Spilnota Detector Media
Detector Media collects and documents real-time chronicles of the Kremlin propaganda about the Russian invasion. Ukraine for decades has been suffering from Kremlin propaganda. 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 24 June, on the 1216th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:

2732
Fake
816
Manipulation
774
Message
559
Disclosure
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Message Sanctions imposed on Russia will not stop the war in Ukraine

 According to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Russia uses Croatian MEP Mislav Kolakusic to spread the Kremlin's message that "sanctions against Russia will not stop the war in Ukraine." "The other day, during a speech in the European Parliament, M. Kolakusic said that if the European Union does not want to finance the war, it should also impose sanctions on the United States, which supplies weapons to Ukraine. This statement is manipulative because Russia has waged war against the Ukrainian people and is trying to seize foreign territories. Periodically, a member of the European Parliament retransmits messages from Russia about the "dependence of the EU on the United States" and discredits Ukraine's allies in the international arena, "the statement said. Such a message is beneficial to Russian propaganda to discredit Ukraine's allies in this war, saying that the sanctions imposed by EU countries are not enough to stop it, while the United States is inciting aggression and doing everything to make the war last longer. In fact, the United States, as an ally, is providing Ukraine with weapons to defend its integrity and sovereignty, which Russia has encroached upon by starting a bloody war.

Fake The Office of the President of Ukraine ordered to remove bayraktars from the front

The network is spreading a fake about the "order" to remove bayraktars from the hotspots of the front. A document with "Head of the President's Office" is attached to such posts. This document is allegedly a scan of a letter from the President's Office to Valeriy Zaluzhny. However, the fake authors broke through and indicated his position incorrectly, calling him the Chief of the General Staff, not the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Instead, the Chief of the General Staff in Ukraine is Lieutenant General Serhiy Shaptala.

Fake Azov soldiers hold hostages in the basement of a kindergarten in the Kharkiv region

The Russian media disseminate such information regarding the statement of the Center for Defense Management of the Russian Federation. The reports say that the Ukrainian military, in particular soldiers of the Azov, allegedly forcibly detained civilians with children in a kindergarten in the village of Borova, Kharkiv region. There, the Ukrainian military allegedly equipped barracks and placed heavy military equipment, artillery, and multiple launch rocket systems on the institution's territory. According to StopFake, despite loud statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the information that the Ukrainian military forcibly keeps civilians in Borova kindergarten is not valid. This was stated by the local authorities of the village on their official Facebook page, "Borivska selyschchna rada." 

Manipulation The Kharkiv authorities are handing over the city to the occupiers, so the municipal enterprise Kharkiv Heat Networks is firing all employees

Russian propagandists spread such information. In particular, a message appears on social networks that Kharkiv is planned to be handed over to the occupiers because the city is allegedly firing the Kharkiv Heat Networks utility company. Employees "Kharkiv authorities, by all indications, are confident that the city will come under Russian control. Otherwise, why should they destroy the entire structure of Kharkiv heating networks? The municipal enterprise Kharkiv Heat Networks dismisses all employees without compensation for unpaid salaries for three months. Operators are being fired, without whom it is impossible to start the heating season. So, do they understand that they will not have to start it? ” - it is written in a fake, widely spread the message. However, this is not true. According to the fact-checkers of the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center, from the first days of the war, boiler operators, locksmiths, welders, and other employees of Kharkiv Heat Networks, risking their lives, saved the city's heating system. Currently, repair works are carried out every day. There are reports about the work almost daily on the city council's website. Also, work on preparing for the new heating season has already begun and is not ending. However, the number of residential buildings in Kharkiv decreases every day, which could not be connected to heat due to shelling. That is, not all communal workers are fired from the enterprise.

Manipulation Kherson residents have wholly stopped paying Ukrainian social benefits

Another myth that is spreading about life in the Russian-occupied Kherson. However, this is a manipulation. This was reported by a Kherson journalist who is currently living in the occupation. She shared accurate information with the fact-checkers of the project "On the other side of the news." According to her, some regularly pay on time, and some payments, such as disability and alimony, are not paid. They are trying to solve the problem. Pensions are paid, but there are nuances: they receive only on time on the card, and there are often problems with cash - it is difficult to deliver it to the community due to the blockade of the region and the regional center by the Russians, but they try.

Fake In occupied Kherson it is necessary to pay exclusively in Russian rubles

There are now a lot of myths and speculations about life in Russian-occupied Kherson. In particular, the myth is spreading that in Kherson it is necessary to pay in Russian rubles for all goods and services. However, this is not the case. The myth was refuted by a Kherson journalist who is currently living in the occupation. She shared true information with the fact-checkers of the project "On the other side of the news". According to her, the Ukrainian financial system continues to operate in Kherson and payment in rubles is simply impossible. In the Kherson region, in particular in Genichesk, the Russians are trying to introduce cash payments in rubles, but these are just attempts, and not very successful. Although if you try hard, you can still get cash, in particular on a bank card. Be that as it may, Kherson residents are very hopeful that they will not be able to pay in rubles.

Fake The Russian military captured American Admiral Eric Olson at Azovstal

Such information is spread on social networks. In particular, the Russian-speaking and Georgian-speaking segments of Facebook. Such reports say that the Russian military captured American Admiral Eric Olson at the Azovstal plant. A photo of prisoners of war is attached to the posts. According to users, one of the militaries depicted is Eric Olson. However, according to the fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project, the allegation that US General Eric Olson was taken prisoner at Azovstal is unsubstantiated, and the photo related to his alleged arrest was actually taken on April 14 in Luhansk; therefore, Olson, in the post which the photograph was added is not mentioned at all. According to fact-checkers, a widespread photo, allegedly taken at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and showing captured US General Eric Olson, was actually published by the Kremlin-controlled Sputnik on April 14. The photo shows Ukrainian prisoners of war. Fact-checkers add that any official open-source does not confirm the information about the arrest of Eric Olson at Azovstal. The circulated photo was also checked by the Italian organization FACTA.

Fake Ukraine wants to seize two regions in Belarus

Such information was spread by Belarusian propagandists, particularly Ksenia Lebedeva, on Belarus 1 TV channel. The plot said that the "Bandera" planned to capture Belarus's Brest and Gomel regions. According to the propagandist, the Bandera dream of adding to Ukraine part of the Brest and Gomel regions and from Russia such lands that passed into “their” composition in the XVIII century. "Why is the south of Belarus so important for Ukrainian nationalists? Because back in 2018, almost five years ago, they planned that this territory could become a strategical base for the introduction of Russian troops into Ukraine just in case, ” Lebedeva said. According to the fact-checkers of the project Brekhunets, the propagandist Lebedeva added that under such conditions she expressed the opinion of "the same nationalists" who allegedly believed that Ukraine would be in the circle of unfriendly states, including the West. However, this is not true. Ukraine is a peaceful country that has not carried out any attacks on any sovereign states and does not seek and did not seek to seize new territory. Instead, Russia seeks to seize Ukrainian territory, which in 2014 annexed Ukrainian Crimea and attacked Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and in 2022 started a full-scale war.

Andrii Pylypenko, Lesia Bidochko, Oleksandr Siedin, Kostiantyn Zadyraka, and Oleksiy Pivtorak are collaborating on this chronicle. Ksenia Ilyuk is the author of the project.