Anonymous Telegram channels, in particular the propaganda channel Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny, are spreading so-called graffiti, which was allegedly drawn by Ukrainian refugees in one of the Polish cities. In the picture, you can see a red and black flag and the inscription “Our Father Bandera”. In another photo, there is the text: “... children, do not learn Polish, only Ukrainian”. The messages claim that the photos were taken in one place.

However, using reverse Google search, it was possible to establish that the graffiti photos were published only in pro-Russian segments of social networks. Moreover, the photos were first published 5 days ago as of September 2, 2024. Before that, no important Polish media, including local organizations, had published such news. So, it is most likely that the photos were faked with the help of special editors.

We have documented fakes many times, whether they involve fake graffiti, foreign magazine covers/newspaper columns, or advertising videos. In this way, propagandists aim to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. This may make readers think that the public is really unhappy with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, implying that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda is a reason for Europe to laugh.

Thus, Russian propaganda tries to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, as a cultural and economic threat to the EU - in order to reduce support for Ukraine. We mentioned this in our own research. Since the beginning of the great war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda has been trying to discredit refugees who were forced to leave Ukraine to save their lives.

Propagandists regularly spread fakes about them; they call refugees dependents; they claim that they went abroad not for safety, but for profit; they spread various diseases, etc. Propagandists need this to stake out the opinion that Ukrainians are pagans who do not appreciate the help that residents of other countries give them; they take advantage of the kindness of residents of other countries.

For example, we recently reported that anonymous people were spreading a fake story from the supposedly French publication Le Figaro, which spoke of a “Ukrainian refugee killer”.