Russia spread information on social networks that Pentagon spokesman, US Army General Robert Jefferson, allegedly demanded to exclude Lithuania from NATO due to the blockade of the Kaliningrad region.

Representatives of NATO and the Pentagon denied this information by Check Your Fact. "It is complete nonsense. Lithuania is a valuable NATO ally, and the United States has not called for Lithuania's exclusion from NATO," said a NATO representative. The fact-checkers also reported there is no "Robert Jefferson" officer in the US Army's Office of the General Officer Database. Earlier, the Russian media spread a fake that Lithuania allegedly intends to annex the Kaliningrad region and provokes Russia into a military conflict with NATO. Russian propaganda often messages that Western countries are allegedly "attacking the territorial integrity" of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, etc. In fact, despite the Kremlin spreading similar messages and conspiracy theories, Russia occupied parts of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Japan, and Chechnya.    

A fake image of an alleged cover of Money magazine with Volodymyr Zelensky, on which the Ukrainian president was supposedly called the "King of Western Corruption" and accused of "laundering the dollars of American taxpayers," is being circulated on social networks among foreign audiences. In the fake image, Zelensky sits on a horse made of 100-dollar bills.

Reuters Fact Check reported that it was a photoshop of a 2016 cover featuring comedian John Oliver. A representative of Money also confirmed to fact-checkers that the magazine never published this cover with Zelensky on the website or social networks. Moreover, since 2019, Money has not posted a printed edition. 

Russian mass media spread information that Polish President Andrzej Duda allegedly stated that after Sweden and Finland joined NATO, the Baltic Sea would become the "internal sea" of the North Atlantic Alliance. Russian politicians then used this fake statement to accuse again Poland and other European countries of allegedly "provoking a confrontation between NATO and Russia."

In fact, Duda did not make such statements. As StopFake writes, at the NATO summit in Madrid, he expressed support for the entry into the North Atlantic Alliance of Sweden and Finland and spoke about strengthening the flank, the border of which with Russia will stretch for more than 1,600 kilometers. "The fact that Sweden and Finland are states of the Baltic Sea basin does not mean that the Baltic Sea allegedly became NATO's internal sea, the Russian media wrote. As Kremlin propaganda portrays, NATO is not a supranational organization claiming to seize territories. The North Atlantic Alliance is a military-political bloc, the main purpose of which is to deter possible military aggression against its member countries," the fact-checkers explained.    

Such information is disseminated on social networks and Russian media. They said there would be forced mobilization of women, so they could not go abroad. It is not true.

Currently, there are no grounds for the mobilization of women; therefore, there are no restrictions on them traveling abroad. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported this. "In the Russian media space, a fake about the mobilization of women in Ukraine was once again launched. We picked up this fake. Yes, it is a topic that will give many views, but there is no need to speculate on it during the war," Deputy Minister Hanna Malyar noted. The official also added that there is not a single forcibly mobilized woman in the Ukrainian army. Since 2014, they have served exclusively voluntarily.    

Such information is disseminated in the media and social networks. It is not true.

The Center for Combating Disinformation refuted several theses spread by propagandists regarding the new requirements for transport connections between Ukraine and the EU. In fact, the European Union will recognize Ukrainian driver's licenses, but they must be of a modern design. Therefore, only those who have not done so will have to replace their certificates. Also, within the framework of the agreement, Ukrainian carriers no longer need to issue permission documents for entry into EU countries. The agreement on "transport visa-free" with the agreement on "cargo transportation" and the adopted EU decisions on the abolition of customs duties and tariffs on Ukrainian goods allow Ukrainian businesses to save on paperwork and open up new opportunities for Ukrainian products on the EU markets.    

The Russian propaganda media spread this information, saying that the USA is convinced that Ukraine will have to give up its territories to end the conflict. In such reports, they refer to a Reuters article about a speech by Avril Haines, who allegedly said that "Russia will achieve all the goals of its special operation." It is not true.

MythDetector fact-checkers refuted the fake. In fact, in a speech at the annual conference of the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce in Washington, Avril Haines spoke about the Russian-Ukrainian war and possible scenarios for its development. The Reuters agency devoted a separate article to this speech. It says that the Russian army is exhausted after four months of fighting and is unlikely to be able to achieve the goals set by Putin. "We feel a disconnect between Putin's immediate military goals and the capabilities of his army, a certain disparity between his ambitions and what the Army is capable of achieving," Haines said. Neither Avril Haines' speech nor the Reuters article talked about the Russian army's absolute superiority and Russia's victory in all scenarios. According to which the Russian military could win, only certain unlikely variants of the course of events are discussed. In this way, the propagandists again used a distorted quote to convince their audience of their "own power."    

The so-called government of Kherson spreads this thesis. In particular, the occupying Internet publication News Front distributed information about the cooperation of the Chairman of the Board of JSC "Khersonoblenergo" with Russia and allegedly posted a video of the seizure of Igor Safronov's house. The report of cooperation is false.

The press service of the enterprise denied the information. "Chairman of the Board of JSC "Khersonoblenergo" Ihor Safronov has never cooperated with Russia. At the beginning of April, together with other representatives of the Society's board, he left the Kherson region and remotely managed Khersonoblenergo JSC," the press service reports. The message adds that the company operates by Ukrainian legislation. It is not the first attempt by the occupiers to put pressure on the enterprise. According to the press service, on June 27, representatives of the so-called "Kherson military-civilian administration," with the support of representatives of the FSS RF, seized JSC "Khersonoblenergo," in particular, documentation and accounting. Separate objects were also seized, ensuring the supply and distribution of electric energy to consumers of the Kherson region. The occupation authorities pressure the company's employees and force them to write applications for cooperation. Also, during the seizure, the occupiers "presented" the so-called new head of enterprises, Zhahanovych, who has no relation to the executive bodies of JSC "Khersonoblenergo."    

Some Ukrainian mass media spread the information that men will need to obtain the head of the military commissariat's permission to travel outside their locality during martial law. It is not true.

As NotaYenota writes, one of the Ukrainian information resources published an article allegedly by the lawyer of the "ADER HABER" company Dmytro Vorontsov (there is no information about him on the company's website) under the title "Not a step without the Military Commissariat." In it, they say that there are provisions in Ukrainian legislation according to which, under martial law, men "can move outside their place of residence only with the permission of the head of the Military Commissariat." They are also allegedly preparing a regulatory document that will regulate the procedure for issuing travel permits.

Oleksandr Fediyenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Digital Transformation, denied information about preparing such a document. "I checked the information, and I want to reassure the public that neither the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, nor the CMU is preparing such a document, and the project has not been considered," Fediyenko said.

It is not the first time the draft has spread fakes in the media and Telegram channels. The topics of forced mobilization, restrictions on traveling abroad, and the conscription of women into the army are often manipulated. In this way, they are trying to sow panic and mistrust in the authorities' actions to undermine the support of the Armed Forces.    

The Russian media is spreading information that the Ukrainian military allegedly attacked the Russian city of Belgorod on the night of July 3, as a result of which people died. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative, Maria Zakharova, reported that "Moscow is closely monitoring the situation" and threatened Kyiv, saying, "if the provocations continue, then Kyiv will not get well." However, Ukraine did not shell the Russian city.

The governor of the Belgorod region of Russia, Gladkov, reported that the air defense system "probably worked" in the city but did not specify the reason. Then they announced the shelling "from the side of Ukraine." The Russian edition of The Insider published photo evidence that a part of the portable anti-aircraft missile system "Pantsir," which is not in service with the Ukrainian army but is in the Russian military, fell on a high-rise building in Belgorod. The representative of the President's Office, Mykhaylo Podoliak, said that the occupiers attacked their cities to blame Ukraine for this, and the explosions in Russian cities are the result of the actions of air defense systems operators who do not know how to work correctly. It is not the first time that Russia has accused Ukraine of "provocations" on Ukraine and its own territory to shift the blame for its war crimes.    

The Ministry of Defense of Russia distributes this information. Oleksandr Starukh, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, denied this.

"The invaders began to spread misinformation about the deployment of the military on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia City Palace of Children's and Youth Creativity. It is not the first statement of such a context. "Previously, the invaders reported about the "placement of artillery," which were monuments of the Second World War, i.e., retro equipment, unsuitable for use," he said on the air of the Espresso TV channel.

Currently, the Zaporizhzhia City Palace of Children's and Youth Creativity is not functioning, and the premises began to be reconstructed even before the full-scale invasion. "This year, we were supposed to complete the insulation and carry out internal work, but the repairs were suspended. We remind that the Dniprovska HPP is nearby," said Starukh.

Oleksandr Starukh recalled that earlier, the Russian media spread information that the Ukrainian military was located in schools. He assures us that all schools are empty because the academic year has ended.    

Russian mass media, referring to the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin, spread manipulative articles that "200 tactical nuclear munitions of the USA are stationed" in Europe, which "pose a threat" to Russia and Belarus. It is stated that Russia and Belarus are "obliged to ensure their security in this regard." The materials also shift the blame for Russia's aggressive policy to the North Atlantic Alliance: "The current crisis was provoked by the NATO countries that declared themselves a nuclear alliance."

According to the StopFake fact-checkers, Russian President Vladimir Putin resorted to manipulating facts, declaring the "threat" of a nuclear attack by NATO countries. Unlike senior Kremlin officials, NATO has never threatened Russia with the launch of warheads. For example, in May 2022, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmytro Medvedev, announced the "possibility of the conflict with NATO turning into a nuclear war." On June 12, the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, directly threatened a nuclear strike on Poland.

Without further context, Putin's statement of 200 tactical nuclear warheads stored in Europe can seem threatening. However, the Russian president, thinking about the "security" of his country, deliberately did not say how many similar warheads are in Russia's arsenal. According to NATO analysts, Russia's tactical nuclear arsenal exceeds the US stockpiles in Europe by about ten times. According to the estimates of NATO experts, as of 2020, there are 1,500 to 2,000 nuclear warheads in Russian storage facilities, compared to 150-200 American free-fall bombs, which are in special storage facilities in Europe.    

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine refuted fakes regarding canceling the visa-free regime with Russia.

The Ukrainian government banned the entry of Russian citizens into Ukraine. As of July 1, the agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Russian government on visa-free travel signed on January 16, 1997, in Moscow became invalid. So, the visa regime began to operate for citizens of Russia.

Now Russian citizens need to have an invitation from Ukraine, a valid Russian passport, a Ukrainian visa, a photocopy of the passport data of the receiving party, and also need to provide an amount of at least 20 subsistence minimums per month - UAH 52,000.

Citizens of Russia who are in the territory of third countries can apply for Ukrainian visas to foreign diplomatic institutions of Ukraine in these countries.    

The first deputy chairman of the Kherson Regional Council, Yuriy Sobolevsky, said that the Russian occupiers were dispersing such "news" in the region. However, it is not true.

"The Orcs are spreading misinformation that Ukraine has refused pension provision for the Kherson region. It's fake! All pensions will be accrued," Sobolevsky wrote on Facebook.

He noted that all pensions would be transferred: Ukraine has fulfilled and continue to fulfill all social obligations to its citizens in the Kherson region.

"The problem of issuing money to pensioners who do not have bank cards has not been physically solved because the occupiers have refused the practice of allowing humanitarian convoys from Ukraine from the first days, and now they have suppressed the work of Ukrposhta in the region," explained Sobolevsky.

On June 30, the Kherson City Council confirmed that the Kherson Directorate of "Ukrposhta" ceased its operations in the occupied territories. Resumption of work is possible only under the Ukrainian authorities.

"Ukrposhta survived for four months under the conditions of occupation. Pensions and social benefits were paid to people. From the first days of the occupation, we stopped receiving monetary support for the payment of pensions. It became increasingly difficult to collect money at the expense of paying utility bills and remittances," says a representative of the Kherson directorate of JSC "Ukrposhta."

The City Council stressed that pensions will not be canceled but will be accumulated in accounts at Oshchadbank, and they can be obtained in the controlled territory at any branch of this bank.    

In pro-Russian Telegram channels, an image of a summon, allegedly handed to a woman in the city of Voznesenk in the Mykolaiv region, is being distributed. The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine emphasizes that it is a fake document. The photo clearly shows the spelling mistakes made by the propagandists, not knowing the Ukrainian language: «viyskovyy komisar» i «viyskovozobovyazanyy» without «ь», «liniya vydryzu» instead of «liniyi vidrizu».

According to "Detector Media" observations, the non-existent Kirova Street is indicated in the summons. It was renamed Odessa in November 2015.

We note that there has already been a case in Ukraine when a woman was served with a summons on the street. It happened in Ternopil during the curfew. Men in military uniforms approached Victoria and handed her a document with a seal and signature of the head of the Ternopil United City Center for Procurement and Social Support. On the morning of June 28, at 10:00 a.m. (stated in the summons), Victoria arrived at the territorial recruitment and social support center (the former Military Commissariat). According to her, the employees of the Military Committee were shocked that a woman came to them.

"They apologized to me, and they say they don't understand how it happened. According to their words, these men were not military personnel, as if they were not employees of the Military Commissariat who served the summons. They apologized and said that it would not happen again and let them go. I didn't ask any more questions," shares Victoria.

The former military commander assured the Ternopil woman that summonses would not be issued to women.

If you compare the summons handed to the woman in Ternopil with the summons from Voznesensk, you can see that documents have different types. The summons from Ternopil does not have a "cut-off line" mark; at the beginning, it says "you have to appear," not "order you to appear," as in the fake summons from the Mykolaiv region. By the way, the word "order" is used in the summons handed out in the previously occupied Donetsk region.

Moreover, in terms of its form with "cut-off lines," the summons from Voznesensk is more like a document from the occupied territory because nothing needs to be cut off in Ukrainian summonses.

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine reminds us that registration of women should begin on October 1, 2022. It means that a woman becomes a conscript and is in the reserve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, or other military formations. But these are only women of those professions, defined in the order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine dated October 11, 2021 #313. Women with minor children under 18 are not subject to conscription for military service due to mobilization. Registration is not mobilization. All women who serve now do it voluntarily and/or under contract. In wartime, women can be accepted for military service and service in the military reserve only by contract and voluntarily.    

Russian media reports that "specialists of the Center for Special Information and Psychological Operations of the Armed Forces" conducted another "operation." They allegedly took out the grain and blew up an empty granary in Zelenodolsk, Dnipropetrovsk region, to accuse the Russian army of destroying civilian infrastructure. It is not true.

The local authorities denied the information. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk RMA, Valentin Reznichenko, said that on June 30, the Russians shelled the Kryvorizka district and targeted the agricultural enterprise of the Zelenodol community. As a result, a warehouse containing 40 tons of grain was destroyed. The local authorities provided photo and video evidence of the events. The occupiers called the evidence "another fake" that "is being replicated by Ukraine with the help of the West."    

It was said by the head of the Russian Constitutional Court, Valery Zorkin. They said that 12 million Russians who lived on the territory of Crimea and several regions that became part of Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union were left "without any legal guarantees."

According to Zorkin, due to the "Kyiv Nazi regime" actions, these people were allegedly deprived of their rights to "national identity and native language." It is not true.

The rights to the national identity and native language of the residents of Crimea were enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution of Crimea. As for Ukrainian legislation, the Law of Ukraine "On the Rights of National Minorities" guarantees "equal political, social, economic and cultural rights and freedoms regardless of national origin, supports the development of national self-awareness and self-expression." Russians are the most significant national minority in Ukraine, but not only do they but other minorities have the right to self-identity. The same Law states that "citizens of Ukraine must respect the languages, cultures, traditions, customs, and religious identity of the Ukrainian people and all national minorities." National minorities are also guaranteed the right to receive education in their native language, but in parallel with compulsory education in the state language. That is, Ukraine strives for its citizens to know the state language and in no case forbids the use of any other language. The Russians constantly repeat the manipulative message about "protecting the Russian-speaking population from nationalists." Moreover, it became one of the far-fetched reasons for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.    

In social networks, an alleged order of the State Migration Service of Ukraine is spreading, according to which the territorial divisions of this Service must create lists of Belarusians of military age in Ukraine. However, this "document" is fake.

According to Ukrainian legislation, forced conscription of foreigners is impossible. Foreign citizens can voluntarily go for military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine under a contract. The unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, "Kastus Kalinouski Regiment," is a union of several volunteer organizations, the members of which are Belarusians. All of them voluntarily signed a contract to serve in the Ukrainian army. The essence of the "order" contradicts Ukrainian legislation, and the format does not meet standard formatting requirements. What is more, the document has many spelling errors. The fake order also has a seal of the State Administrative Service of Ukraine, which has not been used in similar documents since 2017. StopFake fact-checkers verified the "document." 

Russian propaganda media spread such information. In particular, the publication "RIA Novosti" spread the news that the British were allegedly angered by "Zelensky's plan" to end Russian aggression against Ukraine.

According to StopFake, it refers to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky's speech at the G7 summit, where he called on partners to send more weapons to Kyiv and strengthen anti-Russian sanctions. The propaganda publication writes that this statement was not liked by the British, who allegedly favor ending military aid to Ukraine. However, it is not true. As StopFake writes, the publication of RIA Novosti refers to individual comments criticizing Volodymyr Zelenskyi's speech left by anonymous readers of the British publication Daily Mail. These personal comments may not represent the views of all UK citizens. Moreover, the conclusions of RIA Novosti do not correspond to sociological surveys since, according to a recent YouGov survey, 74% of respondents from Great Britain support sending military aid to Ukraine.

Russian media are spreading the news that Russia has voluntarily withdrawn its forces from the Ukrainian island of Zmiinyi. In such reports, the propaganda media refer to the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, which claims that it has completed "the completion of tasks on Zmiinyi Island and the withdrawal of the garrison there." He said that Russia does not obstruct humanitarian corridors for exporting Ukrainian grain so that Kyiv "does not speculate on the impending food crisis."

Russian media claim that Ukraine itself launched a missile attack on the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk. It was allegedly done so that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the G7 summit, would have the opportunity to talk about even greater atrocities of Russia and argue why Ukraine needs much more money and weapons from Western partners. In particular, it was claimed by the Russian propagandist Volodymyr Solovyov. However, it is not true.

As US vs DISINFO fact-checkers write, there is ample evidence that it was Russian pilots who struck the shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk. The command of the Ukrainian Air Force established that the X-22 missiles were launched from Tu-22 M3 long-range bombers in the sky over Russia. The bombers took off from an airfield in the Kaluga region and launched missiles while flying over the Kursk region of Russia. The investigation of the Bellingcat group also proves that Russia launched a missile attack on a shopping center with civilian visitors. Also, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported that the names of the Russian pilots who attacked the shopping center are already known.

Russia is trying to justify its guilt for a missile attack on a civilian object in which peaceful citizens were. Versions of the events in Kremenchuk from the media and official sources differ. In particular, the Ministry of Defense of Russia recognized the launch of a missile strike with a "high-precision weapon" on the city of Kremenchuk. However, it was noted that a military object was hit. According to their statement, a Western weapon exploded in the warehouse, which caused a fire in a nearby shopping center, which was closed. Nevertheless, this version is also not valid because there was not a single military facility with Western weapons near the mall.

Russian propagandists spread myths that alleged Ukrainian nationalists shoot in the back those Ukrainian soldiers who try to surrender. As an example, they cite a story that allegedly happened near the city of Novomykhaylivka, which is under the control of the so-called DPR. More than 30 Ukrainian fighters had decided to lay down their arms. The Ukrainian nationalist blocking unit opened fire on them from behind when they began approaching the Russian positions with white flags. According to propagandists, 32 Ukrainian soldiers were killed. However, this is not true.

According to fact-checkers US vs DISINFO, there is no evidence that this or any similar stories are true. According to fact-checkers, disseminating such reports is an attempt at psychological pressure, exposing the Ukrainian authorities as ruthless to their own troops. It is done to undermine the morale of Ukrainians and is part of a broader pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Information about this is spreading in the Russian-speaking and Georgian-speaking segments of Facebook. Reports say that against the background of the recent successes of Russian troops in Ukraine, Boris Johnson offered Zelensky political asylum in Great Britain.

The material also claims that Johnson said he would consider inviting the president of Ukraine to visit Great Britain on an official visit. However, it is not true. According to fact-checkers from Myth Detector, the Prime Minister of Great Britain only made a statement about the official visit of the President of Ukraine and not about political asylum. Johnson noted that it would be an honor for Great Britain to receive the president of Ukraine when he considers it necessary, and members of the British government will consider Zelensky's invitation not now but in October.

The Russian propaganda media spread this thesis. In their reports, the Kremlin media refer to the British newspaper Financial Times. For example, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, allegedly "threatened Russia with terrorist attacks and sabotage on its territory."

As fact-checkers from StopFake write, the propagandists claim that the elimination of collaborators and representatives of the so-called "new government" in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia is nothing more than terrorist acts. In fact, according to fact-checkers, according to the norms of international law, military facilities, fuel depots, and oil refineries are legal military targets for Ukraine. Therefore, we are not talking about terrorist attacks at all. Moreover, the head of Ukrainian intelligence did not confirm Ukraine's involvement in these attacks. Kyrylo Budanov said that attacks and sabotage against the Russian occupation forces "are taking place everywhere, and they have been and will be carried out in Russia and many other places." 

Russian mass media and pro-Kremlin Telegram channels spread information that the public service application "Diya" would be used to send out summonses for military service.

In pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, a photo allegedly taken from a medical inspection in occupied Donetsk is being spread, showing an allegedly captured Ukrainian fighter with tattoos of Nazi symbols. This fake photo is being distributed with the message "about Nazism in Ukraine."