An alleged cover of the British publication The Independent is being circulated on telegram channels. It allegedly contained the inscription “Prime Minister: “While we were watching Ukraine, we lost our country”, and also referred to a statement by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who spoke about “suicidal thoughts” while commanding the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

But VoxCheck specialists analyzed the case and determined that such a cover does not exist. The original cover features the words of the British Prime Minister about the far-right riots in the country. And instead of a photo of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the page contains an image of Meghan Markle.

Moreover, the authors of the original issue wrote “Prime Minister warns far-right thugs: “You will regret taking part in the riots”, and the Duchess of Sussex and actress Meghan Markle are actually talking about “suicidal thoughts”, and not Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The text of the article relates directly to the unrest and does not contain any mention of Ukraine.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti, foreign magazine covers/newspaper columns, or commercials. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Anonymous telegram channels are distributing a video story supposedly from the French publication Le Figaro, which tells about the murder of a twenty-year-old woman on the closing day of the Olympic Games at the “hands of a Ukrainian refugee”. A screenshot of news material from the publication’s website is added to the publications.

However, this video is fake. In the original story there is no insertion that the suspect for committing the crime is a “Ukrainian refugee”. In general, the nationality of the accused is not indicated in the video material. There is only information that this is a forty-nine-year-old man who does not speak French. No additional information was added in the interests of the investigation.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, as a cultural and economic threat to the EU - in order to reduce support for Ukraine. We mentioned this in our own research. Since the beginning of the big war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda has been trying to discredit refugees who were forced to leave Ukraine in order to save their lives. Propagandists regularly spread fake news about them; call refugees dependents; they claim that they went abroad not for safety, but for profit; they convince that residents of countries that have accepted Ukrainian refugees are dissatisfied with the behavior of Ukrainians. Propagandists need this in order to stake out the opinion that Ukrainians are pagans who do not value the help that residents of other countries provide them; take advantage of the kindness of people in other countries.

Anonymous telegram channels are spreading information that Ukrainian refugees planted a pig's head in one of the mosques in Germany. The post claims that employees of the Berlin mosque found a pig's head inside the temple, wrapped in a Palestinian flag with the inscription: “Ukraine supports Israel”.

VoxCheck analysts explained that Berliner-wochenzeitung is a fake site created by the Russians. For example, a German police spokesman and a mosque representative reported that this was fake news.

Using a reverse search on Google, it was possible to establish that the site has only 10 pages with publications - the first news was added on June 18. After July 5, the news on the site was not updated. The publication does not contain any information about the team of authors and editors, owners, as well as contact information, in particular mail and social networks.

In its own materials, the Berliner-wochenzeitung disseminates anti-Ukrainian narratives, in particular, creating the image of Russia as a victim, allegedly Ukraine is striking at civilians, and not at Russian military targets.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing the cover of the French newspaper Libération. On it one can see athlete Tyler Mislavchuk, who was bored during competitions at the Olympic Games, and a photo of Volodymyr Zelenskyi below.

VoxCheck project analysts investigated this case and found out that the column images had been edited. On the original binding, instead of a photo of triathlete Tyler Mislavchuk, there was an inscription about Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Iran.

On August 1, 2024, the Libération newspaper actually published a new issue, on the front page of which, in particular, there was a photo of Volodymyr Zelenskyi with the headline “Restore our territorial integrity, but not only with the help of weapons”. However, missing from this issue is an image of triathlete Tyler Mislavchuk, who was exhausted after swimming at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

In fact, we recorded many fakes aimed at discrediting Volodymyr Zelenskyi: propagandists used false advertising banners, magazine covers, graffiti, created individual cartoons, and placed Zelenskyi’s faces on various consumer goods (for example, condoms). With the help of Russian propaganda, Zelenskyi was able to appear in various roles, in particular: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction; theft of Western money; a puppet controlled by the West; a monster who throws “everyone in a row” to the front, etc.

Photos of an alleged advertisement for the Armed Forces of Ukraine with an appeal to join their ranks are being circulated online. It depicts a gray-haired military woman, as well as the supposed inscription: “Son, I need your help”. Propagandists write that this is “a typical Ukrainian mobilized over 60 years old”. This advertising of the Armed Forces of Ukraine seems to call young people to the front.

In fact, this is a photo fake. When checking this image in the FotoForensics tool using ELA analysis (Error Level Analysis), which identifies areas of the image with different levels of compression, it was possible to identify signs of text editing on the advertisement. They are highlighted in bright colors.

With this fake photo, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine. Previously, we refuted information that in Ukraine they are calling on people to mobilize into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as whole families.

The propaganda telegram channel, in its section #нам_пишуть  (they write to us), distributed a message from a reader. The woman sent a photo of a sign containing the inscription “Ukraine is not a state”. According to her, she took this photo on vacation in Turkey.

However, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, having verified this information with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, reported that this was another fake.

Having additionally analyzed the image using the FotoForensics tool, we found a clear light fragment in the area of the sign. Thus, the inscription on the sign was probably artificially superimposed.

The Center adds that such stuffing can be used to create tension between Ukraine and other states. Ultimately, propagandists seek to weaken the Ukrainian position both internally and externally and feed their narrative of a 404 country.

A screenshot of an advertisement from the popular Airbnb rental service is being circulated on social networks, in which they note that apartments are not rented out to Ukrainians “even for additional rent”.

“Paris no longer wants to rent housing to Ukrainians”, they write in propaganda publications.

StopFake analysts took on the case and determined that the ad photos were compiled using graphic editors. But in the real advertisement on the website there was no mention of Ukrainians.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, as a cultural and economic threat to the EU - in order to reduce support for Ukraine. We mentioned this in our own research. Since the beginning of the big war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda has been trying to discredit refugees who were forced to leave Ukraine in order to save their lives. Propagandists regularly spread fake news about them; call refugees dependents; they claim that they went abroad not for safety, but for profit; they convince that residents of countries that have accepted Ukrainian refugees are dissatisfied with the behavior of Ukrainians. Propagandists need this in order to stake out the opinion that Ukrainians are pagans who do not value the help provided to them by residents of other countries; take advantage of the kindness of people in other countries.

The network is disseminating information that Kyiv stores are “almost out of fresh products” that need to be kept in refrigerators, in particular dairy products, semi-finished products and meat products. The post includes a photo of empty shelves in the store.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed the case and determined that the propagandists took the photo with empty shelves from an advertisement on OLX in Kazakhstan. And there is no shortage of goods and limited quantities of them, since none of the Ukrainian media have received such news.

Analysts add that according to a survey of retailers conducted by Interfax-Ukraine, the power outages have indeed presented supermarkets with the task of storing perishable goods. Some large networks such as Auchan, Novus and Varus have long had generators that ensure uninterrupted operation during outages. And solar panels were even installed on the roof of one of the Novus stores. But there is no shortage of products.

Propagandists constantly try to exaggerate the scale of problems in Ukraine in order to show the inability of the Ukrainian authorities to cope with the crisis situation. Thus, they want to shift responsibility from the aggressor to the victim of aggression and persuade her to make concessions.

Read on Censor.NET: The Ministry of Agrarian Policy allegedly sends recipes for dishes from pigeons and dogs to Ukrainians

Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that one of the specific Ukrainian online stores of electronic cigarettes sells the “Chill up Zelenskiy” cigarette.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed the stuffing and found that the assortment of the online store indicated by the propagandists does not include products with the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Presumably, the screenshot was faked and replaced with a photo of the original product.

When searching using the keyword chill up, we were able to find original products that did not contain photos of Zelenskyi or other politicians.

However, in general, it is not prohibited to put images of politicians or any other figures on such products: only if the product itself does not violate Ukrainian legislation. For example, on the official website of Epicenter they sell a lighter with the image of Patron the Dog, a dog that inspires explosives. It's a common element of pop culture that arose in the context of a full-scale invasion. It can also be with a cigarette with the image of Ukrainian politicians.

Thus, anonymous people want to discredit the Ukrainian president, because they explain that in Ukraine they are beginning to “idolize” Zelenskyi and “push” his images everywhere: supposedly hinting at a dictatorial form of government. But for some reason, anonymous people, say, do not remember that in Russia there is an entire clothing brand dedicated to the dictator Putin, created by his supporters and participants in the Putin Team movement.

In fact, we recorded many fakes aimed at discrediting Volodymyr Zelenskyi: propagandists used false advertising banners, magazine covers, graffiti, created individual cartoons, and placed Zelenskyi’s faces on various consumer goods (for example, condoms). With the help of Russian propaganda, Zelenskyi was able to appear in various roles, in particular: a vain person who spends all budget funds only on himself; a punitive satanist destroying Ukrainian church property; a person with drug addiction; theft of Western money; a puppet controlled by the West; a monster who throws “everyone in a row” to the front, etc.

Russian propagandists publish photos of one of the stores of household and professional equipment of the German brand Kacher in Ukraine. And they add that they seem to have posted an announcement in the store: “Generators are not for sale. Everything has been reserved for the needs of the National Police and the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support”.

VoxCheck analysts add that this photo is fake. The screenshot itself was taken from a video of the Kacher store in Kamianets-Podilskyi: it was edited and information about the alleged reservation of generators was added. But in fact, the poster is an advertisement for vacuum cleaners.

The video was published on the Toktok page of a store from Kamianets-Podilskyi. The fact that the propagandists took the frame from this particular video is indicated by the shooting angle, the identical location of the vacuum cleaners and the design of the tiles on the floor.

So, it is not about “reservation” of generators at all.

Russian anonymous telegram channels spread the news, allegedly due to the fact that Nestlé Waters France is suspending the sale of mineral water due to problems with its quality - and the remaining products in the warehouse will be sent to Ukraine as humanitarian aid.

Before publication, they are milking the so-called statement of the organization from the social network X, which states that Nestlé Waters refuses to admit that “contaminated water” remained in the warehouse. Therefore, propagandists are trying to prove the opposite - supposedly Nestlé representatives are lying about the quality of water in order to get rid of defective products as quickly as possible.

VoxCheck specialists investigated this case and found out that the company had not made such statements at all, neither about stopping the sale of water, nor about denying the fact of “pollution”.

Analysts said that in February 2024, the international consumer organization foodwatch filed a lawsuit in France against mineral water producers Nestlé Waters and Sources Alma. Companies disinfected contaminated water using prohibited methods and thus sold ordinary tap water as mineral water. Nestlé admitted their guilt and stopped this practice.

But Nestlé Waters France did not publish the news about sending contaminated water to Ukraine and the Gaza Strip on its website, YouTube or X. Moreover, X’s account has been inactive since March 2022. That is, there cannot be a statement for July 2024, as indicated in the fake screenshot.

Propaganda telegram channels are distributing a video depicting packages of President cheese with the faces of the presidents of Ukraine, France, the USA and Russia. The consumer can choose which cheese to buy: “Zelenskyi on drugs”, “Macron with mold”, “Biden with dementia”, or “Adequate Putin”. It seems that one can now buy such cheese in Russia.

However, this information is not true. The video distributed by propagandists is operative. Its author simply printed out stickers and pasted them onto the original packaging of President cheese. Journalists from the StopFake project reported this.

First of all, the video clearly shows that only four items in the frame have the corresponding design. Immediately behind the cheeses that the author of the video shows on camera, there is a row of processed cheese “With mushrooms” in a standard red package. StopFake journalists also looked at several websites of Russian food delivery services that offer President products, and none of them sell cheeses with the faces of presidents and offensive signatures. And the President brand is owned by the French corporation Lactalis, which is the largest manufacturer of dairy products in the world, so it is unlikely that a multinational company would produce such controversial packaging designs. Moreover, these designs echo key Russian propaganda narratives.

In the end, even part of the audience of pro-Russian telegram channels did not believe the veracity of this news. Many commentators under messages from the video accused the bloggers who distributed it of publishing a primitive fake. Previously, we denied information that Zelenskyi was invited to speak at a rehabilitation center for drug addicts because he is “a good role model”.

Russian resources are disseminating information that a billboard was allegedly placed in Ukraine depicting the 14th SS Volunteer Division Galicia with the caption “Yesterday it was them, and today it is you”. The billboard allegedly encourages Ukrainians to update their data in the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support. Propagandists add video of the poster's location as evidence.

However, this information is not true, according to the StopFake project. Journalists geolocated the place where the video being distributed was filmed - it turned out to be near Lviv - and asked for comment from the company that places billboards at this address. The Bravo advertising agency responded that they were indeed approached by customers who identified themselves as “employees of the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support” of the Ground Forces. However, as soon as it became known that this information was false, the billboard was backgrounded, and all information about the orders was transferred to the SBU. In addition, at the request of StopFake, the Lviv Regional Military Administration responded that no one ordered such an information campaign.

In the end, the official information campaign “Update your data in the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support”, which was presented by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, looks completely different, and in it, military personnel from different combat units honestly admit that they are also afraid, but overcome their fear. At the same time, no references to historical events are used in this campaign.

This is not the first time that Russian propaganda uses the theme of the SS division Galicia in its information war, manipulating historical facts. We have already refuted the information that the Ukrainian post office issued stamps dedicated to the SS division Galicia, and also that in the video message of Volodymyr Zelenskyi we noticed the chevron of the SS division Galicia.

A release of radioactive elements allegedly occurred at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and a cloud of dust is moving to Kyiv, because this is evidenced by the direction of the wind, they write in the Russian segment of a Telegram. Photos of a special “map” are added to the publications, which should show the movement of the radioactive cloud towards the Ukrainian capital.

Analysts from the StopFake project this case and found that the background radiation in Kyiv and its surroundings as of July 22, 2024 was within normal limits. The State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations also does not confirm the information about the release. Moreover, no Ukrainian media reported this news.

And the photo that was used in the fake publication was taken from stock - and it actually shows data on the density of plutonium contamination in the 30-kilometer zone of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant for the year 2000.

Russian telegram channels write that graffiti with the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly appeared in Kyiv. As “proof”, the messages add a photograph of a wall on which Zelenskyi is drawn with a noose around his neck and the inscription “Zelia - get out!”

StopFake fact-checkers managed to find the location where such graffiti was allegedly painted. It turned out to be the wall of the private museum of the Yakubovskyi family in Kyiv, photographed from Oleh Koshovyi street.

But there was no similar graffiti on the spot, that is, the fakers created this graffiti using special programs.

An alleged cover of an issue of the German satirical magazine Eulenspiegel with the headline “His Finale” is being circulated online. It shows a footballer in a uniform with EU symbols raised to hit Volodymyr Zelenskyi's severed head.

VoxCheck analysts found that the German magazine Eulenspiegel did not publish an issue with such a cover.

Since on the Eulenspiegel website in the section with all published issues, as well as on the magazine’s pages on social networks, there are no issues with such a cover.

The cover circulated online states that this is the sixth issue of the magazine in 2024. However, the cover of the sixth issue for 2024 is different from the fake one. The actual cover features football fans.

Photos of an announcement allegedly from the National Police are being circulated online, calling for people to contact the hotline in case of aggression from people in military uniform. The announcement allegedly again contains the hotline numbers of the National Police in Zhytomyr.

However, this information is not true, they write in the VoxCheck project. Photos of the “announcement” can only be found in Russian and pro-Russian sources. Also, the owner of the phone number 0-800-505-222 is not law enforcement agencies, but the WIZARD company. It supplies equipment for water supply, drainage and heating. Another number (+380 (44) 254-96-96) is inactive. GetContact users mark it as the phone number of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This may be an outdated MIA contact.

In addition, reliable national and regional media did not report the creation of a similar hotline in Zhytomyr. The Main Directorate of the National Police in the Zhytomyr region does not indicate the functioning of such a line.

Propagandists are distributing on anonymous telegram channels a photo of a letter allegedly from JSC National Atomic Power Generating Company Energoatom, addressed to the Minister of Climate and Environment of Poland, Paulina Hennig-Kloska, about their readiness to export electricity to Poland. However, this is fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to it. Its specialists checked the information at JSC National Atomic Power Generating Company Energoatom and found out that the letter being distributed was a fake. This indicates several details. Firstly, in the text of the “letter” there are obvious lexical and grammatical errors that are not typical for the Ukrainian language, especially in its last sentence. In addition, the head of Energoatom does not send official correspondence to government authorities of foreign countries, since this violates ethics and rules of international correspondence. The signature on the so-called document is also fake. Also, at the end of 2023, Energoatom became a joint-stock company, and not a state-owned enterprise, as stated in the “document”.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists are trying to cause public discontent and neutralize Russia’s role in the crisis of the energy system in Ukraine. They say that Ukrainians are sitting without electricity not because Russia is carrying out targeted attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, but because Ukraine allegedly sells electricity abroad.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that in Sumy, validators on buses allegedly demand payment for travel in rubles. Some sources write that this became possible thanks to a Russian hacker attack, because soon, according to propagandists, “the city may come under Russian control”. A photograph distributed online shows a bus validator, on the screen of which is visible the inscription: “Amounts 33 rubles. Scan your card”.

However, in fact, the photo was edited in a photo editor, writes the StopFake project. To create the fake image, the Russians used the original photo of the validator from a bus in Kyiv. This photo was published by the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko on his page on the social network Facebook back in October 2022. In the original photo one can see the inscription on the validator screen “Kyiv, 15:33”,but  not “Sumy, 33 rubles”, as propagandists claim.

The fact that this photo was used to create a fake one is evidenced by their similarity: an identical shadow on the validator screen, as well as a similar interior of the vehicle.

StopFake journalists further analyzed the fake image using the InVID & WeVerify tool to determine whether it had been altered. Analysis of 8x8 pixel blocks using the BLOCK algorithm showed that the grid was locally disrupted. This means that objects in the image have been added or moved. This is also confirmed by other algorithms. In particular, deep learning approaches for detecting manipulation and counterfeiting Mantra-Net and Fusion detected traces of editing in the validator screen area.

This fake aim is to disturb the residents of Sumy, saying that soon the “Russian world” will come to their city.

Propagandists are spreading information about the alleged appearance of offensive graffiti in Munich after the defeat of the Ukrainian national team at the European Football Championship. It is alleged that the graffiti allegedly depicts a player of the Ukrainian national team, being led by the hands of “joyful Territorial center of recruitment and social support employees”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact there is no reliable information that such graffiti appeared in Munich after the defeat of the Ukrainian team. Checking this image on websites for verification indicates that it was computer generated or altered.

Using the Forensically service, we were able to discover that many details in the image were changed or added to the original photo, which indicates that the picture is not real. Forensically works like a microscope, helping one see those changes in pictures that the eyes would not notice. To detect modified blocks in a published photograph, they used the ELA (error level analysis) section. In this case, the photo consists almost entirely of modified parts: the bicycle, the figures of three men in the graffiti, the frame on the wall and the paving stones clearly stand out in the photo when analyzing the data.

It is also worth noting that the Ukraine-Belgium match, after which the blue-yellows left the tournament, took place on June 26, 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany, and not in Munich. This creates a certain inconsistency and it is not clear why such graffiti should appear in the capital of Bavaria. Previously, the Ukrainian national team was defeated in a match with Romania, which took place on June 17 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, but after this match Ukraine continued to participate in Euro 2024, fighting to leave the group.

All this indicates that the photo is fake and was specially produced by Russian propaganda to discredit Ukraine and undermine the mobilization campaign in the country.

A video from the BBC is being circulated online, citing Bellingcat as saying that Emmanuel Macron may resign a week before the Olympics. The reasons for this decision are the victory of the radical right party in the elections to the European Parliament and the announcement of early parliamentary elections in France, as well as the high risk of terrorist threats and unpreparedness for the Olympic Games.

VoxCheck analysts explained that the BBC and Bellingcat did not disseminate such information. After all, the fake “report” was created from separate frames that were not related to each other.

A reverse photo search on Google showed that propagandists used individual photographs and videos from open sources to create the fake news. In particular, the photo with Emmanuel Macron was taken from the Instagram account of the official photographer of the French President.

A screenshot of a message allegedly from the Help Online chat to PrivatBank is being circulated online. In it, the bank, citing martial law, refuses to provide a loan to the user Dmytro Olehovych. Instead, the user is offered to apply for a loan for a female relative.

“The bank does not want to lose money by approving a loan to a person who could mobilize and kill tomorrow,” comment the propagandists.

VoxCheck analysts analyzed this stuffing and determined that such a change in the lending policy is not spelled out in the bank’s Terms and Conditions, and the interface according to the screenshot of the propagandists differs from the real interface of the Help Online chat. Also, the Ukrainian media does not have any mention of such an “innovation”.

Pro-Russian resources are distributing a video from Brussels showing a building on the walls which allegedly depicts graffiti with a caricature of the President of Ukraine and the caption: “Please invite another bankrupt to the EU”. The voice of a man behind the scenes, who speaks Ukrainian, leads to the conclusion that supposedly Ukraine is not welcome in the EU.

In fact, such graffiti does not exist in the Belgian capital, Ukrinform journalists report. Using Google Maps, they were able to establish that opposite the graffiti allegedly with a caricature of Zelenskyi there is a pet store called Zinneke&Kats.

After Ukrinform journalists contacted this pet store, its owners confirmed that the video distributed by propagandists is fake. At the same time, it was indeed filmed in Brussels, but there is other graffiti on the house, which can be seen in the photo above.

By the way, the fake video was first uploaded to the network on June 25, 2024 - precisely on the day when the first Intergovernmental Conference on Ukraine’s accession to the EU started in Luxembourg, which gave the official start to accession negotiations. Previously, we refuted the information that in Berlin they allegedly created graffiti with Zelenskyi in the image of a maniac.

A report from the Euronews TV channel is being distributed on social networks. It claims that in western Ukraine, the Territorial center of recruitment and social support workers beat an ethnic Hungarian when they tried to mobilize him.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project established that Euronews did not publish such a video. It was assembled from videos that were not connected to each other.

Through a reverse photo search, it turned out that for the fake Euronews video, propagandists used excerpts of individual videos from open sources. Thus, the footage of the Territorial center of recruitment and social support employees was taken from the report Investigation. Info for April 2024. The video does not mention representatives of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

Information is being spread online that supposedly in Vinnytsia the head of the local shopping center and joint venture banned the sale of wigs to men so that they would not try to hide from mobilization by dressing up as women. As proof, publications add a photo of the “announcement” from the Territorial center of recruitment and social support.

VoxCheck analysts investigated the case and found out that the head of the Vinnytsia regional Territorial center of recruitment and social support did not give such an order.

In fact, checking the “announcement” photo in Forensically using the ELA tool showed that the photo contained signs of editing. So, the announcement text was created and added to the photo using a photo editor.

Moreover, a reverse photo search on Google showed that for the fake they used a photo of the Topwigs wig store for 2019, which is located in Kyiv. After all, in this advertisement in the photo it is said about a paid fitting of wigs.