Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the Ukrainian military is allegedly preparing the kidnapping of 523 children in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region. The children are planned to be sold, and the money to be divided between Zelenskyi's officials and Western patrons. This is manipulation.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. The Ukrainian military does not kidnap children, unlike the Russian military, but evacuates them from dangerous areas. After the shelling of the Kupiansk district became more intense, it was decided to evacuate part of the population. Precisely because Russian troops are shelling the civilian population and infrastructure, the issue of forced evacuation of minors is being considered, but only accompanied by parents or guardians. They are promised to be provided with free housing in Kharkiv or in the West of the country and all necessary assistance.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and the military, and also diverts attention from the crimes of Russians who are kidnapping children in the temporarily occupied territories. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Ukraine is taking away children from families living in the war zone.

Such information is disseminated by the Russian media, referring to the statement of Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasyl Nebenzia. He made it on April 5 during the so-called “Arria Formula” meeting, an informal meeting during which UN member states can learn more information on international security issues. According to Nebenzia, the Ukrainian authorities “commit crimes against children”: they are kidnapped from parents who refuse to evacuate from the war zone. It's fake.

The fact checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. Ukraine does not kidnap children. On April 4, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine supported the initiative of the Donetsk regional military administration on the mandatory evacuation of 126 children from 21 settlements in the region due to active hostilities. Children were evacuated from dangerous settlements in the Donetsk region in armored vehicles, accompanied only by their parents or guardians.

Also, 49 UN member states adopted a statement accusing Russia of “spreading disinformation about mass abductions and illegal forcible deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children”. UN member states note that Russia has been solely guilty of the deportation of Ukrainian children, and the International Criminal Court has a number of pieces of evidence that confirms this.

Russia needs such statements in order to legalize aggression against the Ukrainian people, present itself as a “peacemaker” and absolve itself of responsibility for these crimes. Detector Media has already investigated how Russia justifies deportation and other war crimes in Ukraine.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the so-called evacuation of Ukrainian children from the war zone and their further transfer to Russia allegedly cannot be considered a war crime.

This case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project, who found out that such a thesis was not true. In fact, this is not an evacuation, but a deportation of the Ukrainian people. That is, Russia substitutes the concepts and calls the forced deportation “salvation”. People do not come back, they can go missing instead, in particular, children. At the same time, on March 15, 2023, UN international experts published a report that presents the results of the investigation of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The report contains war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers. A separate block of the UN report is devoted to the results of the investigation into the forced displacement and deportation of Ukrainian children by Russian occupiers. That is, this is indeed a war crime, which is why the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin. Outside of Russia, Putin should be arrested and brought to trial.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, children are taken out not only from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but also from other occupied territories of Ukraine. In particular, children were taken out of Kherson. As of December 29, it is known that about 13,876 Ukrainian children were expelled by Russia. Ukraine regards such actions as the abduction of its citizens. Analysts of Detector Media conducted their own investigation on how Russia justifies deportation and other war crimes in Ukraine. You can read it here.

Pro-Russian telegram channels write about this. They say that only 28 people from Kupiansk applied for evacuation, despite problems with heating and electricity. As if the same situation was in Izium. They say that only a “few dozen residents” also wanted to evacuate there. The propagandists conclude that people allegedly do not want to “move to the territory of Ukraine” because they had the opportunity to compare the Ukrainian and Russian authorities.

This was reported on the website of the Belarusian Border Committee. It is not true. A fake about the mass migration of Ukrainians to Belarus was released by Stanislav Zharyn, authorized representative of the Polish government on protecting the information space of the country.

According to him, “the graph reflects the falsified number of Ukrainian refugees who left for Belarus. According to the information on the migration movement, more than 60,000 Ukrainians arrived in Belarus, including almost 40,000 who had to go through Poland”.

Zharyn noted that Belarusian propaganda hints that Ukrainians fleeing Russian aggression are seeking asylum in Belarus, perceiving this country as the safer one than the EU countries.

Russian media write about this with reference to the words of collaborator Rohov. Like, the Ukrainian authorities use people as a human shield to cover military facilities. Allegedly, even large families, the elderly, and students were banned from leaving. Allegedly, in Zaporizhzhia, the Armed Forces of Ukraine use the “layer cake” tactics, when the military live surrounded by civilians, and the military depots are surrounded by civilian objects. It is not true.

There are no restrictions for residents of Zaporizhzhia to travel within Ukraine or abroad. For example, there are available tickets on the Ukrzaliznytsia website. For the security of Ukrainians, there are restrictions on leaving for the occupied territories after the shelling of a column of civilians at the checkpoint on October 2. Propagandists also systematically report that supposedly Ukrainian servicemen are hiding behind the civilian population. However, such information is denied every time by local authorities.

Pro-Russian telegram channels write about this. They say that at first the evacuation of residents was carried out by Russia, now Ukraine. Therefore, the city supposedly will soon have no inhabitants left and it will become a ghost city.

After the de-occupation of the right bank of Kherson on November 19, the evacuation of residents began. There are problems with the supply of electricity, drinking water, heating in the city, there is also a danger of shelling the city, some of the objects in the city are still mined. Therefore, the Ukrainian authorities offered the citizens to evacuate to safer areas. However, this process is voluntary, people have the opportunity to leave the city according to their own will. Some citizens will still stay at home, despite the difficulties. Moreover, on November 19, the first train arrived in Kherson, by which Kherson residents, on the contrary, returned home, despite the danger. The city is recovering from the horrors of the evacuation and is trying to restore vital processes. In particular, Ukrposhta post office began to work, restoring communications and the Internet.

As for the “evacuation” carried out by the Russians, those who left the city were primarily those who collaborated with the occupiers in order to avoid responsibility for their actions.

Pro-Russian telegram channels write about this. They say that in big cities the situation is critical due to damage to energy, water and heat supply systems. However, the government is irresponsible, does nothing and is silent. This is not true.

The authorities have been talking about the difficult winter period for a long time. After rocket attacks on October 10, when 30% of Ukraine's energy system was damaged, such reports have become more frequent. The authorities, both at the central and local levels, informed the Ukrainians that it was necessary to stock up on drinking and technical water, candles and other essentials.

On the air of TV channels, radio stations and other media there are numerous explanations and recommendations for Ukrainians. The government also launched the state program "DrovaYe" (We have firewood) and exempted goods "important for the heating season" from VAT and import duties. At the local level, alternative sources of water supply are being developed in case of an emergency.

For the second week, the Kherson's residents have been informationally attacked with a series of messages, urging them to "evacuate" across the Dnipro to the left bank. Propaganda anonymous channels spread information about the Ukrainian military's alleged shelling of peaceful areas. The occupiers also offered "free vacation for children and adults in Russia," distributed leaflets "Save your family - leave for the left bank," and information with routes. Propagandists send text messages urging them to "evacuate" immediately because they say there will be shelling residential areas.

On October 22, they began to intimidate people by sending out audio in the Ukrainian language, allegedly on behalf of the Ukrainian military. In the audio, it is said that not a single surviving house will remain in Kherson.

As noted by the fact-checkers of the "NotaYenota" project, the man's Ukrainian language is perfect. It's probably a record of either a Ukrainian prisoner or one of the Kherson collaborators. Residents of Kherson and the right-bank part of the region, who were evacuated, will allegedly be able to receive a payment of 100,000 rubles and a certificate for purchasing housing in Crimea. Such messages aim not only to intimidate the people of Kherson and force them to evacuate but also to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian military never targets civilians and never sends anything that could threaten Ukrainians or discredit the army.

After a significant part of the population left Kherson, the Russian occupiers changed into civilian clothes and settled in the homes of the evacuees. As reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it is how the enemy is preparing Kherson for street battles.

The Kherson regional military administration calls on residents to ignore the "evacuation."

Such information is distributed in social networks and messengers. It is not true.

The secretary of the city council, Anatoly Kurtev, said that now there are no reasons for the mass evacuation of citizens. The other day, the city authorities started an information campaign to clarify the rules of behavior of the population during an emergency, including during evacuation. However, the official says, these are only preventive measures, because, in the conditions of a full-scale war, such knowledge should be available not only to Zaporizhzhia but also to the entire country. Kurtev urged residents to remain calm and trust only official sources of information, not speculations and rumors on social networks.

Recently, fake reports about the evacuation of residents of Odesa were also spread. Local authorities denied these rumors.

Anonymous telegram channels write about it. Allegedly, such an instruction was given to local authorities. It is not true.

Russian media write about this with reference to the online magazine The Federalist article "As Ukrainians Defect To Russia, We Should Ask Whether Our Billions Are Saving Democracy Or Aiding Corruption".

The Federalist publication consists of a series of manipulative theses, which ultimately build a propaganda message about the civil war in Ukraine.

Since 2014, Kremlin propaganda through some American and Western journalists has been actively trying to impose the opinion of the internal confrontation between the Ukrainian citizens, the "civil war" in Donbas, and the "genocide of Russian speakers".

According to a May survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on the perception of the Russian-Ukrainian war among Ukrainian citizens, only 1% of Ukrainians have a "predominantly pro-Russian position". Another KIIS survey, also conducted in May, showed that only 2% of Ukrainian citizens have a good attitude towards Russia, while 92% have a bad attitude. More details.

The Russian mass media disseminate information concerning the "Zaporizhzhia government" (separatist Volodymyr Rogov). Allegedly, children are taken away because they do not finish their meal or eat portions too quickly, because of an extreme emotional attachment to their parents, and because the mother shouts loudly at the child. It seems that such cases occur most often in Germany.

In Zaporizhzhia Region, since the beginning of the full-scale war, power has been represented by the regional military administration, whose head is Oleksandr Starukh. He did not make any statement about the removal of children from refugees.

Volodymyr Rogov is a separatist and collaborator who declared himself the so-called mayor of temporarily occupied Melitopol. The National Police opened a criminal case against him. On July 21, the European Union imposed sanctions on Rogov.

Such fakes are spread so that mothers with children do not dare to flee from the war to Western countries, where they are actually provided with social assistance and help children adapt.

Such information is disseminated in Russian propaganda media. Nazis allegedly gather in this building, and weapons and ammunition are stored. It is not true.

Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov denied the information. He said that on the premises of the Zaporizhzhia Palace of Culture, there is an open space for helping displaced persons from Melitopol and other cities. "This center provides humanitarian aid," Fedorov said. That is why hundreds of immigrants from Melitopol and other cities gather daily near the Palace of Culture building.

It is not the first time that Russia spread information about placing "military bases" where civilian or humanitarian infrastructure facilities are located. Subsequently, these stories are used to justify launching rocket attacks on civilians.

Russian media spread that "the British are tired of Ukrainian refugees and want to expel them." For example, now they are massively asking Ukrainians to look for other housing or leave. However, it is not true. As Melinda Simmons, the ambassador of Great Britain to Ukraine, told in an interview with Suspilne, now the number of British people willing to accept Ukrainians significantly exceeds the number of people seeking asylum in Britain. Currently, there are two protection programs for those who left Ukraine because of the war started by Russia. Under these programs, Britain has already issued more than 130,000 visas to Ukrainians. Ukrainians are hosted by British families registered in the program, and now program workers' main efforts are to find families with the most similar interests and needs to ensure a comfortable stay.

Russian propaganda media spread such information. Reports claim that refugees from Ukraine have been expelled from hotels in Riga since July 1. In such messages, propagandists refer to the statement of the mayor of Riga.

They said that from this day on, the authorities plan to terminate contracts with hotels for the free accommodation of Ukrainian refugees, so they will have to find a roof over their heads and pay for it on their own. However, it is manipulation. In fact, the Mayor of Riga, Martins Stakis, said that from July 1, there might be problems with the resettlement of refugees, but now the authorities are actively looking for ways to solve these problems. According to the mayor of Riga, the municipality provides part of the housing for refugees. Currently, about 2,080 Ukrainians are living in the city. Some of them were moved to more modest accommodation a few weeks ago. More details.

"News" under this title was published by Russian and Belarusian publications concerning the mayor of Riga, Martins Stakis. Allegedly, he stated that the hotels in the capital may soon stop accepting Ukrainian refugees for free and that on July 1, the agreement between the Latvian government and representatives of the hotel business may terminate. On June 15, Martins Stakis gave an interview to Latvian Television (LTV) and spoke about Ukrainian refugees.

He said the state should provide more compensation for hosting refugees in hotels. Otherwise, they will no longer provide these services, and refugees will have to find new accommodation.

The Government Security Center of the Republic of Poland has found a fake letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland with a request to provide information about all Ukrainian men under the age of 60 who are in Poland. According to the Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, this letter is supposed to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine mobilize them to participate in the war against Russia. The fake letter first appeared on the Russian news agency "Krasnaya Vesna" website on February 3, 2022. On June 17, the same fake was repeated by the DNR Joker telegram channel.

In this way, the enemy tries to obtain personal information about Ukrainians abroad for further information and psychological operations to reduce the general trust level in Ukraine.

The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine denied the fakes about receiving a Ukrainian pension abroad.

Pensions are accrued to all retirees! The bodies of the Pension Fund of Ukraine and the social protection of the population carry out monthly accrual of pensions and social benefits for both internally displaced persons and citizens who went abroad due to the war in Ukraine.

The funds of those who received a pension from Ukrposhta will not be lost. If you still want to receive payments abroad, you need to change the method of receiving funds and transfer the charges to the card.

This manipulative thesis is spread on Facebook to foreign audiences. German-language reports claim that while "at home [German] pensioners are starving," the government has provided 22 billion euros to Ukraine and plans to pay even more.

Fact-checkers discovered this manipulation from the German publication Correctiv. According to a government spokesman, Germany has allocated about 1.83 billion euros to Ukraine since 2014, about 1.6 billion euros for various aid programs since February 2022, and about a billion euros for military purposes. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that since 2014, Germany had supported Ukraine for more than two billion euros. "Comparing assistance to Ukraine or refugees with the situation of pensioners in Germany, as they are presented in a Facebook post, is not new. It has only recently been rumored that Ukrainian refugees can receive a pension ten years earlier than Germans, which is not true," Correctiv added.

Russian propaganda continues its attempts to turn citizens of other countries against Ukrainians. This time, information was spread on the network that Ukrainians in Spain could show their passports at any institution in the service sector and receive 50 euros in aid. As confirmation there is a photo from one of the supermarkets where this allegedly happened is added to the posts. However, it is not valid. The refutation was published by Spanish fact-checkers concerning official information from the relevant Ministry and the Red Cross. As it turned out, in Spain, there is an established procedure of targeted assistance to refugees from other countries and low-income segments of the population (both Spaniards and foreigners) by providing special cards (cheques) that can be used, in particular, in stores. Through the Red Cross, aid is allocated to those who need it, not only to Ukrainians, and for different reasons. At the same time, the supermarket chain, one of which was in the illustrative photo, explained that they donated 1.5 million euros to support the Ukrainian people to "cover basic costs." They also explain that the "La Caixa" fund will use this money in Spain and the Red Cross in Portugal and will distribute aid in the form of €50 cards that can be exchanged at Mercadona stores in these countries.

However, such a project is still only in the plans and will be implemented from June to December 2022. Approximately 5,000 people can receive assistance in the form of cards.

Such messages are spread on social networks and state that people captured in the temporarily occupied territory will be recognized as criminals in Ukraine. So that they will be detained at checkpoints immediately; however, it is a lie. As Mariupol Mayor's Adviser Petro Andryushchenko explains, Mariupol residents are citizens of Ukraine and are not prosecuted. "We are fighting every day for a general evacuation for all Mariupol residents. And our big house in Ukraine is waiting for everyone with gentle hugs. In addition, four municipal centers, "YaMariupol," are already working separately for each Mariupol resident to provide the full range of assistance and adaptation during the temporary evacuation, "Andryushchenko wrote. Russia needs such fakes to shake up the situation in the city further and convince Mariupol residents not even to try to evacuate to the unoccupied part of Ukraine.

The fake telegrams are spreading a fake that the evacuation is being carried out from Mariupol under the auspices of the UN and the Red Cross, but it is necessary to pay for it. In fact, no evacuation is planned from Mariupol at the moment. "No evacuation from Mariupol is planned for now. There were no reports about it - the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushchenko told. - This information is a deliberate deception aimed at obtaining money for transportation from the occupied territories without providing services. In fact, it is a fraud. Phone number of phone scams: +380683279596 ».

In recent times, fraudsters have often manipulated the issue of war in their schemes, the most common of which is alleged financial aid from the state, banks, other organizations, or countries. Hackers also use this topic during phishing attacks. Information on evacuation or financial assistance should be checked on the websites of the organizations that are to provide it or on the resources of local authorities. We warn that fraudsters often create clones of social networking sites, banks, and other institutions. To avoid problems - do not visit these sites by following the link; search for official sites through a search engine and pay attention to their addresses.

 The Kremlin media spread "news" that the American company Uber is no longer transporting Ukrainian refugees after the high-profile case about the beating of local taxi drivers in Vienna. It is allegedly happening in different countries around the world. As evidence, social media users and Russian propagandists show a screenshot allegedly taken in the Uber application, which states that "we do not serve Ukrainian refugees," "no Ukrainians," etc. The source of such "news" was, among others, the propaganda "correspondent" Alexander Kots, who published a "screenshot" of the application program and stated that "Uber refuses to carry guests from Ukraine." It is noteworthy that this screenshot was distributed only by dubious sites and some social media accounts. The image analysis showed that the phrase about Ukrainian refugees was added with the help of a photo processing program, StopFake writes. Uber has not made such decisions. In fact, Uber has been providing all possible assistance to Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion - for example, launching the Uber Aid Shuttle service, which allows you to get to the border with Poland and back. 

Russian propaganda media spread the news based on an interview with Bulgarian Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov, who allegedly complained that the decision to refuse to pay in rubles for gas was too ill-considered and hasty, and now Bulgaria wants to overturn its decision. He also complained that the gas Bulgaria bought from the United States was too expensive.

According to Russian fact-checkers, Nikolov did not say this in an interview. On the contrary, the Minister of Energy stated that Bulgaria bought American gas cheaper than Russian. He also spoke about the use of gas as a tool of influence and the prospects for resuming negotiations with Gazprom on gas purchases:

At the same time, firstly, Russia is at war and an aggressor in this war; secondly, a particular company "Gazprom" is used as a political tool to create tension, and thirdly, in the commercial part, the most unpleasant - the fact that Russia is unpredictable partner, I do not think it makes sense to comment on whether to hold further negotiations with the company, " said Nikolov. It is not the first time Russian propaganda has deliberately lied about Bulgaria. Earlier, she had spread a fake that Bulgaria had decided to evict Ukrainian refugees.