Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the media claim that the United States and “its European satellites” are allegedly interfering in the internal affairs of Russia and the 2024 presidential elections. This is how they reacted to the adoption on October 13 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of a resolution declaring Volodymyr Putin illegitimate after the expiration of his current presidential term. The statement about “interference in the internal affairs of Russia” is unreliable.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this. They found out that this is manipulation, since the resolution is advisory in nature for implementation and cannot directly influence the presidential elections in Russia. The Assembly only recommended that Council of Europe member states recognize Putin as illegitimate after the end of his current presidential term and cut off all contacts with him except for humanitarian needs and peace. The document notes that Russia ignores the norms of international law and all recommendations of the Venice Commission (a body on constitutional law under the Council of Europe), in particular, changes to the 2021 Constitution. Under these changes, Putin has reset his previous presidential terms and could rule the country until 2036.

StopFake notes that Russians repeatedly reproach other countries for “failure to implement” the recommendations of the Venice Commission. For example, as in the situation with the Law of Ukraine “On Education” of 2017. At that time, Russia actively promoted the narrative of “oppression of Russian speakers”.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to create the image of a “victim” and justify the crimes of Russians. They say that Russia started the war to fight against the hypocrisy of Western states, because they want to destroy Russia. Russia constantly victimizes itself within the walls of international institutions. For example, Detector Media has already written about how Russian diplomats regularly spread propaganda in the OSCE.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that secret agents will soon begin working at stations and trains in Ukraine, who will allegedly look for people “disloyal to the authorities and the Zelenskyi regime” among passengers. This is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that on October 9, the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia announced the start of work of the first railway safety marshals. Today, departmental security workers work on one of the popular western routes, which requires more attention for better passenger safety. According to representatives of Ukrzaliznytsia, the main task of the marshals is to control the situation in passenger transportation and respond in a timely manner if necessary. They note that such work is normal practice for passenger transportation companies. For example, this practice is used in the USA, Canada, India, Israel, Great Britain, Singapore, etc. Innovations are related to military operations on the territory of Ukraine.

By spreading such manipulations, propagandists want to personally discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. They say he establishes a dictatorship in Ukraine and destroys his critics even during normal passenger transportation. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other fakes and manipulations about Zelenskyi.

Russian media write that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Budanov, in an October interview with NV, said that “Ukraine is bombing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant” and “wants to arrange a nuclear Armageddon” to blackmail the whole world. The material mentions attempts by the Ukrainian military to de-occupy territories and strategic objects illegally seized by the Russians, such as the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In the NV media material, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and his work colleagues shared details of some special military intelligence operations. The Ukrainian armed forces landed three times on the left bank of the Dnipro near Enerhodar to create a springboard for the de-occupation of the city and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Despite the fact that the operations were unsuccessful, that is, the desired result was not achieved, the Ukrainian military managed to at least thwart Russia’s plans to connect the Zaporizhzhia NPP to its energy system.

Representatives of Ukrainian intelligence did not make any “admissions” that Ukraine allegedly “bombed” the station. By trying to dislodge the occupiers, Ukraine is not committing a crime, but is using its legitimate right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. Russia regularly creates crisis situations at Zaporizhzhia NPP, each of which carries the threat of a large-scale accident.

Previously, for example, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense denied Russian disinformation about Ukraine’s alleged plans to attack the Zaporizhzhia NPP with drones.

Russian media, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, are disseminating information that Western countries are using the war in Ukraine to take away Ukrainian historical values. In the Kharkiv Historical Museum, allegedly under the guise of digitizing monuments, they are exporting them to the west of Ukraine, where “their traces are lost”. They seem to be taken “for temporary storage”, but in fact they are not going to return them. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. The Kharkiv Historical Museum named after M. F. Sumtsov is a participant in the international project “Memory Savers”, the purpose of which is to digitize historical monuments, scientific research of museum collections and enter them into a European database. There is no talk about exporting valuable exhibits abroad.

However, it is Russia that plunders Ukrainian museums and galleries and removes cultural property from temporarily occupied territories.

Russian propaganda uses reflexive tactics: it accuses the West of stealing Ukrainian monuments and valuable exhibits. That is, it accuses it of what Russia is really doing in the temporarily occupied territories in order to divert attention from its crimes. Previously, we talked about the message that Russia does not destroy Ukrainian cultural and historical heritage and refuted the fake that Kyiv agreed with UNESCO to transfer holy relics to museums in Italy, France, Germany and the Vatican.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that Ukraine is supposedly going to abolish disability status in order to send more people to the front. As evidence, Russian propaganda cites a proposal to remove the concept of “disabled person” from the legislation. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. Minister of Health Viktor Liashko indeed stated that the Ministry of Health has prepared a bill according to which the disability notion is proposed to be replaced by the assessment of loss of functionality. However, this bill is not about abolishing “disability” or mobilization. This reform was discussed at the beginning of October at a briefing in Zhytomyr following the results of the Congress of Local and Regional Councils under the President of Ukraine.

For Ukraine , the goal is to abandon the post-Soviet model of determining disability, which provides a person only with benefits and compensation. And the task of the state should be “to return a person to an economic state”. However, benefits and payments should not be canceled. And they plan to implement the changes themselves in 2025, which once again proves that the reform is not related to mobilization.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian government and sow panic among Ukrainians. They say that the counteroffensive failed, there are not enough people at the front, so the authorities are trying to mobilize everyone, including people with disabilities. Previously, we talked about the manipulation that in Ukraine they created body armor for pregnant women as they are allegedly going to send them to the front.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that checkpoints are being set up in the Lviv region supposedly for “raids on men of military age”. If this practice shows a positive result, such checkpoints will be installed in other regions. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the VoxCheck project. In fact, it is about mobilization, and checkpoints have begun to be set up to strengthen security measures. All this is in order to counter the possible penetration of enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups and facilitate the work of air defense forces. This was announced by the first deputy head of the Lviv Military Regional Administration Andrii Hodyk during a briefing on September 28.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit government officials and sow panic among Ukrainians, because, they say, there are not enough people at the front, and the counteroffensive has failed. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the manipulation that the West is forcing Ukraine to lower the conscription age and “send minors to the meat grinder”.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that three thieves robbed the house of the family of a deceased military man during his funeral in the Lviv region in 2023. They say that while the defenders are being buried, other Ukrainians are robbing them. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the story, which is being distributed as evidence of this message, was published on July 25, 2016. The event occurred on July 22 of the same year in the city of Zolochiv, Lviv region. Thieves broke into the house during the funeral of serviceman Andrii Shvets, who served as a volunteer during the Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine. Later, the police detained the suspects - three teenagers who stole money and property worth 40 thousand hryvnia.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to ridicule and discredit Ukrainians. Detector Media previously refuted other Russian lies about the Ukrainian military.

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. The reports say that Ukraine allegedly interferes with freedom of speech by monitoring all Ukrainians on social networks who show an anti-Ukrainian position - and if they find such, they quickly “get rid of” the person. Consequently, the authors give an example where a resident of Kharkiv was charged “for nothing”, or rather, in their words, for a simple “post on social networks”. The authors of the manipulative message add that this is “an attempt to shut the mouth of those who tell the truth”.

The analysts of the StopFake project analyzed the case and determined that the 58-year-old Kharkiv resident was charged with justifying Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine and discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was announced by the representative of the regional department of the Security Service of Ukraine Vladyslav Abdula. Actually, in his publications, which the Kremlin’s minions consider peace-loving, the man distributed propaganda materials and glorified the actions of the occupying army. And among other things, the attacker accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces of shelling residential areas of Kharkiv.

The fact-checkers explain that in March 2022, the Criminal Code of Ukraine was supplemented with Article 436-2, which provides for liability for justifying, recognizing the legitimate armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine, and glorifying its participants. That is, the actions of the SSU against the man are completely legal and not an “attack on freedom of speech”. Manipulators are trying to shift responsibility for crimes onto Ukraine, so it is obvious that they call the “shelling of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Kharkiv” truthful, but also the Russian occupiers - valiant.

Read how Russia blurs reality with the word “extremism”. In short, the Kremlin sees any actions that contradict Moscow’s “policy” as extremism. For example, the Russian branch of the BBC gave an example in its material when a Russian posted a publication similar to Odnoklassniki wishing death and shame on Russians who are going to fight in the Donbas. And a criminal case was opened against him on charges of “ethnic hatred”.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that the ex-Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom, Ben Wallace, allegedly stated the need to lower the conscription age. As Russian propaganda notes, they are going to resort to such measures due to the alleged “complete failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces summer counteroffensive”. And this will be a continuation of the “Western policy” of killing a large number of Slavs associated with the Ukrainian and Russian sides”. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. They established that Russian propaganda refers to a column by Ben Wallace published in The Telegraph. Wallace didn't actually write about the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive or the need to draft 16-year-olds and “throw them into a meat grinder”. On the contrary, he noted that Ukraine will win this war, and the allies must increase the pace of assistance.

Ben Wallace writes that Putin is mobilizing all of Russia, and in Ukraine the average age of soldiers on the fronts is 40. “So, as Britain did in 1939 and 1941, perhaps it is time to reassess the scale of Ukrainian mobilization”, Wallace said. It was this quote that Russian propagandists used to create manipulative news.

Thus, Russian propaganda continues to promote the narrative that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is a failure, and the West will indeed destroy Ukraine. Previously, we described the message that the European Union benefits from Ukraine’s defeat in the war.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that Ukraine plans to mobilize men over 60 years of age. Russian propaganda refers to bill No. 10084 on amendments to Part 2 of Article 22 of the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service”. This is manipulation.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. They found out that in fact the bill refers to military personnel with a high level of professional training, who were recognized by a military medical commission as fit for health reasons. At their request, they may be retained in military service. Russian propaganda manipulated to create the impression that men over 60 will definitely be mobilized in Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and promote the message that Ukraine has high losses during the counteroffensive, so the decision was made to mobilize those over 60 years old. Propagandists are also trying to sow despondency and panic among Ukrainian society. Previously, we talked about the manipulation that Zelenskyi said that all Ukrainians should wear military uniforms so that the Russians would be afraid of them.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement that Ukraine has liberated more than 50% of the territories seized by the Russian Federation is allegedly erroneous. Like, this information was taken “from a parallel reality”. This is manipulation.

The specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found the original video of Blinken speaking. In it, he states that Ukraine has returned more than 50% of the territories Russia has seized since the start of the full-scale invasion. However, he did not mean part of the territory that Russia captured back in 2014. Project analysts cite statements from foreign military experts who claim that Ukraine has returned 50–54% of the territories captured by Russia since February 24, 2022.

By spreading this manipulation, propagandists want to undermine trust in Western officials and discredit the successes of the Ukrainian army. All this is being done to show that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is allegedly not successful. Detector Media has previously refuted other fakes and manipulations of propagandists on this topic.

This thesis was spread on social networks in the Russian segment. Reports say that during one of his public appearances, Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly said that all Ukrainians should wear military uniforms so that Russians would be afraid of them. Propagandists cultivate the opinion of the so-called total militarization of society, because Zelenskyi, in their opinion, strives to achieve one thing - thus reducing the population to “minimum critical indicators”. Among other things, the authors noted that such actions of the Ukrainian president were caused by allegedly excessive drug use. And they called him a “connoisseur of white powder”. This is manipulation

The VoxCheck fact-checkers investigated this case and found that the official’s words were taken out of context. First of all, it is about a meeting of the Ukrainian president with students who are studying sports. The event is dedicated to the Day of Physical Culture and Sports and is celebrated on September 9. Thus, one of the students asked how Zelenskyi maintains his physical shape and how this helps maintain psychological stability. And Volodymyr Zelenskyi replied that sport allows him to get rid of excess energy and then it is easier for him to negotiate with people, making rational decisions during the conversation. He also added that “we need to be in shape so that the Russians are afraid of us”. From the context it is clear that they are talking about physical fitness, health, etc. But nothing was said about military uniforms, as the propagandists tried to convince us of.

Propagandists often turn to the image of Zelenskyi and describe him in all sorts of ways. This is a traditional tactic of “disgraceful epithets”,which consists of using abusive or offensive words in order to form the “correct vision” of a phenomenon or process according to Russian propaganda. For example, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has already played such roles: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction, etc. Read more about this propaganda tactic here. Such “epithets” are intended to form a negative image of Zelenskyi among the public, allegedly reinforced by his actions.

And Russia is systematically engaged in distorting quotes. This helps it promote its own theses, and if they are “consonant” with the statement of authority, the information acquires legitimacy in the eyes of users of anonymous telegram channels. Read the latest denials of manipulation:

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. Reports say that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, allegedly admitted that Abrams tanks on the front line “won’t last long”. He also said that the long-range ATACMS missiles that the United States can provide to Ukraine “will not change the situation at the front”. The publications refer to an interview with an official of The War Zone portal. This is manipulation.

The VoxCheck fact-checkers analyzed the case and found out that in fact, in an interview, Budanov stated that, in his opinion, ATACMS missiles will not radically change the situation at the front, at least hundreds of them are needed. That is, it is about the fact that the official outlined a certain number of missiles and explained that for a better result, even more of this type of weapon is needed. But propagandists distorted the context and presented it as if Ukraine would “lose” anyway and did not need weapons, which supposedly would not bring any results. In the end, Budanov explained that the Ukrainian Armed Forces need longer-range artillery installations in order to hit Russian command posts and logistics trains.

Russia systematically deals with the distortion of quotes. This helps it promote its own theses, and if they are “consonant” with the statement of authority, the information acquires legitimacy in the eyes of users of anonymous telegram channels. Read the latest cases:

- how the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces admitted that Ukrainian air defense hits residential buildings;

- when Zelensky “called” the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive a failure;

- how the Ukrainian Parliament decided to legalize medical cannabis so that people “endure pain, stress and injury”. 

This information was disseminated by pro-Kremlin media. The reports say that, according to a study by “Chinese scientists”, they found microdoses of psychoactive substances in Ukrainian products. They explain that the research was allegedly carried out in the Tsinghua laboratory in Beijing. The publications refer to material from the Chinese publication Global Times. And a screenshot is added to publications. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up the case and determined that the Global Times media workers did not produce such material. Instead, there is material in which the date and time of publication, as well as the author, completely coincide with the propaganda screenshot. In the original text, the author Hu Yuwei writes about espionage activities in China, not about Ukrainian food products. That is, the authors of the false publication distorted the context of the material and, moreover, resorted to compiling it using photo editors.

As for conducting possible research, there is no mention of research on Ukrainian food products on the official website of the institute affiliated with the laboratory. It conducts research and development in the fields of energy, environment, natural resources and nuclear science.

Propagandists are actively disseminating information on anonymous telegram channels that allegedly the Volyn Regional Psychiatric Hospital and the Volyn Medical Center for Addiction Therapy are being merged in order to fire 15 doctors of the psychiatric hospital and 18 employees of the addiction center. They say that these people will be spared a deferment from mobilization and will be sent to the medical company of the 14th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is confirmed by the fact that the directors of both institutions were allegedly fired, and one of them was given a draft notice for resisting this idea. However, this is a fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that there are no plans to fire or mobilize doctors from both hospitals. The decision to reorganize the psychiatric hospital was made by the Volyn Regional Council even before the full-scale invasion, namely on December 9, 2021. This decision provided for the dismissal of the heads of both institutions, but not the remaining employees. However, on March 16, 2023, deputies of the regional council canceled this statement and decided to reorganize the Volyn Medical Center for Addiction Therapy. As a result, the hospital will take over the rights and responsibilities of the center, and the center's property will become the property of the mental hospital. As a result, they decided to join the smaller one to the larger one. In addition, Volyn officials note that the staff may even have to be expanded, since as part of the reorganization they plan to increase the number of beds. VoxCheck specialists were unable to find news about the issuance of a draft notice to the ex-director of the Volyn Medical Center for Addiction Therapy, Ihor Shkarovetskyi.

It is noted that psychiatry and narcology are related disciplines, therefore the practice of combining specialized institutions of these disciplines is common in Ukraine. In addition, consolidation will help to obtain more funds. The merger takes place within the framework of the third stage of medical reform on the creation of a wealthy network. This reform is being carried out to improve the quality of medical services and free medical care.

Using such manipulations, propagandists want to exaggerate the scale of mobilization in Ukraine and intimidate the civilian population. They say that the Ukrainian government does not care about serious problems, so it puts ordinary people at risk and mobilizes mental hospital workers. Detector Media has already written not only about numerous manipulations on the topic of mobilization in Ukraine, but also about how Russian propaganda reinforces stereotypes about mental health.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a rally against Volodymyr Zelenskyi was organized in Odesa. They say they hate him, and the townspeople decided to demonstrate this by going to a rally. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found out that the rally did take place, but not against the Ukrainian president, allegedly with the aim of expressing dissatisfaction with him. The peaceful protest took place as part of the demand to cancel tenders for the reconstruction of the buildings of the Kyiv District Court and the Theater for Young Spectators. People came out with posters: “First the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then everything else”, “Deputies, my taxes are for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.  That is, people held a peaceful rally, calling for funds (from tenders) to be better directed to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. At the same time, propagandists used the context of the rally itself and distorted it: they explained that people were initially opposed to Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Thus, Russian propaganda seeks to create the impression that the country is dissatisfied with the Ukrainian president and is striving for his speedy resignation. They say he is hated everywhere.

By the way, read the latest fake news on this topic, where Russia turns a blind eye to false works of mass art and pop culture. That is, those that were created by human hands. For example, a rally can also serve as an expression of the will of the Ukrainian people to take action. Or as if graffiti was created in The Hague, the capital of European justice, with the image of Zelenskyi hanging on the gallows; or about the fake cover of the allegedly British newspaper The New European, where the Ukrainian president is sitting on the lap of the Dalai Lama. Or about the fake cover of the numb Volodymyr Zelenskyi from the figure of the dictator Putin and Jesus Christ.

The Kremlin media and users of the Russian segment of social networks are spreading information that Ukraine has allegedly introduced a bulletproof vest for “pregnant women on the battlefield”. Allegedly, due to the failure of the counteroffensive, the authorities in Ukraine decided to send pregnant women to the front, because “pregnancy will not be a valid reason for deferment from service”. In confirmation, Russian propaganda posted a photo of the armored suit. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. According to Ukrainian legislation, there is no mandatory mobilization of women in Ukraine, but they can join the Ukrainian army voluntarily. Pregnancy is a legal basis for dismissal of a military personnel.

Russian propaganda used photographs from a real presentation of the anatomical female armored suit “Ruta Liuta” (Furious Rue). This suit was not designed for pregnant women; it was invented by the Ukrainian Armor company to create protection for military personnel, taking into account the anatomical and physiological parameters of women.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities, who allegedly do not value human lives, and nourish the narrative of the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. They say that the Ukrainian army has high losses and lacks people, so Ukraine will mobilize even pregnant women. Earlier, Detector Media talked about a similar manipulation: in Ukraine, military uniforms were created for pregnant women in order to send them to the front.

Pro-Kremlin media are disseminating information that the head of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský, allegedly said that Ukraine failed the counteroffensive and will now face pressure from its Western allies. They will encourage negotiations with Russia. This is manipulation.

The case was noticed by the checkers of the StopFake project.  Jan Lipavský did not talk about the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive or about new problems for Ukraine. Russian propaganda took out of context a comment by the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry for Bloomberg, in which he reflected on the West’s desire to put an end to Russian expansionism.

“If Ukraine is forced into a solution it doesn’t accept, the West will lose it — and we’ll have a nation of 40 million at our borders feeling betrayed. We don’t want to just defer the war. We want to end Russia’s ability to expand in eastern Europe by force”, ” Lipavský said.

It was this quote that Russian propaganda distorted, deliberately rejecting part of his statement.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Western partners and continue to promote the narrative of a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive. They also continue to nourish the message that the West is tired of war, so Ukraine will have to give in to Russia. Previously, we refuted the fake that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the West is tired of war and is ready to make concessions to Russia.

In the Russian segment of the social network VKontakte, a video advertisement is being distributed in which environmentalists allegedly put forward a proposal to hide the Ukrainian military “in special biodegradable capsule bags". This development was allegedly presented on the air of the Ukrainian telethon “United News”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. They found out that in fact such advertising does not exist, and Ukrainian environmentalists did not make such statements. Using an image search, experts found footage from the video - Russian propaganda used the presentation of the Capsula Mundi project by Italian designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel in 2016. Russians used these frames, added the “1+1” channel and the “United News” telethon, and read low-quality text.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to spread the message about high losses among the Ukrainian military and sow despondency among Ukrainian society. Previously, Detector Media refuted the fake that Defense Minister Umierov disclosed data on Ukraine’s losses during the counteroffensive.

Pro-Kremlin media are disseminating information that in Ukraine they want to reorganize military media and supposedly send journalists to the front due to the failure of mobilization and lack of people. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. The ex-deputy of the Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar actually spoke during the conference “Editorial Board. Summit” on plans to reorganize military media. She noted that people with high military knowledge who worked for military media could be useful directly at the front. Maliar also spoke about attracting already mobilized journalists to the media. However, there was no talk of separate mobilization of journalists - they, just like other citizens of Ukraine, are subject to mobilization.

The very reorganization of military media is necessary, first of all, in order to bring their status into compliance with the Law of Ukraine “On Media”.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and sow panic and despondency among Ukrainians, saying that there is a shortage of people at the front. Previously, we refuted the falsehood that, under the guise of mobilization, the authorities in Ukraine are destroying the Russian-speaking population.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi will not be allowed to speak in the US Congress on September 21. It seems that meetings between the President of Ukraine and representatives of the US authorities are planned in the White House and the Pentagon, and Congress at this time will consider the issue of assistance to Ukraine. When making such statements, Russian propaganda refers to an article by The Financial Times. This is manipulation.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Strategic Communications and the No Lies Project. The Financial Times did indeed publish an article with the headline “Volodymyr Zelenskyi to meet Joe Biden in Washington in quest for more aid”. However, the material does not contain information disseminated by Russian propaganda, supposedly Zelenskyi will limit himself to a meeting with UN representatives.

Moreover, Volodymyr Zelenskyi will speak in the US Congress and this speech was initiated by representatives from the Democratic and Republican parties.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the United States and show that the West is allegedly so tired of the war that it does not even want to listen to Zelenskyi. Previously, we refuted the fake news that graffiti with “Zelenskyi the cannibal” was created in Berlin.

Propagandists are actively disseminating in their media a quote from a Polish soldier fighting on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Piotr Mitkiewicz, from his interview for the ONET portal, where he allegedly demands compensation from Ukraine for the families of his colleagues who died during the war. Like, Ukraine abandoned Poland and that’s what it needs. However, this is manipulation.

This statement by Mitkiewicz is taken out of context. The full version of the interview shows that the man really expressed concern about the lack of compensation for Polish volunteers fighting on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, he noted that this is most likely due to the fact that there have been no such precedents yet; accordingly, the mechanism for paying these compensations has not yet been fully formed. Mitkiewicz did not accuse the Ukrainian authorities of disrespecting or neglecting the efforts of their Polish colleagues. On the contrary, throughout the interview he did not stop expressing his support for Ukraine and stated that he was soon going to return to the front again.

Using such manipulations, propagandists want to quarrel Ukrainians and Poles, and also accuse Ukraine of hiring foreigners without remuneration. Detector Media has already written about how Russians want to influence Polish politics because of anonymous telegram channels where such manipulations are spread.

Russian propagandists on anonymous telegram channels and in the media claim that the weapons transferred from Western partners to Ukraine ended up in the hands of European terrorists. Referring to the American ultra-right conspiracy portal Breitbart, they report that the police in Northern Ireland allegedly confiscated these weapons from two radicals of the New Irish Republican Army. This is manipulation.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that on September 9, during a preventive counter-terrorism operation, the police actually confiscated several grenades and explosives from several members of the organization. The New IRA has been recognized as terrorist in the UK and the USA, and its members advocate continuing the armed struggle for the unification of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) into one state. However, the weapons that were confiscated from them are not Western-style weapons transferred to Ukraine as part of military assistance. The radicals were found to have a new type of grenade, which is used exclusively by the Russian army. StopFake analysts note that although the investigation does not exclude the possibility that these weapons fell into the hands of radicals from the front line in Ukraine, it is currently unknown how exactly this happened.

Using this manipulation, Russia wants to undermine its partners’ trust in Ukraine. They say that the weapons provided by Western states are sold by Ukraine as smugglers, so there is no need to provide them. Russian propagandists have repeatedly manipulated the topic of the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, as Media Detector has already written about.

This thesis was spread by propaganda media. Reports say that wines and vineyards are being destroyed in France precisely because of the sanctions imposed by the French government on Russia. The authors add that Moscow was the largest importer of wines, but after the “sanctions war” the French “played it out” and are experiencing a crisis in the wine industry. The publications also try to point out that imposing sanctions on Russia is supposedly ineffective, and as a result, the European countries themselves are supposedly suffering. After all, they are experiencing the impact of the “lack of Russian sales market” themselves. However, this is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project were able to process the case, explaining that the French wine industry is indeed not in the best conditions, if not in crisis. For example, in August 2023, the French government allocated 200 million euros to recycle excess wine production. This initiative from the French Parliament is caused by excessive production and, as a consequence, a decrease in its demand. Actions by the French authorities should curb price fluctuations and support producers who are losing their income. That is, the problems in the wine industry are in no way caused by anti-Russian sanctions or other prohibitions against Moscow. The authors of the manipulative message simply used the news about the crisis situation with wine and presented it as a consequence of the “struggle” with Russia.

In general, as experts say, the level of red consumption has fallen throughout the country: primarily due to the fact that the French began to prefer craft beer. Even in one of the materials of the French daily newspaper Le Figaro they write that wine has given way to beer in 2023 and, according to recent surveys, 56% of the French choose an intoxicating drink. Also, an analytical study by the European Commission for June 2023 shows a decline in wine consumption in other EU countries: by 7% in Italy, by 10% in Spain, and by 15% in France.

As for the “large Russian sales market”, the main consumer of red wine and importer has always been China, not Russia. In particular, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cessation of Chinese wine supplies even then had a negative impact on the entire wine-growing region of the country. And now wine producers cannot reach pandemic level exports.

Russia is trying to distort the impression that sanctions supposedly do not affect it, while other countries that are economically stable and ready to impose restrictions on Moscow are suffering from the “reverse effect”. But, let’s say, they suffer from the lack of the Russian market. The Kremlin systematically cultivates rhetoric about the so-called “big Russian market” in order to hint that the EU countries will not survive at all if they do not sell their goods to Russia. If they resist, they will face the same fate as the French wine industry. However, according to monitoring by the Kyiv School of Economics, as of July 2023, 254 companies (7.6% of companies that received income in Russia in 2022) have completely ceased their activities in Russia. And 1,191 (35.9% of the total) foreign businesses also folded. Companies will one day abandon Russia, not seeing this as a risk for themselves.

By the way, according to the European Council, 2022 was a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022 Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% under the best scenario and to 3.9% under the worst-case scenario. The Russian economy will continue to contract in 2023. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3%.

This information was disseminated by Russian media. Reports say that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg allegedly confirmed that it was the North Atlantic Alliance that “started the war in Ukraine” and that Russia invaded Ukrainian territory due to “NATO expansion”. This is manipulation.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project took up this case and found out that in fact the Secretary General did not say this, and his quote was distorted. Experts explain that the quote itself was compiled from Stoltenberg’s speech at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on September 7. Then he talked about the failed policy of dictator Putin, who, on the eve of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, blackmailed the Alliance and demanded that Eastern Europe be given to its sphere of influence.

We are talking, in particular, about how, at the end of 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that Western states “stay away from Ukraine”, preventing Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration. At that time, Russian “parliamentarians” sought a legal guarantee that NATO would renounce any military activities in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.

Actually, commenting on the events of the past, Stoltenberg said that Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine is in fact a strategic mistake and a dictatorial failure.

By distorting quotes from public figures, military officers, politicians and other public figures, Russian propaganda is trying to convince consumers of disinformation of the authenticity of such expressions. Like, if the military man himself said this, one can trust him, because he is an authoritative source. This is how propagandists use the tactic of appealing to authority.

Russia systematically deals with the distortion of quotes. This helps it promote its own theses, and if they are “consonant” with the statement of authority, the information acquires legitimacy in the eyes of users of anonymous telegram channels. Read the latest fake cases: