Russian propaganda sources are spreading a fake video allegedly from UNITED 24, claiming that women in Kyiv protested demanding the cancellation of priority exchange lists for fighters from “nationalist battalions”, which are keeping other servicemen in captivity longer. The video also includes footage of MP Oleksandr Kunytskyi, who allegedly advised women to “return to their women’s affairs” and raise children, and to “leave the decision on the exchange to the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.

However, UNITED 24 did not publish such a video, and Oleksandr Kunytskyi did not make such statements. Once again, propagandists created a fake video to spread Russian narratives by using authoritative sources.

Russian propaganda systematically uses disinformation aimed at manipulating public opinion and accusing Ukraine, for example, of disrupting or delaying negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war. In addition, it discredits representatives of the Ukrainian government in order to undermine trust in the political elite among Ukrainians and create unstable socio-political sentiments.

Russian propaganda sources are spreading manipulative information about the alleged forced return of Ukrainian refugees in Germany to Ukraine for recruitment into the defense sector. This was allegedly stated by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the German publication Welt. Presidential Advisor for Strategic Affairs Oleksandr Kamyshin emphasized that Germany and Ukraine have already concluded such agreements.

However, the information was manipulated, and this is reported in VoxCheck. Welt did indeed publish a news item with the headline “Prime Minister wants to return Ukrainian refugees”. Denys Shmyhal was quoted in it as saying that he had discussed the technical details of the return of Ukrainians with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a visit to Berlin. “We agreed with the German side and our new Minister of National Unity to work together and find a solution on how we can return all Ukrainians as quickly as possible”, the Prime Minister said. However, there was no mention of the forced return of Ukrainian refugees.

The spread of fakes about the deportation of Ukrainians from EU countries is part of a disinformation campaign by Russian propaganda. The European Union is consolidated in its position that they do not deport anyone against their will. According to EU law, all Ukrainians who arrived in the region after the start of a full-scale invasion fall under the Temporary Protection Directive.

Russian propaganda sources are spreading manipulative information that since the start of the full-scale invasion, “Polish transplantologists are breaking records” allegedly due to the use of organs from killed Ukrainian soldiers.

“2024 was a record year for Polish transplantology. 2,197 organs were transplanted, which is a historic result on a national scale”, the propagandists write.

However, the information was manipulated, and this is reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation. Propagandists deliberately link the statistics of the increase in the number of organ transplants in Poland with the beginning of a full-scale invasion. Thus, they confirm the theory of “black transplantology”, according to which the bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers from the front line are sent to Poland for “selling organs”.

Black transplantology in Ukraine is a conspiracy theory that the Russians have been developing for decades. The constant return to the topic indicates its importance for Russia. These messages are promoted to both domestic and international audiences. However, their refutation in foreign and Ukrainian media prevents the campaign from having the desired impact for the propagandists. Among the goals pursued by Russian propaganda within the framework of this topic are discrediting the military-political leadership of Ukraine and reducing trust in it, creating a negative image of the state in the eyes of the international community, and justifying Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian propaganda sources are spreading information that draft law No. 10449 on mobilization measures and military training allegedly allows for the possibility of lowering the mobilization age to 18 years.

“18-year-old Ukrainians who have completed basic military training or military service will automatically become eligible for military service and can be sent to the front”, the propagandists write.

However, this is a fake. In April 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted amendments to draft law No. 10449 on mobilization measures and military training. This provides that starting in 2025, Ukrainian universities will introduce mandatory basic military training for men aged 18 to 25. However, there is no mention of lowering the mobilization age.

Previously, Russian propaganda spread messages about “socially unjust mobilization”; the intentions of the Ukrainian authorities to fight until “the last Ukrainian” and the “absence” of a future in the country. For Ukrainians, the topic of involving persons who are not subject to mandatory mobilization is debatable, and just one mention of lowering the mobilization age provokes significant social discourse. But propagandists do not miss the opportunity to incite hostility within the country and sow hatred towards the Ukrainian legislative authority, in particular, by creating such infomercials.

Russian propaganda sources are spreading a fake video by the American online publication Wall Street Journal that claims that Ukrainian soldiers from “nationalist battalions” are receiving medical care at the frontline, as WSJ journalist Ben Solomon allegedly reported.

“Hundreds of ordinary soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are dying on the battlefield because of this unspoken rule”, they write in the video.

However, this information is not true, as reported by VoxCheck. The Wall Street Journal did not publish such a video, and Ben Solomon did not make similar statements. That is, Russian propagandists created another fake video with a link to a well-known reliable media outlet to promote narratives aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian army.

Thus, Russian propaganda speculates on the topic of the unprofessionalism of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the contemptuous attitude of the Ukrainian command towards soldiers in order to undermine the trust of Ukrainians in the army. In addition, propagandists demonize the term “nationalism” in the context of choosing a conscious path for Ukrainian society. First of all, in order to split the population of Ukraine into camps of “their own” and “alien”.

Russian sources are spreading Putin's statement that there are as many Ukrainians living in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia as there are in Ukraine.

“There are already as many Ukrainians living in Russia as in Ukraine, and perhaps more. We are happy for them, they are people of our culture, part of our people”, he said.

However, this is a fake, and this is reported by VoxCheck. Among all the data from Russian sources, the largest total number of Ukrainians in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories is 12 million people. However, this statistic is questionable, and representatives of the Russian non-governmental organization Civil Assistance indicated that this number may be overestimated. According to Ukrainian data, about 30 million Ukrainians live in the territories controlled by Ukraine. At the same time, it is impossible to calculate accurate data in war conditions. A comparison of the available, albeit inaccurate, data proves that the total number of Ukrainians in Russia is significantly smaller than in Ukraine.

A common thesis of Russian propaganda is that refugees from Ukraine are better off in Russia. Thus, Russian propaganda promotes the message, for example, about the exploitation of Ukrainians as cheap labor in Europe. This tactic is beneficial to propagandists, as it is aimed at justifying Russia's criminal actions. However, they do not note that Ukrainian refugees find themselves on Russian territory not of their own free will, but because of Russia's own armed aggression against Ukraine.