Spilnota Detector Media

Message . The Ukrainian military destroyed bridges in vain because the Russian army could move without them.

Pro-Russian telegram channels spread the thesis that the Russian military could cross rivers without bridges, so the Ukrainian military vainly destroyed them. In such reports, the actions of the Ukrainian army are called the destruction of Ukraine, and the Russian military is praised because, according to propagandists, they can cross the river on military equipment.

The Ukrainian military blocked bridges to prevent the occupiers from advancing and occupying new Ukrainian cities.

Message A group of telegram channels <a href="https://ssu.gov.ua/novyny/sbu-vykryla-ahenturnu-merezhu-spetssluzhb-rf-yaka-destabilizuvala-sytuatsiiu-v-ukraini-cherez-telegramkanaly">administered by the Russian special services</a> continue to discredit Ukrainian territorial defence.

Anonymous propagandists claim that looters pretend to be a territorial defence to "clean" apartments. They say that looters don't leave witnesses, so no one can tell about their crimes. However, if there are no witnesses and no one can tell, how do the anonymous telegram channels know about it.

Message Propagandists claim that the West, not the Russian Federation, is trying to kill Volodymyr Zelensky.

Here they again draw on the narrative of "external governance" to remind us that Ukraine is a pawn of the collective West. They use a variety of metaphors and comparisons. In particular, they talk about the events in Ukraine as a TV series with screenwriters from Hollywood. The main character - Volodymyr Zelenskyy - can quickly become an antihero or die mysteriously at the end of the series.

Message . Pro-Kremlin telegram channels spread information that Ukraine is not declaring war on Russia.

In particular, subscribers of one of such channels (“Сплетница”/the Gossip Girl) ask: "if Ukraine does not declare war on Russia, does it recognize that it is only a special operation to clean the country from the Nazis?"".

In fact, it is a manipulation. Ukraine imposed martial law and recognized Russia's aggression against Ukraine as a real war since February 24, the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion. This way, using manipulations, the aggressor seeks to shake up the situation and reduce Ukrainians’ confidence in their government.

Message . Propagandists spread fake information about conditions in which Russian captives are held. They say Russian captives are being held with cruelty, abused, and humiliated. At the same time, propagandists say that Ukrainian captives are held by Russian invaders with humanity.

The country's leadership has repeatedly stated that Ukraine provides all captives with necessary medical help. By spreading such a statement propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian army.

Message . Propagandists discrediting Ukrainian territorial defense.

They spread stories, supposedly from «witnesses», who are afraid to die not from Russian invaders but from armed Ukrainian citizens. Propagandists try to reassure people about those who joined the territorial defense. They claim territorial defenders as vigilantes, who now have legal weapons. Russian propaganda machine is trying to undermine people`s trust in territorial defense and disrupt the esprit of the Ukrainian defenders.

Message The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council warns that the occupiers have launched an information attack on Ukrainians, mostly seniors, using phone calls to spread panic.

“Please do not pick up the phone from contacts you do not know, especially if they are frequently repeated and displayed from different geographical points. We urge everyone to ignore such information terrorism and explain to relatives that threats and misinformation do not pose a threat to your life, but are intended solely to shake the psychological state", the Center said.

Message Propagandists speculate on the destruction of infrastructure.

They claim that the entire infrastructure of Ukraine is destroyed. So Ukraine will not be accepted into the EU. They assure that the EU will feed Ukraine with promises, but no one will accept or give real funds for reconstruction.

Message . Anonymous telegram channels administered by Russia's intelligence services spread a conspiracy theory about the root causes of Russia's war against Ukraine.

They claim that Ukraine and the West have conspired to overthrow Putin's regime "with the help of the Ukrainian case."

Message . Propagandists coordinated discrediting Ukraine's application for EU membership.

They got an old manual on "external governance" and began to explain why Europe and the world will not really help Ukraine, invest money here and join the EU. Propagandists repeated the narrative of "Ukraine as a colony", saying that no one will take on foot, only pretend. The propagandists underestimate all the statements of European politicians in support of Ukraine because they explain that they just pretend.

Message Russian media and Telegram channels are speculating on evacuation of civilians.

Therefore, they have created several conspiracy theories on why the Ukrainian civilian population are not being evacuated from the cities with the life threat. Key points of Russian disinformation are the following: “no centralized evacuation means that the Ukrainian government wants the war and spends all its resources solely on the war”; “civilians are not being evacuated on purpose so that the number of deaths among civilian population is higher and Russia could be blamed for this”; “civilians will be forced to participate in the war”. In fact, evacuation of civilians in the time when a city or village is under shelling - is dangerous. Evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people under shelling and no access to shelters in an empty field impose more threat than protecting them in a city.

Message Propagandists discredit Ukraine's intentions to negotiate peace.

They claim that the President's Office is not interested in peace and wants a "war to the last". In his statement, Volodymyr Zelensky explained: “I will say frankly, as always, I do not really believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let them try. So that no Ukrainian citizen would have doubts that, as president, I did not try to stop the war, when there was even a small, but still a chance."

Message Propagandist telegram channels spread information that allegedly Ukrainians feel apathy, despair and unwillingness to resist.

Such channels say that they talked to Ukrainians or received messages from subscribers. This information is not true. On the contrary, information about solidarity and assistance to those in need is coming from different parts of the country.

Message Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian military leadership.

They claim that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is allegedly overcrowded with agents who "transmit information about every step of the Ukrainian military." It is important to understand that discrediting the government is generally a common tactic of Russian disinformation. In this case, Ukraine's military victories clearly show that the Ukrainian military leadership is doing its job well and professionally.

Message Russian telegram channels are massively spreading false information about the course of the Russian war against Ukraine.

They are trying to persuade that "there is NO military success on Ukrainian side." Amid these claims, the propagandists call on the Ukrainian military to lay down their arms.