According to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the CNSD, this is the thesis spread by veteran U.S. intelligence officer Paul Pilar in the global information space. He also calls on Western countries to make concessions to Russia and stop a new so-called cold war.
This is the information disseminated by the Russian media. Reports claim that the hospital in Rubizhny, "neglected due to lack of funds and resources," was allegedly repaired with funds from Ramzan Kadyrov's mother's fund. A video showing a tour of the new hospital was also made public on the Telegram account of the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. In that video, the Chechen fighters claim that before their arrival in the city there was "not a single institution that could not provide professional care. However, this is a fake. As StopFake fact checkers write, the infectious disease department of the Central City Hospital in Rubizhne was rebuilt with funds from the United Nations Development Program and the Japanese government back in 2017. Serhii Haidai, chairman of the Luhansk Military Regional Administration, said that before the war, this infectious disease department of the city hospital in Rubizhne had modern equipment and was considered one of the best in Ukraine.
Russian propaganda is actively spreading such a thesis in its media. As writes StopFake, thus propagandists interpreted in their own way one of the new laws, which will soon be signed by President Vladimir Zelensky. "We are talking about the document, in the translation of the Russian agitprop it turned into 'legalization of the robbery of supporters of Russia,'" the fact checkers write.
In this way, they are trying to increase the audience of telegram channels, taking advantage of the current vulnerability of Ukrainians in terms of finances, the Brekhunets project fact checkers write. In particular, the "ads" for money attach links to which you need to click to receive funds - in one version it is the age of the person, in another - the bank. Once the link is clicked, no money is involved. In the case of "crypto" anonymous organizers without mentioning the beginning and end of the draw offer to fulfill simple conditions: subscribe to the channel and put "+" in the comments. On the channel to which they offer to subscribe, there is no mention of cash equivalents, the end date of the drawing is indicated (not a close date) and all the content is in Russian. Read more
According to VoxCheck, users of social networks spread information about allegedly state subsidies at "OKKO" gas stations for 5000 hryvnia. In order to get the money, users are offered to take a short survey. However, this is a fraud. The company OKKO denied information about the state subsidies for 5000 hryvnia. As the factchecker writes, OKKO network reported that it had nothing to do with this action. You can find out about the campaign on the official website, in a message from loyalty program Fishka or on pages in social networks. More details.
Telegram channels controlled by Russian intelligence are spreading the thesis that Kentucky Senator Paul Rand blocked a bill to allocate $40 billion to Ukraine, ostensibly because the West "sawed off" humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The thesis is also spreading that the West is tired of the war in Ukraine, so it has only started to pay lip service to the country - but will in fact block real aid to the Ukrainians.
This is manipulation. First, there is no doubt, that $40 billion will be allocated to Ukraine – Senator Rand did not block, but only delayed the vote for the bill. The U.S. media is confident, it will be voted on next week.
Secondly, Rand's proposal to amend the bill to create additional control over how that money is spent in Ukraine will not be accepted, political analysts and politicians in the US are sure: in general they consider such a mechanism useful, but it will take more time to develop, and Ukraine needs help as soon as possible. And one last thing: Rand has many times slowed down the adoption of any decisions in the Senate, adding his own amendments to the bills at the time. This has involved not only Ukraine, but also bills on sanctions against Russia, preventing a federal government shutdown, the U.S. defense budget, and enhancing the security of judges and their families. His position is related solely to the internal political struggle in the U.S.
This thesis is spread by telegram channels administered by Russian special services. Russian propaganda promotes the manipulative message that the Ukrainian political top brass is enriching themselves on agribusinesses while Ukrainians are forced to consume in short supply and spend a lot of money on food. At the same time, these propagandists do not mention the fact that Russia steals and exports food from Ukraine. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, stolen grain from Ukraine can be exported to Russia, occupied Crimea and Syria (from where it can be smuggled to other Middle Eastern countries).
In fact, back in March 2022 the government banned the export of oats, millet, buckwheat, sugar, salt, rye, cattle, meat and by-products from cattle, frozen brine, etc. because of Russia's war against Ukraine. This was done to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, market stability and meet the needs of the population in critical food products. Under certain conditions (with informing the government and issuing a free license) it is possible to export: wheat and a mixture of wheat and rye (meslin), corn, domestic chicken meat, domestic chicken eggs, sunflower oil.
According to the Anti-Disinformation Center, the Russian propaganda actively spreads this thesis. The messages also say that Pekin is a fierce critic of the sanctions against Russia and does not condemn Moscow. "Indeed, the Kremlin only dreams of such a partnership as the basis of a new anti-Nazi bloc against the U.S. and NATO. There is no alliance between the countries. Since the early 1980s China has followed a diplomatic policy of independent self-sufficiency and lack of alliances. Reluctance to condemn the "special operation" Russia has strained relations between China and the United States, its allies. This disrupted the supply of goods from the PRC and led to the cancellation of export orders from Chinese companies. The underlying principle of the China-Ukraine Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation states that China supports Ukraine's policy aimed at the unity of the state and its territorial integrity", the Center's statement reads.
Back in March this year, almost at the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Bloomberg agency wrote that China will rely on Russia's attempts to involve it in the war against Ukraine and will not provide substantial military and material assistance. At the same time, the Chinese government does not want to pressure Russia to end the war. But there is no reason to call China an ally of Russia in this war.
Pro-Kremlin media and Telegram channels spread information that "the Kiev government is once again engaged in a 'culture of cancellation,'" as the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture allegedly plans to withdraw Russian literature from Ukraine's library collections. In particular, the propaganda publication RIA Novosti reported that "works of Russian literature, which is considered propaganda," will be withdrawn. In fact, these statements are manipulation, reports StopFake.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said that Ukraine will launch a process of removing Russian books from libraries, but it is not talking about all works of Russian literature, but only those that promote war and the elimination of Ukrainian statehood. The Council for the Development of Librarianship under the Ministry developed criteria, according to which books will be withdrawn. First of all, the works that meet one of these criteria will be withdrawn:
• whose content is aimed at eliminating the independence of Ukraine, propaganda of violence, inciting interethnic, racial, religious enmity, committing terrorist acts, encroaching on human rights and freedoms;
• propaganda of war, national and religious discord, changing the constitutional system or the territorial integrity of Ukraine by violence; contain justification, recognition as legitimate, denial of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, including by presenting the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine as an internal conflict, civil conflict, civil war, denial of temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine; glorify persons committing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, present;
• publishers, as well as authors to whom restrictive measures (sanctions) have been applied in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Sanctions";
• authors who publicly supported the aggression against Ukraine, information about which is publicly available on the Internet.
Apparently, the Russian language of the work is not a criterion according to which the Ministry of Culture will withdraw literature from library collections.The Council for Library Development, founded in April 2022, is engaged in the process of developing the criteria according to which literature will be withdrawn. They regularly publish information about their meetings on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian Library Association. According to the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, libraries can create advisory bodies, which will give recommendations on how to update the library collection in the conditions of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Library Association says that the issue of removing propaganda literature from the libraries of Ukraine will be approached carefully and in a balanced way. Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy Larysa Petasyuk confirms this: "Propaganda is a dangerous weapon. Today Russian lies poison everything around us. We have all the means to fight this phenomenon. The Ministry has defined clear criteria according to which Russian literature will be withdrawn from Ukrainian library collections. We approach this question carefully and in a balanced way. We hope that all this will have a positive effect on the development of Ukrainian book publishing.The Ministry of Culture reports that the withdrawn books will be replaced by Ukrainian works and books of Ukrainian publishers.
According to the Center to Counter Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Russian propaganda spreads this thesis, confirming it by saying that Hungary will veto the embargo on the import of Russian oil, which the European Union plans to include in the sixth package of sanctions against Russia. The veto of the embargo was announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on May 3. Since 65% of Hungary's oil consumption comes through the Druzhba pipeline, and there are no alternative lines to the country, the draft sixth sanctions package includes exceptions for Hungary and Slovakia, which are allowed to extend imports until the end of 2023. ""But due to the prohibition of transit through the Hungarian territory of military aid to Ukraine, the EU has launched a legal process, the result of which could be the termination of Euro-donations for Hungary. The reaction of EU countries prompts the Hungarian leadership to withdraw its veto of the EU oil embargo against Russia," the Center said in a statement.
This is the thesis spread by the Russian propagandist media allegedly referring to The Washington Post. The reports claim that most Americans are "dissatisfied with Biden's policy toward Ukraine." As fact checkers at StopFake write, for example, propaganda resources presented the results of a poll conducted among Americans in late April 2022. The propagandists claim that Americans are dissatisfied with both the sanctions imposed against Russia and the amount of military aid to Ukraine. According to StopFake poll by The Washington Post-ABC News, the number of Americans who support Biden's activities related to the war in Ukraine has increased. The percentage of those who do not support the policy, however, has not changed. "This survey showed that a majority of Americans, despite concerns about the war, agree that Ukraine needs even more help. Other surveys conducted at different times and by other organizations also show broad support for Ukraine among Americans and assistance," - the fact checkers write.
This manipulative thesis is spreading on social networks along with part of the material of the German publication Redaktions Netzwerk Deutschland (RND). This is not the first attempt by Russian propaganda to show that anti-Russian sanctions hit the countries that imposed them more than Russia itself. In fact, as StopFake points out, the RND material tells of ways to save money, in particular listing ways to save water due to the country's rising inflation. The article also gives tips on how to use water sparingly when showering, washing vegetables and dishes, and doing laundry. There is no mention in the article that Germans suffer from "anti-Russian sanctions. Regarding inflation in Germany, it started rising long before Russia's war against Ukraine.
Citing the results of an Ipsos study called "Worrying the World," anonymous telegram feeds write that the problem of war in Ukraine is only 11th in the rankings, with war-induced inflation at the top. The manipulation is based on several points.
First, the study, which has been conducted for years using the same methodology in 27 countries, reports that the item "War Between the Nations" did not exist before and was introduced because of the war in Ukraine.
Second, countries in Europe and the U.S. are in the top 50 of those who care about the war in Ukraine. South American and African countries express 1-2% concern, which is natural given the geopolitical features of the world. "Concern is greatest in Europe. Poland has the highest level of worry, with four in ten (38%) saying it is one of the biggest problems in the country. Other countries show high levels of worry: Germany (35%), Sweden (30%), Britain (28%), and Italy (26%). There is less anxiety in Latin America," the study said. It also noted that in none of the countries respondents named war as their main concern, but in Germany the figure is only 2 points behind inflation, which was among the biggest worries. Instead, according to a local Ipsos survey in Denmark, which is not part of the Worrying World rating, in March, war in Ukraine was second with 30 percent, and climate change was first. In April, both problems topped the rating; only the numbers changed. Instead, according to a local Ipsos survey in Denmark, which is not part of the Worrying World rating, in March, war in Ukraine was second with 30 percent, and climate change was first. In April, both problems topped the rating; only the numbers changed.
Third, according to the study, inflation was among the top five global concerns in March for the first time since January 2013. The global rate in March was 32%, although at the beginning of the year it was 20%. Argentina takes it the most - 64%, where the war in Ukraine worries 1%.
Social networks are spreading data that the Russian ruble has become the second fastest-growing currency among developing countries, and the reason for this strengthening is exports. Mesegee - sanctions are inactive or working in the opposite direction.
Since late March, the ruble has really begun to recover from the collapse caused by the outbreak of war and sanctions, says Yurii Haidai, senior economist at the Center for Economic Strategy, in a commentary for the DM. Although now its official exchange rate for world currencies corresponds to the pre-war values, and the rate on the black market is somewhat lower, in the long term artificial holding of the exchange rate will harm the Russian economy, the expert added. "The first reason for the paradoxical persistence of the ruble is the trade balance. 60% of Russia's foreign exchange earnings come from oil and gas exports, which have largely persisted. The EU cannot quickly bring these purchases down to zero, and the decrease in demand from the EU is offset by high prices and attempts to redirect some exports to other countries.
In the first two months of the war, Russia received 62 billion euros in energy exports alone, of which 44 billion came from EU countries. At the same time, against the backdrop of sanctions and declining consumption, imports to Russia collapsed, which means that Russia spends much less currency than before the war. The trade surplus in the first quarter of 2022 was 55 billion euros, twice as much as in the past.
Combined with other steps, such as the obligation for exporters to sell 80% of foreign currency earnings, a sharp increase in the discount rate of the Central Bank of Russia, and a de facto ban on foreign investors exiting assets in Russia, this has created a significant demand for the ruble, leading to its appreciation.
Artificial keeping of the ruble exchange rate on the medium and long term will additionally damage the budget revenues and the economy of Russia, as it was admitted publicly by Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Central Bank of Russia. But until the Western countries introduce a full-fledged oil embargo, one should not expect a significant depreciation of the ruble," explained Yurii Haidai.
Anonymous telegram channels spread information that in the temporarily occupied territories the Russian authorities allegedly write off debts for public utilities. The authors of such reports also claim that with the spread of rumors that the western regions of Ukraine may be ceded to Poland, Romania, Slovakia or Hungary, people living in these regions are also allegedly not allowed to pay utility bills, because then the debts will be written off, as Russia does.
First of all, there is no question of the annexation of the western regions to any other country. It is only Russia that has attacked Ukraine with a war and seeks to seize our territory. Second, Russia may be writing off debts in the temporarily occupied territories, but in cities where Russian troops were already present, there are significant problems with communications, because Russia is purposefully destroying Ukrainian infrastructure. In particular, it blows up water and sewage pipelines, etc., and electricity and gas disappear in cities due to rocket and other shelling. In addition, such a message is dangerous because it seems to tell Ukrainians that it is advantageous to surrender to Russia because they will not have to pay for utilities and will be able to save money.
Information about this spread on social networks. Such reports claim that CNN filmed a fire in the city of Edmonton in Canada and stated that the video depicts the aftermath of the Russian airstrike in Lviv. According to the logic of the authors of the report, the proof of the fabricated report allegedly is that the video shows a man dressed in a jacket with the inscription "Edmonton." However, this is not true, and the video was not made in Canada. "The video does indeed depict a fire at an oil depot and defense plant in Lviv, and the protective suit labeled "Edmonton" is donated firefighting equipment from a Canadian charity," VoxCheck writes.
Margarita Simonyan admitted that any propaganda videos produced by RT are deleted on average in two minutes on social networks.
"The problem is that we are blocked everywhere, everyone is under sanctions, so it doesn't matter whether it's our own brand or another brand, they immediately find where their ears grow from and immediately cover it up, two minutes is the average life of our video." To spread its own propaganda, RT plans to post videos of prisoners and civilians it records in Russian-occupied territories, translate them into European languages, and encourage Russians to spread them in personal messages to people living in Europe. She called this attempt to spread Russian propaganda a "people's information militia."
"There is no other way out - centrally on other platforms it doesn't work. We are being burned out." Recall that most of the recordings of captives and citizens forcibly removed to Russia were recorded under pressure and under the supervision of the FSB.
Russian media reported, citing sources, that the Vatican Bank paid the equivalent of 10 million euros for Russian gas in rubles. However, the only source of this information is a tweet by user Mariia Ledovska.
The user later wrote that her tweet, which went viral, was a joke. There is no evidence of the Vatican payment or any intention of the state to pay for gas in rubles.
The Russian mass media are spreading news with the headlines "Not discussed" and its variants, which have to refer to French President Emanuel Macron that the embargo on Russian gas is not discussed in Europe.
In fact, this is manipulation: first, Macron, in an interview with Corriere della Sera said that the issue of gas may not be on the table in the EU (or maybe not) "This issue that may be on the table, but not yet today. Coal and oil are already being negotiated, gas is not yet. We know what enormous difficulties it causes. That's why you've been hearing me insist on European energy sovereignty for years.
Secondly, the gas embargo is constantly being negotiated in the EU. Yes, Macron himself insists that France supports this embargo and does not actually depend on Russian gas. Lithuania has already completely abandoned Russian gas, even Germany, which has been increasing its dependence on Russian gas for the last 8 years, is planning to do this next year (although Germany and Hungary are the two countries most likely to vote against the gas embargo proposal this year, should such a project appear on the EU ballot. So giving up Russian gas is one of the issues constantly being discussed in the EU - and some countries are already refusing to use oil and gas from Russia on their own.
Anonymous telegram channels have spread the message that postwar Ukraine will be a poor agrarian country, losing its mineral deposits and its position on the raw materials market. DiXi Group analyst Serhii Yevtushok thinks the theses are manipulative. "On the contrary, there is reason to argue that it is highly likely that Ukraine will get an even bigger boost in the development of the extractive sector in relation to minerals such as uranium, titanium and other critical mineral products after the war is over," he said. The analyst added that over the past few years Ukraine has been developing programs for exploration and production of critical minerals and a list of them has been determined. The National Program for Development of the Mineral Resource Base of Ukraine until 2030 was updated in 2021, which provides for permanent financing of geological exploration and increase of production of critical minerals. Also signed a memorandum with the EU, according to which Ukraine will attract investment for the development of the industry of critical raw materials, primarily for the production of batteries.
"Given the sanctions and the withdrawal of many companies, including service companies, the raw materials extracted from Russia will eventually become uncompetitive and will be forced out of the world markets. And the development of Ukrainian subsoil will allow, over time, to replace Russia's niche in the market," he summarized.
This is the information spread by the Russian propaganda media. In particular, the publication RIA-news, as well as - pro-Russian telegrams on channels. The reports say that the euro exchange rate "fell" and the Russian ruble "strengthened" because Europeans seem to pay for gas in rubles. The Center for counteraction to disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council denies such information.
"The new scheme that Putin tried to sell to the EU countries provides for the buyers to open a new foreign currency and ruble account with Gazprombank. That is, European countries have to pay for gas to a "passthrough" company, which would convert the currency into rubles and transfer the "wood" to Gazprom's account. Most EU countries refused to participate in such a "scheme. In particular, Italy and Germany - the largest consumers of Russian gas in Europe - refused to pay in rubles, arguing that it contradicted the terms of existing contracts. Among the "European buyers," Hungary and Moldova agreed to the Kremlin's gamble," according to the Center.
This information is spread in the propaganda media and telegram channels. Propagandists claim that the U.S. will not be able to replace Russian gas supplies to the EU if Russia stops doing so. However, this is manipulation. According to the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, the total volume of liquefied gas production in the USA makes 120 billion cubic meters a year, and by 2025 it will increase by another 70 billion cubic meters. Projects with a combined production of 206 billion cubic meters of gas have already received federal permits in the U.S. Last month, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen announced an agreement with Joe Biden under which the U.S. will increase additional supplies of liquefied gas to the EU to 50 billion cubic meters a year. These supplies will gradually replace EU imports from Russia, which last year totaled 155 billion cubic meters of gas. The task set by Europe to eliminate dependence on Russian gas is designed to level out the intentions of the Russian leadership to use energy supplies to the EU as leverage," the Center said in a statement.
Messages with such content are distributed in pro-Russian telegram channels. In particular, such messages can be found on the "Skooy Woman" channel. The authors of the text seem to be asking what awaits Ukraine and the Ukrainians, when Russian troops start bombing thermal power plants or power lines, or destroying coal reserves. Thus, the authors lead to the idea that the enemy has not yet done the worst in Ukraine, because so far he allegedly does not destroy infrastructure facilities, but only "" Ukraine itself undermines its own bridges. There is also an element of intimidation in such reports, saying that Russia's real war against Ukraine has not even started yet, and that you "dread to think" what will happen when Russia does to Ukraine what we did to Crimea. For example, cutting off electricity and spicy water." In fact, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, February 24, Russia has been striking Ukrainian infrastructure facilities: these include oil towers, TV towers, airports, railway stations and tracks. The enemy is targeting facilities not only in those cities where combat operations are ongoing, but also in conditionally peaceful ones in the west of the country. In addition to the enemy destroying Ukrainian facilities, the Russian military also massively abuses civilians in Ukraine. Another claim regarding Ukraine's bullying of Crimean residents is crude manipulation like the messaging that the war began as a result of "'the Ukrainian government has been bullying the inhabitants of Donbass for eight years. Read more about such messages in the text of Media Detector.
Andrei Isayev, a State Duma deputy from the United Russia party, said that Ukraine will have problems with the supply of food for the population, "the sowing season has failed, the roads are destroyed," "the Kiev regime will not solve this problem, and the West does not care about the fate of ordinary Ukrainians." Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi said in an interview to "Ekonomichna Pravda" that Ukraine does not have and will not have any problem with food in the near future. We have reserves of basic products for several years, particularly oil - for many years. Sowing of spring crops continues in 23 regions of Ukraine, except Lugansk. As of April 14, the estimated sowing area of main spring crops for the harvest of 2022 on the territory controlled by Ukraine is 14 013 thousand ha, which is by 2 903.3 thousand hectares less than last year (16 916.3 thousand ha).
Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi said that there will be no shortage of basic foods, particularly eggs, poultry, milk and vegetables in the domestic market of Ukraine. There is no shortage of food in stores, except in cities that the Russians have blockaded or temporarily occupied. No humanitarian aid can be delivered there.
In addition, the World Food Program has already rolled out a large-scale humanitarian assistance to war-affected Ukrainians. So, in particular, contacts have been established with bakeries, flour mills and food industry enterprises in Ukraine to purchase goods in critical regions. We are talking about 40 thousand tons of food products. Seven warehouses were opened in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Odessa and Kropyvnytsky. And in Lviv, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts, cash assistance is provided to resettlers.
The Russian media have been reporting en masse over the past two days, April 14 and 15, that Greece has refused to supply weapons to Ukraine. On April 14, they referred to a statement by Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panayiotopoulos, and on April 15 to a statement by government spokesman Yanis Oikonomos. Both statements are interpreted in favor of supporting Russia, but this is not the case. First, Greece has already supplied Ukraine with weapons - Kalashnikov assault rifles and mobile anti-missile systems - and has no plans to do so in the future. Secondly, the defense minister explained that because of tense relations with Turkey, Greece could not supply Ukraine with additional weapons without risking weakening its own defense capabilities. Finally, Oikonomou's statement is related to publications in the Greek press, which claim that Greece has supplied weapons to Ukraine six times, and started doing so before the war began. It seems that Greece transferred "Stingers" and other weapons to NATO bases in Europe, and from there the weapons were already supplied to Ukraine. Oikonomou, answering questions from local journalists, stressed that Greece provided weapons to Ukraine once, after the start of the war - and actually refuted the inaccurate information.
Greece has also repeatedly stated that although no further arms supplies to Ukraine are planned, the country is trying to reduce its need for Russian gas as soon as possible. That is, statements by Greek officials do not indicate that their government supports Russia and its wars in Ukraine.
At the same time, both Ukrainian and Russian media selectively quote the results of a survey of Greek citizens, citing only the figure indicating that 66% of them are against arms supplies to Ukraine. But they don't cite other figures: 70% support Ukraine in this war, 60% support sanctions against Russia, 52% are in favor of creating an EU armed force.