Spilnota Detector Media

Manipulation he head of the German Foreign Ministry recognized the inhabitants of Ukraine as more important than the Germans

Pro-Kremlin publications spread the statements of German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock that support for Ukraine is supposedly more important than the opinions of Germans and she does not care what German voters think about it.

As fact-checkers from Stop Fake noted, Annalena Burbock’s quote was taken out of context, and its meaning was distorted. The head of the German Foreign Ministry did not say that the support of Ukraine is more important for her than her own voters.

Burbock emphasized that the task of European politicians now is the maximum social support for their citizens due to the increase in energy prices this winter, but also unconditional solidarity with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

“We remain in solidarity with the people of our country, just as we stand side by side with everyone in Ukraine”, concluded Annalena Burbock.

Manipulation NATO can use a probable accident at the ZNPP to enter the war

Such a statement is spread by pro-Kremlin channels against the backdrop of ongoing events on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant seized by the Russian military. Propagandists claim that NATO intends to use the tense situation at the nuclear power plant in order to fully enter the war with Russia. They draw such conclusions on the basis of a statement by British MP Tobias Ellwood. However, this is manipulation.

According to EU vs Disinfo analysts, in August Tobias Ellwood, a member of the UK Parliament, did speak out about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He stated that due to radiation leakage there is a real threat to life, therefore Article 5 of the Atlantic Treaty, which provides for joint defense in the event of a military threat, will automatically come into force. Russian propaganda uses this very warning as confirmation of the war with NATO.

However, in the context of the politician’s statement, it is clear that any deliberate actions by Russia that will lead to the spread of radiation in NATO countries should be considered an attack on them and encouraged to common defense, as, in fact, this is provided for in Article 5 of the Atlantic Treaty. That is why NATO is not going to enter the war, but will defend itself in case of a possible threat. That is, the words of the British official concerned the defense of NATO member countries.

Manipulation Russia will not suffer from the alleged explosion at the ZNPP

Such messages are spread by pro-Russian propagandists, including Anatoliy Shariy. His reports say that the entire radiation cloud will go to the West: Poland will get the most of it and generally Western Europe will suffer, but not Moscow at all. However, this is only a concealment of the true facts.

According to Enehoatom, as of July 29, 2022, in the event of a severe accident at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, a radiation cloud will cover part of the south of Ukraine and the southwestern regions of Russia in accordance with the wind rose. Everything will depend on the direction of the wind, however, Russia is close to the ZNPP, which means it is unlikely that it will not suffer at all. So there is such a possibility.

Propagandists are spreading this news to promote the message that the war in Ukraine will not affect Russia in any way. Allegedly, Ukraine itself and its partners will suffer.

Manipulation With the lifting of the grain blockade, flour prices in Ukraine will increase significantly

This message is promoted by pro-Russian telegram channels, in particular "Splietnitsa" (Gossip girl) and "MediaKiller". Reports say that allegedly Ukrainians need to prepare for a shortage of flour due to its sale to the West. The authors are trying to intimidate and hide the main facts.

In fact, according to the head of the Ukrainian Agrarian Business Club, Ukraine grows flour 3-4 times more than it consumes. So with the pressure of oversupply on the domestic market, of course, prices collapsed. For example, according to the Ministry of Finance, this summer the price of flour was 1.69 UAH/ kg less than usual.

Therefore, with the opening of ports, prices will not rise rapidly, but will stabilize. In addition, according to the expert, the price will rise slowly and its level will remain low for now. Everyone is interested in raising prices, since farmers will not have the financial opportunity to continue their production.

Manipulation Russians are not banned from entering the EU

Such news is spread through pro-Russian telegram channels, in particular, it was spread by the Politika strany channel. The messages say that no restrictions have been introduced. Like, despite the requirements of Ukraine on restrictions, the EU did not give in and did not introduce anything. In fact, the authors substitute facts and hide the most important thing: there are significant limitations.

According to Reuters, EU foreign ministers have decided to make it harder for Russian citizens to obtain visas. The visa facilitation agreement has already been suspended. This will significantly reduce the number of visas issued by the European Union. The procedure will be more picky and long.

However, so far we are not talking about a general ban on tourist trips of Russians. Among the countries that opposed visa restrictions for Russians are Germany and France. At the same time, the countries of Eastern and Northern Europe strongly support the ban.

Manipulation The US Department of Defense admitted that the Ukrainian military shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Propaganda media wrote that the Pentagon accused Ukraine of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant; anonymous telegram channels spread this message as a fact and without reference to the US Department of Defense. Manipulative news is based on the speeches of representatives of the US Department of Defense at a press briefing on August 29, devoted mainly to the topic captured by Russia at the ZNPP.

As StopFake writes, in the comments, representatives of the ministry noted that the Russian Federation was conducting provocative fire from the territory of the station. At the same time, a statement was made about the likelihood of a Ukrainian retaliatory strike, but not on the territory of the station, but on enemy positions.

Manipulation consists in assuming a fact, as well as reformulating it to a favorable message.

Recall that on March 4, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe was seized by the Russian military, and since then they have been placing military equipment and ammunition there, shelling the nearby territory from its site. On August 26, Enerhoatom confirmed that the Zaporizhzhia NPP was again producing electricity for the needs of Ukraine after the first complete disconnection from the power grid in the history of the plant. And Ukrenerho announced that they had resumed the work of two trunk lines damaged by Russian troops, which ensured the operation of the station.

Earlier, Russian propaganda spread the message that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had interrupted the last power transmission line from the ZNPP to Ukraine, that it was not profitable for Russia to shell the ZNPP, because it controls it, and also that Kyiv is guilty of attacks on nuclear infrastructure facilities.

Manipulation Ukraine intends to build NATO bases in Crimea

Russian media spread the news that the Ukrainian government allegedly wanted to “seize Crimea in order to build NATO bases on its territory.” Some media outlets cautiously wrote that they were allegedly talking about "ceremonial" and not "military" bases of the North Atlantic Alliance. This was announced by the former Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine and the current Deputy Chairman of the Center for Defense Strategies Alina Frolova. This is not true.

In fact, in a speech at one of the Crimean Platform panels, Alina Frolova drew attention to the fact that over the years of occupation, Crimea has turned into a Russian military base, which is damaging not only Ukraine, but also the security of the entire world community. According to the official, there is every reason to believe that tactical nuclear weapons capable of hitting the capital of any European state can now be deployed in Crimea. Frolova believes that the Crimean peninsula is a strategic foothold for security control in the Black Sea. Crimea should not be a military base, but its complete demilitarization after de-occupation is also impossible. In the future, the presence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy on the peninsula, the official proposes to introduce the principle of "friendly militarization" - that is, the friendly coexistence of civilian and military life.

“We want Crimea to be open to the international community – to NATO and the EU, including our military cooperation. NATO's lack of attention to the Black Sea showed that this was a misguided strategy, as the Black Sea is one of the biggest threats to the security of NATO countries. Therefore, we will welcome our partners from NATO and our other partners there,” said the former Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine. It was these words that the Russian media used to manipulate.

Russian propaganda constantly manipulates quotes from Ukrainian and Western politicians in order to pass off wishful thinking. Previously, propagandists used quotes from Dmytro Kuleba to promote the message that Europe allegedly abandoned the special tribunal over Russia and recognized the war in Ukraine as aggression. Using quotes from Western media, they tried to promote the message that the United States and Germany do not trust the Ukrainian authorities. More details.

Manipulation In Kupiansk, they rejoice at the occupation and celebrated the Day of the Russian flag

Russian propagandists spread “news” from the temporarily occupied Kupiansk, Kharkiv region. Allegedly, the townspeople are happy with the arrival of Russians in their city. This is not true.

As the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center writes, the picture for the Russian media is created by the Russians themselves. Fact-checkers identified the participants in the celebrations. From their reports, we came to the conclusion that more than 700 volunteers of the Young Guard of United Russia have already taken part in regular trips to the occupied territory of Ukraine. Volunteer camps are rotated once every two weeks, more than 100 volunteers are there all the time. It is they who create the picture for the Russian media. One of the “volunteers” in a message on social networks says that “Kupiansk is the capital of the Kharkiv region until Kharkiv is liberated.”

In a shared photograph taken on August 22 in Kupiansk, there is also the curator of the so-called "humanitarian centers" that the political party "United Russia" opened in the occupied territories of the Kharkiv region, Russian Oleksandr Meshchaninov, using the pseudonym "Alexander Kulikov". The photo also shows the deputy of the Nenets Autonomous region from the "United Russia" Andrey Popov. In fact, according to such reports, it is impossible to assess how massively the citizens who remained in the occupation took part in the “celebration”.

This is not the first time propagandists have used this tactic. Its goal is to convince Ukrainians that the inhabitants of the occupied territories are traitors. But those who remained in the occupation for various reasons are convinced that they are not needed in Ukraine. Earlier, propagandists spread similar messages about the celebration of Metallurgist's Day in temporarily occupied Mariupol. The invaders also distribute propaganda films “Mariupol: Chronicles of a Russian City” and “Russian Kherson. We've been waiting for this for 30 years.”

Manipulation The occupation authorities distribute drinking water and restore the water supply in Mariupol

Such news is spreading on social networks, in particular in the Telegram channel of the so-called emergency service of the enterprise "Donbass Water". In fact, the occupation administration hides the most important thing: the water does not meet sanitary standards and is unsuitable for drinking.

According to Voxcheck fact-checkers, water supply remains one of the biggest problems in temporarily occupied Mariupol. Earlier, the Mariupol City Council published a study by the Zaporizhzhia Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Volunteers received a water sample for testing, which was later handed over to the center.

The test revealed signs of water mixing with fecal matter, which means that such water should not be drunk: there is a risk of contracting diarrheal infections. Residents of Mariupol are advised to boil water to avoid poisoning.

The occupiers tried to refute the fact that the water was insufficiently purified. The mock Ministry of Defense of the DNR claimed that it was carrying out epidemiological surveillance of water. However, no documents confirming these facts were published.

Manipulation The heating season has been "canceled" in Kyiv due to sanctions against Russia

Russian propaganda continues to disperse the topic of dependence on gas from the Russian Federation throughout Europe and Ukraine, in particular. This time, the pro-Kremlin media wrote that centralized heating was canceled in Kyiv and called on the people of Kiev to “buy warm clothes” and they named the reason for this: sanctions against Russia. The propagandists referred to the words of the mayor of the capital, Vitalii Klychko. In fact, he did not talk about the abolition of the heating season, but warned the townspeople about possible blackouts of heat and electricity and possible terrorist attacks at thermal power plants.

Vitalii Klychko said in an interview with Babel that there is gas for the population, but in the conditions of the Russian war, the capital is preparing for possible terrorist attacks on Kyiv thermal power plants. The mayor of Kyiv did indeed warn of possible power and heat outages and urged people to warm up. However, there are no quotes about sanctions and the energy crisis.

“The average readiness for the heating season in Ukraine as of August 17 is 73%. As of mid-August, Ukrainian storage facilities have accumulated 12.6 billion cubic meters of gas, as well as 1.89 million tons of coal. The task of the Cabinet of Ministers is to accumulate 19 billion cubic meters of gas - this volume will allow a successful heating season in Ukraine. According to the chairman of the board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, Yurii Vitrenko, before the onset of cold weather, Ukraine will provide part of the missing gas through domestic production, and about 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas will need to be imported,” StopFake fact checkers explained.

Pattern: in the context of frozen messages about Europe, propagandists always mention sanctions against the Russian Federation. Therefore, the dissemination of these fakes, manipulations and messages are attempts to intimidate the population in order to influence the circle of decision-makers on sanctions.

Earlier, Russian propaganda already wrote that the mayor of Lviv called on residents to buy firewood for the winter, the next winter without Russian gas is an important test for Germany and Europeans are panicking due to a reduction in Russian gas supplies.

Manipulation Ukrainians will be punished for receiving Russian humanitarian aid in the occupied territories

Such messages are spread by pro-Russian telegram channels and Twitter accounts. Allegedly, such a crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The propagandists also refer to the "law on collaborationism", which supposedly came into force on August 16. It is not true.

Ukrainian legislation does not provide for liability for receiving Russian humanitarian aid in the occupied territories. According to StopFake, the new bills, on the contrary, are designed to include humanitarian aid in the list of activities that are not considered collaborationism, if there is no cooperation with the Russian occupiers.

There is no single “law on collaborationism” in Ukraine yet. On March 15, separate rules on liability for cooperation with the occupiers came into force. There is also no single punishment for collaborators yet. Depending on the circumstances, it can be different: from a ban on holding certain positions to life imprisonment.

Manipulation The British have decided when they will kick Ukrainians out of their homes

The Russian media are spreading another manipulation about refugees - this time they write that the British have decided when they will kick Ukrainians out of their homes. As always, the Russians are manipulating the data of the survey conducted by the National Statistical Office of Great Britain. StopFake drew attention to the manipulation.

The purpose of the survey was to find out the portrait of people who took part in the Homes for Ukraine program, as well as to establish the period during which they are ready to provide housing to refugees and under what conditions.

“There were differences in how long the current sponsors wanted the long term appointment arrangement, with 19% intending to provide accommodation for the originally agreed period of six months, while just under a quarter (23%) intended to provide accommodation for more than 12 months', write the authors of the study.

In addition, the survey showed that of those planning to provide housing for a period of 6 to 12 months, 70% said that further monthly payments of 350 pounds sterling encourage them to make Ukrainians leave longer. 21% of program participants noted that their willingness to help Ukrainians is influenced by the rising cost of living. But it does not follow from the data of this survey that the Ukrainian refugees are being “expelled”, or that the British are tired of the “Ukrainian refugees”. On the contrary, almost half of the respondents propose to provide housing for refugees for a period longer than originally planned. And the British authorities, for their part, are working to expand and extend assistance to the British participating in the program so that they continue to host Ukrainians. There are currently 100,000 Ukrainians in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine program.

Manipulation Germany is persecuting the relatives of an "independent" journalist who tells the truth about a "special operation"

This is reported by the Russian media. Allegedly in Germany, journalist Alina Lipp and her parents were blocked from accessing bank accounts. Allegedly, this is how the German authorities reacted to the fact that Lipp shows the truth about the Donbas. As propagandists write, "the family is being hounded, persecuted and threatened." This is manipulation.

Alina Lipp is a German blogger who claims to be an "independent journalist" but in reality spreads Russian propaganda narratives. Lipp is included in the "Peacemaker" database for propaganda of Russian Nazism, informational support of the "special operation", etc.

According to the fact-checkers of The Insider project, the German prosecutor's office did block the account of the "journalist" because she collected donations in Germany in support of her propaganda activities, and then transferred the funds to a personal account in a Russian bank. Paypal closed the account of Lipp and her father, who lives in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Fact-checkers suggest that Lipp's mother's account may also have been blocked due to participation in a scheme to finance illegal activities. However, this information has not yet been verified.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to pass off punishment for the criminal activities of its colleague as an attempt to put pressure on “independent media” and “independent journalists”.

Manipulation The Kherson region will now have free medicine

This is reported in the Russian media. Allegedly, now in the Kherson region there will be no problems with the supply of vaccines and residents of the region will be able to seek medical help at any time of the day. It seems that this became possible due to the fact that Kherson doctors are switching to the Russian medical system. Like, in 30 years of independence, Ukraine has only destroyed the powerful Soviet medical system, so the Russians have to restore everything. It is not true.

Free medicine in the Kherson region, as well as throughout Ukraine, was before the occupation of this territory by the Russians. According to the Constitution of Ukraine: “In state and municipal health care institutions, medical care is provided free of charge.” The Ukrainian healthcare system has indeed undergone a reform. In particular, the number of hospitals was reduced, and the number of polyclinics increased. Both before and after the medical reform, anyone could, if necessary, seek medical help at any time of the day, because the ambulance system always worked. As the fact-checkers of The Insider project write, there were no problems with vaccines reported by the occupiers in the Kherson region.

We remind you that according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, the occupying authorities forced emergency medical workers to cooperate. Doctors were forced to obtain Russian passports, sign applications for work in Russian medical institutions, and receive salaries in rubles. Also, in all temporarily occupied territories there are problems with the provision of necessary medicines.

Manipulation Not to starving Africans, but to Western ports, Ukraine exports grain

The Russian propaganda machine has alleged that Ukraine ships commercial cargo to European ports, while African countries manage to make ends meet. In other words, the West allegedly lied, stating that the unblocking of Ukrainian ports is vital to the world's food security.

16 ships that deliver agricultural products to nine countries of the world left Ukrainian ports according to data provided by the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine. It has been reported that more than 438 tons of grain have already been delivered to the ports of Turkey, Ireland, Great Britain, China, Iran, Italy, and Korea, according to the UN, which monitors each Ukrainian ship. These are deliveries under pre-war contracts, StopFake fact-checkers learned.

At the same time, on August 15, a ship with 23 tons of grain as part of the World Food Aid Program left Djibouti. In total, they plan to send 30 tons of grain from Ukraine. UN experts approve the renewal of trade with Ukraine and note its impact which reflects in low prices. At the same time, Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports, in their opinion, has significantly increased the threat of famine in African countries, which are currently suffering from a decade-long drought.

Manipulation Russia sheltered the most refugees from Ukraine

Such information is spread by Russian media and anonymous Telegram channels. They said that this shows that Russia is unfairly accused of "unthinkable crimes against Ukrainian refugees", and that now "another of the main myths of Ukrainian propaganda" has been allegedly refuted by the "dry statistics" of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It does not.

As StopFake writes, in fact, the Russian agitprop "forgot" to mention that, unlike other countries, data on Ukrainian refugees residing in Russia was provided with a caveat. Indeed, according to UN data, as of August 2, Russia has the largest number of Ukrainian refugees - 1,968,127 people. But the Office notes that "the figure is an estimate, as potential further movements or returns cannot be taken into account at this time." That is, data on the number of refugees from Ukraine who requested temporary asylum in Russia and the number of refugees who then re-crossed the border to return to Ukraine are not submitted to the UN. Therefore, the exact number of Ukrainians in Russia is unknown.

In violation of the Geneva Convention on the Protection of the Civilian Population in Time of War, Russia carries out forced deportations, and Ukrainians have to pass through so-called "filtration" camps. Children are taken to Russia and are deliberately separated from their parents. According to the deputy head of the US mission to the OSCE, Courtney Austrian, at least 18 infiltration camps were discovered in Russia on both sides of the Ukrainian-Russian border, which Russia had prepared even before the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, some of the "refugees" ended up in Russia against their will.

Manipulation Ukrainians are masse returning to the temporarily occupied territories

This is reported by the Russian media with reference to the CNN story. He said that the report was a "miscalculation of the Western media", which "suddenly admitted" that "what is happening in Ukraine". This is manipulation.

The Russian media used the CNN story, distorting its essence. As the StopFake fact-checkers write, it is actually about people who are forcibly returning to the territories occupied by Russia for various reasons. At the same time, the Russians do not allow Ukrainians who, on the contrary, would like to leave the occupation. Journalists also say that traffic from the occupied territories was blocked on the day of the shooting. According to CNN, 6,000 people were stuck on the Russian side, only 76 were able to pass through the checkpoint. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine also confirmed that the movement at the Kamianske checkpoint is mostly due to the occupation, but on that day the Russians blocked Ukrainians from leaving. Currently, this is the only way to get to the occupied territories, traffic on other roads is blocked for various reasons. Russian mass media do not talk about it.

People who entered the territory occupied by Russia said that they did not want to leave their relatives there. However, pro-Kremlin media made their own "conclusions". In their opinion, these people finally decided to leave Ukraine. This is allegedly indicated by the large number of things they carry with them. Some of the cars in the plot do carry a large number of personal belongings. However, most of them are not. This is visible in the general footage present in the CNN story. Therefore, the conclusion that everyone returns to the occupied territory for permanent residence is an exaggeration. The CNN journalist does not draw such conclusions but notes that those who want to stay on the Russian side may not admit it. The stories of the heroes of the plot also do not contain grounds for such conclusions.

Manipulation Europe will force Kyiv to make concessions to Russia

The Russian media spread the news: that Europe will force Ukraine to cede territories and satisfy the Kremlin's demands for further cooperation in Europe and the preservation of peace. They refer to an article by the Italian diplomat, ex-deputy of Josep Borrell, Natalie Tocci, which was published in Foreign Policy.

But this is a manipulation that StopFake drew attention to. Tocci did write an article about whether Putin will be able to split the unity of the EU by taking advantage of the forced lull in Donbas. And will he be able to win some of the country's governments over to his side by blackmailing them with gas and pretending to agree to cease hostilities for the sake of European voters? Tocci insists that Putin could consider such a scenario and there are risks of a split in the EU's position on supporting Ukraine, so he strongly insists that any talks with Putin will only increase the number of casualties and prolong the war, not end it.

The Russian media took Tocci's phrase out of context, where it describes Putin's desired scenario - and is now spreading it as evidence of a change in the EU's position on the war in Ukraine. This is a common message that is constantly promoted by Russian propaganda at the beginning of the war: the EU will soon tire of the war in Ukraine, it is weak, not united, and the Europeans do not like paying a high price for energy sources - that is why they will "hand over" Ukraine to the aggressor. In fact, to date, the EU's position on supporting Ukraine remains unchanged.

Manipulation Sanctions prevent Gazprom from supplying more gas to Europe

Russian media and users of social networks write about this. They said that the company cannot guarantee the pumping of gas, in particular to Germany, due to sanctions and "technical problems" with the Siemens turbine. Therefore, Russia absolves itself of responsibility for reducing gas supplies to Europe. He said that the "unfriendly policy of the West" and the lack of "maintenance" of the gas pipeline are to blame for everything. It does not.

The sanctions are not the reason for the reduction of gas supplies to the EU, since there is currently no gas embargo and there are no obstacles to the return of the turbine to Russia. A significant reduction in supplies is due to political reasons.

The executive director of the company "Siemens Energy" Joe Kezer believes that Russia is deliberately seeking to involve their company in the conflict because even the repair of the turbine cannot cause such a drop in gas pumping volumes. According to StopFake, even before the start of repair work, deliveries were reduced by 40%.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after a personal inspection of the turbine, concluded that there are no technical reasons for reducing gas volumes. The press secretary of the European Commission, Eric Mamer, denied the information that the EU sanctions against Russia prevent the supply of turbines for the Nord Stream gas pipeline. He says Russia is using energy supplies as leverage to blackmail Europe over its opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Manipulation Ukrainians stopped "falling back" on the army

Such messages are distributed in anonymous Telegram channels. They said that the only source of funds for charitable funds remained "earners", but they also transfer meager amounts. It does not.

In the messages, propagandists deliberately manipulate information that cannot be verified and unequivocally refuted without detailed financial reports of charitable foundations, which are not freely available. Since 2014, Ukrainian volunteers have been reporting that funds are not being received in their accounts, and the amount of aid varies every month. It depends on many circumstances. However, Ukrainians constantly help the army through official and personal initiatives.

Banks introduced the possibility of automatic transfer of cashback to the accounts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, transfer through rounding of the balance on a bank card, and other projects. Before a birthday, users of social networks post details of volunteer accounts and ask friends to make a transfer of any available amount instead of a personal gift. Even children are involved in fundraising for the Armed Forces, using their talents or skills. Many Ukrainians did go abroad after the start of the full-scale invasion, but they also volunteer for the Armed Forces. In general, both large volunteer foundations ("Serhiy Prytula Foundation", "Return alive", "Army SOS" and others) and individual volunteers constantly report on meeting the needs of the military. This shows that Ukrainians do not stop helping their defenders.

Manipulation The UN condemned the "attacks of the Armed Forces'' on the Zaporizhzhia NPP

Pro-Kremlin media manipulated a quote from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, reporting that the organization condemned "Zelensky's actions" regarding "Ukraine's attack" on its nuclear facility, writes StopFake. At a press conference in Tokyo on August 8, the UN Secretary-General did comment on the shelling of the nuclear power plant captured by the Russians. He said that the attacks on the station are suicide and must be stopped immediately. According to fact-checkers, Guterres did not make any statements regarding Ukraine's attack on his station. "Any attack on a nuclear plant is an act of suicide. I hope these attacks stop. At the same time, I hope that the IAEA will be able to gain access to the station and apply its competence," he emphasized. It will be recalled that on March 4, the Russians attacked the Zaporizhzhya NPP and shelled it, causing a fire. The US embassy called the Russian shelling a war crime. The occupier still controls the station. On August 1, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated that Russia uses the ZNPP as a "nuclear shield": they say, the Russian army has placed a military base there with the confidence that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not fire on it. Instead, Russian propaganda systematically accuses Ukraine of striking the Zaporizhia NPP. As the Center for Combating Disinformation writes, in this way the occupiers intimidate the EU countries with a "new Chernobyl" and commit nuclear terror themselves. The Russians are deliberately firing at the ZNPP, creating a risk of violating radiation and fire safety standards and the operation of the plant. Also, the occupiers purposefully destroy the station's connections with the Ukrainian power system to leave the South of Ukraine without electricity. 

Manipulation The majority of Ukrainian citizens switch to Russia's side because of the "atrocities of the Kyiv regime"

Russian media write about this with reference to the online magazine The Federalist article "As Ukrainians Defect To Russia, We Should Ask Whether Our Billions Are Saving Democracy Or Aiding Corruption".

The Federalist publication consists of a series of manipulative theses, which ultimately build a propaganda message about the civil war in Ukraine.

Since 2014, Kremlin propaganda through some American and Western journalists has been actively trying to impose the opinion of the internal confrontation between the Ukrainian citizens, the "civil war" in Donbas, and the "genocide of Russian speakers".

According to a May survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on the perception of the Russian-Ukrainian war among Ukrainian citizens, only 1% of Ukrainians have a "predominantly pro-Russian position". Another KIIS survey, also conducted in May, showed that only 2% of Ukrainian citizens have a good attitude towards Russia, while 92% have a bad attitude. More details.

Manipulation The West is winding down the "anti-Russia" project in Ukraine

 Anonymous Telegram channels write about this with reference to The Guardian article. Allegedly, the Western publication "without mincing words" describes "all the weakness of the remnants of the Ukrainian army." Like, the Western military is trying to teach Ukrainians at least something. This is manipulation.

Ed Rahm's article for The Guardian makes no mention of "anti-Russia". Messages that the West wanted to create an "anti-Russia" out of Ukraine are spread exclusively by Russian propagandists. The article is devoted to the story of how a "Mozart Group", volunteers, former foreign soldiers, conducted training for the Ukrainian military in the use of Western weapons. Ed Rahm is indeed talking about separate problems regarding financial support and insufficient training of Ukrainians. However, the article talks about this not as the "weakness of the remnants of the army", but in the context of the fact that people from various professions joined the army and stood up to defend their country. The author notes that only every tenth of the current defenders was a soldier before this war, but due to Russian aggression, they had no other choice but and took up arms. Speaking to the journalist, foreign instructors say that Ukrainian troops lack experience, but they make up for it with enthusiasm and determination. They respect the Ukrainian military, who, despite the circumstances, study, train, and do not lose their sense of humor. Russians systematically use out-of-context and distorted quotes from Western media to spread manipulative messages. 

Manipulation The West keeps silent about the events in Olenivka because Ukraine is guilty of the crime

Russian media write about this. Like, in any tragedy that takes place in Ukraine, the West always unjustifiably blames Russia. But, in this case, American weapons were allegedly used, so the Western press keeps silent. It is not true. Fact-checkers of the StopFake project checked the reaction of the Western press to the events in Olenivka. In particular, publications such as CNN, The New York Times, Guardian, AFP, Le Monde, Il Fatto Quotidiano, and others quoted the representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell. He said the EU condemns the atrocities committed by the Russian military, which are "inhumane, barbaric acts and seriously violate the Geneva Convention". The European versions of Politico published the words of French President Emmanuel Macron that France would support the investigation of the events in Olenivka and would seek to hold Russia accountable for the mass murder of prisoners of war. Information about the involvement of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the investigation in Olenivka was covered by Reuters, The New York Times, and Deutsche Welle. Materials on the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war were published by The Guardian and CNN. Therefore, the report of the Russian media about the "silence of the West", which allegedly confirms the Ukrainians’ guilt, is false. Earlier, propagandists were convinced that the US justified the Ukrainian strike on Olenivka, using a distorted quote from a Pentagon representative. In this way, Russia tries to hide its crime. 

Manipulation The Kyiv regime evicts residents of Kramatorsk, cutting them off from water, gas, and electricity

Propaganda media wrote that Ukraine is evicting city residents, and turning off water, gas, and electricity. They said that the Ukrainian authorities are forcefully evicting citizens from the territories where the Russians will soon rule. That's what propagandists call the "forced" evacuation, which the Ukrainian authorities called "mandatory". On August 2, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine issued an order "On the mandatory evacuation of the population of Donetsk region". According to it, mandatory evacuation takes place following the Procedure for Evacuation in the event of the threat of occurrence or emergency occurrence, which was adopted by the government back in 2013. In addition to cases of man-made disasters and natural disasters, the document mentions military conflicts with the clarification that it is about mandatory evacuation from areas of possible hostilities to safe areas. The document prescribes the institution responsible for the evacuation, its order of duty about the territory, payments, and the procedure for resettling the evacuees. The Order does not mention coercion or sanctions against those who refuse to go. In a video message, Volodymyr Zelensky also emphasized that everything depends on people's decisions. Instead, the lack of basic communications in the Donetsk region is a consequence of hostilities, not a method of forced evacuation, as propagandists claim. In particular, problems with gas supply began in May due to intense fighting, MythDetector writes. In July, the mayor of Kramatorsk, Oleksiy Goncharov, explained to the townspeople that they should prepare for a severe winter due to communication problems. As of August 2, according to the local administration, 342 settlements in the Donetsk region remained without electricity. Please note that the words "forced", "forced", and "evicted" used by propagandists are intended to influence the emotional state of the reader.