Spilnota Detector Media

Fake The Nation, the American edition, published a cover with Volodymyr Zelenskyi who keeps leopards on leashes

In the Georgian and Russian segments of Facebook, an alleged cover of the American edition of The Nation is being distributed, in which Volodymyr Zelenskyi holds three frightened leopards on leashes, mines lie next to them, and a little further under a tree there are Russian military men in helmets with the letter “Z”. The leopards allegedly personify the Leopard tanks handed over to Ukraine, which seem to be unable to break through the Russian defense line. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. They determined that The Nation had never published such a cover. Moreover, fact-checkers contacted the publication, where they confirmed that such a cartoon was not published in any issue of the magazine.

Russian propagandists systematically distribute fake covers of foreign publications. Thus, they are trying to ridicule Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Ukrainian authorities and show that the West does not support Ukraine. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the humorous magazine LeMan depicted Zelenskyi on the cover, who was tied to a pole with burning military equipment.

Fake CIA declassifies document alleging that Stepan Bandera was a spy for Adolf Hitler

Users of the American segment of Facebook and Twitter are spreading a screenshot and a link to a document allegedly declassified by the CIA. It states that the Ukrainian hero Stepan Bandera was allegedly “a professional spy for Hitler, known as Consul II”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Reuters media drew attention to the case. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) posted on its website a translation of a Russian-language article from the magazine. And users of Facebook and Twitter mistakenly perceived the text as data from the CIA itself. Also, some of the correspondents shared a cropped screenshot, where the part that identifies the document as a translation is not visible.

In fact, the source of this article about Bandera as a spy for Hitler is the 1951 issue of the periodical Socialist Visnyk (Herald), which was published by the Mensheviks abroad.

Russian propaganda systematically promotes fakes about Stepan Bandera to convince the whole world that Ukrainians are Nazis. This discredits Ukraine and the Ukrainian authorities. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that Ukraine allegedly hides a real photo of Stepan Bandera with the German leadership.

Fake Graffiti depicting Zelenskyi hanging from a gallows created in The Hague

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. In the Dutch city of The Hague, someone drew graffiti depicting Zelenskyi hanging from a gallows, reports say. Like, the whole world wants to get rid of him. The authors add that this was done, they say, by Polish male and female artists. It is not true.

The German fact-checkers of the Correctiv project worked through the case and found out  that such graffiti does not exist. First, they analyzed the area of The Hague and found that the street depicted in the graffiti does not exist in this city. This was determined by using the location of paving stones, trees and other markers. Subsequently, they found out that the photo shows a Swiss city, not far from Zurich.

So the fact-checkers approached the local building authority to see if such graffiti existed in the Swiss city. There, the fact-checkers were told that such graffiti did not exist. Most likely, the photo was created using Photoshop.

Fake During his visit to the Czech Republic, Volodymyr Zelenskyi “adjusted the Ukrainian symbols with his shoe”

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that during a visit to the Czech Republic, Zelenskyi “adjusted Ukrainian symbols with his shoe”. As proof, the authors add a freeze frame from the Czech media video. It's a lie.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project investigated the case and found out that Volodymyr Zelenskyi did not fix Ukrainian symbols with his foot. And the freeze frame does not reflect what actually happened. On July 7, Zelenskyi, together with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, laid flowers at the Velvet Revolution Memorial in Prague. The event was filmed by many Czech media. The authors stopped the video at the moment when Zelenskyi approached the Memorial and his toe was raised. Subsequently, from that moment they took a screenshot and passed it off as Zelensky's “careless attitude” to Ukrainian symbols.

However, the President simply came close to the monument and laid flowers. Then he immediately got up and walked away from the monument. He did not make any additional movements with his foot.

Fake The humorous magazine LeMan depicted Zelenskyi on the cover, he is tied to a pole with burning military equipment

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a Turkish humor magazine recently published a cover featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyi tied to a pole with burning military equipment. Also, on the cover was an inscription, as if Zelenskyi was exclaiming it: “How great that we will soon be in NATO!”. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. On the fake cover it is indicated that this is the 26th issue of 2023 (2023 \ 26). Although this number belongs to another cover, released on July 12th.

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Fake The German edition of Handelsblatt distributed the cover with Volodymyr Zelenskyi who cannot get into the NATO door

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distribute the cover of the German satirical publication Handelsblatt featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The President of Ukraine goes to the doors, on which the NATO emblem is painted. The propagandists are promoting the message that Ukraine will never get there. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation. There is no such cover on the official website of the newspaper. The barcode marked on the issue with Volodymyr Zelenskyi belongs to another issue. Moreover, this issue allegedly came out as number 134, but no such issue exists.

Russian propaganda systematically distributes fake covers of foreign magazines and newspapers. Thus, Russian propagandists seek to show that the West does not really support Ukraine, does not respect and ridicule Zelenskyi, and the Ukrainian agenda is a good reason to laugh. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that the American magazine The Nation dedicated the cover to Zelenskyi calling him an “evil boy”.

Fake Courrier international magazine published a cover with Zelenskyi and Macron

Propagandists on social networks spread information that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and President of France Emmanuel Macron are allegedly depicted on the cover of the new edition of the French weekly Courrier international. In particular, it shows Macron pumping out a woman with the words: “Stop the riots! My wife has heart problems”.  Zelenskyi seems to be saying: “Stop the riots! All the money will go to repairs, but it has to help Ukraine”. It's fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They could not find a similar cover either in the publication's social networks or on its website. Although the propagandist's publications list the issue number of 1705, in fact this number of the magazine had a cover titled “France: The Roots of Wrath”. Courrier international is a French weekly that translates and publishes fragments of articles from foreign publications, websites, blogs and newspapers. Its website, according to VoxCheck analysts, has a “War in Ukraine” section, where the publication condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine and ridicules the Russian leadership.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists regularly try to convince everyone that the foreign audience and the media community are no longer on the side of Ukraine and openly oppose it. Detector Media has repeatedly denied such “covers”, as recently in the case of the humor magazine Humor Times.

Fake On its cover, Humor Times comic magazine featured Zelenskyi being beaten

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the humor magazine recently ran a cover featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyi being punched in a boxing ring. Allegedly, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg do this. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found out  that such a cover does not exist. They explained that on the official website of the publication, the last available issue came out at number 375. And the number 376 is indicated on the fake cover.

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers can get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Fake Humor Times comic magazine portrayed the Simpsons family outraged by Ukraine

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the humor magazine recently published a cover featuring the Simpsons family who were left without a sofa because it “went to the needs of Ukraine”. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fact checkers explained that the fake cover indicated that this was an issue for May 2023. However, neither on the website of the publication, nor on the official pages in social networks there is a photo with such a cover.

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Fake El jueves, Spanish magazine, published a cover with Greta Thunberg scolding Volodymyr Zelenskyi

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing the cover of the allegedly Spanish satirical magazine El jueves, which depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and eco-activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg scolds Zelenskyi because of the large number of losses during the counteroffensive. It's fake.

The case drew the attention of experts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation. On the official pages of El jueves in social networks, it is impossible to find an issue with such a cover. The cover of the latest issue of the magazine, published on June 28 under No. 2.389 - 03, depicts Russian President Putin and the leader of the Wagner group  Pryhozhyn.

By ridiculing the President of Ukraine, Russian propaganda is trying to show that he is despised in the West. Also, Russian propagandists seek to sow panic among Ukrainians because of the counteroffensive, which is allegedly laughed at in Europe. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that El jueves magazine published a cover on which the Ukrainian military refused to counteroffensive.

Fake Through the streets of London, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg walked naked

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric circulate a photo of a naked man on the streets of London and pass him off as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. The Daily Mail did indeed publish a photo of a naked man in London and indicated that it was taken on June 27. However, there is no mention anywhere that this is Jens Stoltenberg. In the photo itself, it is also noticeable that it is not him. Moreover, on June 27, the NATO Secretary General was at a conference in The Hague.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to ridicule the NATO Secretary General and discredit him. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Biden has three arms.

Fake In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, it was forbidden to hospitalize those liable for military service without the consent of the territorial recruitment centers

Such information was disseminated in the social networks of the Ukrainian segment. Reports say that in the Ivano-Frankivsk region on June 13, 2023, the hospitalization of men aged 18 to 59 was allegedly temporarily stopped without the consent of the Territorial recruitment and social support center. The authors add to the publications a photo of an Extract about the decision of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration to ban hospitalization. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up this case and found out that the regional council did not make such a decision. This was announced by the Deputy Chairman of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration Vitalii Ilchyshyn. However, such a decision was actually considered the day before at the initiative of the Regional territorial center of recruitment and social support. They explained that those liable for military service, whom the military medical commission recognized as fit for service, may try to get to the hospital, declaring a “sudden” deterioration in their condition.

The chairman of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration noted that in this way people can avoid mobilization. The Extract itself, the photo of which was distributed on social networks, was not found by fact-checkers. They wrote that there were no relevant instructions on the official website of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration. The photo of the Extract was previously distributed by telegram channels and media of the Ukrainian segment, although it is not on the official pages.

Fake The American magazine The Notion dedicated the cover to Zelenskyi calling him an “evil boy”

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an American magazine recently ran a cover featuring Zelenskyi and journalists called him an “evil boy”. And against the background of the President, TV screens are shown, where they broadcast news about the sunken bathyscaphe. The authors of the publications add that Zelenskyi is allegedly evil, because all attention is not focused on his figure. It is not true.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fact checkers explained that this magazine is a two-week edition and the last available issue went on sale on June 26, 2023. The next issue will be released on the 3rd. Actually, on the fake cover, the date of the issue is June 26 - May 3, 2023. For this date there is a completely different, real cover.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is worthless and incompetent) is also repeated in the West. So, readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Fake Joseph Biden has three arms, a photo of him is circulating on the network

A screenshot from a video of Joseph Biden standing at the podium is being circulated on the American segment of Twitter, his two hands are slightly raised above it, and the third hand is pressed to the edge of the podium. The spreading image also contains the text: “When you thought you saw everything…”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Reuters media drew attention to the case. They determined that the photo had been edited. The screenshot was taken from a presidential address following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, where only two hands are visible. The video itself is uploaded by the White House.

Thus, they try to discredit the President of the United States and cause distrust towards him. Earlier, Detector Media denied a number of fakes about Joe Biden, in particular, that he allegedly asked the “invisible man” not to jump during his speech.

Manipulation In the video message of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the chevron of the SS Galicia division was noticed

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distributed a screenshot of Zelenskyi’s video message, which allegedly shows the chevron of the Nazi 14th Waffen-SS division “Galicia” in the form of a lion with three crowns. Russian propaganda allegedly noticed it on a board with military chevrons behind the back of the President of Ukraine. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. A board with military chevrons really hangs behind Volodymyr Zelenskyi's back. However, the chevron that Russian propagandists passed off as the emblem of the SS division “Galicia” actually belongs to the 1st separate tank Siversk brigade, and it depicts a horse in armor. For the fake, Russian propaganda used a video message from the President dated June 20.

Russian propagandists are systematically spreading the narrative that Ukrainians, and President Zelenskyi in particular, are Nazis. Russian propaganda transfers responsibility for Russia's crimes from the aggressor to the victim of aggression. Earlier, Detector Media denied fakes that Zelenskyi wore a sweater with Nazi symbols to a meeting with the Pope, and Valerii Zaluzhnyi allegedly has a “bracelet with a swastika”.

Fake A cover with Zelenskyi and the deceased passenger of the Titan submarine was published by Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are circulating the alleged cover of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo with a caricature of Zelenskyi. In the image, the President of Ukraine is holding the deceased passenger of the Titan submarine so that he would transfer money to help Ukraine. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation drew attention to the case. They determined that no such cover exists. The latest issue is number 1613 and it came out on June 21, while the fake cover is numbered 1614 and dated June 23.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Western partners and convince Ukrainians that Zelenskyi is neglected in the West. To do this, Russian propaganda uses the tactic of ridicule. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that the German magazine Handelsblatt depicted a destroyed Leopard tank on its cover.

Fake On its cover, the German magazine Handelsblatt depicted a destroyed Leopard tank

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The German magazine Handelsblatt recently published a cover featuring a destroyed Leopard tank, reports say. The cover itself has a title: “This is not a counteroffensive - this is a bloody crash test”. Allegedly, they are hinting at the failed counteroffensive of Ukraine. It is not true.

Specialists from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council investigated this case and found out that such a cover does not exist. The fact-checkers explained that they did not find a magazine with such a cover on the official website of the publication. The latest issue of the magazine has a completely different design.

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers get the impression that the whole world is laughing at Ukraine.

Fake The humorous magazine Humor Times dedicated the cover to Zelenskyi with a call to “kill and get rid of him”

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say an American humor magazine recently ran a cover featuring Zelenskyi lying on the hood of a car in motion. The cover itself has the caption: “before the future, one needs to get rid of something now”. Allegedly, they hint at the death of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. It is not true.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fact-checkers explained that the last available issue of the magazine is 374 while the fake cover is already 375. There is no information on the official website about the 375 issue of the magazine, since it has not yet been released.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi should be eliminated) is also repeated in the West. So readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Fake First lady Olena Zelenska received an Israeli passport

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric circulate a photo of Olena Zelenska’s Israeli passport and write that the first lady received it during her last visit to this country. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. This document has been edited with a photo editor. On the passport allegedly of Olena Zelenska, the date of issue is indicated as 19.06.2023, and the date of expiry is 18.06.2023. It is impossible to issue a passport after its expiration date.

Also, experts found in open sources a template for an Israeli passport. Probably, the Russian propaganda used this particular template, and took the photo of Olena Zelenska  from the official telegram channel.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Olena Zelenska, cause neglect among Ukrainians and Western partners, and deprive international support. Detector Media denied the fake that photos of Olena Zelenska's vacation on a nudist beach in Israel appeared.

Fake German humour magazine published a cover with the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say a German humour magazine recently published a cover featuring fallen Ukrainian soldiers spelling out the phrase “counteroffensive”. The authors add that the whole world is mocking Zelenskyi's plans for a counteroffensive. It is not true. 

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found out that such a cover does not exist. The fact-checkers explained that the latest available issue of the magazine was the sixth while on the fake cover one could see the seventh. There is no information on the official website about the seventh issue of the magazine, since it has not yet been released. 

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Ukraine will fail the counteroffensive) is also being repeated in the West. So, readers may think that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine.

Fake Polish politicians “flaunted” the Russian flag in the Vatican

Such information was disseminated in the Polish segment of social networks. Reports say that Polish politicians visited the Vatican during the funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI and members of the delegation took a photo with the Russian flag. Like, they “flaunted” it and thus expressed their commitment to Russia. The authors add to the publications a photograph where the delegation allegedly holds the flag of Russia. It is not true. 

The Polish fact-checkers of the Demagog project investigated this case and found out that the photo was simply edited using Photoshop. In fact, in the original photo, the politicians were holding the Polish flag, not the Russian one. Fact-checkers found the original photo by a reverse Google search. The photo was published by one of the members of the Polish delegation on his Twitter. 

By spreading this fake, the propagandists, first of all, sought to undermine the confidence of the Poles in their high-ranking officials, who, they say, express the “favor” of Russia in an international format. Also, in this way, Ukrainians can despair of the actions of Ukraine's brother country. Allegedly, on the one hand, they help the Ukrainians, on the other hand, they wear the Russian flag during international events.

Manipulation Ukrainian military disguise tanks as houses

Users of social networks, in particular the American segment of Instagram, spread a video showing a house driving across a field, and added the inscription: “Ukrainian tank uses the house as camouflage”. The author of the publication believes that the video allegedly shows military equipment disguised as a Ukrainian house. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the PolitiFact project. They determined that there was no Ukrainian tank disguised as a house in the video. In fact, this is a car, namely the Zaporozhets, which, back in 2020, a family from near Dnipro turned into a “mobile home”. Craftsmen decorated it with Petrykivka painting, and placed icons and embroidered towels inside. A reverse search also showed that the video, dated 2020, was filmed by TV Channel 34. The Instagram post was labeled as the “False Information” one. 

The Ukrainian military does not disguise military equipment as houses. Earlier, Detector Media explained the manipulation that Mexican cartels allegedly receive weapons provided to Ukraine as military aid.

Fake In the UK, they recruited “mercenaries” before the Ukrainian counteroffensive

Kremlin propaganda media, anonymous telegram channels and users of the Russian segment of Twitter spread information that the UK is allegedly recruiting “mercenaries” for the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south and east of Ukraine. Proof of this is the announcement of the EU Citizenship Program on the Adzuna job site. Russian propaganda refers to the publication of the British edition of The Times. It's fake.

The fact-checker of the Stop Fake project drew attention to the case. The UK did not recruit “mercenaries” to Ukraine because of the Adzuna website. What's more, Adzuna chief executive Doug Munro told The Times that the ad was created for the purpose of propaganda and that his site was “a victim of Russian disinformation about the war”. After the message began to circulate among the military, The Sunday Times contacted Adzuna. And the company immediately froze the advertisement and contacted the police. Doug Munro believes that this provocation was created by “Russia or pro-Russian fans”.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes and manipulations by so-called foreign mercenaries in Ukraine. Thus, Russian propagandists seek to create the appearance that Russia is actually at war not with Ukraine, but with the so-called collective West. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that the West allegedly does not allow the Ukrainian military to use its equipment, because “foreign mercenaries” are doing this.

Fake Successful counteroffensive in their pants, the German edition of Titanic published a cover with such inscription

Such information was disseminated in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The cover of a German satirical magazine allegedly depicts Zelenskyi with the inscription “Successful counteroffensive in their pants”, and the propagandists themselves distribute the publication: “Betrayal or what, ladies and gentlemen”. It's fake.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover of the Titanic edition with Volodymyr Zelenskyi does not exist. Fact-checkers checked the magazine by serial number and found the real cover of the issue. Russian propagandists systematically create detailed covers for foreign publications.

By spreading such fakes, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and split the society, and also seeks to convince it that the West repeats the rhetoric of the Russians and laughs at the Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media denied a fake about the cover of the German edition of Eulenspiegel with the inscription “Ukraine is raising money for suicide”.

Fake Greta Thunberg drew a poster calling for Putin to stop killing leopards

On the Russian forum, in the Georgian segment of Facebook and media spreading pro-Kremlin rhetoric, on June 9 and 10, they posted a photo with eco-activist Greta Thunberg holding a poster with the inscription: “Putin! Stop killing leopards!”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. Greta Thunberg's photos were processed using the program. In fact, she was holding a piece of paper with the words “Let Russia strike for climate”, namely the photo she posted on May 14, 2019 on Twitter, in an attempt to urge Russia to join the protests against the climate crisis.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to discredit environmental activist Greta Thunberg and distort reality to show that Ukraine will allegedly lose. They say that even powerful equipment does not help to defeat Russia, so it remains only to persuade them not to touch the Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media explained the message that Western technology is supposedly poor and unsuitable for use in Ukraine.