Russian propaganda sources are distributing a fake video as if it were from the environmental organization Greenpeace. It talks about the pollution of the Dnipro, Dunai, and Southern Buh with “cadaveric poison” due to an alleged 12-fold increase in the number of burials since the start of the full-scale invasion. The video also notes “a potential threat to neighboring countries, primarily Poland and Romania”.

“Since 2022, Ukrainian cemeteries have begun burying soldiers who died in the conflict with Russia. Due to the “significant number of daily burials”, cemetery administrations have stopped observing sanitary standards”, they wrote in the fake video.

In fact, the information is false, and Greenpeace did not distribute such a video. As reported by StopFake, citing Ukrainian environmental safety expert Maksym Soroka, the term “cadaveric poison”, in the scientific community - “ptomaines”, is outdated and creates a false idea about the nature of this substance. You can get poisoned if, for example, you drink such water only in “large volumes”. Moreover, tap water is purified and disinfected before it goes directly to users. Therefore, botulism or staphylococcus bacteria, which reservoirs can be contaminated with, do not pose a threat to health in case of indirect consumption.

Thus, propagandists frighten Ukrainians with “inevitable consequences”, in particular for the environment, if the war continues. That is, they do everything to sow the idea, for example, of the need for negotiations with Russia. They explain this by saying that this is to stop the alleged hundreds of thousands of losses at the front. Or, so that “at least some conditions remain” for a safe life in Ukraine in the future.

Below is an extended refutation of the theses voiced by the Russian President. Volodymyr Putin took part in the so-called Dokuchaiev Conference in Rostov-on-Don and declared the importance of solving environmental problems “in Donbas and Novorosiia”. In his statement, he and other representatives of the Russian authorities accused Ukraine of the environmental decline of the region, trying to blame it for the situation. However, the statements of Putin and representatives of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources do not correspond to reality and serve as a tool for manipulation aimed at justifying Russian aggression.

One of the main theses of Russian propagandists is the accusation that Ukraine is worsening the environmental situation in the region, even to the point of so-called “ecocide”. However, in reality, the main destruction of the environment in the temporarily occupied territories began in 2014 after the Russian occupation of part of the territory. The region has been under Russian occupation for more than 8 years. The main environmental damage occurs due to uncontrolled activities and violation of the rules of warfare by Russia.

The destruction of industrial facilities, mines, water supply and drainage infrastructure caused by shelling and illegal exploitation of resources has significantly worsened the state of the environment. Flooding of mines and damage to water supply systems lead to the ingress of toxic substances into the soil and water. For example, the lack of control over mines forced to stop operations due to military actions contributed to the contamination of water bodies with toxic substances, including heavy metals, which creates a significant danger to public health and the environment.

Today, Russia is trying to use the “ecocide” thesis as a justification for its actions, viewing it as a pretext for intervention and subsequent occupation. These statements are aimed at an international audience to create an image of Russia as the “savior” of the region’s ecosystems, while in fact it is the main factor in the ecological decline. It is Russia’s military aggression, in particular the deployment of heavy weapons in the temporarily occupied territories and the conduct of intensive military operations, that has led to serious destruction of the ecosystem, including the pollution of soil and water.

Events such as the Dokuchaiev Conference are aimed at creating the illusion of Russia's active participation in the restoration and protection of the environment in the region. However, the real facts indicate the opposite. The purpose of these statements is to demonstrate Russia's peacekeeping position and its readiness to help the newly annexed territories at the international level. In fact, despite all the statements about the “environmental humanitarian mission”, Russia does not implement real measures to improve the environmental condition of these territories, in particular, it does not ensure effective waste management, does not restore forests and water resources, but focuses on the exploitation of natural resources.

The accusation that Ukraine has not carried out environmental activities for decades is manipulative and unfounded. Before the war in 2014, Ukraine carried out environmental projects in Donbas aimed at cleaning water, restoring forests and developing environmental infrastructure. Now, unfortunately, Ukraine cannot carry out environmental activities in the temporarily occupied territories due to security threats from Russian occupation forces.

By spreading such messages, Russia is trying to shift the world community’s attention away from the fact that it is the source of environmental problems in the region due to its military actions and exploitation of resources in the occupied territories. Propaganda statements are aimed at creating an image of Russia as a defender of the environment, supporting its actions in the eyes of the world community and justifying the occupation of new territories. The presentation of Ukraine as a state that has neglected environmental issues in the temporarily occupied territories is aimed at discrediting Ukraine in order to reduce the level of support from other states and international organizations. Russia is trying to use environmental problems as a pretext for establishing control over the occupied territories, justifying its military and political influence by the alleged need to restore the ecosystem.

Propaganda resources are spreading statements by Russian occupiers that the “Kyiv regime” is allegedly planning to use chemical and bacteriological weapons to poison reservoirs in the Kherson region. They say that the statement is based on the testimony of Ukrainian prisoners of war. This is written by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

These claims are yet another Russian fabrication aimed at continuing Russian disinformation about weapons of mass destruction that Ukraine is allegedly preparing to use. This narrative was used at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, when Moscow spread fakes about “American biolabs” to justify its aggressive actions. In the meantime, Russian intelligence services are generating new false claims about a “chemical” and “bacteriological” threat.

The so-called "testimonies" of Ukrainian prisoners of war, which Russian propaganda refers to, are usually either invented or obtained under pressure, a frequently used tool of Russia. The statements about water poisoning in the Kherson region have no evidence.

The purpose of spreading this fake is to discredit Ukraine in the international arena, create an imaginary “threat” from Kyiv and intimidate residents of the temporarily occupied territories. This is an attempt to undermine trust in Ukraine and its Western allies by presenting the Ukrainian authorities as an aggressor ready to use weapons of mass destruction.

The Russian segment of social networks writes that an ecological catastrophe is approaching Kyiv. The messages claim that the pollution, which began in the Seim river in Sumy region, has reached the Desna river in Kyiv region.

“Will Kyiv do something about this? We'll see. There's been no progress so far - just a statement”, the propagandists write.

However, the pollution of the Seim and Desna did not affect the state of the water in the Dnipro River; there is no threat to Kyiv and the more southern regions.

On August 14, 2024, pollution of the Seim river, which flows from the Kursk region of Russia to the Sumy and Chernihiv regions, was recorded. According to the official version, sewage entered the Seim from a sugar factory in the village of Tiotkino in the Kursk region. About 6 thousand tons of sugar processing products entered the water.

Acting Mayor of Chernihiv Oleksandr Lomako stated that the pollution was caused by Russia's destruction of treatment facilities in Kursk. And already on August 27, the pollution reached the Desna, where the Seim flows. In fact, 70% of Kyiv's drinking water comes from the Desna, so rumors began to spread online that Kyiv could be left without water. However, on September 15, pollution along the Desna reached the Kyiv region, but in a lower concentration.

In Kyiv, the Kyiv City Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports daily on the quality of drinking water. It has not detected any excess of harmful substances. As of September 26, 2024, the indicators are still within the normal range. There are also no threats to water intake in Chernihiv and Sumy regions, because water is obtained not from the river, but from artesian wells.

Swimming, fishing and using this water in the economy are prohibited on the Seim and Desna rivers in Chernihiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions. However, the environmental disaster in Kyiv predicted by Russian Telegram channels did not happen.

By spreading such a message, propagandists want to feed the narrative that Ukraine is allegedly uninhabitable due to the lack of electricity, high prices for utilities; or due to various diseases, pandemics that are spreading exclusively in Ukraine due to the war. In this way, the authors want to sow panic among Ukrainians in order to destabilize the mood and create a feeling that “nothing will change”.

On social media, Russian propagandists are spreading a picture of the Women's Peace and Security Global Index (WPS Index) for 2023, according to which Ukraine is supposedly “the worst country in the world for women”. The propaganda also makes an ironic comment: “But soon they will be the only ones left there”.

In fact, the Russians manipulated the information, as reported by the StopFake project. The data on the chart reflects the situation in Europe, but not in the world as a whole. According to the WPS Index, in 2023, the lowest scores were given to Afghanistan, Yemen, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and several other countries. Ukraine is not in the top ten worst countries for women, it ranks 117th out of 177 countries. At the same time, Ukraine has the lowest score among European countries.

It is worth noting that Ukraine received such low ratings precisely because of the war with Russia, and they reflect the difficult realities that women face in war conditions. Thus, the aforementioned rating evaluates various components of women's status from participation in the economy to health and risks of violence. In particular, it includes assessments of education, security, parliamentary representation, maternal mortality, legal protection and proximity to armed conflict.

By manipulating information, Russia is trying to discredit Ukraine, influence its image in the world and shift the focus. Earlier, we documented a fake, supposedly, that the Bellingcat investigation proved that Yermak paid Time for a place in the ranking of the most influential people of the year.

Ukrainian and Russian media have spread information about a forest fire in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Propagandists picked up on this news and used it to frighten Western audiences, saying that Ukraine is threatening the world with nuclear contamination, since radioactive particles from Ukraine are already moving to Poland. However, this is a fake, journalists from the StopFake project write.

Indeed, on September 3, 2024, the forest litter caught fire in the exclusion zone. As of September 9, the fire is still being extinguished. “Currently, 399 rescuers, 103 units of equipment from the State Emergency Service, brought in from different parts of Ukraine, as well as 17 units of equipment from the forestry service are working at the site”, the State Emergency Service said on a Telegram today.

However, the radiation background in the exclusion zone is normal: control over radiation indicators has been strengthened in the country, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine notes. The automated radiation control system carries out continuous monitoring at 39 points, transmitting data to the control center every hour, and in emergency situations - every minute. The radiation background is also monitored by the operational radiation reconnaissance group of the Ecocenter State Enterprise. All characteristics of the radiation background are normal.

The Kyiv City State Administration also does not record any deviations from the norm. As of today, September 9, the level of air pollution in the capital is low, and the radiation background throughout the city is normal.

The Ukrainian data is confirmed by the independent Czech weather monitoring resource Windy. According to the interactive map, which operates in real time, the main parameters of air pollution in Ukraine, as well as the background level, are within acceptable limits. There are no ‘radioactive clouds’ over Ukraine.

With this fake, the Russians are trying to discredit Ukraine, claiming that it poses a threat of nuclear pollution to the world. The goal of such statements is to force partner countries to abandon Ukraine and leave it without any help in the war against Russia.

We have recently recorded a similar Russian fake. Then the propagandists wrote that there was a release of radioactive elements at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the cloud was moving towards Kyiv.

Propaganda resources spread fake information about the US intention to reduce the world population. They refer to a video of US Vice President Kamala Harris without any context.

Myth Detector specialists drew attention to this. They explained that in a speech on July 14, Harris accidentally misspoke, saying the word “population” instead of “pollution”. The sentence came out: “When we invest in clean energy and electric vehicles and reduce population, more of our children will be able to breathe clean air and drink clean water”. The error was corrected in the official transcript released by the White House after the speech. However, propagandists continued to spread information that Harris was allegedly trying to combat climate change by reducing the population.

Russian propagandists use the vice-presidential clause to add to numerous conspiracy theories about the United States. In addition, on the eve of the US elections this year, they are trying to discredit American politicians and undermine their authority. This contributes to even greater polarization of society. This fake also distracts attention from other problems that are supposedly less significant.

Such information is spread by propaganda telegram channels. For example, first the metro was completely flooded in the capital, then the city was flooded with sewage “on Zelenskyi's birthday”, and this time the waste spilled onto Verkhovna Rada Boulevard.

However, this information is not true, writes the Center for Strategic Communications at the National Security and Defence Council. In fact, on the night of March 26, a water main with a diameter of 600 mm was damaged on the capital's Verkhovna Rada boulevard, as reported by the Kyiv City State Administration. Water spilled onto the carriageway of the boulevard. Then specialists of “Kyivvodokanal” immediately arrived at the scene. As of noon on March 28, the Kyiv City State Administration reported that the repair of the pipeline on Verkhovna Rada Boulevard was completed, so full water supply was restored to all residential buildings on the left bank.

The purpose of spreading misinformation about the alleged total communal collapse in Ukraine and the capital in particular is to advance the narrative of a “failed state”. He said, “Russia will come and bring order”. Earlier, we refuted the information that more than 70 churches of the canonical UOC may be destroyed in Kyiv.

Russian political scientist Serhii Karhanov, who previously proposed a “pre-emptive retaliation strike” against one of the NATO countries, published an article in which he demands a change in Russian nuclear doctrine. According to Karhanov, if the downing of Russian planes and subsequent bombing of Russian cities continue, then, according to the new doctrine, powerful nuclear attacks should be carried out on EU countries. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council.

Karhanov also proposes to abandon the nonproliferation doctrine and “help” “friendly countries” obtain nuclear weapons, in particular, the Arab world and Latin America. This should supposedly help Russia achieve victory in the war, which he considers the complete occupation of the eastern, southern and central regions of Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to use the US election period to force the EU to reduce military aid to Ukraine and agree to peace negotiations on Putin’s terms.

Karhanov himself is considered an influential scientist and is a member of the scientific council of the Russian Security Council, but does not directly participate in decision-making. Moscow uses statements by Karhanov, as well as ex-President Dmytro Medvediev, solely to frighten the world with a “nuclear cataclysm”.

Read also: The EU flouts its principles because it supports providing Ukraine with depleted uranium weapons, but wants to impose sanctions on Belarus for nuclear weapons

From time to time, Russian experts and media spread the opinion that the whole world is losing from global climate change, but Russia is gaining, albeit partially. For example, Russian media distributes publications with headlines like: “Russia benefits from global warming”.

However, according to the results of a new study, which was reported by the authors of Science Daily on February 21, 2023, Russia is experiencing significant consequences from climate change and is not ready to either mitigate or adapt to these challenges. Moreover, in the context of the global transition to renewable energy sources, the Russian government, which is dependent on fossil fuels, is not eager or ready to develop alternative plans for the country that could benefit the entire society.

The study, conducted by a team from Russia as part of the PONARS program, analyzed the impact of climate change on Russia and its role in global efforts to combat climate change. They found that, despite the government's optimistic statements, Russia is already suffering from various consequences of climate change and is not ready to adapt to these challenges.

Russia, one of the world's largest grain producers and exporters, faces the effects of climate change such as floods, heat waves, droughts and wildfires, affecting not only communities but also agriculture, forestry and water resources. Global warming has also had a major impact on Russia's permafrost, which is melting at an alarming rate, causing landslides, flooding and infrastructure destruction.

However, Russian leaders interpret these climate influences to their advantage, encouraging citizens to perceive them as advantages. For example, despite warnings from Russian scientists about extreme temperatures and declining sea ice in the Arctic, the government touts a year-round shipping route through the Arctic and a more comfortable climate. Despite research into the impacts of climate change, policies to reduce the vulnerability of some regions to climate impacts are limited, and adaptation planning and implementation remain low.

Russia's carbon-intensive war in Ukraine has only worsened the climate crisis, adding several million additional tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Thus, the myth of Russia benefiting from climate change is refuted, pointing to serious challenges and the unpreparedness of the Russian government to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change.

This thesis was circulated in social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that it was actually the Kakhovka HPP that suffered at the hands of the Ukrainian military. Like, they destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant with their missiles. The propagandists also attach photo evidence of the surviving power plant from the turbine hall of the Kakhovka HPP. According to the conclusions of the authors, this proves that the alleged explosion occurred from outside. They also add that international organizations are aware of this, but are silent in favor of Ukraine.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project worked on the case, and found out that the circulated photo shows only a part of the surviving machine room of the Kakhovka HPP. The other part is completely destroyed. This does not prove that the Kakhovka HPP was destroyed from outside. Fact-checkers showed a photo of the turbine hall before the destruction of the hydroelectric power station and found out that it is much larger than the propagandists showed. In addition, the thesis about the destruction of the hydroelectric power plant by Ukrainians is not true. Earlier, the chief project engineer of the Ukrhydroproject Institute, Mykola Kalinin, explained that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was indeed designed and built so that it could withstand a blow from outside. He further emphasized that the dam was built so that it could withstand any blow from the outside, but not from the inside. He thinks it was several simultaneous explosions from within. That is, the hydroelectric power station was mined from the inside of the building itself and the entire complex.

Russian troops seized the Kakhovka HPP on February 24, 2022 and used the station as a military facility. Ukrainian troops did not have direct access to the dam. The New York Times also provides evidence of the destruction of Russia's hydroelectric power plant. This is indicated by the access to the dam by the Russian military and the presence of engineering drawings of the hydroelectric power plant from the Soviet times of the construction of the structure.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Ukrainian authorities recently said that the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant is 93% out of order. They say that the relevant services do not care about the safety of the hydroelectric power plant, which can lead to flooding of certain territories. As proof, the authors cite a map of Kyiv, on which there are conditional marks about the likely flooded areas of the capital. For example, in the publications they write that the Obolonskyi district will be flooded in 3 minutes, Troieshchyna - in 2 minutes, Podil - in 10 minutes, etc. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project analyzed the case and found out that there were no official statements from the authorities. That is, the thesis about the “emergency state of the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant” is a propaganda stuffing. And with the help of a reverse Google search, fact-checkers found a photo of the map, which shows another flooding of Kyiv districts in the event of a dam break. Such a map does exist. In 2012, the Ukrainian media published an article where they raised the topic of the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant. Journalists, with the help of experts not named in the material, compiled this map. That is, it may not be entirely accurate. One of the experts named in this material, environmentalist Volodymyr Boreiko, stated that ice floes frozen in the Kyiv Sea could lead to holes in the dam. There was no other information about the breach of the dam or the flooding of certain territories. Despite the fact that such a map exists, there was no statement about the emergency state of the Kyiv HPP.

The propagandists simply used the old journalistic material and took advantageous data from it including the “flood” map.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that an outbreak of cholera was recorded in Mykolaiv and the region. The authors of the messages add that allegedly in the cities people are not allowed out of their apartments and quarantine is being introduced. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that the information about the cholera outbreak is not true. At the same time, the chief state sanitary doctor of the Mykolaiv region confirmed that no cholera outbreak had been found in the city and the region. There are no deviations from the norm. And quarantine measures too.

The chief state sanitary doctor Ihor Kuzin said that Ukraine is ready to respond quickly in case of outbreaks of cholera. So far, they have not been fixed. According to him, there are enough drugs and diagnostic tools to diagnose acute intestinal infections, including cholera.

By spreading this fake, propagandists seek to sow panic among Ukrainians in order to destabilize their moods. Earlier, we just refuted a similar case about records of an outbreak of cholera in Kyiv. It turned out that this was also not true.

Propagandists claim that the EU allegedly thoughtlessly blames Russia for any problem, as well as for blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, but in fact it was destroyed by the “Kyiv regime” with Western weapons.

This message was brought to the attention of the EUvsDisinfo project specialists. They found out that he was an unsubstantiated accusation and a combination of other messages. Allegedly, military support from the West continues the war and continues the suffering of civilians.

Propagandists spread such information in order to once again justify Russia's aggression. However, in reality, it is Russia that causes significant damage to the Ukrainian economy and kills thousands of people. It is Russia that is trying to destroy Ukraine, its people and culture, project experts say. NATO member countries independently decide on the provision of assistance to Ukraine and it is not illegal, since Ukraine uses it for self-defense, provided for by the UN Charter.

In addition, Russia wants to shift responsibility to Ukraine for a number of provocations, artificially creating for it the image of a “terrorist regime”. Propagandists equate the explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant with fakes about “dirty bombs”, devaluing the scale of the disaster. However, Russia blew up the dam. In particular, this is evidenced by the data on seismic activity in the area of the Kakhovka HPP, recorded by the Norwegian seismic station in Romania. Detector Media has already written about what propagandists said about the bombing on the day it happened.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a Ukrainian military sabotage group allegedly blew up a section of the Togliatti-Odesa pipeline that Russia was using to export ammonia. The authors add that toxic fumes allegedly covered the positions of the Ukrainian military: one was killed, several were poisoned, the rest of the military received orders to use gas masks in their positions. They also claim that the Ukrainian military is doing this on purpose. It is not true. 

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, they established that it was not a “sabotage group of Ukrainian military”, but the Russian military that damaged the pipe of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline near the village of Masiutivka as a result of artillery shelling. This was stated in the Kharkiv police department. The head of the Regional Military Administration confirmed that the pipeline had been depressurized as a result of Russian strikes.

Also, the thesis about the death and poisoning of the military is a lie since later the Kharkiv police department came out with a statement that the situation with the release of ammonia in the Kupiansk district is fully controlled. Nothing threatens the life and health of people. After the night shelling, the safety valves at the station worked, and due to this, the leakage of ammonia was relatively insignificant. It was also reported that a cloud of ammonia was blown away by the wind in the direction of the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. That is, in fact, it is the Russian military who carry out terrorist attacks on industrial facilities and destroy the ecosystem of Ukraine. For example, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine recently reported that the Russians were mining the Crimean Titan plant in temporarily occupied Armiansk and preparing a terrorist act with the release of about 200 tons of ammonia. This can lead to an artificially created man-made disaster. Russia simply reflects its actions and thus tries to present itself as a constant victim of Ukraine's “aggression”. Allegedly, it is Ukraine that commits terrorist attacks and kills civilians.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that in fact the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was built with the expectation that it would withstand a nuclear strike and not collapse. The authors add that no one is to blame for the destruction of the dam, because this is a man-made impact on the environment. They imply that the Kakhovka HPP allegedly self-destructed over time. They also assure that the Russians do not seem to be involved in undermining the dam. 

The specialists of the NotaYenota project took up this case and determined that such a thesis is unfounded. They explained why it is beneficial for propaganda to come up with different versions of the terrorist attack at the hydroelectric power plant and came to the conclusion that in this way they blur the information field, throwing in different versions of the incident. Further, the fact-checkers said that their colleagues from the Texty.org project talked with the chief engineer of the project of the Ukrhidroproekt Institute, Mykola Kalinin. Actually, this enterprise specializes in the design of energy facilities on rivers. Expert Mykola Kalinin explained that the Kakhovka HPP was indeed designed and built so that it could withstand a nuclear strike from outside. Therefore, any theories that it somehow collapsed itself are absolutely unfounded. He further emphasizes that the dam was built to withstand any blow from the outside, but not from the inside.

He thinks it was several simultaneous explosions from within. That is, the hydroelectric power plant was mined from the inside of the building itself and the entire complex. And the explosions were not heard, since the main array of explosives was located in the internal premises of the hydroelectric power plant, below ground level. 

Thus, the authors try to whitewash themselves and deny their crimes. Allegedly, the Kakhovka HPP self-destructed, because “its time has come”. Read in our selection what else the propagandists wrote about the blowing up of the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.

Russian telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the Italian media had allegedly confirmed about the radioactive cloud - it is on its way from Ukraine to Poland. They also note that the cloud was formed as a result of the explosion of ammunition with depleted uranium. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. On May 20, the Italian newspaper Metro published a statement by Mykola Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, about the spread of radiation. However, they further cited the position of the National Atomic Energy Agency of Poland, which claims that there is no radiation threat, all indicators are normal.

This is not the first time Russian propagandists have spread fake news about the radiation threat from Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to intimidate Ukrainians and Western partners, as well as to convince them that Western weapons do not help, but only aggravate the situation. Detector Media refuted the fakes that a “radioactive cloud” was allegedly approaching Europe, which arose as a result of the destruction of ammunition in Ukraine.

However, the quoted Italian newspaper quotes the position of the National Atomic Energy Agency of Poland: there is no radiation threat in the country.

Russian propagandists spread information online that during the attacks on Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi on May 13-14, warehouses with depleted uranium ammunition exploded. Like, that's why people are panicking: there is already an iodine deficiency in pharmacies, and residents are leaving the cities en masse. In addition, Russian experts say that materials for making a “dirty bomb” may also have exploded, since both beta and gamma radiation were allegedly recorded after the explosion. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the local authorities denied the information about the explosions of ammunition. They also refuted the increased levels of radiation hazard. In addition, according to the Ternopil Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the level of background radiation in the Ternopil region on May 14 was within the normal range. Propagandists add screenshots from the SaveEcoBot portal, which allegedly shows a “sharp increase in radiation levels” just after the explosion, but in fact on the site you can see that after the explosions, the radiation level even decreased in the respective cities.

Moreover, there is no iodine deficiency in the pharmacies of Khmelnytskyi and Ternopil. According to information on Tabletki.ua, both an alcoholic solution of iodine and potassium iodide (in tablets) are available for sale in most pharmacies in these cities. Experts explain that potassium iodide is used when there is a threat of a radiation release in order to reduce the risk of thyroid diseases. However, these pills should be taken only after official notification and once, since it blocks the functioning of the thyroid gland. The use of an alcoholic solution of iodine or Lugol's solution is generally considered ineffective and may be harmful to health.

Thus, the propagandists want to cause panic among the local population and justify Russian attacks on the civilian population. Like, they only hit military warehouses, and now they have broken NATO ammunition. However, in reality, the Russians caused damage precisely to civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings and schools, which are a war crime.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a “radioactive cloud” is heading towards Western Europe, resulting from the destruction of depleted uranium munitions. They say that the West handed over these dangerous ammunition to Ukraine. The authors refer to the statement of the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Mykola Patrushev, who added that in Poland “an increase in radiation has already been recorded”. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of The Insider project investigated this case and found that, in fact, the level of radiation in Ukraine does not exceed the norm. This is evidenced by the map data of the Ukrainian chatbot SaveEcoBot, which monitors information on pollution in real time. That is, there is no “radioactive cloud”. Also, the State Atomic Agency of Poland on May 17 denied a report about an increase in the level of radiation in Poland, in particular, in the Lublin voivodeship.

Uranium in its pure form is a radioactive element, but not depleted. To put it simply, the projectile “does not emit light”. That is, the influence of radioactive radiation from depleted uranium is insignificant.

By spreading this message, propagandists are once again trying to promote the message that Western weapons being handed over to Ukraine only exacerbate the situation, and Ukraine is just a testing ground for Western weapons.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. On May 13, the Russians attacked Khmelnytskyi with drones and the bombardment resulted in the release of harmful chemicals into the city. It is not true.

The press service of the city council of Khmelnytskyi denied this information. They explained that not a single chemical leak had occurred. The Russians attacked Khmelnytskyi on May 13 and damaged critical infrastructure. In general, the Russians damaged educational and medical institutions, administrative buildings, industrial facilities, multi-storey and individual residential buildings.

The city council of Khmelnytskyi believes that such fakes are designed to destabilize the mood of Ukrainians and intimidate them. At the same time, analysts of Detector Media have previously analyzed cases related to allegedly polluted cities in Ukraine. For example, we refuted the fake about “contaminated Kherson water”.

Information was disseminated in local groups of social networks, allegedly in Kherson, cholera is expected to appear in the water, which will lead to mortality “more than from COVID”. The outbreak of the disease is allegedly caused by “decomposing corpses” near the rivers flowing into the Dnipro. It's fake.

It was noticed in the Kherson edition of “Kavun. city” (Watermelon.city). Its journalists found out that messages with a fake spread in Kherson chats had already been used in Russian local chats a year ago. At the same time, the fake was then refuted by the Russian media.

Journalists of the publication also note that the abbreviation BSMP, which is referred to in the fake, is rarely used in Ukraine, which indicates the Russian nature of the creation of the message. The information on the fake was also refuted by the Kherson military administration and by the local Water utility office, recalling that water from the Dnipro river is not used for water supply.

Thus, propagandists want to cause panic among the population and distrust of local authorities. All this is done to divert attention from the crimes of Russians at the front.

Last year,  Russian propaganda launched a wave of similar fakes in relation to Ukrainian cities, in particular, about “contaminated water” in Kyiv and Odesa.

This is the message propagandists use on social networks and on enemy telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. It says that Ukraine “provoked an ecological catastrophe” by allegedly lowering the water level in the Dnipro river lower and lower so that the river would freeze faster. As “evidence”, the authors of the messages publish various photographs and videos in which you can really see the shallow Dnipro and dead fish.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project investigated the case and found that the drop in the water level in the Dnipro was not at all connected with the work of the Ukrainian army, but with Russian shelling, as a result of which the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was damaged. On January 19, the Zaporizhzhia regional prosecutor's office opened criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine “On violation of the laws and customs of war”. Currently, priority investigative actions are underway to establish the amount of damage caused to the environment.

“Due to the hostilities and terrorist activities of the occupying troops, it is impossible to plan and carry out any repair and restoration work at the Kakhovka HPP. But everything needs to be fixed and the losses must be counted. According to preliminary data, the amount is already about 105 million hryvnia. The revealed facts have all the signs of a crime against the environment. The aggressor country must answer for them in full”, said Oleksandr Starukh, the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration.