Spilnota Detector Media

Manipulation Ukraine will no longer be supplied with heavy weapons from the West

Information that the West is no longer ready to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons is spread by pro-Kremlin propaganda media. It is also distributed in anonymous telegram channels.

Such reports, ostensibly citing Bloomberg, claim that neither the United States nor the EU countries are allegedly ready to increase the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine during the war with Russia.

However, according to StopFake, the original Bloomberg article does not say that the West is no longer ready to supply heavy weapons, but discusses the difficulties that arise in each of the countries with the supply of one or another type of weapon.

After the announcement of mobilization in Russia, as well as the holding of pseudo-refendums in the EU countries and the United States, they announced the need to continue supporting Ukraine and increasing the supply of weapons. The Kremlin needs such messages in order to stake out the opinion that soon Ukraine will be left without weapons and will not be able to repulse the Russian invaders.

Also, such messages create the appearance that all foreign partners of Ukraine are becoming indifferent to it.

Manipulation Ukraine confirmed NATO's intention to enter the war against Russia

Such "sensational news" is reported by the Russian media with reference to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba after the September 22 meeting of the UN Security Council on maintaining peace and security in Ukraine. Like, NATO will enter into a conflict against Russia on the side of Ukraine. This is not true.

At the meeting of the UN Security Council dedicated to Ukraine, there was no talk of "NATO's intention to enter the war against Russia." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba only commented on Ukraine's readiness to join the ranks of the Alliance. The diplomat also stressed that it was Russia, having unleashed a war against Ukraine, that violated the basic principles of international law, and now the threat of war hangs over all countries.

Answering a question about the prospects for Ukraine's entry into the North Atlantic Alliance, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry replied: "I think that now NATO wants to join Ukraine." It was this quote by Kuleba that the Russian media used to create fake news about "NATO's entry into the war", but this was not even discussed - this is Russian disinformation. Kuleba spoke about security guarantees and the right to self-defense of Ukraine in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Manipulation Ukrainian authorities refuse to resume water supply in the occupied Donetsk

Such information is systematically disseminated by the Russian media. They reported problems with water supply in the temporarily occupied Makiivka, Donetsk region: there, local residents stand in long queues near water distribution points, and only 6 liters are given per person. The Russians say the water supply will not be restored because the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal, the only water artery, remains under Ukrainian control. This is manipulation.

Part of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal really remains under the control of Ukraine, but the inhabitants of the occupied cities do not have normal access to drinking water not because of it. According to VoxCheck, the water infrastructure of Donbas was outdated until 2014, and after that it was further damaged due to the actions of the Russian army. On February 19, 2022, the Russians fired on the pumping station of the South Donbas water pipeline, in April they repeatedly fired on the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal. That is why the cities of the temporarily occupied Donbas and Luhansk region were left without water supply. Active hostilities and the occupation of a part of Donbas do not allow repairing the canal and other facilities.

There is a shortage of water not only in the occupied, but also in the territories controlled by Ukraine. Since 2014, the operation of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal has been stopped several times in separate sections after Russian shelling. Today, water is periodically turned off in Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and other cities due to the need for repairs.

Manipulation The US intelligence data is mostly made up

Such a thesis is spreading in anonymous telegram channels controlled by Russia. Like, this was told by an American official of the NBC News channel. It seems that the statements of US officials, which refer to intelligence data about Russia, were most often invented in order to "get ahead of the Russians". This is not true.

The NBC News website published the material “In a break with the past, U.S. is using intel to fight an info war with Russia, even when the intel isn't rock solid»

The experts invited to the studio came to the conclusion that "it does not have to be reliable intelligence", because "it is more important to get ahead of them [the Russians], in particular Putin, before they do anything." They agree that US officials may announce not entirely reliable intelligence, but not invented.

As you know, US intelligence shares operational data with the Ukrainian military command, and this has repeatedly allowed successful operations or delayed Russian attacks. If US officials announced fictitious intelligence data, this would cause extreme damage to the credibility of the US and play into the hands of Moscow. To date, this has not happened.

Manipulation There are no rallies in Ukraine because all the participants would have been given draft notices

Such messages are distributed in pro-Russian telegram channels. In particular, this was stated by propagandist Anatolii Sharii whose party is banned in Ukraine. This is manipulation.

Sharii noted that on the video of the rallies in Russia, he did not see a single person falling under the announced mobilization. In his opinion, there are no such rallies in Ukraine, otherwise all those present would have been given draft notices randomly.

In fact, since the 21st of September, just in Russia at rallies against mobilization the police disperse and beat the protesters and shoot. Already on the first day of protests in different cities of Russia at least 1,176 people were detained. The detainees are handed draft notices to the military enlistment office, the Russian service of the BBC reports.

There are many women among the protesters, they come out with posters “No to war!” and “Our children are not fertilizer!”.

In addition, military registration and enlistment offices were set on fire in several regions of Russia. In the military registration and enlistment office of the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation, the head of the draft commission was shot.

At the same time, rallies were also held in different cities of Ukraine, at which participants demanded the return of prisoners of war who had not yet been released from Russian prisons. No arrests were recorded at rallies in Ukraine, there is no evidence that any of the protesters were handed draft notices.

Manipulation The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine amount to hundreds of thousands of people.

This information was disseminated by the Russian media. Allegedly, this was said by the First Deputy Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2016-2019) Serhii Kryvonos. Russian propagandists manipulated the words of Kryvonos - the phrase was taken out of context.

As fact-checkers from StopFake noted, Serhii Kryvonos in an interview for the Ukrainian Media Network YouTube channel spoke about a hundred thousand Ukrainians killed by Russia since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine. “Only in Mariupol alone, 87,000 people died, and this, I think, is not the final figure. Who will answer their relatives and friends if they are still alive?”, he said.

Serhii Kryvonos did not make statements that these were supposedly losses of the Ukrainian army.

Due to the fact that the war continues and part of the territory of Ukraine is temporarily occupied by the Russians, it is impossible to calculate the exact number of civilians who died. Experts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that the Russians in all the occupied Ukrainian territories are deliberately massacring Ukrainians and mocking them. This is confirmed by the mass graves and mass graves in the cities of Izium, Bucha, and Irpin, liberated by the Ukrainian military.

The Russians are deliberately spreading theses about the heavy losses of the Ukrainian military in order to show the supposedly low combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to raise doubts among Ukraine's Western partners in military assistance and to divert attention from their own defeats.

Manipulation Russia does not threaten anyone with nuclear weapons

Such information is disseminated in the Russian media with reference to representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Security Council. Like, it is Washington that deliberately lowers the nuclear threshold, creating a threat to Russia's national security. And politicians in the West are frankly talking about the admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia.

Russian propagandists stepped up the manipulative justification in the international arena after Putin once again threatened Western countries with the use of nuclear weapons on September 21. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, Russians have been regularly spreading the thesis of "nuclear retaliation for NATO states." Thus, Russia refuses a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine and resorts to outright nuclear blackmail and intimidation of other countries with the use of nuclear weapons.

Manipulation German parliament admits that Crimea cannot be returned to Ukraine

This thesis is extended by the pro-Kremlin media with reference to Sar Webknecht, a member of the German parliament. In his appeal he said that he considers it unrealistic to force Russia to return Crimea to Ukraine and says that if this is to be tried, the conflict will continue forever.

However, according to EU vs Disinfo analysts, the assertion that “the return of Crimea to Ukraine is impossible” is the opinion of a member of the German parliament, and not the agreed position of the Bundestag or the government, which has always supported UN and EU resolutions and actions condemning the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia.

Propagandists deliberately distort this thesis in order to once again promote the pro-Kremlin narrative about Crimea and direct it to the international community. Like, Crimea is no longer possible to return, even European countries recognize this.

Manipulation Due to Russophobia in Latvia, it was forbidden to sing "Katiusha" at family feasts

Such information is disseminated in the Russian media. They say that a significant fine is provided for the performance of Katiusha, because it glorifies the totalitarian regime. Allegedly, this was reported by the Riga police in response to an appeal from a group of Russian-speaking pensioners. Allegedly, the Latvian authorities have chosen a Russophobic course and unleashed a war with monuments that honor the feat of Soviet soldiers. This is not true.

According to The Insider's fact-checkers, in fact, there is not a single list of banned songs in Latvia. It is forbidden to perform the anthems of the USSR and the former Latvian SSR in public places as official symbols of the totalitarian state. In the “news”, the Russian media manipulate the words of the head of the public relations department of the Riga Municipal Police, Tom Sadovskis, published in the online publication Baltijas Balss (“Voice of the Baltics”). In his commentary there was no mention of the performance of songs in the family circle, the propagandists themselves added this thesis.

The Baltijas Balss portal is bilingual, but Sadovskis' answer to pensioners' questions is published only in the Russian version, there is no such material in Latvian. As fact-checkers have established, nowhere on the Internet, except for the Russian version of Baltijas Balss and Kremlin propaganda publications, is the Katiusha ban mentioned. There are no reports of initiation of administrative cases for such guilt either.

Manipulation Damage to the Kyiv hydroelectric power station will entail catastrophic consequences

In separate websites and social networks, a manipulative map of the capital is being distributed with the designation of areas that “will be flooded in the event of the destruction of the Kyiv hydroelectric power station”. Like, the first three minutes after the accident, a 4-meter wave will cover the Obolonskyi residential area. Allegedly, in other two minutes, the water will reach Troieshchyna, in the next 10 minutes - Podil, in the next 15 minutes it will flood Rusanivka. In total, about 30 cities, hundreds of towns and villages will be under the threat of flooding. Such a "forecast" was made by "environmentalist Vasyl Kredo". This is not true.

Ukrhidroenerho calls such assessments pseudo-expert, unfounded and manipulative. The company's specialists do not predict a critical threat to the population in the event of rocket attacks by Russian troops on the dam of the Kyiv hydroelectric complex. The organization reported that the station and the dam were built with a significant margin of safety and stability, it is not so easy to destroy or significantly damage massive hydraulic structures by hitting a rocket. In case of damage to the metal gates of the dam, a gradual uncontrolled leakage of water from the Kyiv reservoir is possible, as a result of which some areas in the downstream of the hydroelectric complex will be flooded. “The flood zones will be insignificant and known to the State Emergency Service, local residents will be informed ahead of time,” Ukrhidroenerho assures.

According to the fact-checker of the “Beyond the News” project, Vasyl Kredo, who calls himself a philosopher-forecaster, ecologist-catastrophologist, writer-theologian-monk and a secular monk, spread rumors about a possible threat. Journalists call him an environmentalist and "leader of the International Public Group of Independent Specialists in Catastrophe Forecasting". In the Ukrainian Wikipedia, an article about him was withdrawn in 2013. The editors concluded that "the significance of Vasyl Kredo is not enough to leave an article about him". Self-promotion was also mentioned among the arguments, they called him "the self-appointed head of independent scientists for predicting disasters".

The spread of rumors about the consequences of damage to the Kyiv hydroelectric power station led to panic among people, especially after the missile attack on the Karachunivska dam in Kryvyi Rih. In a critical situation, you should remain calm, trust official sources of information, follow instructions and recommendations.

Manipulation UK regrets not inviting Putin to Elizabeth II’s funeral

This manipulation was spread by the Russian media. Allegedly, the absence of the leader of the Russian Federation is regretted in London because he should have been invited to the farewell ceremony for the Queen, so this would help improve relations between Moscow and London.

In fact, the Russian media, according to StopFake, referred to a column in the Independent newspaper run by a pro-Russian author. And there is not a word in it about the fact that in the UK they “regret” that they did not invite Putin to the ceremony. She writes only that he should have been invited to improve relations between countries. There were no official reports of regret from London.

Manipulation In Spain, an article was published in La Vanguardia, in which Russian propagandists again arbitrarily translated and used quotes taken out of context

Their translation says that in Europe they calculated gas reserves and understood, they say, the only hope is for the resumption of supplies from Russia. In fact, the article is devoted to the topic of economy and the translation of Russian media is manipulation.

In the article, the authors, with the help of an independent service, calculate how much Europe will have enough gas at the current level of consumption and with a decrease in consumption. If the current level of gas use continues, the article says, there will be enough reserves in the storage facilities until the end of winter. Therefore, the alternative policy is to reduce consumption in order to conserve inventory. The problem of this path may be the lack of a unified energy policy in the EU.

Manipulation The US goal is to use the war in Ukraine to weaken the EU and Russia and maintain world leadership

Such messages are distributed by propaganda telegram channels, in particular MediaKiller. Such reports say that allegedly the United States will not grant Russia the status of a State Sponsor of Terrorism as because of this Washington will lose a number of privileges. In particular, this will lead to a rupture of diplomatic relations with Russia and will reduce the influence of the United States in the international arena. However, this is manipulation.

Indeed, according to Reuters, the US Senate recently introduced legislation that could recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. “The need for this action is more urgent than ever before”, said one of the authors of the bill, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. Washington is not afraid to take such decisive action, and even more so actively supports Ukraine in the fight in the war unleashed by Russia.

Previously, it was indeed said that Russia should not be given such a status. The Biden administration did not comment further on the decision.

Thus, Russia wants to show its power and world support, as if the United States does not recognize it as a terrorist state because this will only make it worse. Like, it is not profitable for anyone to quarrel with Russia.

Manipulation Kyiv no longer trusts its Western partners

Such a statement is spread by Russian propaganda, allegedly referring to the words of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov.

We are talking about Reznikov's speech during the Yalta European Strategy. During the speech, in particular, it was noted that Ukraine will never make concessions, and our goal is de-occupation up to the 1991 borders. However, according to Russian propaganda, Reznikov also said that Ukraine no longer trusts its partners. It is not true.

According to StopFake, in fact, the minister's statement was to claim that Ukraine no longer trusts formal peace protocols. Such as the Minsk agreements and the Budapest memorandum. Therefore, according to Reznikov, the upcoming act of capitulation of Russia should be formalized in the form of a multilateral agreement with security guarantees from partners that Ukraine trusts and will trust.

Manipulation Ambassador of Ukraine to Kazakhstan left the country at the request of the Kazakh side

This information was disseminated by a number of pro-Russian Facebook accounts. Like, Ambassador Petro Vrublevskyi flew to Poland after he was given only a few hours to leave Kazakhstan.

However, this message is not true. The ambassador did leave Kazakhstan, but in connection with a vacation. This was reported by both the Ukrainian and Kazakh sides.

This manipulation is used to discredit Ukrainian diplomats, especially against the backdrop of recent statements by the ambassador that Ukraine is trying to kill as many Russians as possible in the war with Russia. This statement, taken out of context, was replicated, but Vrublevskyi apologized for it, explaining it by his emotional state due to the war.

Manipulation The United States considered assistance to Ukraine a mistake

The Russian media once again distorted in their own way the content of an article in the American edition of The American Conservative. They write that, according to an article titled “Winners and Losers in the Ukraine War” by founding editor Patrick J. Buchanan, America is responsible for the escalation in Eastern Europe when a number of countries were accepted into NATO, as well as for the confrontation in Ukraine. StopFake writes about this manipulation.

In the original article, there is not a word about the recognition of the fallacy of American assistance to Ukraine. In his material, Buchanan reflects on who can be considered the winner and who will be the loser in the war in Ukraine. He further writes that a new Cold War has been established between the US and Russia and raises the question of whether it is in the interests of the US and how successful foreign policy was then if the Cold War began again.

The Russian media once again used quotes from the text of a foreign publication in order to fit them to their key messages. The text does not say that the United States regrets the support provided to Ukraine, and the only quote given by the propagandists is inaccurate.

This is not the first time that the Russian media have distorted the content of what was written in order to demonstrate the decline in support for Ukraine by Western partners and the United States in particular. Thus, they personify the propaganda cliché about the lack of unity of the Western countries in relation to Ukraine and the war that Russia unleashed.

Manipulation In the EU, they started talking about the gradual lifting of sanctions against Russia

In the EU, they started talking about the gradual lifting of sanctions against Russia. Russian media, citing an interview with Austrian Foreign Minister Oleksandr Schallenberg, spread manipulative “news” that Europe is ready to make concessions to the Kremlin and start negotiations to lift a number of restrictions against the Russian economy.

In an interview with the Wiener Zeitung, Schallenberg, on the contrary, expressed confidence that the sanctions are becoming more effective every day and it is too early to talk about the possibility of easing sanctions.

Answering a question from journalists about whether it is possible to imagine a situation in which the EU lifts sanctions from Russia, the Austrian Foreign Minister specifically stated that there are no such prerequisites now. Russia's disinformation news about the EU's readiness to lift sanctions on Russia is based on this quote by Schallenberg - cut off and taken out of context.

According to him, Putin has no desire to retreat, on the contrary, Russia's goal is still the destruction of Ukraine.

As you know, due to the fact that Russia pretends that the sanctions do not affect its economy and continues the war in Ukraine, EU member states are in favor of expanding the list of sanctioned persons influencing the Russian leadership. However, Russian propaganda is trying to convince at least on the domestic market that the lifting of sanctions is possible. It is indeed possible, but only after Russian troops leave Ukrainian territory. More details.

Manipulation Russian troops regrouped from Balakliia and Izium to the occupied part of the Donetsk region

The Russian Ministry of Defense assured that the Russian army is not retreating from the Kharkiv region, but is regrouping to the occupied part of the Donetsk region "to step up efforts in the Donetsk direction" in order to achieve the goal of a special military operation to liberate Donbas. The Russians said that during this operation a series of "disgusting and demonstrative events were carried out with the indication of the real actions of the troops".

The Russians circulated such a statement in order not to admit that the Ukrainian army carried out a successful offensive and liberated more than 30 settlements in the Kharkiv region, and allegedly they themselves decided within three days to curtail and organize the transfer of troops to the occupied Donbas.

Manipulation Ukrainians will be paid in a new way for work on weekends

The news is spreading across the network that, according to the amended law of Ukraine, a double salary is provided for working on weekends. They say that the Labor Code of Ukraine has been updated and at the same time the mechanism of labor relations has been optimized. It seems that the old norms of legislation that were not in force have been returned, and now every Ukrainian will receive double payment if they work on weekends or holidays. However, this is manipulation.

As the fact-checkers of the Brekhunets (Lier) project explain, no laws or regulations have been adopted in Ukraine recently regarding new conditions for remunerating workers. The point was that for the period of martial law, some norms of labor legislation were temporarily inactive, and now their action has been resumed. The norm on double pay for work on a weekend or a holiday has been established for a long time. According to the Labor Code of Ukraine, if an employee works on his day off, he has a choice: either take a day off or receive double pay. Payment for work on a day off is calculated as work on holidays and non-working days.

Fact-checkers claim that in this way the authors of the channels are trying to attract attention and increase the activity and number of comments under their posts.

Manipulation Food prices in the UK have risen 8 times

This thesis is spreading on social networks, in particular in the Georgian segment of Facebook. The reports say that the alleged increase in prices for gas, electricity - “gas inflation” - also affected food prices. A photo collage with inflated prices for products is attached to messages of such content. However, this is manipulation.

According to experts from the Myth Detector project, the prices shown in the photo collage are actually proportional to the increase in gas prices and show us how much these products would cost if their prices grew at the same rate as gas prices. For example, a half liter of beer costs £3.95 on average, not £33.20 as illustrated in the collage.

This photo-skin was actually published by the Daily Mail earlier, although it does not reflect the increase in prices for products and services. The authors used the above logic. At the same time, the blogger disfigured this figure and called it a price “caused by gas inflation”. Propagandists are spreading these messages to show how bad things are in Europe, which has imposed sanctions against Russia. They seek to convince others that sanctions harm Europe itself more than Russia.

Manipulation There is no military equipment at the Zaporizhzhia NPP

Russian media reports that IAEA observers should see that there is no Russian military equipment at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. StopFake writes about it. They refer to the words of Volodymyr Putin who announced this in Vladyvostok. The Russian dictator noted that these divisions of the National Guard of Russia "guard" the perimeter and territory of the station. This is manipulation.

The IAEA report notes just the opposite: that military equipment is present there. In particular, paragraph 39 of the report states: “The team observed the presence of Russian military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various sites of the ZNPP, including several military trucks on the first floor of block 1 and block 2 of the turbine hall, as well as military vehicles under the crossing connecting reactor room.

And the National Guard, according to Russian law, is a military organization. And in Ukraine, this structure fulfills military purposes, in fact, being an occupation structure.

Manipulation Macron’s help to Ukraine is to no purpose as it is the most corrupt country in the world

France’s policy towards Ukraine, the supply of weapons to it and financial assistance is supposedly suicide for this country, since Ukraine is the most corrupt country in the world. In addition, sanctions against Russia do not work because they are the main supplier of raw materials in the world. This is manipulation.

Euvsdisinfo.eu. writes about it. In fact, Ukraine in the ranking of corrupt countries, which is compiled by Transparency International, was 122nd out of 180 countries in 2021, and Russia, for example, was 136th. In addition, in order to fight corruption, Ukraine has taken and is taking a number of important steps, in particular, it is implementing judicial reform, changing the composition of the High Council of Justice, and strengthening anti-corruption bodies - SAPO (Specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office) and NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine). The latter recently announced suspicion to deputy Trukhin for offering a bribe to a policeman.

As for the sanctions, Russia suffers from them because it lacks the technology for, in particular, the military-industrial complex.

This fake is being spread to distract the West from helping Ukraine and lifting sanctions against Russia. Their constancy in time allows Ukraine to keep the defense in an unprovoked war and hope for its victorious end.

Manipulation The Bundestag admitted that Russia will not give up Crimea

Most of the Russian media spread the news claiming that Germany has recognized that Crimea is forever Russian. But this is manipulation. Propaganda media refer to an interview with German MP Sarah Wagenknecht, who said: the war must end, it's time to look for compromises - and Crimea can become such a compromise. Then she remembered that Russia is a nuclear state, and that the Black Sea Fleet has been in Crimea for many years - and all this, according to Wagenknecht, will prevent Ukraine from returning Crimea. Firstly, these reflections are the personal opinions of one deputy, and not the entire German parliament, contradicting both the statements of Olaf Scholz, and the position of the German government, and numerous EU bodies, whose position is supported by Germany. All of them unanimously call Crimea Ukrainian, and are not going to recognize its annexation.

Secondly, Wagenknecht is a representative of the German Livi (Die Linke) party, which constantly promotes pro-Russian messages. Representatives of this party assured that the “referendum” in Crimea was legitimate; traveled to the Russian-occupied Donbas and assured the German parliament that Azov was a “neo-Nazi battalion.” But, as StopFake testifies, even this party has not officially declared that it recognizes Crimea as Russian. Thus, the Russian media again used their favorite trick: they took the personal opinion of a sympathizer of Russia in Europe, in this case, the German woman, and they pretend that this is the position of the whole country.

Manipulation In the Zaporizhzhia region the hryvnia is devalued and gradually withdrawn from circulation

Russian media write about this with reference to the so-called “head of administration” Yevhen Balytskyi. They reported that from September 05 in the occupied territories the hryvnia will allegedly “cheapen” and amount to 1.25 rubles. Allegedly, soon the “rate” of the hryvnia and the ruble will be 1:1, and then the hryvnia will completely “depreciate”. This is manipulation.

The occupiers are artificially withdrawing the hryvnia from circulation and forcibly making payments in rubles. It is impossible to talk about an economically justified ratio of the hryvnia and the ruble in the occupied territories. The Ukrainian banking system in the temporarily occupied territories does not work, so it is impossible to replenish the turnover of hryvnias.

Thus, due to the “depreciation” of hryvnias, the occupiers are trying to promote the idea of ​​depreciating everything Ukrainian and to emotionally influence the Ukrainians who remained in the occupation.

Earlier, the occupiers spread fakes that allegedly in the shops of Ternopil and Lviv regions prices are indicated in hryvnia and zloty.

The Poles demand that Ukraine return the property lost after the Second World War. Russian media are massively spreading a fake about “thousands of lawsuits” that descendants seem to have filed

Poles who lived in Lviv until 1939, demanding that their apartments be returned to them.

In fact, there are no such claims. In their materials, the Russian media refer to the article of the publication “Strana” (“State”), which for many years promotes pro-Russian theses. This time the publication took a comment from the chairman of the Polish organization “Restitution of Kresov” Konrad Renkas, who stated that such claims are prepared. But during the war they decided not to sue.

At the same time, the Russian media wrote that the Ukrainian courts were already “overwhelmed” with these lawsuits.

Manipulation German pensioners stock up on firewood for the winter

Photos of elderly women carrying firewood are circulating on social networks, with captions that German pensioners are supposedly preparing for winter because of problems with gas. This is manipulation.

In fact, in the photo are Russian pensioners. Fact-checkers of the MithDetector project found that the photos were taken in 2018-2019 by Russian photographers to illustrate materials about whether the Russians will have time to prepare for winter. Despite the fact that Russia is trying to blackmail the West with gas supplies, many regions of Russia are still not connected to the gas supply system, so they must prepare firewood for the winter.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European countries are really trying to find alternative sources of energy instead of Russian gas. Alternatives include harvesting firewood and acquiring wood-burning stoves. Demand for wood stoves in Germany has doubled compared to last year. In the past, less than 6% of Germans used wood for heating, but this year the number is likely to arise.