Spilnota Detector Media
Detector Media collects and documents real-time chronicles of the Kremlin disinformation about the Russian invasion. Ukraine for decades has been suffering from Kremlin disinformation. Here we document all narratives, messages, and tactics, which Russia is using from February 17th, 2022. Reminder: the increasing of shelling and fighting by militants happened on the 17th of February 2022 on the territory of Ukraine. Russian propaganda blames Ukraine for these actions.

On 21 September, on the 940th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2399
Fake
732
Manipulation
714
Message
509
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Fake In Kharkiv, a military registration and enlistment office was deliberately set on fire

A video allegedly of fires in the “military registration and enlistment office” of the Shevchenko district of Kharkiv is being distributed on social networks. They say that Kharkiv “military personnel” cannot withstand the “hot” mobilization campaign. The reports note that allegedly the building was deliberately set on fire by “partisans”. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Kharkiv anti-corruption center managed to identify the video from social networks. The results of the check indicate that this is a video of a fire in Moscow back in 2014. Then the house where the builders lived burned down. That is, this video has nothing to do with either Kharkiv or the Territorial recruitment and social support centers (former military enlistment offices).

Russian propaganda deliberately spreads fakes and manipulates the topic of mobilization in Ukraine. Thus, they put emotional pressure on Ukrainians. Previously, propagandists claimed that the Territorial recruitment centers were illegal structures, so handing draft notices by them was also illegal.

Message Ukrainians are deprived of reasons for pride and sense of victory

Pro-Russian telegram channels write about this in the context of developing a bill to abolish March 8, May day and Victory day. In the messages, propagandists appeal to Soviet approaches to celebrating Victory day and claim that the cancellation of the holiday allegedly deprives Ukrainians of reasons for pride and the feeling of a victorious people.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is indeed considering a proposal to create three new holidays instead. In Ukraine, since 2015, as in European countries, the end of World War II has been celebrated with the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation (May 8). This is a day of mourning and memory of tens of millions of victims. The Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation does not cancel the historical significance of the events of the Second World War, but shifts the focus to the memory of the price - the lives of millions of people.

Russian propaganda is trying to discredit any attempts by Ukraine to separate its cultural space from Russian and resort to messages about “common history”, “brotherhood”, etc. Previously, propaganda wrote that the “Kyiv totalitarian regime” was waging a cultural war against Russia.

Manipulation Moldova is a “black market” for the Ukrainian military organ sales

Messages are being spread on telegram channels that allegedly the Prime Minister of Moldova, Nataliia Havrylytsia, admitted that weapons and donor organs are smuggled into Moldova from Ukraine. Like, Moldova has become a real black market for selling the organs of wounded soldiers. Reports claim that on October 20, 2022 a law was passed allowing organ transplants in private clinics in Moldova. After that, the number of wounded Ukrainian soldiers allegedly increased, who are allegedly taken to Moldova for treatment, and instead are used as donors. This is manipulation.

Propagandists have been manipulating themes of organ trafficking and arms smuggling since the start of the full-scale invasion. However, not once did they provide evidence of these crimes. The Prime Minister of Moldova did not say that donor organs of the Ukrainian military get from Ukraine to Moldova. Nataliia Havrylytsia noted that the country needs additional support from the EU to combat the increase in cases of human and arms trafficking from Ukraine. In particular, in July 2022, the EU created the Support Center for Internal Security and Border Control in Moldova. It deals with combating the trade in firearms and people. Forced transplantation, which propagandists talk about, is only one of the components of the concept of “human trafficking”, as well as recruitment, transportation, sale, involvement in criminal activities, forced labor, etc. So the problem is much broader.

According to VoxCheck, the Ukrainian military is sent for rehabilitation to the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Germany, Italy, Romania, the USA and Israel. There is no official information about treatment in Moldova. Reports of “black transplantology” in the Ukrainian army have also been repeatedly refuted.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit international support for Ukraine and worsen partnerships between Ukraine and other states. Earlier, propagandists spread messages that in Poland a refugee from Ukraine was sold for organs, and in Donbas, wounded Ukrainian soldiers and locals with pro-Russian views became victims of black transplants.

Fake The Germans ask the Ukrainian military not to use Nazi symbols

The telegram channels are distributing a photo of the stand, where they allegedly posted announcements for Ukrainian military personnel studying in Germany from the German Ministry of Defense. It states that in Germany, displaying a Nazi swastika or other symbols associated with fascism is punishable by up to three years in prison or a heavy fine. The comments say that this “memo” was allegedly hung on the building of the Bundeswehr to warn the Ukrainian military. In other reports, they specify that they are talking about Ukrainian tankers who went to take possession of German tanks. These messages entered the Ukrainian information space through pro-Russian and occupation telegram channels. It's fake.

According to Ukrinform, the German special training command denied the existence of such an announcement. In addition, reports say that an announcement for Ukrainians is hanging on the building of the Bundeswehr. Its offices are in Berlin, Bonn and Potsdam. At the same time, Ukrainian tankers are being trained at the School of tank troops in Münster. That is, the nearest building of the Bundeswehr is more than 300 kilometers away.

Propagandists systematically spread fakes and manipulations that nourish the narrative of Nazism in Ukraine. Earlier it was said that in Kyiv volunteers were openly recruited into the Nazi brigades, and the Ukrainian military was awarded “Nazi” awards. Propagandists also claimed that the military uses Nazi symbols on uniforms and equipment. Thus, the propagandists are trying to identify the Ukrainians with the crimes of the Nazis and use the tactics of dividing the Ukrainians.

Fake In Ukraine, wheelchairs are advertised as a way to avoid mobilization

Information is spreading on social networks that a Ukrainian medical equipment store allegedly advertises wheelchairs as an opportunity to avoid mobilization. On the screenshot of the “advertisement”, the inscription is visible: “If you are in a wheelchair, no one will hand you a draft notice! Zelenskyi doesn’t get another 200”. Also, one can see a crossed-out photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. It's fake.

The ad image was intentionally edited in a photo editor. The chain of stores of medical equipment, orthopedic products and health products Med-magazin.ua noted on its Facebook page that it had never used such content to advertise the store. In addition, the company noticed that the fake image was mainly distributed in Russian groups. StopFake's fact-checkers made sure that the chain of stores had never really created such advertising campaigns on social networks. The store now has four active advertising campaigns, but none of them is about “the ability to avoid mobilization”.

Russian propaganda systematically manipulates the topic of mobilization. They say that women, children and even dogs are forcibly mobilized in Ukraine, and the hunt for men continues. Thus, propagandists are trying to form a negative attitude of Ukrainians towards military service and discredit the Ukrainian army.

Manipulation Polish Defense Minister believes that Polish “mercenaries” in Ukraine are not a problem

Such messages are distributed in pro-Russian telegram channels. Like, on the air of Polish television, Mariusz Blashchak was asked how many Polish “mercenaries” are fighting in Ukraine, despite the criminal liability for hiring. It seems that he answered this question that this is not a big figure and this is not a problem. This is manipulation.

In fact, Mariusz Blaszczak was asked about the Polish military who are fighting in Ukraine. There was no mention of criminal liability either in the question or in the answer. The Polish minister said that a small number of Poles are fighting in Ukraine, and the opposition artificially exaggerates the problem.

Russian propaganda took Blashak's words out of context and deliberately uses the term “mercenaries”. Under Polish law, Poles must obtain the consent of the Polish Ministry of Defense to serve in a foreign army. That is, those who have received this permission sign a contract and fight in the ranks of the Ukrainian army. Otherwise, the Poles are fighting as volunteers, that is, they do not receive financial rewards from Ukraine, which means they are not mercenaries. Poland is considering the possibility of amending the legislation in order to regulate the issues of volunteers fighting in Ukraine.

Propagandists constantly spread disinformation about the participation of the Poles in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Previously, they claimed that in Poland it was open to recruit Ukrainian tank troops. It was also said that Polish professional soldiers were dying in Ukraine, and a special cemetery had allegedly been created for them.

Orest Slyvenko, Artur Koldomasov, Vitalii Mykhailiv, Oleksandra Kotenko, Oleksandr Siedin, Kostiantyn Zadyraka, and Oleksiy Pivtorak are collaborating on this chronicle. Lesia Bidochko serves as the project coordinator, while Ksenia Ilyuk is the author of the project.