Pro-Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that the commander of the 154th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Shcherbyna, allegedly uses the services of a Ukrainian fortune teller, Mariia Tykha. According to the propagandists, before being sent to the front line, the soldiers of the 154th brigade can allegedly “find out their fate” for an additional fee, on average up to a thousand hryvnia. The fortune teller predicts a successful operation, from which they will definitely emerge unharmed.

In fact, this is a fake, the VoxCheck project reports. There is no evidence that Mariia Tykha provides services to the commander of the 154th separate mechanized brigade, Oleksandr Shcherbyna. He has never mentioned any fortune tellers on his social media pages.

In addition, the primary source of this information is the pro-Russian Telegram channel Ukropskyi Fresh, whose messages regularly discredit the Ukrainian military.

Mariia Tykha is indeed involved in astrology, extrasensory perception, and calls herself a witch. On various YouTube channels, the woman thinks about upcoming Russian shelling on Tarot cards, predicts a “Maidan” in Moscow, the end of the war, etc. But not all of her predictions come true. Both astrology and extrasensory perception are pseudoscience, and predictions from such pseudo-experts are not supported by facts, VoxCheck adds.

Earlier, we recorded a fake about the SBU allegedly detaining tarologists, fortune tellers and psychics who predict Russia's military successes.

The pro-Russian segment of the network is spreading information that one of the Ukrainian cafes allegedly has a menu with different prices for civilians and military personnel. These menus are allegedly called “standard” and “for the military” respectively, with similar dishes and inflated prices for the second category. As “proof” of this, the propagandists add a corresponding photo.

However, this information is not true, as reported by the VoxCheck project.

Using Google's reverse image search function, it was possible to find out that this news is only being spread by Russian propaganda resources. The probable original source of the photo is the Russian Telegram channel Actually in Kherson. Neither the name of the establishment that allegedly has such a menu nor its address are known. Most likely, this is simply an edited photo or a staged shot.

Usually, such cases of discrimination against Ukrainian military personnel gain publicity in the media and social networks. However, no reliable Ukrainian publications reported on this incident.

Earlier, we refuted the information that some Ukrainian stores had introduced a 20% tax for Territorial recruitment and social support center employees.

Russian Telegram channels are distributing what appears to be a new cover of the Spanish magazine El Jueves. It features a cartoon of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who shot himself because of Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, and the corresponding title: “World War III is postponed”.

However, this is a fake, writes the VoxCheck project. The cover of El Jueves magazine, distributed by propagandists, is not real. It shows issue number 2406. In November, the magazine published three weekly issues under this number (No. 2406-01, No. 2406-02, No. 2406-03). And none of the covers of these issues mention Ukraine, Zelenskyi, or World War III.

El Jueves is a Spanish satirical magazine published weekly and featuring caricatures on its covers.

During the full-scale war, we have documented at least eight fake El Jueves magazine covers created by propagandists. A detailed analysis of each fabricated cover can be found here.

Russian propaganda sources are distributing a video online, where allegedly Ukrainian soldiers from the Azov Brigade are demonstratively burning several books by Donald Trump and Tony Schwartz, The Art of the Deal. In the video, the Ukrainian fighters allegedly call Trump a “traitor” and a “coward” and say that they do not need his peace plan. The propagandists comment on this video, saying that the Ukrainian army has recognized Trump as a “fairy president” and has started smoking his books in protest.

In fact, the video being distributed online is staged. Several facts indicate this. Firstly, the voiceover is in broken Ukrainian and the man has a noticeable accent. Secondly, it was possible to find out that this video is being distributed primarily in the pro-Russian segment of the network.

Also, Ukrainian volunteer Mykhailo Lavrovskyi on his page on the social network X, pointing out the absurdity of this video statement, rightly notes that the man in the video in Ukrainian military uniform is wearing an old chevron of the Azov Brigade that has not been used for a long time. That is, it is probably a trophy uniform that Russian soldiers once acquired in battle and wore to create this video fake.

After all, we have already recorded a number of similar Russian decrees in which Ukrainian military personnel allegedly protested against Trump.

A Russian Telegram channel is spreading information that Kyiv schools have begun replacing portraits of the current US President Joe Biden with portraits of the newly elected President Donald Trump. As “proof” of this, the propagandists are adding corresponding photos, allegedly taken in one of the Kyiv schools.

In fact, this information is not true, the VoxCheck project reports. The photos distributed by Russian propagandists are likely staged. There is no indication that they did anything in the Ukrainian school. It is even more surprising that on the stand dedicated to Britain, among the portraits of Elizabeth II and William Shakespeare, they placed photos of the presidents of the USA and Ukraine. In the end, it was possible to find out that these images were distributed exclusively in the pro-Russian segment of the network, which gives additional grounds to believe that this is a fake.

In Ukraine, the practice of placing portraits of presidents in school classrooms is not widespread. Back in 2016, the then Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Serhii Kvit, declared that it was unacceptable to place portraits of ministers and other civil servants in educational institutions. The Ministry of Education and Science recommended, first of all, to place state symbols, portraits of historical figures or graduates that educational institutions are proud of.

Earlier, we analyzed the lie that Trump was added to the “Peacemaker” database.