Propagandists are spreading baseless accusations in the media that Ukrainian intelligence is allegedly recruiting radicals in Syria, Afghanistan and Mali to organize terrorist attacks on Russian territory. However, this information is yet another attempt to discredit Ukraine.

This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Such accusations are a typical tool of the Russian information war, aimed at forming a negative image of Ukraine in the international arena.

The purpose of spreading such fakes is for Russia to portray Kyiv as a country collaborating with terrorist groups, creating an image of a “dangerous” and “aggressive” state. Accusing Ukraine of collaborating with terrorists allows Moscow to distract attention from the real facts of its support for terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the Taliban, as well as the international activities of the Wagner PPK. Russia also tries to use such statements to legitimize its own aggression against Ukraine, justifying military actions and attacks on Ukrainian civilians. The Kremlin seeks to sow mistrust towards Ukraine among its international partners in order to weaken its support from Western countries and prevent further military assistance.

Since 2014, so-called Walls of Free Creativity have begun to appear in Russia at the initiative of government structures. In this way, the Russian authorities had the goal of “getting closer” to amateur artists creating graffiti on the walls of street buildings and supposedly legalizing graffiti as art. However, this is not exactly about “free creativity”, since artists, for example, in St. Petersburg had to coordinate their street art projects with city authorities. Thus, street art turned into street propaganda. Unwanted murals were painted over by utility workers.

That same year, as part of the project Two Thousand Houses of Russia in Russian cities, they decided to “decorate” two thousand walls with drawings on patriotic themes. The first graffiti was the inscription “Crimea and Russia - together forever” on the facade of one of the Moscow buildings.

Creative jingoism reached its peak on October 6, 2014 – Putin’s birthday. Seven buildings in different cities of Russia were decorated with murals with letters that together spelled out the word “thank you”. Thus, the pro-Kremlin youth project Network decided to congratulate its president on his 62nd birthday. In St. Petersburg, for example, a giant letter P (corresponding to the Russian word “Memory”) was depicted on one of the buildings. The Network project explained this action as “a feeling of gratitude to the president as the main architect of our victories”.

After the start of the full-scale invasion, the Walls of Free Creativity continued to exist. For example, in Krasnodar, a major from Anapa, who died in the war in Ukraine, was painted on the wall of one of the buildings. As reported by TV Channel Krasnodar, local residents responded positively to this decision.

The Walls of Free Creativity initiative is a way to “tame” Russian amateur street artists so that they paint graffiti that is not “aggressive” but acceptable to the Kremlin. It is worth noting that not all murals are patriotic, but the mass appearance of pro-Russian drawings is evidence of the success of this Kremlin project.

Russian Telegram channels and pro-Russian users of the social network X are distributing a video allegedly published by the BBC. The material says that Polish schoolchildren allegedly do not want to study together with Ukrainian children because of the latter’s “low academic performance and bad behavior”. In turn, Polish parents are even allegedly ready to bribe the directors of local schools just to protect their children from studying in mixed classes. However, this is fake.

The video clip being distributed online has nothing to do with the BBC, Ukrinform journalists report. There is no corresponding clip on the British Broadcasting Corporation's website or on its official social media pages.

Additionally, all BBC videos on YouTube Shorts recently contain information about when they were released. However, the fake video does not have a publication date.

Russian propaganda faked the video using photos and videos found on the Internet. Some of them do not even concern Ukraine. For example, the frame with which the video begins appeared online back in 2021 - it can be found on foreign websites.

It should also be noted that earlier the Russians distributed a fake video on behalf of the BBC, which concerned the “mass use of Nazi symbols” by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region. The audio track in that video matches the audio track present in the video about the negative attitude towards Ukrainian schoolchildren in Poland.

With this fake, propagandists are trying to sow discord between Ukrainians and Poles, as well as weaken relations between Ukraine and Poland. Earlier, we refuted the information that the Volyn tragedy will not be studied in Polish schools where Ukrainian children study.

Russian diplomats have stated in the media that Russia may resume nuclear testing if the United States carries out similar actions. They also note that the Nova Zemlia test site is fully prepared for such tests. By “similar actions” they mean American nuclear tests, although their statement was made in the context of a discussion of Russia's possible response to Western long-range weapons strikes on Russian territory.

Russia systematically uses nuclear blackmail as a tool to intimidate the West. This is noted by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. The statement about the possible resumption of nuclear tests creates an atmosphere of tension and tries to influence the decision of Western countries to continue supporting Ukraine. The statement about readiness for testing is positioned as a response to hypothetical actions by the United States, which allows the Kremlin to justify its aggressive actions and create the impression that Russia is acting defensively, not aggressively.

Threats of nuclear escalation are intended to deter the West from further arms sales to Ukraine, especially long-range weapons capable of striking Russian territory. Moscow seeks to insure itself against such strikes while at the same time frightening Ukraine’s partners into abandoning such decisions. Domestically, such statements reinforce the image of a “strong Russia” capable of confronting the West and acting from a position of strength. They also help legitimize further military action and justify an aggressive foreign policy.

Propagandists are spreading information on anonymous Telegram channels that a Ukrainian special forces unit consisting of “mercenaries”, including thousands of fighters from the American private military company Forward and hundreds of units of equipment. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security draws attention to this. Its experts have found out that this story is yet another fictitious Russian fake, which is part of a long-term information campaign trying to promote the image of “NATO mercenaries” allegedly participating in military actions on the side of Ukraine. Russian propaganda has been actively using these fabrications since 2014 to create a myth that Ukraine is under the external control of NATO and Western countries.

In reality, Forward Observations Group is a tactical gear and medical supplies company founded by American veteran Derrick Bales. This company has nothing to do with military operations in Ukraine. It is called a “private military company” only by Russian disinformation agents.

The Kremlin uses such fakes to impose the idea that the war in Ukraine is not simply Russian aggression, but a confrontation with the entire West, in particular NATO. This helps mobilize support among the Russian population, making them believe that Russia is defending itself from foreign anger. The spread of fakes about “Western mercenaries” helps Russian propaganda explain its military failures. The successes of the Ukrainian army are often portrayed as the result of help from “all-powerful” Western forces, rather than as achievements of the Ukrainian military. The Kremlin also constantly tries to portray Ukraine as a state that is unable to independently resist Russia and needs “mercenaries” for support. This is part of the narrative about the weakness of the Ukrainian army and the alleged “external control” of the country.

Propagandists claim in the media that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) allegedly shoot prisoners of war, abuse civilians, shell residential buildings in the Kursk region, and also create concentration camps in the border regions of Russia. However, this is not true.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security draws attention to this. Its specialists have found out that propagandists have been spreading similar fake statements about the “crimes” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for years, but they have no evidence. In reality, the Ukrainian Armed Forces act in accordance with international law and strictly adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Not a single Russian fake about the “atrocities” of the Ukrainian military during the entire war has been confirmed by any independent investigation or international organizations. In addition, Russian prisoners of war held in Ukraine have all the necessary rights and are treated in accordance with international norms.

Russian propaganda is trying to create an image of Ukrainian soldiers as criminals and punishers in order to undermine international support for Ukraine and justify Russia's aggression. Such fakes are also aimed at inciting aggression and hatred among the Russian population towards Ukrainians, stimulating support for the so-called “special military operation” and attracting new volunteers to the war. The spread of such fakes helps Moscow distract attention from its real crimes in Ukraine, in particular, mass murder of civilians, torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners.