Propagandists continue to resort to conspiracy theories to justify Russia's aggression against Ukraine. In the midst of the theories, they spread a conspiracy scenario in which Russia is credited with a special historical role in restoring a “just” order.

In particular, in their opinion, a return to the “golden era” of Russia is possible only through a dictatorship, which will supposedly allow for large-scale reforms, cleanse society of the “fifth column” and ensure a fair distribution of resources. To do this, they use phrases like “Moscow is the third Rome” and compare current leaders with dictators of the past, such as Stalin, who supposedly proved the effectiveness of dictatorship in difficult times. They also note the need to create a new currency, namely “energy money”. Therefore, the conspiracy theorists establish that the establishment of a new economic system means that everyone will allegedly receive only what they earned, according to the energy expended, and no banks will exist. At the last BRICS forum, Russia already proposed introducing a common currency for the bloc members, which could be a step towards implementing this idea. All this is proof that Russia is the center of a new era: thanks to the “brilliant strategy” of its leader, Russia will challenge the West, renew the empire and lead the new world order.

Promoting the idea of a revived empire and Russia’s “world mission”, it justifies the annexation of Crimea, aggression in Donbas, and full-scale invasion as a “necessary process of historical restoration”. The theory positions Ukraine as an obstacle to a new era, portraying it as a puppet of the West and a source of chaos. By appealing to imperial pride, the idea of “gathering lands” under a dictatorship motivates Russians to support the war and the political regime. The creation of an image of an “external enemy” (the West) and “internal traitors” (the opposition) provides grounds for political persecution in Russia itself. This ideology serves both domestic propaganda and external attempts to discredit Ukraine before the international community.

Pro-Russian sources are spreading reports that Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska allegedly cancelled a lecture at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) due to mass protests by local residents against “Ukrainian Nazism”. However, this is manipulation.

StopFake reports this. The project's experts found out that the Slovenian publication STA, which the propagandists refer to, noted that the reasons for the cancellation of the event at the Faculty of Social Sciences are unknown. Despite this, Olena Zelenska met with the faculty and the university administration. During the meeting, Rector Gregor Majdic announced the creation of a Ukrainian Studies Department and the cooperation of the Faculty of Architecture with the Karazin Kharkiv University to restore the destroyed buildings. Olena Zelenska also donated books as part of the Ukrainian Bookshelf project to the National University Library. A pro-Russian protester appeared near the library, shouting in English “The war must end” and “Russia will win”. The man was detained by the police. Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob condemned such behavior, calling it unacceptable in modern society.

Propagandists spread this disinformation to undermine trust in Ukraine and its representatives on the international stage. Their goal is to create the illusion that Ukraine and its leaders face widespread rejection abroad due to supposedly “unacceptable” policies. Such tactics are also intended to weaken the morale of Ukrainians by promoting the idea of isolating the country. The spread of fakes about protests against “Ukrainian Nazism” is part of an information war aimed at discrediting Ukraine and forming a positive image of Russia as a “victim”.

Russian anonymous Telegram channels are actively disseminating a statement by American commentator Jackson Hinkle that Zelenskyi should allegedly “thank Putin and God” for avoiding a ballistic missile strike. This statement is part of an information campaign aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian leadership and justifying Russian aggression.

Experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security have found that Jackson Hinkle is a propagandist who has repeatedly spoken out in support of Moscow. His actions are part of Russia’s information operations aimed at an American audience. In fact, the ballistic missile strike that Russia used on November 21 is an escalatory step that violates international law. This type of missile is usually designed to deliver nuclear weapons. Such an act is not only a terrorist attack, but also a demonstration of disregard for diplomatic norms. It serves as a tool of blackmail, trying to intimidate the international community.

In this way, propagandists try to create an image of Russia's “peacefulness” and Ukraine's allegedly provocative role. Propaganda also tries to convince people that Western allies support “Ukrainian aggression”. They legitimize further Russian crimes, such as nuclear blackmail.

Russian media and anonymous Telegram channels are actively spreading the statement of the Kremlin press secretary Dmytro Pieskov that Ukraine is allegedly striking civilian targets in Russia using drones. At the same time, they claim that the Russian army is allegedly striking exclusively military targets. However, this is disinformation.

This was noted by experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They emphasize that in fact, Ukraine strictly complies with international humanitarian law, while Russia systematically attacks civilian infrastructure. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has destroyed 227 medical institutions and damaged 1,714. Also, 3,798 educational institutions have been seriously damaged, of which 365 have been completely destroyed. Particularly egregious examples are the airstrike on the maternity hospital and children's hospital in Mariupol on March 9, 2022, and the missile strike on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv on July 8, 2024, when 627 children were in the hospital. Russia uses attacks on civilian infrastructure as a tool to intimidate the population, which is a violation of the laws of war.

Russia is trying to create the impression that its actions in Ukraine are “defensive” or “responsive” to Ukraine’s actions, despite real evidence to the contrary. Claims of attacks on civilian targets are intended to portray Ukraine as violating international law in order to undermine its support in the international community. Disinformation is used to strengthen domestic propaganda, motivate Russian citizens, and justify continuing the war. Distortions are intended to create doubts among Ukraine’s allies about providing further military and humanitarian aid.

Russian propagandists are spreading the thesis that Ukraine has allegedly already lost the war, based on the material of The National Interest. They say that Kyiv has lost the war and it makes no difference how many more long-range missiles, tanks, artillery and air defense systems the US provides it with. However, this information is manipulative.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security drew attention to this. Its specialists found out that the publication The National Interest belongs to Dmytro Simes, who actively supports Russian propaganda. After 2022, he will remain in Russia and is accused by the US Department of Justice of violating sanctions, which carries a penalty of up to 60 years in prison. The publication has long been associated with pro-Russian views, and Simes himself moderated events organized by the Kremlin and received funding from Russian government agencies.

The purpose of this message is to undermine faith in Ukraine's ability to win and encourage citizens to doubt their country's ability to continue the fight. Such rhetoric also helps to create the illusion of futility of aid to Ukraine, in order to demotivate Western countries from providing weapons and financial support. Simes thus justifies further Russian crimes, while simultaneously creating the appearance of strength and invincibility of the Russian regime for domestic audiences.