Spilnota Detector Media

Manipulation The United States is helping Ukraine as wars are beneficial to the American economy, Biden said

Pro-Kremlin media are disseminating information that US President Joe Biden in his address allegedly admitted that he had deceived the world under the guise of the fight for democracy, and called assistance to Ukraine an investment in murder and the American PMC. Russian propaganda writes that “investment in military conflicts in Israel and Ukraine is necessary for the well-being of the American economy and its VAT”. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checker of the StopFake project. On October 19, the US President made a special address in which he said that assistance to Israel and Ukraine is an investment for US citizens. However, Russian propagandists took the quote out of context, leaving out the part explaining why Biden used that particular expression.

In fact, Joe Biden noted that there is a direct connection between Ukraine’s victory in the Russian-Ukrainian war and the well-being of Americans. In his address, he spoke about investing in the security and stability of the democratic world, and not about “investing in the death of Ukrainians”. After all, if terrorists do not pay for terror, and dictators do not pay for aggression, they continue to commit crimes, kill and destroy. This unleashes even more unpunished cruelty and permissiveness in the world.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit US President Joe Biden and convince the whole world that America benefits from Russia’s war in Ukraine. They say that while Ukrainians are dying, the US economy is improving, which is why the United States is “helping”. By spreading such manipulation, Russian propagandists seek to antagonize Ukraine with its Western partners and reduce aid. Previously, we refuted the fake that during one of Joseph Biden’s speeches people chanted obscene words.

Fake At the Rivne NPP, problems began with nuclear fuel provided by Sweden

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that problems with Swedish Westinghouse brand fuel have begun at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant. They say that there is a risk that one of the power units will be completely shut down, and the station workers are panicking and don’t know what to do. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. They found out that the general director of the Rivne NPP, Pavlo Kovtoniuk, noted on October 4 that the station was operating in a steady state, and after messages from propagandists on the NPP page they reported a normal and stable radiation background. The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine also denied Russian statements about problems with Swedish fuel.

By spreading such fakes, according to project analysts, propagandists want to take revenge for the fact that Ukraine refused to use Russian fuel for its nuclear power plants. In particular, on September 10, non-Russian nuclear fuel was loaded into the VVER-440 reactor of the Rivne NPP for the first time, which led to a wave of disinformation messages about the plant. Detector Media has already refuted fakes about the shortcomings of Swedish assistance to Ukraine. By resorting to them, Russia wants to create distrust in its Western partners.

Message The new BRICS will control 80% of world oil production

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on anonymous telegram channels claim that with the expansion of the BRICS bloc to include six new members (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia), it will be able to control 80%.

The message was noticed by specialists from the VoxCheck project. They found out that according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) as of 2022, the BRICS bloc accounted for about 19% of global oil production (in the original composition with Brazil, India, China, South Africa and Russia). New data from the organization indicates that after expanding production of crude oil products, BRICS will increase to about 41% of global production. Data from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as of 2022 indicate that after the accession of new members, the BRICS share will be about 47% of global production of crude oil products. The Energy Institute (UK) estimates that the expanded group will account for 43.1% of global oil production.

By spreading such messages, propagandists want to show the “weakness” of Ukraine’s allies and cause concern among Ukrainians about whether they should continue to respond to Russian aggression. Detector Media has already written about how Russian propaganda artificially praises BRICS and presents the bloc as a geopolitical victory for Russia, using the example of materials about the bloc’s summit.

Fake Andrii Pyshnyi , the head of the National Bank of Ukraine, resigned

In some Ukrainian media, and on anonymous telegram channels and Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, the news spread that the head of the National Bank of Ukraine Andrii Pyshnyi allegedly wrote a statement about the dismissal of the head of the NBU “after threats from the US Embassy”. It seems that he did this during the Annual Meeting of the IMF and the World Bank, which is taking place in Morocco, because “he understands how the use of gold and foreign exchange reserves at the request of the Office of the President will end for him”. It's fake.

The case was examined by fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. Andrii Pyshnyi did not resign. Moreover, he commented on this fake on his Facebook page and denied the information spread by propagandists.

Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and undermine the trust of Ukrainians in them, and also sow panic over the news about the course release. Previously, we refuted the fake that during her visit to New York, Olena Zelenska bought jewelry worth more than a million dollars.

Manipulation French winemakers faced a crisis due to “anti-Russian sanctions”

This thesis was spread by propaganda media. Reports say that wines and vineyards are being destroyed in France precisely because of the sanctions imposed by the French government on Russia. The authors add that Moscow was the largest importer of wines, but after the “sanctions war” the French “played it out” and are experiencing a crisis in the wine industry. The publications also try to point out that imposing sanctions on Russia is supposedly ineffective, and as a result, the European countries themselves are supposedly suffering. After all, they are experiencing the impact of the “lack of Russian sales market” themselves. However, this is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project were able to process the case, explaining that the French wine industry is indeed not in the best conditions, if not in crisis. For example, in August 2023, the French government allocated 200 million euros to recycle excess wine production. This initiative from the French Parliament is caused by excessive production and, as a consequence, a decrease in its demand. Actions by the French authorities should curb price fluctuations and support producers who are losing their income. That is, the problems in the wine industry are in no way caused by anti-Russian sanctions or other prohibitions against Moscow. The authors of the manipulative message simply used the news about the crisis situation with wine and presented it as a consequence of the “struggle” with Russia.

In general, as experts say, the level of red consumption has fallen throughout the country: primarily due to the fact that the French began to prefer craft beer. Even in one of the materials of the French daily newspaper Le Figaro they write that wine has given way to beer in 2023 and, according to recent surveys, 56% of the French choose an intoxicating drink. Also, an analytical study by the European Commission for June 2023 shows a decline in wine consumption in other EU countries: by 7% in Italy, by 10% in Spain, and by 15% in France.

As for the “large Russian sales market”, the main consumer of red wine and importer has always been China, not Russia. In particular, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cessation of Chinese wine supplies even then had a negative impact on the entire wine-growing region of the country. And now wine producers cannot reach pandemic level exports.

Russia is trying to distort the impression that sanctions supposedly do not affect it, while other countries that are economically stable and ready to impose restrictions on Moscow are suffering from the “reverse effect”. But, let’s say, they suffer from the lack of the Russian market. The Kremlin systematically cultivates rhetoric about the so-called “big Russian market” in order to hint that the EU countries will not survive at all if they do not sell their goods to Russia. If they resist, they will face the same fate as the French wine industry. However, according to monitoring by the Kyiv School of Economics, as of July 2023, 254 companies (7.6% of companies that received income in Russia in 2022) have completely ceased their activities in Russia. And 1,191 (35.9% of the total) foreign businesses also folded. Companies will one day abandon Russia, not seeing this as a risk for themselves.

By the way, according to the European Council, 2022 was a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022 Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% under the best scenario and to 3.9% under the worst-case scenario. The Russian economy will continue to contract in 2023. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3%.

Message The American dollar is no longer used by the international community

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels distribute publications according to which the process of de-dollarization has allegedly begun in the world, caused by sanctions against Russia. In particular, until recently, the dollar was used in 70% of global transactions, and now only 59%. Propagandists are happy that countries are beginning to find an alternative to the dollar.

Analysts of the EUvsDisinfo project drew attention to the message. They note that propagandists return it depending on the circumstances. In particular, this message was “resurrected” on the occasion of the BRICS summit and statements on the creation of a common currency for this organization. At the same time, SWIFT data show that in July of this year, 46% of currency exchange payments through the system were made using the dollar. In addition, while the use of the Chinese yuan has increased to 3% of global international payments, the use of the euro remains at 24% and the dollar at 46%.

With this message, Russia wants to hide the failures of its sanctions-hit economy and show its “exclusivity” compared to the “collective West”. Detector Media talked about the creation and use of the term “negative growth” for a similar purpose.

Manipulation All Ukrainians will be obliged to pay for water from wells and boreholes

A video is circulating on social networks in which the author claims that the government of Ukraine has obliged the population to install meters on wells in order to collect water fees from citizens. Like, now Ukrainians need to install meters and pay for water. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that although on July 11 the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers regarding changes in the Procedure for the State Register of Artesian Wells was issued, the statement that the new changes would allegedly affect all those who have wells and boreholes is not true. The well register, water use fees, and the duty to obtain permits apply only to businesses. At the same time, Ukrainians who use well water for their own needs do not need to install meters and pay for it. Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, announced this on the air of the telethon.

By creating and spreading such manipulations, propagandists want to cause panic among the population and discredit the Ukrainian authorities. Like, in addition to the war, it still wants to rip off money from people for water.

Fake Poland asks to open border with Russia for trade

Russian propaganda media are spreading information that Poland is allegedly asking to open the border for trade with Russia. After the cessation of trade, the country was allegedly gripped by unemployment. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. In fact, Poland's unemployment rate has fallen to 5.3%, the lowest in 33 years. In Poland, the borders for Russian trucks were closed, but this did not affect the country's economy, because it is focused on trade with Europe. Also, the Polish authorities did not announce the resumption of the passage of trucks from Russia.

Thus, propagandists are trying to ease sanctions against Russia and quarrel Western partners and Ukraine. Earlier, we talked about the message that the Western economy is “destroying” itself as a result of anti-Russian sanctions.

Fake Shares of the German defense concern Rheinmetall collapsed after unsuccessful attempts by the Ukrainian military to attack

This message is spread by Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that “after several unsuccessful attempts to attack the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the shares of the German defense concern Rheinmetall went down sharply”. According to Russian propaganda, this happened after the mass destruction of Leopard 2 tanks produced by the concern by Russian troops. Ukraine seems to have become a testing ground for the “miracle technology”, which proved to be not the best. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. The German concern Rheinmetall AG is one of the largest manufacturers of military equipment in Germany and Europe. Together with the Krauss-Maffei concern, it also produces Leopard tanks, which are now supplying Ukraine. The group is now ramping up production and is not having a significant drop in shares or economic problems, as evidenced by the data from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. And the head of the German defense concern Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, said earlier that the Ukrainian military spoke very positively about the weapons provided.

By spreading this message, propagandists are once again trying to promote the message that Russian technology is effective and invincible, and that Ukraine is a testing ground for Western weapons. Russian propaganda is also trying to embroil Ukraine with its partners. Earlier, Detector Media explained the message that Western technology is stupid, it is unsuitable for use in Ukraine.

Fake Ukrainians cultivated locusts to destroy crops in the occupied Luhansk region, Donbas and Russia

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the Ukrainian military was growing locusts from the United States in a hangar. This was told in a video by a woman in military uniform who allegedly found a letter of request from 2019 in Stanytsia-Luhanska. The letter asks Anatolii Mishanchuk, Colonel of the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, “to ensure the escort of cargo from Washington Research University in Missouri to the territory of the Luhansk Regional Fish Plant”. It's fake. Specialists from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council investigated this case. As evidence, the propagandists provide a fake request letter, which refers to an unknown shipment from supposedly Washington Research University, where Russian propaganda deliberately added the words about “battle locusts”. The narrative about biological laboratories operating on the territory of Ukraine is one of the longest that Russian propaganda is spreading. Detector Media has repeatedly explained the leaks of this information, and during the war in Ukraine it was refuted by the Pentagon, the US State Department, representatives of the EU, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

Message EU GDP is falling to critically low levels while Russia is only increasing

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Western economy is “losing its former potential” and is declining to critical levels. The authors say that GDP in Europe is only decreasing every year, which indicates a poor economic situation. In Russia, despite the war, all indicators are only increasing. This was stated by dictator Putin at the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum.

The fact-checkers of The Insider project took up this case and found out that the European Commission recently published the Spring Economic Forecast, according to which the GDP of the EU countries in 2023 will grow by 1% (the previous forecast, winter, assumed an increase of 0.8%). Growth of 1.7% is projected in 2024. That is, the thesis about a decrease in economic indicators in the EU, in particular GDP, is unfounded.

Regarding Russia, the Trading Economics team of economic analysts notes that in the first quarter of 2023, Russian GDP decreased by 1.9% compared to the corresponding period last year. According to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2022 has been a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022, Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% in the best scenario and to 3.9% in the worst case. The Russian economy will shrink in 2023 as well. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3% according to the organizations.

In addition, the Yale University study examined in detail the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, concluding that “sanctions are catastrophically destroying the Russian economy”. And according to the latest figures from the European Commission, the EU economy is “resilient and ready to face challenges, in particular those caused by Russia's war against Ukraine”.

Manipulation Ukrainians are panicking as there are critically few fuel supplies left

The Kremlin propaganda media disseminated information that allegedly there was a “critically small supply of fuel” in Ukraine, an “acute shortage” and because of this, “panic began” in the country. They refer to a statement by Ukraine's Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolesnyk, who said that “at present, the country is provided with fuel for no more than 30 days”. This is manipulation.

As specialists of the StopFake project note, the reason for numerous manipulations was the phrase of Mykola Kolesnyk, which he said during a round table on May 15, when they discussed draft law No. 9024 (Draft Law on Minimum Stocks of Oil and Oil Products): “Today, if the supply of oil and oil products is stopped, the country will be able to meet the needs within no more than 10-30 days at the expense of its own production and reserves. Mykola Kolesnyk did not say that “an acute shortage of fuel is ripening” in Ukraine.

The creation of a minimum stock of oil and oil products is an obligation of Ukraine in accordance with Council Directive 2009/119/EC.

Also, the chairman of the Committee on Energy, Housing and Communal Services, People's Deputy Andrii Herus, said that Ukraine would create fuel reserves. And the director of the A-95 Consulting Group, which provides services to the subjects of the energy market of Ukraine, Serhii Kuiun, said that now there is no fuel shortage in Ukraine and it is not predicted.

Thus, propagandists are trying to sow panic among the population and discredit the government, which allegedly cannot provide Ukraine with the necessary amount of resources. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Putin banned oil exports to the United States, which brought down the American economy.

Message Ukrainians are starving and must queue for free meals

In anonymous telegram channels, where pro-Russian rhetoric is circulating, messages have appeared where you can find a photo taken in Kharkiv. It depicts a queue for free lunches. Propagandists claim that Kharkiv is mired in hunger, and there is not enough food for everyone.

Although the situation is not as good as in times of peace, such reports deliberately dramatize it. Moreover, even if there are people suffering from the problem of hunger, it was Russia's aggression that caused it.

Propagandists are constantly trying to exaggerate the scale of the problems in Ukraine in order to show the inability of the Ukrainian authorities to cope with the crisis. Thus, the propagandists want to shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim of the aggression and persuade it to make concessions. Like, the Ukrainians understand that the “Kyiv regime” can’t do anything, so they need to stop their suffering and end the war on Russian terms. However, problems with food supplies, rising inflation, lower crops - all these are the consequences of the Russian war against Ukraine, and it is Russia that should be held responsible for this.

Message Zelenskyi sold Ukraine to a Western fund

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric report that Volodymyr Zelenskyi sold Ukraine through an agreement with the American company BlackRock. Reports say that from now on, this company allegedly owns “the largest enterprises in Ukraine, which were nationalized from Ukrainian oligarchs”.

Specialists of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. The message comes amid news that the Ukrainian government has begun cooperating with the world's largest investment company, BlackRock. However, in reality, this is not about selling Ukraine to a Western fund, but about valuable cooperation, thanks to which Ukraine will attract foreign investment in the future to restore the Ukrainian economy after the victory. But Ukraine will take the main financial expenses. The funds raised will be directed to the development of agriculture, energy, infrastructure, production, and information technology.

By spreading this message, propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities in the eyes of Ukrainians and emphasize once again that Ukraine depends on the West. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukraine is allegedly a tool of the West to undermine Russian statehood.

Fake Putin banned oil exports to the United States, which brought down the American economy

American media spreading pro-Russian rhetoric claim that Russian President Volodymyr Putin allegedly banned oil exports to the United States and that has already led to the destruction of the American economy. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of USA TODAY paid attention to the message. They note that Putin has nothing to ban in this situation, since the US banned the import of Russian oil, natural gas and coal as early as 2022. In addition, there is no information about retaliatory steps on the part of Putin.

Fact-checkers of the publication note that although the United States consumes more oil than it produces, they do not depend on Russian oil to the extent that this would greatly affect the American economy. In 2021, only 3% of all crude oil imported into the US came from Russia, according to The Wall Street Journal.

By using such messages, propagandists want to create the illusion that the fate of the West is in the hands of Russia and that without it, it falls to pieces. In particular, in propaganda media one can often see messages according to which the European Union and NATO are about to fall apart. All this is done in order to distract the world from the problems of Russia.

Fake Ukrainian flour is poisonous: it contains insects and pesticides

A message appeared on the Czech Facebook segment and on sites spreading disinformation that VitaFlora flour with dangerous pesticides from Ukraine is being sold on the shelves of the Kaufland supermarket chain in the Czech Republic. In social networks, they hint that it contains insects, and also mention dangerous mold. That is, allegedly Ukrainian flour is poisonous and should not be consumed by people. It's fake.

Specialists from Manipulátori.cz drew attention to the case. In fact, Slovak grain is used to make VitaFlora flour. Later, a post appeared on Kaufland's Facebook page stating that Mlýn Kolárovo indeed confirmed the 100% Slovak origin of the raw materials for VitaFlora flour, and sent a protocol with the results of laboratory tests. The report added that the management of the supermarket decided to withdraw VitaFlora flour for sale as a preventive measure.

This is not the first Russian stuffing regarding Ukrainian grain. By spreading such disinformation, Russia is trying to strike at the Ukrainian economy. In the summer of 2022, in the conditions of a full-scale war, Russia blocked and continues to block the Black Sea shipping routes to Asia and Africa, so most of the Ukrainian grain was imported to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Also, information about allegedly dangerous flour from Ukraine led to the emergence of websites supporting Russia.

Fake Ukrainian grain destroys the European Union

Propagandists are spreading the message that Ukrainian grain allegedly “broke” the European Union and the structure of the division of labor in it. They add that the European Commission is bogged down in negotiations and is lobbying for the position of the wealthy countries of Western Europe.

This message was noticed in the EUvsDisinfo project. Project specialists claim that in fact the EU is working together with Ukraine to resolve this situation. In the solutions, they try to take into account both the needs of Ukraine and the need for the EU to export grain from its own member countries. Exports from the EU play an important role in keeping food prices down. After consultations with the European Commission on April 21, Romania and Poland lifted the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain. Project analysts note that the EU is taking various measures to export Ukrainian grain, in particular, through the “corridors of solidarity” and the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

This message is part of a large-scale information campaign of Russians against the EU. Within its framework, propagandists spread messages according to which the EU is “falling apart” in front of their eyes. Thus, they want to shift the responsibility for aggression and its consequences from the aggressor to the victim and those who help it. Project experts note that it is Russia that is to blame for the “food crisis” that has developed due to logistical problems caused by the war against Ukraine. In addition, it is Russia that wants to destroy the Ukrainian agricultural market, causing damage to farmers in the billions.

Fake Timber and black soil are being exported from Ukraine under the guise of agricultural products

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that after agreements with Poland on a simplified regime for checking the export of agricultural products, timber, black soil and minerals will be exported from Ukraine. The authors of the messages add that Ukraine is “paying for help from the West”.

The case was noticed by the specialists of the VoxCheck project, who say that there is no confirmation that after the ban on the export of timber, it was exported from Ukraine. In addition, the West is helping Ukraine as a partner, not as a debtor for the provided weapons.

On March 3, 2023 Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland Henryk Kowalczyk agreed on simplified procedures for the passage of goods before export. In particular, this applies to Ukrainian grain and oil.

Message The Western economy is being “destroyed” as a result of anti-Russian sanctions

This thesis was circulated in social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the EU is losing in the confrontation with Russia. “The growth of inflation and unemployment, the dysfunctional banking system - this is the result of Brussels’ policy in the EU”. Like, the Russian economy “goes into the abyss”.

The experts of the EU vs Disinfo project worked on the case and found that the thesis about the terrible economic situation in Western countries is untrue. According to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2022 has been a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022 Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% in the best-case scenario and by 3.9% in the worst-case scenario. The Russian economy will shrink in 2023 as well. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3% according to the organizations.

In addition, the Yale University study examined in detail the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, concluding that sanctions are catastrophically destroying the Russian economy.

According to the latest figures from the European Commission, the EU economy is “resilient and ready to face the challenges, in particular those caused by Russia's war against Ukraine”.

Fake Authorities create bases of vacancies due to a sharp increase in unemployment

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric publish information that the President of Ukraine, by his decree, created “information hubs for Ukrainian citizens to find work”, taking into account the “sharp increase in unemployment”. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the screenshot used by the authors of such messages is a fake. In particular, it contains the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 127/2023. It can be easily found on the website of the Office of the President and you can see that in fact it concerns the appointment of O.Kamyshin as an adviser to the President of Ukraine. In addition, there are no decrees with information about “information hubs” on the site at all.

Thus, the authors of telegram channels are trying to increase the number of their subscribers by misleading users. However, Russian propagandists also took advantage of this, presenting it as evidence of an economic disaster in Ukraine. Like, everything is so bad that even the government is forced to send people to work.

Manipulation In 2022, they recorded a record trade turnover between the EU and Russia

Such messages are distributed in the Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels. They say that the trade turnover between Russia and the European Union at the end of 2022 reached a maximum in eight years, while the import of goods from Russia was at a historical maximum. Allegedly, this is confirmed by Eurostat data. This is manipulation.

The volume of trade actually increased, but the entire increase occurred at the beginning of the year, that is, before the start of a full-scale war. According to The Insider fact-checkers, immediately after the outbreak of the war, exports from EU countries fell sharply and have remained at about the same level since then. Imports of Russian goods in March were still at a high level (probably due to previously contracted supplies of raw materials), after which they began to decline, by May they had decreased to about last year's level and continued to fall until the end of the year. One of the main trends in EU trade policy has been to reduce dependence on Russian raw materials. For example, in 2021, about 45% of EU coal imports came from Russia, and in 2022 only about 13%. Russia's share in gas imports during the year decreased from 36% to 18%, oil - from 25% to 14%, fertilizers - from 29% to 16%.

By spreading such manipulations, Russian propaganda aims to show that European sanctions are ineffective and Russia is still a serious economic player.

Fake Ukrainian banks acknowledged the loss of territories

Propagandists distribute photos that allegedly show a loan agreement of one of the Ukrainian banks. According to it, “the transfer of the territory to the jurisdiction of another state does not release the borrower from obligations”. The authors of messages with photos in Russian telegram channels add: they say, in this way even Ukrainian banks admit that Ukraine has lost or will lose its own territories forever. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found the original contract belonging to Alliance Bank. It does not contain clauses on the transfer of territories to the jurisdiction of another state. In this version of the contract, the paragraphs with numbers in the photo have a different content. Also, VoxCheck analysts did not find similar provisions in loan transactions of other Ukrainian banks.

Thus, propagandists want to demoralize Ukrainians. They say that Ukraine is losing on the battlefield and losing its territory, so the war is meaningless and it must be ended on Russia's terms. However, such fakes are also created in order to hide Russia's failure at the front.

Fake In Ukraine, sowing campaign is under threat as all the grain was taken out

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that the grain agreement, under which grain from Ukrainian ports was “actively exported to Western countries”, allegedly “turned into a disaster” for Ukraine itself. Allegedly, as a result of the grain corridor, almost all grain, about 20 million tons, including sowing grain, was exported from the country. Ukrainian farmers have nothing to sow the fields with. It is not true.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and turned to Denys Marchuk, deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian agrarian council, for a comment. The expert said that the information about the “disruption of the sowing campaign” is not true, since the strategic provision of Ukraine with grain fully meets domestic needs. At the same time, not all grain was exported from Ukraine. As the expert explains, the current sowing campaign, as in 2022, will take place in the most difficult conditions. He emphasizes that Russia's largest-scale invasion undermines the foundations of food security not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world.

Propagandists have repeatedly manipulated the issue of food supply for Ukraine. Thus, they nourish the narrative that Ukraine does not care about Ukrainians, but only tries to please Western countries by allegedly supplying all the grain.

Manipulation Switzerland refuses to transfer Russia’s frozen assets to Ukraine

The Russian media are spreading a quote from Swiss official Guy Parmelin. Allegedly, he said that Switzerland refused to commit suicide over the transfer of Russia’s frozen financial assets to Ukraine and believes that there are no legal grounds for confiscating Russian money. This is manipulation.

The Swiss official said nothing about Switzerland's refusal to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. Moreover, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis, in an interview with Tages-Anzeiger, confirmed that he supports the idea of confiscating frozen Russian funds and using them to restore Ukraine. StopFake fact-checkers note that currently the funds are not transferred to the Ukrainian side due to the lack of an appropriate legal framework, but this issue is already being discussed by a number of countries.

Thus, Russian propaganda nourishes the narrative that Ukraine is a weak state that will not win the Russian-Ukrainian war. Also, with such messages, propagandists are trying to demoralize the fighting spirit of Ukrainians and encourage Western states not to send weapons to Ukraine.

Fake The World Economic Forum aims to reduce the number of people on Earth, including because of the war in Ukraine

This is the message propagandists use on social networks and telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. It states that the goal of the World economic forum is to reduce the number of people to 1 billion of “chosen ones” because there is not enough space and sources in the world for everyone. For this, WEF members, according to propagandists, have developed a special plan, which is already underway due to the war in Ukraine and the pandemic. It's a lie.

As Eu vs Disinfo experts explain, this is a propaganda stuffing built on conspiracy theories. The World economic forum is a well-known independent international organization. As noted in the program of the Annual meeting of the forum 2023, the current event is dedicated to various situations, in particular, the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic. The agenda of the Forum “focuses on solutions to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges”.

When propagandists spread such fakes and use conspiracy theories, they want to achieve a distortion of reality that is beneficial for Russian propaganda to spread their narratives. They say that the war in Ukraine has long been planned by third parties, and Russia has nothing to do with it. So, Russia blurs the borders and justifies itself, creating the appearance that people in Ukraine are dying not because of its aggression, but because of the collusion of large organizations.