Spilnota Detector Media

Fake Viber chats are spreading voice messages in Russian from an unknown person, who warns that he knows from "verified" sources about a lift of Belarusian planes, which are allegedly maneuvering in Ukraine.

The author threatens that the planes are able fly to any point of Ukraine’s territory. The fact-checking project "NotaEnota" writes that such information has the only purpose—to sow panic. "That is what collaborators and invaders do when they record and distribute unconfirmed messages," the statement says.

Fake . “Farm” marks have appered on Google Maps, they are made by Russian diversion intelligence group to launch missile or bomb strikes on Ukraine.

This information is refuted by the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. “Farm” marks on Google Maps in Kyiv and Ukraine appered as a result of a failure that occurred in 2019. It is not related to the current war," the statement says.

It is noted that volunteers who contacted Google's office in Palo Alto reported to the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. According to them, the marks are already being cleaned.

Fake The delivery of chlorine in Uzhhorod will be stoped due to the war.

In Uzhhorod's city council this information was denied: "Infromation on suspension of delivery of chlorine for Uzhhorod's Vodokanal, due to what the dosage of chlorine is reduced and, accordingly, the quality of drinking water spoils, and therefore even brushing your teeth is safe only with boiled water - fake. Administration of the utility company assures: "There are enough reagent stocks for disinfection of water, in accordance with the requirements of the state sanitary norms for drinking water (DSanPIN) ", - was said in the message.

Fake UN will evacuate Ukrainians.

Social media spread the information that Ukrainians will be evacuated by UN forces. Personal data is being asked for this purpose. The UN Development Program told the Center of Strategic Communications and Information Security that this information was untrue and false.

Fake A headquarters was set up in Kherson to gather information on the movement of troops and equipment.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine said that in the Kherson telegram channels are now spreading contacts with an unofficial message about gathering information on the location and movement of troops, equipment and more. The Center reminded that the only channel of data collection is the official SBU chatbot.

Fake The fake information is being spread about evacuation trains to Odessa and Kharkiv.

It's being said that in order to get into the train you need to sign up for the list. Ukrzaliznytsia emphasizing: the company does not keep lists of people who will be evacuated by the railway. “Do not give your personal data. Trust only verified information!”, wrote in the office. >

Friends, an evacuation train of 25 wagons is being organized from Kharkov to Western Ukraine! Will leave tomorrow, 03/02/2022. The time will be informed today at lunchtime, because the train is not on schedule. The final destination too. Who plans to travel, please call 066-600-13-73, Ekaterina. You will be added to the telegram chat, where you will need to specify the number of people, your full name and contact phone number.

Fake You have to destroy the so-called ground positioning devices that you see in the field—this information with photos has been shared on the web.

However, the photo shows a common device, a home weather station, writes fact-checking project "NotaEnota".

"It is not necessary to destroy them. These devices are used to measure and analyze different indicators such as air temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, since the indicators available on the Internet do not always correspond to the real situation in a particular village or town. On the plus side, everyone has become more meticulous about everything they see around. However, you don’t need to destroy everything you do not know. It is better to reinsure yourself and ask specialists. Report such cases to the police,” the statement says.

Fake . The stories about fallen Ukrainian soldiers of 2014-2020 are presented as current losses in order to undermine the fighting spirit

This was reported by StopFake.

Fake Terrorists have published information about «Ukrainian troops replacing ammonia storage facilities» at the «Azot» company’s plant (Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine).

This information is another fake, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. The «Azot» company claimed that its chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk poses no threat to residents of the city and the region at the moment.

«The company has completely produced (processed) all the ammonia and cleared the chemical storage facility. Due to the start of military operations, the plant ceased production altogether: all the key workshops were shut down, and the plant stopped producing chemical fertilizers. The remains of the finished products (chemical fertilizers) as well as chemicals that were stored on the territory of the plant have been fully removed from its territory and transported outside of the Luhansk Region,» — the company said.

Fake The Russian military are setting up mobile connection equipment that might interrupt the Ukrainian networks.

The Security Service of Ukraine refuted the information spread on social media regarding the fact that the Russian military are setting up the mobile connection equipment that allegedly might interrupt the Ukrainian networks, collect all the data from a phone and identify the location of a user.

More details

Fake Separatist Telegram channels continue claiming that the Ukrainian troops regularly and against all the rules shell particular districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

This contradicts with their other point stating that the Ukrainian military stepped back further into Ukraine, without fighting back.

Detailed review of disinformation and manipulation about Ukraine on Telegram channels can be found here.

Fake Russian troops will start “jamming” mobile communications in the near-front zone to launch a disinformation campaign about the Ukrainian capitulation.

The Security Service of Ukraine denies this information and says that Ukrainians have stable connection and know that its temporary shutdown might be only possible for special operations to clean up enemy diversion intelligence groups.

Fake . Deputy Kyva stated that the war in Ukraine was caused by “the work of the West”.

Such a statement was made by the Ukrainian people’s deputy from the Opposition Platform — For Life on air at the Russian “First Channel”. “None of us in this studio could imagine that the war would start”, he said. He claimed the day of the attack to be “the most terrible day in the history of the united peoples - Ukrainians and Russians - and said it was caused by “the work of the West”.

In fact, the war in Ukraine was started by Russia. Before that Illya Kyva has already asked the president of Russia to “help” Ukraine.

Fake Kyiv is surrounded and evacuation is impossible.

On the evening of February 27th, Russian media shared a fake that Kyiv was allegedly surrounded by the Russian military and all exits from the capital were blocked, making it impossible to evacuate. This information was refuted by Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko. He also said that fake social media pages of government officials begun to appear on social media. In particular, his fake Instagram account was created.

Fake The dam that blocked the water in the Crimea was blown up.

Social networks and Kremlin media sources spread a fake video of Ukraine allegedly blowing up a dam blocking water from the Dnipro river, so that “the water went” to the occupied Crimea. The leader of the Crimean occupation administration, Serhiy Aksyonov, says that the dam was destroyed by "our military (occupiers — DM)".

According to StopFake, the video does not show the dam that blocks the water supply to the occupied Crimea. This can be seen in the photo.

Fake  In the Kyiv region, in Vasylkiv in particular, the population is getting evacuated.

Such announcements have appeared on the internet during the day. However, the Vasylkiv City Council denies this information. “The Territorial Defense Forces and Kyiv Regional Council are not evacuating the population due to the residents' life threat in the region. In some districts of the region, the situation is complicated, but controlled, because of russian occupation troops’ attempts to take over our cities and, eventually, Kyiv”, — the city council informed.

People are also asked to stay in safe places, shelters, at home. Don’t leave them.

Fake  Ukraine gives out firearms to the prisoners.

Propaganda channels in Telegram, as well as Russian sites Pikabu and Yaplakal, are spreading the document, according to which the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has issued the order to propose the inmates in Ukrainian prisons enlist in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in exchange for clemency. The document without signature or stamp is claimed to be issued by Serhii Hrechaniuk, the chief of the enforcement of sentences Department.

As reported by the Department in response to the appeal of StopFake, such a document has never existed. This is a fake aimed to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Fake At the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Ukrainian National Guards serve together with the Russian military.

Russia's propaganda channel Channel One filmed a staging in which it said that the Ukrainian Guards allegedly ""surrendered voluntarily without a fight and are now serving with the Russian military together"" at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The National Guard of Ukraine refuted this fake, emphasizing that their servicemen did not open fire on February 24, 2022 just to avoid threats and violate articles of the IAEA Convention, according to which nuclear power plants are not subject to military aggression.

Детальніше

Fake "Stay safe" in Viber means that the account was hacked by Russia. Misinformation is being spread on social networks that the "Stay safe" label in Viber's messenger allegedly means that Russia has hacked into an account, that "Viber is already being listened to and read by the occupiers.

" According to StopFake, the "Stay safe" label actually reminds users that they need to monitor their communication and secure transmission of information.

Fake Saboteurs add people to groups as if to help, pretending to be local In different cities, including Kyiv and Kharkiv, people in messengers join different local groups as if to help each other.

For example, in Kharkiv, one of such groups is called "Pereklychka rayoniv" (eng. "Roll call of districts") - this was reported by the People's Deputy from Kharkiv Victoria Kinzburska. "If you are automatically added to a chat called " Pereklychka rayoniv" immediately leave the group - there are half of the saboteurs, learn information about the city," - she wrote. The State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine reports about similar groups and chats: “Attention! The network is spreading information that people in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities are being added to chats, ostensibly to help each other. There are threats that such channels are created for saboteurs to mislead people and lull them to sleep. " Be careful about which groups you join and what you report to unknown users.

Fake Enabled geolocation on your phone helps the enemy home-in on a target.

This has been reputed by the State Special Communications Service of Ukraine, but they still ask Ukrainians not to share publicly any media with geotags. "Android or iOS smartphones don't send the location. If you want to disappear, you need to enable the aeroplane mode. It's possible to send a message with one's location by accident, for example via Telegram or Viber. Don't share any directions or location tips on public chats. This kind of information should only be shared only in private message with someone you know, but it's even safer to share it in a telephone conversation" –, Service says.

Fake Energodar and Zaporizhzhia NPP were left without protection of law enforcement officers.

"Pro-Kremlin telegram channels spread information claiming that the entrance to Energodar, next to Zaporizhzhya NPP, was left without law enforcement officers control. This is a lie refuted by StopFake.

Such posts say that "the city authorities dismissed all security officers, leaving only ten or twenty people from the territorial defence in their cars." But on February 24th, Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of Energodar, reported about restrictions on entry and exit to the city of Energodar. "Entry and exit from Energodar by road to Primirna is restricted as of today. Exit and entry through the main road are currently available but carefully controlled by law enforcement and the military. The checkpoint has been restored. Vehicles will be inspected and documents checked, ” he said.

Fake A landing party landed on Sofiivska Borshchahivka.

Photos of the alleged landing on Sofiivska Borshchahivka are being spread on social networks. Victor Tregubov, co-founder of the "Demokratychna sokyra" party and editor-in-chief of the "Petro i Mazepa" website, denied landing. According to him, the photo shows gaps from air defense shells. "Babel" also denied this information.

Fake Russia isn't at war with Ukrainian people.

Many Ukrainians receive this kind of message from a Russian phone number. That is not the case. On February, 24th, 2022, during a video appeal President Zelensky has announced a martial law due to the Russian invasion. Russia has initiated a large-scale offensive on Ukraine and carries out heavy rocket fire on Ukrainian cities. "Russia has carried out air strikes on our military infrastructure and our State Border Guard Service. In a number of Ukrainian cities explosions can be heard. We declare martial law on the whole Ukrainian territory", – said Volodymyr Zelensky. Verkhovna Rada has supported the introduction of martial law in Ukraine. 300 deputies casted affirmative votes.

Fake Russians continue to say that they aren't targeting civilians, that they're only destroying some military objects.

At the beginning they said, that there aren't civil casualties but after massive spreading of photo and video evidences they changed tactics. Now they say that it's Ukrainian army, who's responsible for civil casualties. They conflict with their own statements, because part of the message tells about randomness, like "Ukrainian army, accidentally, mistakenly bombed a residential house". In other posts they say about treacherous ukrainian soldiers, which are ready to shell civilians just to blame Russia.