Spilnota Detector Media

Message Soon an “army of Ukrainians with a high level of russophobia” will get bigger in Ukraine

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Ukrainian military is freezing male seeds using a cryopreservation method. As the authors of the messages explain, this is all planned to “breed the army of Ukrainians with a high level of russophobia”.

Analysts of the VoxCheck investigated this case, who found out that since 2014, cryopreservation has become popular among Ukrainian military personnel. After the start of a large-scale invasion, the number of applicants increased. Some clinics offer free cryopreservation for the military. However, there is no confirmed data, due to which it is possible to “breed” a whole “army” of Ukrainians with an increased level of russophobia. This is a conspiracy theory of Russian propaganda, since the cryopreservation method does not bring out a “special type of people”, but freezes male spermatozoa in liquid nitrogen for further artificial insemination “in vitro”.

The storage of frozen spermatozoa is not limited in time. For the most part, the freezing of male sperm is associated with the “in vitro” fertilization procedure. This is a specific method of treating infertility, that is, in vitro fertilization. However, cryopreservation is advised to be carried out before chemotherapy and operations that can affect the reproductive function of a person. Cryopreservation can be performed not only for men, but also for women (egg freezing).

Message The West does not allow Georgia to become an independent state

This thesis is spread by propaganda media and on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. They say that Western countries have found a new puppet for themselves - Georgia - and provoked protests there. They also add in the reports that protests against the Georgian authorities are beneficial for Western states, because they do not want Georgia to be independent of them.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to the case. They note that there is indeed no evidence that the recent protests in Georgia were orchestrated by Western states as an attempt at a violent change of power.

In fact, the protests in Tbilisi arose after the Georgian parliament passed in the first reading a bill requiring some organizations that receive foreign funding to register as “foreign agents”. As Detector Media has already written, the law is considered analogous to the notorious ban on “foreign agents” in Russia, which actually suppressed the already weak voices of the opposition and made it impossible for international monitoring missions to be present inside the country. The law, adopted by the Georgian Parliament on March 7, 2023, provides for the creation of a register of “agents of foreign influence”. That is, the authorities must create a special open database of organizations and individuals if the share of foreign investments in their activities is at least 20%.

During the protests, Georgian law enforcement officers used tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons. However, as a result of massive protests, the Georgian parliament rejected the “foreign agents” bill after the incumbent party withdrew its support.

Russian propagandists reacted to the protest in the first days. In particular, they claimed that the protests in Georgia were orchestrated by the United States. By spreading such messages, propagandists seek to nourish the narrative of so-called Western governance. Allegedly, Georgia is really controlled by Western curators. The same narrative has been circulating in the information space regarding Ukraine for about nine years now. So, Russian propaganda seeks to neutralize the subjectivity of other states; to show that they themselves really do not decide anything.

Message Ukrainians are Nazis because they choose big dogs

In the Russian media, you can find a number of reports according to which Ukrainians are supposedly Nazis because they choose big dogs. Such a reaction among propagandists was caused by one of the plots of the 1 + 1 TV channel as part of the national telethon. In it, the authors satirically say that Russians love smaller dogs because pets often “look like their owners” and that Russian dogs are no match for the same dog Patron.

The Russians argue that such statements are offensive and anti-human in nature. Like, comparing dogs is a humiliation for an entire nation and another sign that Ukrainians are Nazis. They also make excuses that they choose small dogs because they live in “Khrushchovka” type buildings.

Propagandists are constantly trying to portray all Ukrainians as Nazis, creating fakes and distorting real materials. Thus, they want to shift the responsibility for the war from the aggressor to the victim of the aggression. For example, recently the Russians were outraged that Yuliia Paievska (Taira) received an award from the United States and accused her of supporting Nazism.

Message Anti-Russian sanctions destroy the “economic sovereignty” of Europe

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Europe's “economic sovereignty” has been destroyed due to the imposition of sanctions on Russia. Like, the “collective West” wanted the collapse of Russia, which means “exactly the opposite”: Europe cannot exist without Russian energy resources, and will soon fall apart.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project investigated this case and found that the thesis about a stable Russian economy is not true. According to the World Bank, the International monetary fund and the Organization for economic cooperation and development, 2022 has been a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022, Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% in the best scenario and to 3.9% in the worst one. The Russian economy will shrink in 2023 as well. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3% according to the organizations. Analysts emphasize that the sanctions really work and the data show this.

Analysts also explained that the European Union has taken specific steps to phase out Russian energy resources and replace them further. Therefore, the “collapse of the European Union” is another conspiracy thesis of Russian propaganda.

Message Ukrainian military are guilty of the tragedy in Bucha

Russian propaganda is again spreading the message that civilians in Bucha during the occupation were shot by Ukrainian artillery. Like, foreign experts came to such results, but they “keep silent” whose artillery killed local residents.

EU vs Disinfo analysts drew attention to a new wave of message dissemination. In the spring of 2022, Russian propaganda said that the Ukrainian military allegedly shelled people's houses in Bucha because they accepted help from the Russians. For this, a specially edited video of eyewitness accounts was used.

The New York Times journalists investigated and identified dozens of soldiers of the 234th airborne assault brigade of the Russian army, who in March 2022, during the temporary occupation of Bucha in the Kyiv region, deliberately killed civilians.

By spreading such messages, Russian propaganda is trying to shift the responsibility for the death of civilians to the Ukrainian army. Propagandists deny the numerous war crimes of the Russian army in Ukraine, despite the existing evidence.

Message The report about the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia is an absurd hoax

Pro-Russian media disseminate such messages to foreign audiences. Like, reports of Russian crimes, including crimes against Ukrainian children, were deliberately invented by the US State Department. Allegedly, the State Department funded a Yale University study on the transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia for the sole purpose of holding Russia accountable for “fictional crimes”. They say that the studies deliberately focus on the fact that children in Russia are placed in camps, appealing in association with concentration camps. “In fact” children are placed in comfortable conditions of children's camps.

EU vs Disinfo analysts drew attention to the spread of the message. Russian propaganda is spreading these messages against the backdrop of the publication of a report by American researchers on how Russia is deporting and “re-educating” Ukrainian children. It states that Russia is committing “serious violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons”, that is, committing war crimes against Ukrainian children. There are at least six thousand children, the report says.

However, researchers from Yale University are not alone in drawing conclusions about crimes against Ukrainian children. This was confirmed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. He believes that Russia violates the fundamental principles of protecting children in time of war by providing children in the temporarily occupied territories with Russian passports and permission to be adopted by Russian families.

Russian propaganda thus tries to hide its crimes and shift the responsibility for them to others. They say that the United States deliberately “come up with” evidence of Russia's crimes.

Message Georgians protest against restrictions on freedom of speech but support Ukraine where it does not exist

Pro-Russian telegram channels write that Georgians bring Ukrainian flags to the protests, but this is inappropriate. Like, they are protesting against the law, which will allow the authorities to close the media and “crush” the opposition. And in Ukraine, all “opposition” media were allegedly closed and the opposition as such was “legally banned”. Allegedly, in Ukraine there is no freedom of speech, for which the Georgians are fighting.

Spreading such messages, Russian propaganda uses a substitution of concepts and calls opposition only pro-Russian political parties, which were really banned in Ukraine after the start of a full-scale war. The same applies to the media: those who spread messages supporting Russian propaganda were banned. That is, in Ukraine they are fighting not with the opposition, but with pro-Russian forces. Actually, in Georgia they are also protesting against changes in the legislation that imitate the Russian legislation on “foreign agents”.

Read more about the reaction of Russian propaganda to the protests in Georgia in the material selection of Detector Media.

Message Russia does not destroy Ukrainian cultural and historical heritage

The network quotes the representative of the Russian foreign ministry Mariia Zakharova. She believes that the world is “demonizing Russia”, carrying out “forced Ukrainization” and supporting the culture of abolishing everything Russian that exists. Zakharova calls the report on crimes against Ukrainian culture an attempt to “shield the Kyiv regime” and “infringe on the rights of Russian speakers”.

According to the fact-checkers of the project “Beyond the News”, in this way Zakharova reacted to the statement of UN experts regarding the destruction of Ukrainian identity by the Russians, published on the eve of the anniversary of a full-scale war. UN experts published a report in which they note that Russia continues to “denigrate the history and identity of the Ukrainian people to justify war and hatred”. It says that among the important cultural sites of Ukraine affected by the shelling are museums, libraries and churches.

From February 24, 2022 to March 1, 2023, UNESCO registered 245 cultural heritage sites of Ukraine that were damaged or destroyed due to the war unleashed by Russia. There are 106 religious sites, 20 museums, 88 historical and/or artistic buildings, 19 monuments, 12 libraries among them although they add: according to other sources, there may be about a thousand damaged objects.

According to the report, in Mariupol, Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsk and Rubizhne, historical buildings were destroyed for 90%. More than 10 thousand works of art were taken out of the Kherson Art Museum. In the Donetsk region, the invaders use burial mounds as field fortifications. The report also reminds that Russians have destroyed important cultural monuments in the temporarily occupied Crimea since 2014.

Thus, the Russians are trying to deprive Ukrainians of their historical and cultural heritage. Also, such messages feed the Russian narrative about the inferiority of Ukrainians. And the words of Zakharova are an example of the substitution of concepts: they say they destroy and devalue Russian culture, and not Ukrainian. Earlier, propagandists said that Ukraine was striking at its own cultural heritage, and the Kyiv totalitarian regime was waging a cultural war against Russia.

Message Olena Zelenska’s statements about victims of sexual violence by Russians are nonsense

Propagandists scoff at the statements made by the wife of the President of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, regarding victims of sexual violence by the Russian army as part of the war against Ukraine. They say that the data that she announced on March 4 at the United for Justice international forum, which was attended by lawyers from all over the world, are not true, and the very topic of sexual violence against women, children and men in war conditions is not of great importance.

In fact, the problem of sexual violence in war is becoming a “gambling” character. The Russian military perceives rape as revenge, and the victims of sexual violence and their suffering as a reward and trophy. Although it refers to women, there are also men among the victims of rape by the Russian military. Olena Zelenska said Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating 171 cases of sexual assault by the Russian military. 39 men and 13 minors are among the victims. In this case, we are talking only about those persons who dared to tell law enforcement officers about the rape. On the other hand, the number of victims may be even higher due to the fact that the topic of sexual violence in Ukraine still has its “taboos” in society.

By mocking the words of Zelenska, propagandists are trying to devalue the dignity of Ukrainians. Like, Ukraine is already known only for its prostitutes. Russian propaganda is stamping Ukrainians with sexual violence. This serves as repeated evidence of a lack of understanding of the rules of warfare. Detector Media has already investigated how propagandists mock Ukrainian women, speculating on stereotypes as part of gender disinformation.

Message Russophobia “blurred the eyes of the Poles”

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Polish media is “hiding the truth”: they do not tell that “the United States is inciting discord between Ukraine and Russia” and are doing everything to hide “the real peacekeeping actions of Russia”. Like, all this is a consequence of russophobia, which the Poles feel towards the Russians.

Analysts of The Insider project investigated this case and determined that the material of the Mysl Polska publication became the basis for creating this message. This is a propaganda publication that spreads fakes and manipulations about the Russian-Ukrainian war. Consequently, the materials of the publication do not accurately indicate the position of the country in relation to the Russian-Ukrainian war. Analysts explain that in August 2022, Slovak, Czech and Polish investigators discovered that the Polish newspaper Mysl Polska was supplying content for one of the Russian propaganda editions, NewsFront. More than 7 percent of all content published on NewsFront is reprinted from Mysl Polska.

At the same time, propagandists calling the actions of other countries against Russia “russophobia” imply an allegedly groundless phenomenon, which consists in hatred for everything Russian: from products to culture. However, the so-called russophobia is a response to the actions of the Russian army, leadership and people. The Russians bear collective responsibility for the aggression against Ukraine, which they supported either with appropriate statements or silence. World condemnation and sanctions against the aggressor are the consequences of Russia's criminal actions, and not just “a manifestation of hatred for Russians as a people”, as Moscow is trying to convince everyone. Russian propaganda also wants to convince that “hatred of the Russians” blurred the eyes of many Europeans, thus trying to whiten themselves and become a victim, not an aggressor.

Message Europe launches campaign to fight proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that in Europe, in particular in Spain, they are afraid of “possible nuclear threats from Ukraine”. That is why, according to the authors, the leadership of Spain is introducing a campaign to fight the spread of weapons of mass destruction in order to protect itself from “provocations of Ukraine”.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to this case and found that this is another conspiracy theory of Russian propaganda that has no evidence. Probably, as analysts explain, the basis of this conspiracy thesis was the Spanish national security meeting held in February. The meeting adopted a draft national strategy to fight the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Both the meeting and the draft document had nothing to do with Ukraine, since only national security measures were discussed. Moreover, there were no statements from Spanish officials regarding the so-called “protection from Ukraine”.

By spreading this message, propagandists want to convince that Ukraine is an aggressor and that it carries out so-called provocations and terrorizes Europeans. Thus, the authors of messages use the tactics of reflection, attributing their actions to opponents. Because intimidation and “nuclear blackmail” is one of the ways Russian propaganda achieves its goals.

We recall that earlier Detector Media also denied a fake, which claimed that radioactive substances were allegedly brought to Ukraine to prepare provocations against Russia.

Message The United States plans to hold peace talks with Russia, since it is America that is waging war side by side with Ukraine against Russia

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the US plans to hold talks with Russia in order to “somehow agree to achieve peace”. The authors note that the United States is allegedly at war with Ukraine against Russia, and then America will independently make decisions on negotiations with Russia.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to this case and determined that this thesis is unfounded and has no evidence. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial assistance and does not take a direct part in the war. In addition, Western partners act on the principle of not discussing issues related to Ukraine without Ukraine. That is, Ukraine is also a participant in all international processes, no one can make decisions on behalf of Ukraine without the knowledge of the Ukrainian leadership.

According to analysts, there are no significant differences between the United States and Europe in the position on Russia's war against Ukraine. In the conclusions of the Council of the European Union of February 9, 2023, it was unequivocally noted that the EU will support Ukraine for as long as necessary. Western countries, including the United States, are determined to help Ukraine in its victory.

By spreading such a message, propagandists want to convince that Ukraine is supposedly a puppet in the hands of the West, which acts in its own interests and does not take Ukrainians into account. At the same time, Russian propaganda promotes the thesis of a truce as the only way to end the war, so that Russia in the international arena will be considered and tried to “somehow negotiate”.

Message Ukraine unleashed a war without rules

Russian and pro-Russian telegram channels began to circulate Ramzan Kadyrov's quotes that the “diabolical regime of Ukraine” is fighting against the “defenseless”, so this can be considered a “war without rules”. Kadyrov's statements are linked to reports of an alleged “Ukrainian reconnaissance sabotage group” (DRG) that allegedly attacked two villages in the Briansk region, took Russian civilians hostage and fired on a car.

Versions of the event in the Briansk region were specified several times both in terms of the number of victims, and the location of the so-called DRG (reconnaissance sabotage group), and the purpose of their stay in Russia. Despite this, the Russians immediately, without clarifying the circumstances, took advantage of the situation and accused Ukraine of terrorism. Like, the Ukrainian military commits crimes against peaceful Russians. The Ukrainian authorities called these statements a provocation and denied Ukraine's involvement in the events in the Briansk region. In the end, representatives of the “Russian volunteer corps” took responsibility and called the events an attempt to show that there are also free people in Russia who are ready to fight against the Putin regime.

Thus, Russia uses the tactics of reflection and shifts the responsibility for anything to Ukraine. Like, Russia does not attack first, but “strike back”. In fact, Russia is an aggressor state that started a war against Ukraine and commits war crimes on the territory of Ukraine, including against children.

Message Ukraine draws Moldova into the war

Reports are circulating on pro-Russian telegram channels that Ukrainians are building defensive structures on the border with Russian-occupied Transnistria. They say that Ukraine is justifying itself by strengthening its own security, but ‘in fact” it is preparing provocations to draw Moldova into the war.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads messages that Ukraine is going to draw neighboring states into the war, including Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary or Belarus. The propagandists also wrote that in one way or another Ukraine was involving the USA, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Slovakia, Serbia, etc. into the war. Propaganda claimed that military personnel of NATO countries or representatives of the OSCE are fighting in Ukraine. Thus, Russia uses the tactics of substitution of concepts in order to present itself as a victim of global aggression, and not as an aggressor state.

Russia launched a new wave of disinformation messages about drawing Moldova into the war after Russian missiles violated Moldovan airspace. Thus, Russia is trying to be proactive and absolve itself of responsibility for war crimes. Like, Ukraine provokes other states and draws them into the war, not Russia. The Russians recently shared a “document” allegedly confirming that Ukraine was preparing to attack Transnistria.

Message US recruits Syrians for terrorist attacks in Russia

Pro-Russian publications tell foreign audiences that the US is actively recruiting jihadists from ISIS and al-Qaeda to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia and other countries that were part of the USSR. “Recruitment” and “training” takes place at the Al-Tanf military base in Syria, mainly among militants from the Caucasus and Central Asia. They seem to be studying how to make and use improvised explosive devices, as well as explosive methods. Like, the US security forces are demoralized, and therefore obsessed with the idea of bleeding Russia in any way, even using terrorists.

EU vs Disinfo analysts drew attention to the spread of the message. They note that this is an unfounded claim, there is no evidence of the training of militants. In addition, the US is leading the global coalition to defeat ISIS and other international counter-terrorist initiatives.

Thus, Russian propaganda uses intimidation tactics and fuels narratives about the US as an enemy of Russia. Earlier, Russian propaganda wrote that a group of radical Islamists went from northeast Syria to Ukraine to fight as mercenaries on the side of Kyiv.

Message The West does not allow the Ukrainian military to use its equipment as “foreign mercenaries” are engaged in this

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on Telegram broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that all operators of foreign weapons, such as the Challenger 2 tanks or the AS90 artillery mount, are “foreign mercenaries”. They say that Western countries do not trust Ukrainians and entrust their equipment on the battlefield only to foreigners. The authors of the reports note that the Ukrainian army is only engaged in “protecting equipment” and in some cases, according to them, “foreigners allow Ukrainians to steer”.

Such a thesis is unfounded, because the Ukrainian military use foreign weapons on their own. For example, recently a group of Ukrainian military arrived in the UK to train to use the AS90 self-propelled artillery mount. Earlier, the British government announced that it would transfer Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine for use. This indicates that the Ukrainian army and Ukrainians in particular are entrusted with the use of weapons. This is not the only case when the Ukrainian army is sent for training and taught to use foreign weapons.

As for the so-called “foreign mercenaries”, Russian propaganda replaces the concept and calls the foreign legion mercenaries. The Foreign Legion is legally part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the exact number of its members is not reported, like all other fighters. In theory, both the Ukrainian military and members of the foreign legion can use weapons. The ban does not apply to Ukrainians or the foreign legion, since they are all part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Accordingly, foreign countries, sending their weapons for use to Ukraine, give the Armed Forces of Ukraine the right to operate them.

Russian propaganda has repeatedly spread manipulations about so-called foreign mercenaries in Ukraine. The propagandists claimed that the military from the EU countries fought on the territory of Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion, or the number of foreigners in the Ukrainian army would soon exceed 50%. Thus, propaganda wants to create an appearance that is actually at war not with Ukraine, but with the so-called collective West.

Message West wants to draw Belarus into a war with Ukraine

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that the West is provoking Belarus to war. Like, the leaders of Western countries have a clear secret plan, recently revealed by Russian intelligence. At the same time, the authors of the messages add that Russia has never involved Belarus in the war, because they are sister countries.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project drew attention to the case and determined that the Western countries have no “secret: plans, since the leaders of the countries are not at all interested in the escalation of the war. Analysts are sure that this is a hoax and another conspiracy theory of Russian propaganda. In the conditions of the Russian aggressive war against Ukraine, European countries are forced to strengthen their borders, build up the defense capability of their armies in order to resist any external aggression. Therefore, the security of Ukraine means the security of the countries of Europe.

At the same time, Russia is trying to convince that Belarus is not an accomplice to the war, although it is not. Belarus serves as a springboard for Russian troops, missiles and aircraft both before and after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The American Institute for the Study of War says that Russia is trying to “put pressure on Belarus so that it officially supports Russia in the war”. That is, Russia is the aggressor, but by no means the countries of the West. Moreover, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Lukashenko, acknowledged the participation of Belarus in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Propagandists systematically discredit the West and other international partners of Ukraine and accuse them of resolving and prolonging the war. Like, the West wants the escalation of the war, while Russia is defending itself. Thus, propagandists use the tactics of reflection, attributing their actions to opponents.

Message Russian economy successfully resists Western sanctions

This message is being promoted in pro-Russian telegram channels. Like, despite the pessimistic forecasts, the Russian economy is successfully resisting all the blows of the West. Allegedly, Russia's GDP decreased by only 2.1%, although experts predicted the collapse of the economy.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, today Russia is the most sanctioned country in the world, and now it is sanctions that are the most effective tool of influence on the aggressor country by the civilized world community. According to experts, the Russian economy has so far survived thanks to high energy prices and a tough economic policy. However, the cumulative effect of sanctions will soon become fatal for the Russian economy.

The narrative that sanctions do not harm Russia is one of the most common Russian propaganda narratives. Propagandists systematically spread messages that Russia is a serious economic player and that sanctions against Russia are useless. This time, the message is being shared against the backdrop of the tenth round of EU sanctions against Russia. By spreading such messages, Russia is trying to devalue the sanctions. Like, they are not effective, so they should be canceled. In fact, if the sanctions were inactive, Russia would not have to make so much effort to cancel them.

Read more about the most common narratives and messages of Russian propaganda in Eastern Europe in the Detector Media investigation.

Message No safe places left in Donbas

Such a message is spreading in pro-Russian telegram channels in the context of the announcement of a new military aid package from the United States. They say that after the Ukrainian army receives GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) precision bombs with a range of more than 150 kilometers, there will be no “safe” areas in the temporarily occupied territories.

In fact, for Ukrainians, the danger is Russia and the Russian army, which occupied part of Ukraine. After the start of a full-scale invasion, the entire territory of Ukraine is only relatively safe, because Russia can launch missile strikes at any time in any area. The shelling was carried out on residential buildings and critical infrastructure facilities, which are a war crime. The Ukrainian military is using precision weapons to destroy Russian warehouses and against the Russian army, not against Ukrainian civilians living in the temporarily occupied territories.

By spreading such messages, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian army, military assistance from partners and nourish the narrative that “Ukraine has bombed Donbas for 9 years”. Russian propaganda also meekly resorts to dividing Ukrainians according to their place of residence.

Message War in Ukraine escalates into World War III

Such a message is spread by pro-Russian telegram channels. Like, Ukraine and Russia are attracting support: Biden is leaving for Kyiv, and Xi Jinping is going to Moscow.

However, this message is built on manipulation. Joe Biden did visit Kyiv, but the visit of the Chinese leader to Moscow is still scheduled for the coming months. Despite the unprecedented military assistance Ukraine has received since the start of the full-scale invasion, Western partners have repeatedly said that their military does not and will not fight in Ukraine. Reports of Xi Jinping's possible visit to Moscow also speak of a more active Chinese role in ending the war.

The message about the beginning of the Third World War is not new, it was promoted at the beginning of a full-scale invasion. Also recently, an edited video from a speech by Joe Biden was distributed on the network, in which he allegedly confirms the beginning of the Third World War. Thus, Russian propaganda uses intimidation tactics. Also, this message is used to explain the duration and failures of the so-called “special military operation” - they say, Russia is at war not only with Ukraine, but also with the “collective West”.

Message Europe and the United States are pulling Ukraine to the “bottom of spirituality”

For a long time, Kremlin publications have been spreading the message that the “collective West” is mired in its own lack of spirituality and attracts Ukraine. As “evidence” propagandists come up with different stories, such as, for example, the legalization of pedophilia and bestiality in Spain. They also take decisions and ideas out of context, as if the Church of England had decided on a gender-neutral definition of God. The message was repeated by Russian President Volodymyr Putin in his annual federal address. In particular, he stated that “only a man and a woman can be a family”, “moral degradation” does not exist in Russia, and that one of the reasons for the war against Ukraine is “protection of world morality”.

Such reports are obviously speculation, since the concept of spirituality is subjective, but the problem of discrimination on any grounds, including sexual and gender identity, is not. If to talk about fakes on pedophilia and bestiality, in this case we are talking about the recently adopted package of progressive laws in Spain. In particular, they ensure women's rights to go on paid “menstrual leave” and remove a number of restrictions on abortion. However, these laws do not cover bestiality or pedophilia. In the story of a gender-neutral definition of God, the main institutions of the Anglican church have only announced their desire to address this issue this spring. In addition, the appeals of Europe and the United States in this context are only advisory in nature, and the government of Ukraine has the final say on whether to implement them or not.

In such a way, Russia is again turning to the point of humiliation and ridicule of representatives of the LGBT community. Moreover, such a method of propaganda renews its true aggression against Ukraine. However, it shows that if one analyzes the statistics on the level of sexual violence in the countries of the EU and Russia, Russia itself is in a worse condition. Detector Media has previously explained why the topic of Russian disinformation is important for representatives of LGBT communities.

Message The West created Ukraine as “anti-Russia” in the 19th century

Kremlin publications spread the message that Ukraine and its statehood are in fact an artificially created project of the “collective West”, which has the informal name “Anti-Russia”. This message was echoed by Russian President Volodymyr Putin in his annual federal address. In particular, he stated that the so-called “anti-Russia” was created in Austria in the 19th century and that Russia is fighting precisely against this “anti-Russia”, since the Ukrainian people are “occupied by the West”, especially the United States. Earlier, the President of Russia said that Ukraine was artificially created in Austria-Hungary or other Western countries.

Journalists of the Ukrainian news service BBC drew attention to this message. They note that there is a number of historical evidence that refutes the above claims.

Thus, Russia again wants to shift the responsibility for its crimes to the victim. In addition, this is how the propagandists want to justify their aggression against Ukraine: because of the fight against the “external enemy”. It seems that Ukraine does not matter, because it is “controlled” from the outside. Detector Media has previously explained how Russia devalues Ukrainian statehood with the phrase “Kyiv regime”.

Message Moldova provokes Russia to aggravate relations with the “collective West”

Russian media are spreading the message that Ukrainian President Zelenskyi and Moldovan President Sandu have conspired to escalate the situation in Transnistria. Propagandists claim that it is they who are trying to provoke Tiraspol to aggression, and it is for this that Maia Sandu wants Moldova to join NATO. In addition, the Russian media are convinced that the ex-Prime Minister of Moldova was replaced precisely at the direction of the US State Department and Zelenskyi.

Analysts of the EUvsDisInfo project drew attention to the message. They note that the pro-Kremlin media continue to perceive Moldova as part of the sphere of Russian influence. With this in mind, they are spreading narratives that criticize the current pro-Western government of Moldova. In particular, Russia accuses the Moldovan government of ending the dialogue with Russia on the discount on gas supplies, as well as supporting Ukraine. Last July, President Sanda announced her intentions to strengthen Moldova's combat capability while maintaining neutrality.

Thus, the Russian propaganda wants to destabilize the situation in Moldova in order to use it to escalate the situation in Transnistria. Also, because of such messages, propagandists want to convince Ukrainians that even the closest allies have turned their backs on Ukraine, but reality proves the opposite.

Message To manipulate and intimidate their partners, Ukrainian leadership turns on air raid alerts

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that during the visits of foreign officials, air raid sirens are activated by order of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Like, this will convince partners to supply weapons to Ukraine, because this is a frightening experience. The authors of the reports cite an example when on February 16, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. The authors claim that Ukraine specifically turned on the air raid alert in Kyiv then. The publication also adds a photo of both ministers and the inscription: “The head of the Israeli Foreign Ministry could not be persuaded to supply weapons even after the air raid sirens were turned on”.

This thesis has no confirmation, since the air raid signal is activated with each new threat to the airspace of Ukraine. On February 16, according to the alert map, 70 air raid signals were announced throughout Ukraine, two in Kyiv including. The Ukrainian leadership does not turn on the air raid alert intentionally. The whole process of turning on a signal does not depend on only one person, but is carried out by a number of specialists.

Propagandists spread this message to create the appearance that Ukraine is doing everything possible to beg for weapons from Western partners. Like, the Ukrainian government resorts to deception and “tricks”.

We recall that Detector Media has already explained the message in which Zelenskyi allegedly does not turn on the air raid sirens so as not to frighten the Ukrainians.

Message Ukraine seeks to destroy ethnic Hungarians, therefore recruits them into the army en masse

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that Ukraine is allegedly engaged in ethnic cleansing of Hungarians in Transcarpathia, that is, genocide. They say that Ukraine sends ethnic Hungarians to the front, and does not “touch” others. The authors of the messages add that, at the same time, the Ukrainian leadership wants to get rid of ethnic Hungarians in the territory of Transcarpathia to the detriment of Hungary.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project investigated this case and found that no facts confirm that representatives of national minorities in Ukraine, in particular Hungarians, are disproportionately called up to the Ukrainian army. A citizen of Ukraine liable for military service can carry it out on an equal basis with everyone, regardless of whether such a person belongs to the category of national minorities or not. In addition, the Hungarian authorities did not make any official statements about the so-called genocide of the Hungarians in Transcarpathia or “ethnic cleansing”.

This message is beneficial for propaganda, as the authors want to nourish the narrative that Ukraine itself is allegedly engaged in genocide. Thus, propagandists want to hide their own war crimes, the murder and genocide of Ukrainians, and at the same time whitewash themselves.

"Detector Media" previously denied the fake that Russia would transfer the alleged Transcarpathian prisoners of war to Hungary in order to achieve justice.