There were reports on social networks about a knife attack in Krakow, as well as speculation that the attacker was allegedly Ukrainian. This information was quickly picked up by propagandists, but it is not true.

Polish fact-checkers from Demagog drew attention to it. They found out that on June 27, a recording was published on Facebook showing two men in a fight, one of whom was holding a knife.

The incident occurred when a cyclist hit a dog. After an argument with the animal's owner, the cyclist stabbed him several times and fled. The police quickly identified the criminal who had barricaded himself in his house. Thanks to the actions of negotiators and counter-terrorists, the attacker was detained while trying to escape through a window. The perpetrator turned out to be a 24-year-old resident of Krakow, previously known to the police.

To find out the nationality of the criminal, fact-checkers contacted the Voivodeship Police Commandant's Office in Krakow. Speaker-sub-inspector Katarzyna Czyslo denied the information that the attacker was Ukrainian:

“From the materials we have, it is clear that the perpetrator is of Polish nationality”.

They remind that in the case of sensational reports of attacks, special attention should be paid to the reliability of such information. Propagandists seize on such information to discredit Ukrainian refugees and create skepticism towards them.

The telegram channels of the occupation authorities are filled with messages about improvements in the TOT: repair of water pipelines and roads, drilling of new wells, infrastructure development. The Zaporizhzhia Investigation Center found out what really lies behind this news and how local residents react to it.

Manipulation No. 1. Restoration of roads in Zaporizhzhia region

The occupation authorities claim that since the beginning of the year, 106 kilometers of roads have allegedly been restored in the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region. The so-called governor Balytskyi claims that special attention is paid to settlements where roads “have not been repaired for decades”. According to the plan for this year, asphalt should be replaced and laid on 265 km of roads.

However, comments from TOT residents on these channels indicate that the real situation is different. Verification of this information is complicated by the lack of access to official Russian data and possible falsification, so one has to rely on reports and comments from local residents. They note that the roads after the so-called repairs leave much to be desired.

Manipulation No. 2. Half a billion rubles for the Kuibyshev district

Each TOT district has “chiefs” - regions or territories of the Russian Federation who finance the restoration of occupied territories. The head of Mari El, the patronage region of the former Bilmatskyi district, said that by 2028 he will allocate half a billion rubles. This year, 138 million rubles have been allocated for the social sphere and utilities.

Checking the information shows that repairs are carried out quickly and without complying with standards. It is likely that we are also talking about money laundering.

Manipulation No. 3. Observation platform in Berdiansk

The reconstruction of the observation deck in Berdiansk is a long-standing promise of the occupiers. In April 2024, the occupation authorities announced the start of preparatory work. 105 million rubles were allocated. However, residents of Berdiansk did not understand who voted for the project. Even Ukraine’s opponents admit that its benefits are questionable.

The occupiers promise to complete the project by the end of 2024, but the site still looks like a wasteland.

The editor of the Locator.Media website, Oleksandr Pylypenko, explained that regional chefs send their contractors, through whom the money is immediately returned to the Russian Federation. Critical work is done superficially or not done at all.

Russian propaganda is trying to create the illusion of an improvement in life on the TOT, talking about new projects and renovations in order to justify its aggression against Ukraine. However, TOT residents are skeptical about such improvements. Work in sponsored territories is carried out by contractors from the Russian Federation, and the money is returned to Russia, which leads to insufficient or non-fulfillment of planned work.

Propagandists are distributing a video of the attack on Kharkiv on June 22, 2024 in anonymous telegram channels, claiming that the footage allegedly shows a French AASM HAMMER bomb, and not a Russian aerial bomb. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. They recalled that on June 22, 2024, Russian troops carried out four air strikes on Kharkiv. One of the hits was in a residential building near the Levada railway station. According to preliminary data, the shelling was carried out from the village of Stroitel, Belgorod Region, using Su-34 and UMPB D-30 aerial bombs.

The video shows a building with a partially spherical shape, where the projectile arrives from behind the car. Maps show that the projectile arrived from the north, where the border with the Russian Federation lies.

When comparing the AASM HAMMER and the projectile in the video, it is clear that they have a different tail and nose, as well as a different shape. The AASM HAMMER has four small wings at the front and rear, placed symmetrically, while the video only shows wings at the tail.

The head of the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office, Oleksandr Filchakov, claims that Kharkiv was shelled by a UMPB D-30 bomb. This is confirmed by the head of the investigation department of the Kharkiv region police, Serhii Bolvinov, and the head of the Kharkiv LLC, Oleh Syniehubov. UMPB D-30 is also different from the bomb in the video, which could be one of the modifications of the FAB-500, but definitely not the French AASM HAMMER.

Propagandists disseminate such information to deflect responsibility from Russia for its crimes and onto Ukraine's allies.