7 points. In general, on the territory of Ukraine there are no such deep faults in the earth's crust as in Turkey, so local earthquakes cannot reach 8-9 points on the Richter scale. Most of the territory of Ukraine is located in a zone with an earthquake intensity of 4-6 points.

According to Constantin Ionescu, a managing director of the National institute for Earth physics (INFP), the earthquakes in Romania and Turkey on the same day is a coincidence. The surface seismic zones of these countries are not interconnected.

Probably, these messages were spread to telegram channels in order to further provoke a feeling of fear and panic among Ukrainians. Like, now you need to be afraid not only of rocket attacks, but also of natural disasters. Previously, they tried to intimidate Ukrainians with inevitable hunger and mass deaths due to the supply of heavy weapons.

Russian media, referring to the words of the representative of the Russian foreign ministry Mariia Zakharova, write that allegedly military personnel from the EU countries fought in Ukraine even before the start of the war. Like, they worked as instructors representing the Western intelligence services. Moreover, they were mere mercenaries. It is not true.

The EU countries have not sent and do not plan to send their military personnel to Ukraine. The High representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, Jessepp Borel, noted that the EU intends to maintain the status of a “non-belligerent party”, therefore it can help everyone, except for the introduction of troops into the territory of Ukraine. Foreigners fight on the side of Ukraine exclusively on a voluntary basis: either in the ranks of the Ukrainian army, or as volunteers. The EU and international partners provide significant political, military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine. After the full-scale invasion, European countries not only increased aid to Ukraine, but significantly increased sanctions against Russia.

Russian propaganda tries to justify a full-scale invasion, discredit international assistance, and systematically spread messages about foreign mercenaries fighting for Ukraine. Thus, they feed the narrative that Russia is at war not with Ukraine, but with the “collective West”. Earlier, Russian propaganda said that Poles and Syrians were being recruited into the Ukrainian army. The propagandists also wrote that, along with weapons, Western countries are sending soldiers to Ukraine. More details.

Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels are circulating a photograph allegedly taken in Brussels. Like, a group of artists from Poland made a new drawing that continues the series of their work on the streets of cities. It's fake.

There is no such graffiti. Propagandists write that a “group of Polish artists” had previously created graffiti about Zelenskyi in Madrid and Warsaw. However, the photos of these graffiti were created with photo editors. Just like the fake graffiti in New York and Paris.

Thus, Russian propaganda uses ridicule tactics to discredit the President of Ukraine. Like, Zelenskyi is despised and ridiculed abroad, so Ukrainians should be ashamed of their leader. Propagandists also stir up internal disputes because of the likes and dislikes of Ukrainians towards Zelenskyi.

This message was spread by the Russian propaganda media. They say that Ukraine has allegedly been and is engaged in the sale of the fertile layer of land abroad. It seems that the Ukrainian black soil is exported to European countries along with the remnants of the Red Army soldiers who fought in World War II. In their articles, the Kremlin media refer to the words of Russian president Volodymyr Putin, uttered by him during a meeting with representatives of the “Yunarmiia” (Young military) military youth organization in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalinhrad. However, this is all fake. 

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. According to fact-checkers, Putin reached such a “conclusion” about the sale of black soil with the remnants of the military after Lev Kravchenko, one of the “Yunarmiia” participants, told a story during a meeting about how a German farmer allegedly found a medal of a dead Red Army soldier, who died in 1944 on the territory of Ukraine, in his garden and transferred it to the Consulate General of Russia. According to Kravchenko, “the medal most likely ended up in Germany as a result of the sale of Ukrainian soil”. Like, only the medal was there, or the Ukrainians are trading in the remains of soldiers who fought for victory in World War II. In fact, the Soviet medal “For courage” was not found by a German farmer, but by an employee of a waste processing company, and not in the ground, but in garbage. In addition, according to StopFake, the statement itself that Ukraine allegedly exports black soil abroad is completely absurd and unfounded. There are no documented facts or investigations by independent experts on the export of Ukrainian land abroad. In addition, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 58% of Ukrainian lands are experiencing degradation, and 20% - pollution. However, Russian propaganda needs such messages to once again discredit Ukraine and Ukrainians. To show that Ukrainians are ruthless and they are indifferent to the memory of those who died in World War II, because they are ready to sell black soil abroad for profit, even with the remnants of soldiers.

Such information appeared in the Kremlin propaganda media and telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. The reports claim that in the Kyiv region they announced a recruitment into nationalist groups reorganized into brigades under the general name “Offensive Guard”. Like, this is akin to the creation of military formations in the system of the Ministry of internal affairs in case of any internal conflicts in the Ukrainian elite. The propagandists also dubbed the offensive guards Nazis, once again trying to nourish the narrative that Ukrainians are Nazis. However, this is not true. 

The fact checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. In Ukraine, they really announced the formation of new brigades, but they have nothing to do with Nazism. “Offensive Guard” is a project of the Ministry of internal affairs of Ukraine aimed at strengthening the National guard, the National police and the State border service of Ukraine during the upcoming liberation of Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea. However, such fakes are beneficial to propagandists in order to once again spread the narrative that Ukrainians are Nazis, so Russia is doing everything right by denazifying Ukraine. Russian propaganda regularly creates such fakes and manipulations to nourish the narrative about the rise of Nazism in Ukraine. In particular, propagandists said that Ukrainians allegedly decorate Christmas trees with swastika toys or shout Nazi greetings at weddings.

Russian media have spread reports of “harassment of Russian speakers” in Ukraine. The reports refer to the words of Russian foreign minister Serhii Lavrov. He said that interpersonal communication in Russian was allegedly banned in Ukraine. Moreover, the use of Russian in everyday life allegedly provides for criminal punishment. It's fake.

As the Stop Fake fact checkers note, in Ukraine there is no criminal punishment for communication in Russian, especially for interpersonal communication. The Law “On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language” does not regulate the spheres of religious rites and private communication, this is noted in Article 2 of the Law. In the law, the Russian language is not mentioned at all and is not singled out as a separate category, it is only about the state Ukrainian language. There are no prohibitions on the Russian language in other laws and regulations of Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to promote narratives about the oppression of Russian speakers in order to artificially incite hostility among Ukrainians, as well as to divide Ukrainians according to their place of residence. Earlier, propagandists spread the message that a war had begun in Ukraine because of the ban on the Russian language, and they also wrote that the Ministry of culture of Ukraine plans to remove Russian literature from libraries.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular, on a telegram channel broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that in Poland they began to openly recruit Ukrainian tank troops. Like, the Polish authorities are trying to recruit a crew for the German Leopard tanks, which will come to Ukraine. As evidence, the propagandists attach a video clip showing this “announcement”. The authors of the message cite the slogan allegedly depicted on it: “Protect Polish homeland. Be a tanker. Protect Poland in Ukraine”. There is no such announcement, it's not true.

Analysts of The Insider project investigated this case and found that for the first time information about such a poster appeared in the telegram channel of the Russian segment. The video clip itself was filmed at the Centrum station of the Warsaw metro. For the fake poster, they used the corporate identity of the “Become a soldier of the republic” campaign, which started in 2018. However, the authors of the messages did not take into account the corporate logo of the campaign, which was still not placed on the poster. So the fake announcement was just overlaid on the video. As for the campaign itself, it is aimed at recruiting people for contract service in the Polish army, so it has nothing to do with recruiting volunteers to participate in the war. So there was no such poster with an appeal.

By spreading this fake, propagandists nourish the narrative that everything is bad in Ukraine, that there is no one to fight, so the Ukrainian leadership resorts to such tricks and wants to recruit foreigners. Now the authors of the messages want to convince the readers that Poland wants to cut off our territories and thus, by mobilizing the Poles, will try to return them.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that at the Ukraine-EU summit, which took place on February 3, the President of the European Commission gave a clear understanding that Ukraine is allegedly not coping with the tasks assigned to it, so accession to the EU has been suspended. It's a lie.

In fact, Ursula von der Leyen did not say this during the EU-Ukraine summit. On the contrary, she claimed that she “sees persistence in implementing reforms that meet EU recommendations”. In addition, she stressed that one of the successful objectives of the introduction of reforms is “the right path that we follow”. In conclusion, the President of the European Commission added that Ukraine is maintaining the right pace, and she is confident in this, as well as in the actions of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, because he knows what “his country needs”. Therefore, there were no restrictions or even deviations in joining the EU.

By spreading this message, propagandists nourish the narrative that Ukraine is a dumb state that is unable to implement a number of reforms, including for EU accession. Thus, the authors of the messages want to convince readers that Ukraine is gradually losing the trust and support of the West, allegedly not coming up to its expectations.