Spilnota Detector Media

Fake An air show will be held in Kharkiv on the occasion of Aviation Day

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that on August 25-26, 2023, an air show will be held in Kharkiv on the occasion of Aviation Day, where they will show the latest drone developments. Also, allegedly, there may be provocations by the Ukrainian military. It's fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. The organizers of the air show have publicly stated that the event has been postponed indefinitely. That is, there will be no air show on August 25 and 26 this year.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to intimidate the Ukrainians and shift the responsibility for the future crimes of the Russians to the victim. Earlier, Detector Media analyzed what propagandists wrote about Russia's strike on Chernihiv.

Manipulation In Kharkiv, the Russians destroyed a warehouse with ammunition

Russian media and pro-Russian resources report that, allegedly on January 10, in Kharkiv, Russians struck at the pyrotechnics, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine stored ammunition. It seems that in addition to fireworks, explosions of shells were also heard. The reports also suggested that the personnel of the Ukrainian army were allegedly in the same place. This is manipulation.

The Russians really struck into the pyrotechnics in Kharkiv. On the spot, law enforcement officers seized fragments of a cluster shell, previously from the Smerch MLRS. After hitting a one-story warehouse building, a fire broke out. According to the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center, this store of pyrotechnics has been renting this warehouse for about 20 years.

There is no confirmation of the detonation of ammunition. According to preliminary information, there are no victims either, which refutes the propagandists' assumptions about the placement of Ukrainian servicemen nearby. Local residents also confirmed that it was pyrotechnics that exploded, and not shells.

Manipulation A pensioner from Kupiansk will be put on trial for organizing football matches during the occupation

Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels spread messages about a “pensioner from Kupiansk” who was allegedly unfairly announced on suspicion of treason. Like, the whole corpus delicti consists in holding football matches. And for this he faces a sentence of up to twelve years in prison. This is manipulation.

According to the Kharkiv region police, during the occupation of the settlement, the man served as director of the Spartak stadium, supported the decisions and actions of the occupiers, and, in addition to football matches, organized other cultural events with elements of propaganda.

Message Ukraine is not engaged in the restoration of sacked settlements

Pro-Russian telegram channels write about this. Like, the government prefers stabilization measures, rather than the restoration of populated areas. In particular, allegedly recently liberated Kherson is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Allegedly, there is no water and energy supply in the city, there is not enough medicine, fuel, etc. Like, the situation is the same in the de-occupied Kharkiv region. Allegedly, this is how the Ukrainian authorities “thank” the Ukrainians who were waiting for the de-occupation.

Russian propaganda continues to manipulate information about the de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Kherson was on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe during the Russian occupation. After the de-occupation, life support systems are being restored in the city, despite daily shelling from the Russian army. As of December 4, Kherson resumed power supply by 85%. Also, “Points of invincibility” were opened in the city and additional centers for issuing humanitarian aid were deployed. Gradually in Kherson, the work of a supermarket chain is resumed.

Fake Humanitarian aid has not been provided in Kharkiv region for the third week

Such information is disseminated by Russian propaganda media and telegram channels. Allegedly, in the communities of the Kharkiv region, humanitarian aid has not been given for three weeks. Like, people are being starved, the authorities said to tighten the belts, not to walk and not to ask for anything. The reports do not indicate specific villages where there is allegedly a problem with the issuance of humanitarian aid. This is not true.

As the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center notes, the situation with the distribution of humanitarian aid is different in different communities. Even in communities located nearby, there may be a different intensity of the issuance of assistance. However, on the pages of different communities almost every day there are messages about receiving humanitarian aid. There is a Unified Humanitarian Coordination Center in the region that helps to direct humanitarian aid to communities where the needs are more urgent.

Fake The Armed Forces shelled a column of refugees in Kharkiv Oblast, and 30 people were killed

The tragic news was spread by Russian propaganda media and pro-Russian bloggers concerning Rodion Miroshnyk, who calls himself the ambassador of the occupied part of the Luhansk region. It allegedly happened near Kupiansk. The wounded were taken to a hospital in Luhansk.

During the spread of other fake, the propagandists made several inaccuracies. As fact-checkers from the "Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center" reported, all reports of this type do not contain videos and photos from the "place of the event". All illustrative photos used by propagandists have nothing to do with this fake.

The Kremlin propaganda media could not determine the date of the "shelling" and, at the same time, claimed that it was September 29, September 27, and September 25.

Propagandists are confused about the types of weapons with which they allegedly "shelled the column of refugees." Some talk about firearms, and some - about artillery.

The Security Service of Ukraine confirmed that at the end of September, in the so-called "grey zone" between the occupied Svatov in the Luhansk region and the liberated Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, the Russians shelled a civilian convoy of seven cars.

"At least 20 people died, including 10 children. A brutal attack on civilians was made by a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the occupiers - they shelled six old cars and one Gazelle truck closely with firearms. The enemy once again proved that his goal was the destruction of all Ukrainians, regardless of age and gender. The occupiers are defeated on the battlefield and respond to these losses and hopelessness by murdering civilians" said the acting head of SSU Vasyl Malyuk.

Such "news" of Russian propaganda is another attempt by the Kremlin to accuse the Ukrainian army of "atrocities" typical of the Russian military. On September 30, due to a Russian rocket attack on a civilian humanitarian convoy in Zaporizhzhia, which was trying to leave for the occupied territory, 30 people died, and almost a hundred were injured.

Fake Russian teachers who came to teach Ukrainian children under the Russian program were arrested in Kupiansk

Anonymous telegram channels and Russian media write about this. Allegedly, the Investigative Committee of Russia will open criminal proceedings on the arrest of teachers in the Kharkov region. The fake got into the Ukrainian information space because of the pro-Russian media and bloggers. They allegedly referred to a comment by Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk that the detainees would be tried under Article 483 of the Criminal Code (violation of the customs and laws of war). Like, the punishment for them provides for up to 12 years in prison and they are not subject to exchange, because they are not prisoners of war. Some telegram channels also hinted that not all teachers would live to see the trial. It is not true.

As journalist Iryna Romaliiska reported with reference to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Ukrainian police did not detain Russian teachers in the de-occupied territories of the Kharkiv region. Information about the detention was not confirmed in the office of the President of Ukraine. Subsequently, the Russian authorities denied the information about the detention of Russian teachers in Ukraine.

Most likely, this news was deliberately spread by pro-Russian resources in order to demonstrate the “ruthlessness” of the Ukrainian authorities, and subsequently its “absurdity”. This fake also echoes the Russian propaganda narrative about “Ukrainian Nazis.” Previously, fakes were spread that schoolchildren in the temporarily occupied part of the Kharkiv region were choosing Russian as the language of the studies process.

Fake The special unit "Kraken" has lost its combat capability

This is reported by the Russian media with reference to the representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov. He said that the unit suffered significant personal losses and combat effectiveness in general. Allegedly, they tried to fill the unit with local residents, but no volunteers were found. It is not true.

As the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center writes, the special unit "Kraken" has indeed announced the recruitment of recruits for the assault company. According to Kraken Chief of Staff Kostiantyn Nemichev, in the first two days, 800 questionnaires were received from those wishing to join the special unit. The selection will take place in several stages, including an interview and a "young fighter course". After that, the instructors will make the final decision.