The media and social networks spread the news that almost 50% of Ukrainian refugees want to stay in Poland. The news was spread concerning the expert's statement and survey data, but this information was distorted, and incorrect conclusions were drawn.

In fact, as StopFake writes, a survey conducted by the Interdisciplinary Laboratory of War Research in Ukraine, conducted from April 15 to May 10 among Ukrainian refugees in Poland shows that only 17% of respondents plan to stay there forever; 14% said that they still want to work in Poland, and then they will return home with earnings, and 3% plan to obtain Polish citizenship. Another survey (from 4Service) shows that 89% of respondents plan to return home after the war's end; 3% do not plan to return at all; another 4% hesitate but are inclined to stay in Europe; 4% - undecided. At the same time, 67% of Ukrainians assume they may stay abroad if the war drags on. In addition, Natalya Zaytseva-Chipak, director of the Ukrainian public opinion research center "Sotsioinform," was twisted: she said that 50% of Poland wanted to return to Ukraine. However, she did not conclude that the other half plans to stay there - the media has already added that.

It was reported on the News of Russia telegram channel. A video is attached to the post with a comment that illustrates "how Ukrainian refugees live and what they do." Allegedly, the Ukrainians destroyed the dormitory where they were sheltered and stole household appliances and food products. But it is not so.

The video shows a refugee hostel in Bamberg, Germany. However, Ukrainians did not live there. Moreover, neither the managers of the institution nor the local police knows about cases of vandalism or theft related to Ukrainian refugees. According to German fact-checkers, two people are speaking in Russian on the one-minute video and filming the condition of the mutilated apartment. However, the video does not mention that Ukrainian refugees staged the pogrom. Russian propaganda spreads such messages to turn citizens of other countries against Ukrainians, such as it is not worth helping Ukrainian refugees; they are ungrateful.

The Russian media report it regarding the self-proclaimed "head" of the occupation administration of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Balytskyi. According to reports, more than 60% of Zaporizhzhia region residents see the region's territories as part of Russia in the status of a separate entity. It is not true.

According to the Industrialka publication, the occupiers scheduled a vote for September 11. Still, Balytsky already claims that "the liberated part of the Zaporizhzhia region will become part of Russia through a referendum," and 60% of residents will allegedly support such a decision. The Melitopol partisans reacted to Balytskyi's statements, warning the collaborator in leaflets that "Ukrainian night is near" and punishment is inevitable.

The results of actual sociological research conducted in Ukraine refute the fakes of Russian propagandists. The majority (89%) of those surveyed support the recognition of the actions of Russian troops in Ukraine as genocide of the Ukrainian people. 76% favor banning the Z and V symbols used on Russian military equipment, and 74% favor banning the St. George ribbon in Ukraine (5 years ago, it was only 45%).

Recently, pro-Russian propaganda spread fakes that the authorities and residents of the Kharkiv region "want to join Russia." The actions of the occupiers on the territory of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are the same as in 2014 in the temporarily occupied Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions - an illegal referendum, the results of which are known in advance.

Russian media are spreading reports that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has "spoken" that the Alliance was "purposefully" preparing for war.

It is not true.

The Russian media took Stoltenberg's quote out of context and added it at their discretion. Jens Stoltenberg reflected on the foundations of European security, which Russia undermined in 2014 due to its occupation of Crimea and eastern Ukraine. "In fact, we have long been preparing for such a possibility [a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine]. It's not like NATO suddenly woke up on February 24 and realized that Russia is dangerous... That's why we've been working on a new Force Structure [NATO's defense capability] for some time," Stoltenberg said. He also once again refuted the propaganda thesis about the planned "attack" of the Alliance on Russia and emphasized that NATO is not a party to the conflict in the Russian war against Ukraine, but will continue to support Ukraine in its struggle.

StopFake writes that Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2014 became the impetus for revising NATO's collective security standards. After February 24, 2022, the Alliance changed its Strategic Concept and recognized Russia as the "biggest direct threat" to European security. A separate clause was written by NATO stating that "NATO does not seek confrontation and does not pose a threat to Russia" to fight against Russian propaganda. However, Russian media continue to try to justify Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine with messages about "anti-Russian Western aggression."

The Russian mass media report it concerning the Ministry of Defense of Russia. Allegedly, scientists from the University of Texas studied ticks in the territory of Ukraine, and the study coincided with a sharp increase in the number of ticks in the Russian regions bordering Ukraine and an increase in the number of cases of borreliosis (Lyme disease). It is a fake. Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russians have repeatedly claimed that the United States has created laboratories for the development of biological weapons. This topic became the most common in Russian propaganda. As the Polish publication Wiadomosti writes, the study of Lyme disease was published in the journal BMJ Global Health. For the publication, scientists analyzed the results of 137 studies conducted until 2021 with the participation of almost 160,000 people. The researchers obtained statistics on immunity against Lyme bacteria in Eastern Europe, Eastern Asia, Western Europe, and the Caribbean. The research was conducted in many countries, but only the Russians claimed they were trying to harm them. Russia is again manipulating information to confirm fabricated theses about American biolaboratories in Ukraine, which allegedly became one of the reasons for the invasion of Ukraine.

Such a message was published on the pro-Russian Telegram channel Legitymnyy. Serhii Prytula, for example, started collecting funds for nuclear weapons but did not realize the consequences of his actions. But it is a fake.

The Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation never claimed to be raising funds for nuclear weapons. More detailed information about the Fund's main work areas can be found on its website. The fact that Prytula can raise funds for any needs of the Ukrainian army joked on social networks after the record collection of over 600 million hryvnias for the purchase of Turkish drones "Bayraktar." Among other things, users of social networks assumed that the next collection would be opened to purchase nuclear weapons. However, it is impossible to implement. In October 1991, Ukraine adopted the Declaration on Nuclear-Free Status, and in 1994 it finally declared it. Therefore, neither the state of Ukraine nor its citizens can "buy" and use nuclear weapons at will. More details.

Such information is distributed on social networks by blogger Serhii Gula. He published a video that warns Ukrainians not to apply for humanitarian aid from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). For example, the organization does not request permission to process personal data, does not set restrictions on the transfer of collected data to third parties, and does not provide data security guarantees. It is not true.

To apply for assistance from UNICEF, Ukrainians must consent to process personal data. UNICEF has the right to share this data only with other humanitarian organizations, the Ministry of Social Protection of Ukraine, and banks for making payments under the program.

The monetary aid program from UNICEF "Together" is additional support during the war for Ukrainian families with many children (three or more minor children) or families with at least one child with a disability under 18 years of age. As VoxCheck fact-checkers have investigated, to receive financial assistance under this program, it is necessary to provide family members' personal data to check compliance with the program's criteria. Received UNICEF will store personal information for no more than five years from the moment of its last use. The organization claims to store information on a secure server using data encryption methods.

Such information is distributed on social networks. However, it is not true.

PJSC "Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo" denied the report about the disconnection of energy supply in the temporarily occupied territories. The company emphasizes that there are currently no planned power outages in the Zaporizhzhia region, and there will not be any. A similar message was published by the press service of "DTEK Donetsk Electric Networks." The enterprises confirm that there are problems with energy supply in certain territories. Still, they are connected exclusively with damage to power grids due to military actions or difficult weather conditions. However, if there is an opportunity, energy workers have been working around the clock since the first days of a full-scale invasion and restoring electrical equipment as soon as possible.

Earlier, propagandists spread fakes about the disconnection of gas supply in the temporarily occupied territories. In this way, they try to convince the residents of the temporarily occupied territories that they have been "abandoned" or "forgotten" in Ukraine and the occupiers "care" about their well-being.

The message was circulated on Facebook, which says that allegedly on the morning of July 10, a unit of the fifth special brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus tried to cross the state border in the Zarichnen community of the Rivne region.

The saboteurs got into a minefield and were under mortar fire. This news was also spread by the local media Volodymyrets.City. However, it is a fake.

As the fact-checkers of the Brekhunets project write the message in a comment to the publication Rayon. Varash was refuted by Bohdan Kvachuk, the head of the Zarichnen community of the Varash district of the Rivne region: "The border in the community has not been violated!". It is not the first time that fake reports about the crossing of the Ukrainian border by Belarusians have spread. In this way, propagandists are trying to draw Belarus into active hostilities and intimidate Ukrainians, saying that the opening of the "second front" is close.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine finds out that the Russian media, citing UN data, accuse Ukraine of increasing the number of starving people. According to the UN, due to Russia's war against Ukraine, the number of starving people will increase by 13 million.

The leadership of the Kremlin declares that they are supposedly ready for dialogue and want to resolve the food issue as quickly and painlessly as possible, but words differ from deeds.

The Russian military is destroying Ukrainian grain elevators, blocking ports, and setting farmers' fields on fire to undermine food security. The Russians continue to steal and export Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied territories.

The food crisis is another Russian blackmail lever they need to influence countries independent of Russia's energy resources. Thus, the Russians have created a global problem that they are trying to blame on Ukraine, terrorizing the civilized world.

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine refutes the main fakes about the return of customs duties and taxes on imports.

The Center explains that cars from the EU do not become more expensive, but customs clearance costs return because many people have abused the "zero" rate. That is why the Verkhovna Rada returned customs duties and taxes on car import and customs clearance.

Information about products from Europe. In connection with the restoration of logistics systems, from July 1, the Verkhovna Rada resumed taxation for goods imported by taxpayers of the single tax's first, second, and third groups. This step will help cheaper goods from domestic producers to compete in the consumer market.

They are spreading a fake that returning customs duties and import taxes will do nothing but corruption. In fact, it is expected that the return of the customs duty will allow replenishment of the budget by at least UAH 3.5 billion every month. These funds will support the Armed Forces and create new jobs for citizens who lost their jobs during the war.

The Kremlin media justify the war crime of the Russian occupiers, who attacked a residential building in Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region, on the evening of July 9, at the address of st. Pivdenna, 4a, as a result of which two entrances were completely destroyed, at least 30 people were under the rubble, including a child, and rescuers found 15 dead.

Russian propaganda assures that it is a fake as if it is not a residential building but a dormitory with military and foreign mercenaries. As evidence, they cite a photo from Chasiv Yar, published on the channel in a Telegram from the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko. Allegedly, in the photo, you can see a man lying on a stretcher in a military uniform, and in the video, you can hear the English language.

As you know, despite numerous testimonies and evidence, Moscow always declares that it does not fire on civilians in Ukraine. When Russian missiles attacked residential buildings, they spread the lie that the Ukrainian military was there and used the residents "as human shields."

The Kremlin media spread this "news" regarding Yevhen Balytskyi, a deputy of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Council from the "Opposition Bloc" party, who went over to the side of the Russian occupiers. The Russians appointed a Zaporizhzhia collaborator as the so-called "head of the temporary civil administration" in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region. Remind you that it is a fictitious authority and "position," and they have nothing to do with the official Ukrainian authorities in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Today, the Zaporizhzhia region has real problems with the gas supply, without which, as of July 8, 101,768 subscribers in 137 settlements of the region are without it. 48 settlements of Berdyansk and Melitopol districts remain disconnected from gas supply due to damage to the main gas pipeline in the Donetsk region.

On July 7, the gas supply to 26 settlements (16,760 consumers) in Vasylivskyi and Pologivskyi districts was wholly cut off due to damage to the main gas pipeline. But this happened not because Kyiv cut off the gas supply to the Zaporizhzhia region. Still, because of hostilities on the part of the Russians, the occupation of part of the territory, and the refusal of the regional utility workers to carry out emergency restoration work at the damaged sites due to enemy shelling, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration reported.    

This message was spread by several Russian propaganda media, including TARS, Life, EADaily, RIA Novosti, OSN, Fifth Channel, and others. According to Stopfake fact-checkers, the propagandists refer to an interview of Vitaliy Ganchev, a Kharkiv collaborator appointed by the Russian occupation authorities as the so-called "head of the temporary civil administration" in the occupied part of the Kharkiv region.

No authorities of the Kharkiv region have made statements about the region's desire to join Russia. The Russian mass media spread the quote only by supporting the occupiers, a collaborator, Vitaliy Ganchev. The Russian authorities appointed him "the head of the temporary civil administration of the Kharkiv region." However, it is a fictitious body, just like the "position," and they have nothing to do with the official Ukrainian authorities. Vitaliy Ganchev is accused of treason and collaborative activity (Part 2 of Article 111, Part 5 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) - on April 21, the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office notified him of the suspicion in absentia. The press service of the prosecutor's office reports that the man voluntarily went to cooperate with the occupiers.

The statement that residents of the occupied part of the Kharkiv region want to join Russia has no factual basis. The head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleg Synegubov, reported at the beginning of July that the occupiers temporarily control approximately 30% of the region's territory - part of the border areas in the north and the eastern provinces from Volchansk to Izyum. After a part of the region was occupied at the beginning of spring, people wanted to leave the territories temporarily under the control of the Russians and return to the cities under the supervision of Ukraine, Kharkiv RSA reports.

A recent sociological survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), which was conducted on May 13-18, 2022, showed that the absolute majority of citizens who continue to live in the occupied territory after February 24, 2022 - 82% - have a negative attitude towards Russia and only 6% have a positive attitude.    

It was announced on July 8 by the head of the Russian National Defense Management Center, Colonel-General Mykhaylo Mizintsev. According to him, the operation will be aimed at identifying and further public repression of residents who are dissatisfied with the politics of Kyiv and generally pro-Russian residents of Mykolaiv and the region. Allegedly, SSU employees and up to 500 fighters of the Nazi battalion "Tsunami" were transferred from Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv to Mykolaiv to carry out this operation.

The Ministry of Defense of Russia dispelled a similar fake in April. At that time, Russian propagandists invented that the territorial defense was already carrying out punitive raids to detect any signs of pro-Russian views among residents.

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine emphasizes that it is false.

In the spring, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitaliy Kim, answered a question about pro-Russian sentiment in the city: "in Mykolaiv, there are those who showed their love for Russia solely to achieve their political goals, in fact, a tiny percentage were ideologically for Russia. Now all forces have united in the city, and pro-Russian narratives are a thing of the past."    

Russian mass media cite the statement of Thierry Mariani, a member of the European Parliament, who is known for his pro-Russian views and visits to the occupied Crimea as part of a fake EU delegation that wrote the StopFake project. Fact-checkers drew attention to the fact that a different position does not reflect the position of the entire European Parliament and the EU, and generalization is a technique for manipulation. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, the EU has mobilized about 4.1 billion euros in emergency aid. In addition, in May, the European Commission offered to provide Ukraine with additional macro-financial assistance: 25-year loans with a 10-year grace period for the return of the principal amount, writes Bloomberg regarding three EU officials. EU funds will also cover the interest on these loans. More details.    

Russian mass media and social networks spread this message concerning Politico. The site, which allegedly published this news, does not contain any material about the possibility of peace between the West and the Russian Federation, the fact-checkers of the StopFake project write after checking the publications of the publication. On the contrary, they added that Politico cites politicians' statements about the EU and the US setting up long-term support for Ukraine. More details.    

Pro-Kremlin mass media and social networks reported that the Indian edition of The Economic Times wrote that Western weapons supplied to Ukraine by allied countries will not help it win the war with Russia. The Russian media also reported that the Armed Forces might repeat the fate of the Afghan army: get large amounts of resources but ultimately be defeated. Propagandists also hint that there are fewer and fewer personnel in the Ukrainian military, and morale is significantly falling because the mobilized soldiers practically do not resist the Russian military. However, all this is not true.

As VoxCheck writes, The Economic Times reported problems with developing Western weapons but did not say that Ukraine would repeat the fate of Afghanistan. There is no resource that purports to be an article from The Economic Times that cites the original material. More details.

Russian propaganda media spread this information. They refer to the statements of the Russian Ministry of Defense. They said that during the battles for Lysychansk, the Armed Forces of Russia allegedly destroyed 14 "mercenaries" fighting for Ukraine, including fighters of the Georgian Legion. However, it is not true.

Some propagandists even stated that the Russian military allegedly succeeded in destroying the entire volunteer Georgian National Legion, which has been fighting in Donbas since 2014. As StopFake writes, this information is refuted by the commander of the Georgian National Legion, Mamuka Mamulashvili, and the Georgian fighters fighting in Ukraine. Members of the Legion claim that it is another disinformation campaign by the Kremlin against Georgian fighters who are fighting against Russian aggression. The mass death of Georgian Legion fighters is also not confirmed by other sources, particularly the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More details.    

The Russian propaganda media spread this information regarding the words of the head of the national defense management center of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Mykhailo Mizintsev. Reports say that in Kharkiv, territorial defense fighters have equipped firing positions on the lower and upper floors of residential buildings on Rymarska Street. At the same time, locals are not allowed to leave their apartments because they are held hostage. Russian propagandists add that local radicals harshly stop any attempts to move civilians through the territory of Kharkiv. However, all this is not true.

Journalists of the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center turned to the Department of Information and Public Relations of the Kharkiv City Council for a comment. They refuted the information spread by the propagandists and explained that the city council had not received any complaints from the residents of Kharkiv about there being held hostage by the armed forces. The city council also denied a fake about the arrangement of armed forces firing positions in residential buildings on Rymarska. We will remind you that it is not the first time propagandists have reported that the military is firing positions in residential buildings, hospitals, and schools in various cities, including Kharkiv and Odesa. However, all these cases of "capture of civilian objects by the Ukrainian military" were not confirmed.    

Russian propaganda media spread information that French self-propelled guns, which Ukraine received as military aid, were sold to the Russian army by the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for nothing. All propagandist media refer to the publication Bulgarian Military, which claims that "French and Ukrainian [from Donbas] sources assure that in the hands of the Russian army, and more precisely in the production workshops of the Russian manufacturer Uralvagonzavod, there are two 155 mm Caesar self-propelled howitzers, donated by France to Ukraine as military aid against the Russian invasion on February 24."

It is alleged that Ukrainians sold two Caesar self-propelled howitzers through an intermediary for $120,000 each. However, as The Insider writes, there is no evidence that the French self-propelled guns were sold to the Russians. The publication Bulgarian Military, which did not write about it, cites only the comments of experts, particularly a lawyer, who claims, referring to his own observations, that the Ukrainian military sold self-propelled guns to the Russians. Since no proper evidence has been found, such facts cannot be believed for sure; it is only assumption. More details.    

The information that the Russian army captured a trophy German howitzer was spread by Kremlin propaganda media. In materials, they allegedly refer to the publication of the German magazine Bild. Propaganda media reports that the howitzer had reportedly been damaged by a trophy German grenade launcher, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine also received from Germany. However, it is not true.

According to the fact-checkers from StopFake, the Bild publication did not publish the information that the Russian Armed Forces allegedly took possession of the German PzH 2000 howitzer, which was previously given to Germany as military aid to Ukraine. Also, the German publication Welt journalists could not find any confirmation of the information distributed on the network. Also, the Russian side did not provide any photo or video evidence that this self-propelled gun ended up in their military's hands. More details.

Russian propaganda media spread such information. In their reports, they refer to the Polish mass media, claiming that Ukrainian refugees come to Poland only for financial gain and perceive it as a "cash cow." However, the Kremlin media in their texts regard only one article in the Polish press — Myśl Polska. It is said that Ukrainians allegedly came from peaceful regions to receive help. "Millions of refugees from Ukraine are just people who want to use Poland as a cash cow," writes Myśl Polska, adding that Poland is allegedly even forced to limit access to medical services for its citizens to ensure the "maintenance" requests of Ukrainians. However, it is not true.

As the fact-checkers from StopFake write, the publication also claims that many resources allegedly go to "numerous interventions with the removal of children from drunken Ukrainian mothers." According to the author, such violations have become almost massive, but the local mass media do not write about it because "censorship works properly" in Poland. Such information is not confirmed in other Polish media and official sources. However, such material in the Polish mass media served as an excuse for Russian propaganda to discredit Ukraine and Ukrainians. StopFake writes that the financial component is not the most crucial reason Ukrainians go to Poland. Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Poland after February 24 are entitled to a one-time allowance of 300 zlotys ($66) and a monthly child allowance of 500 zlotys ($110). The average salary in Ukraine in December 2021 was $641, 9 times more than the allowance in Poland. The minimum fixed wage in Ukraine is $233. It is almost four times more than the aid for which, according to Russian and some pro-Russian Polish media, Ukrainians go to Poland. Ukrainian refugees are looking for a safe environment in Poland, which, unfortunately, is not currently available in Ukraine due to the Russian military aggression. More details.    

Information was spread on social networks that on June 22, the anniversary of Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Ukrainian activists pasted over the walls and fences of the Memorial in Auschwitz with anti-Russian stickers. Along with these posts, there were also circulated photos of a red, white, and black sticker with such words "Russia and Russians, the only gas you and your country deserve is Zyklon B (poisonous gas used in Nazi death camps - Edit)."

According to Reuters Fact Check, the Auschwitz Memorial said that no such stickers were found in the places depicted in the photo: "Everything points to the fact that the photos are simply manipulation, and this incident should be seen as primitive and crude propaganda." A museum representative said security cameras also did not catch anyone applying the stickers in June 2022 or earlier. However, Hani Farid, a computer science professor specializing in image analysis and digital forensics at the University of California, Berkeley, said he believes the images were likely faked. So this fake is part of the message about alleged "Russophobia." The US State Department has previously said that claims of "Russophobia" appear in several threads and are used whenever the Russian government wants to portray itself as the victim when it is the aggressor.    

Russian and Ukrainian mass media and social networks spread a fake that a section of the railway connecting Russia and Belarus with Kaliningrad had been dismantled in Lithuania. At the same time, it is noted that "very motivated in this matter" refugees from Ukraine allegedly helped dismantle the railway. This fake is part of the information campaign against Lithuania, which Russia launched after blocking the transit to Kaliningrad.

StopFake writes that, in fact, the original source of this news was the site of satirical, fictional "news" "Panorama." The publication warns its audience that all texts on the site are not real news. Transit to Kaliningrad has been restricted for some freight since June 17 due to sanctions imposed by Brussels. The customs department of Lithuania reported that the ban on the transit of cement, alcohol, and other products would come into effect on July 10, on coal and other solid fossil fuels - on August 10, and Russian oil - on December 5. But there is no information about disassembling railway tracks. In particular, Lithuanian Railways denied halting transit between Russia and Kaliningrad after Russian officials expressed anger over the alleged decision, which ostensibly interrupted the flow of goods to the region.