Spilnota Detector Media

Manipulation Finland wants to deprive Ukrainian refugees of social assistance

Propagandists on anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric claim that information has appeared on the website of the Finnish public broadcaster Yle that Finland wants to cancel social assistance for Ukrainian refugees, because it allegedly exceeds the payment for picking berries. Accordingly, since the Ukrainians do not agree with these conditions, it is necessary to introduce a system of assistance in exchange for employment. However, this is manipulation.

The authors of the message do not provide a link to the article containing such information, but only to the main Finnish-language page of the broadcaster. However, if one looks for news on the Yle website, in particular in the Ukrainian-language section, you can really find material related to the problem. However, it is not about plans to cancel aid. Moreover, its authors, on the contrary, note that Ukrainians would be happy to work on plantations for picking berries, however, according to the current Finnish legislation, such activity is not considered “sustainable income”, which may lead to a decrease in the amount of assistance. Accordingly, they have no choice but to go to a more stable job, so as not to lose help from the state. Therefore, Finnish companies have begun to hire more berry pickers from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Recent political transformations in Finland are also related to the migration legislation of the state. In particular, the new Finnish government is discussing a tougher approach to it. Ideas are being considered such as increasing the required period of permanent residence in Finland for obtaining citizenship, passing an exam in Finnish or Swedish for obtaining a permanent residence permit (now this is only necessary for obtaining citizenship) and, in particular, reducing the amount of social benefits for migrants. However, this does not apply only to Ukrainian refugees, but in general to all migrants in the state. These ideas have already caused outrage among them, which is why rallies were held in the country and a corresponding petition was created on Change.org.

Taking such news out of context, the propagandists once again want to show the Ukrainians as ungrateful, as well as devalue the help of European partners. They also want to cause panic among Ukrainian refugees by artificially inflating the scale of the problem. Detector Media has already written about other manipulations against Ukrainian refugees, in particular about a Ukrainian who allegedly destroyed a monument to Polish soldiers who fought against Nazism.

Message Ukraine's reparations should be paid not by Russia, but by the United States

Propagandists in the Russian media claim that it is not Russia, but the United States, that is responsible for “prolonging the conflict”. Like, that is why the United States should pay reparations to Ukraine in the future and compensate for the renewal of the destruction “caused by American weapons”.

This message was noticed by experts from the StopFake project. They note that it is a continuation of a larger narrative about the “aggressive collective West” and “Russia's war with NATO”. Since it was Russia who attacked Ukraine, it must answer for the losses to the Ukrainian economy and infrastructure. More statements on this topic began to appear after the London Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine on June 21-22.

According to StopFake, the reaction of propagandists is due to anger at Ukraine's allies, who not only have not abandoned their plans to provide military assistance to Ukraine, but also unanimously support the economic stability of the state. A number of Western leaders, namely: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - even the UN General Assembly not only recognized the decision to pay reparations to Ukraine as legitimate, but also strongly supported the search for practical mechanisms.

Disclosure Unknown people spread information about cash “payments” from Ukraїner

The information was recorded by journalists of the Ukrainian studies project Ukraїner, who found out that unknown people create clone pages of their publication and distribute advertisements about cash payments. So far, fraudulent activity has been recorded on Facebook. Attackers launch advertisements in which, on behalf of Ukraine, they urge people to go to outside resources in order to receive a cash payment. Journalists of the publication note that they do not publish any news about receiving financial payments. And now Ukraine does not hold any active public meetings.

This is a fraudulent scheme by which attackers can steal your personal data. If such advertising happens, Ukraїner  recommends to complain about it. Today, journalists have contacted Meta technical support and are waiting for a prompt decision.

Manipulation Children in Germany are forced to work and “give” funds to help Ukraine

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that children are recruited in Germany for work, and then they are required to pay their entire “salary” to help Ukraine. The authors of the messages add a photo of the employment contract, which allegedly needs to be signed by the children. This is manipulation. 

The fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation, who turned to the Ukrainian Embassy in Berlin for comment, took up the case. It turned out that in Germany there is a nationwide action - Social Day - when schoolchildren across the country have the opportunity to exchange one of their school days for a day of their dream work. And the money earned is usually donated to charity. The propagandists distorted the context of the “labor contract”, which referred exclusively to the initiative of one day of work. 

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to show that the West illegally employs children and takes money from them. Allegedly, Germany violates the rights of children and does not believe that children can only be allowed to work at a specific age and for a limited time.

Manipulation NBU will collect data on all payments of individuals

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that recently the National Bank of Ukraine collects data on all payments from individuals (i.e. ordinary people). They say that in Ukraine they collect personal information for their own, possibly selfish needs. The authors of the messages add a reminder letter from the NBU to Ukrainian banks in the publication. This is manipulation.

The department of the NBU denied this information. They explained that the National Bank, in order to strengthen supervision, from December 2022 on a periodic basis receives generalized information from banks exclusively on business entities, payment service providers - legal entities using the services of banks. That is, we are talking about organizations, enterprises (legal entities). There was no mention of individuals in the letter. The authors of the messages simply distorted the contents of the document itself.

Manipulation The International Monetary Fund demands from Ukraine the abolition of social payments for Ukrainians

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the International Monetary Fund is allegedly demanding that Ukraine completely eliminate subsidies for some Ukrainians and leave only minimal assistance. The authors add to the reports that Ukrainians should forget about social payments because Zelenskyi “surrenders Ukraine” and does not care about his people. The authors refer to the IMF resolution on the Extended Financing for Ukraine  program. This is manipulation.

The case was noticed by StopFake project fact-checkers, who found out that in March 2023, the IMF Board of Directors approved a new four-year extended financing program for Ukraine in the amount of $15.6 billion. The program includes implementation points in Ukraine to strengthen control over the distribution of funds and reduce the number of possible cases of corruption. Among these points is, for example, the reorganization of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine. Actually, the IMF provided support to Ukraine on the condition that the Ukrainian government will fulfill its obligations on reforms and public administration measures. However, we are not talking about any abolition of subsidies or social payments, since the propagandists distorted the context of the main provisions of the project.

The fact-checkers also explain that the IMF Program provides for a gradual increase in gas and electricity tariffs to ensure the sustainability of the energy sector. Meanwhile, Maksym Samoiliuk, an economist at the Center for Economic Strategy, notes that this is a necessary step in a war.

By spreading such a message, propagandists want to feed the narrative that Ukraine is allegedly uninhabitable due to a lack of electricity or high utility prices. Thus, the authors want to sow panic among Ukrainians in order to destabilize moods and create a feeling that “nothing will change”. However, Russia does not take into account the fact that it was it who invaded the territory of Ukraine destroying our infrastructure, killing civilians and hindering peaceful life.

Disclosure On behalf of the EU government, fraudsters offer financial assistance to people of retirement and pre-retirement age

In social networks, in particular in the Ukrainian segment of Facebook, information was disseminated that the EU government is introducing a project for the issuance of financial assistance to people of retirement and pre-retirement age. Like, people can get up to 200 euros per day by participating in this program. The authors also claim that the funds are provided by the Provision Fund. Then the message asks to follow the link for the registration.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project worked on the case and found out that the program for paying 200 euros per day does not exist at all. The Provision Fund itself exists in the USA. The purpose of the fund is to create additional funding for residents of Sheridan County, Wyoming, in areas that do not have sufficient funding from the government. That is, this fund has nothing to do with the EU. In fact, group admins use the financial assistant thesis as a bait to increase the reach and membership of the channel. As fact-checkers explained, the group can later change its subject and spread fake information, and due to the large number of subscribers, potential readers will get the impression that this resource can be trusted. However, this is not true.

Fake Ukrainian authorities are stealing money that Western partners provide to Ukraine

In the Ukrainian segment of Facebook, an advertising message is being distributed accusing the Ukrainian authorities of embezzling financial assistance provided by Western partners. They allegedly provide “billion dollar assistance” to fight Russia, and the fighters “still lack resources”. It is not true.

According to experts from the Center for Countering Disinformation, an announcement from a page that masquerades as News and Mass Media was created on May 6, and an announcement discrediting the Ukrainian authorities was launched on May 7. According to the CCD, the account itself is empty. Partners and international organizations did not record the facts of aid theft.

Russian propaganda is systematically trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities, saying that the Ukrainians are fighting but they are making money in the war. Also, propagandists want to weaken the support of international partners. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly owns a villa in Florida and earns $11 million monthly.

Fake “6600 UAH for Ukrainians born before 2008”, Zelenskyi approved a decree on payments

On the telegram channels of the Ukrainian segment, information is being disseminated that “an hour ago, Zelenskyi approved a decree to resume payments to Ukrainians”. Allegedly, all Ukrainians born before 2008 can receive 6,600 hryvnias in one payment from all international organizations. To receive payments, you need to register in your region - select the region in which the person lives, and follow the link. Also in the message there is a video that talks about obtaining assistance from international organizations. It's fake.

According to the journalists of the “Bez Brekhni” (No Lie) project, the video referred to by the authors of the telegram channels is taken out of context and does not explain the essence of the message. Also, there is no mention of Zelenskyi’s decree on the website of the Office of the President. Moreover, such a document cannot exist, because the President of Ukraine does not have the authority to appoint payments from international organizations. Another important point: in Ukraine, the head of state does not approve decrees, but signs them; in such messages, the date of the “approval” of the decree is always indicated, but it is not here. Questions arise why payments are provided to Ukrainians born exactly before 2008 as this is the entire adult population of Ukraine. By following the links in the message, a person gets to the pages of channels with the names “Good evening, we are from Zhytomyr, Rivne, Dnipro …”.

Parasitizing on the topic of help, unscrupulous administrators of telegram channels are trying to attract new subscribers. Information about state payments and the procedure for receiving them is contained exclusively on the official websites of state institutions. Earlier, Detector Media wrote about how Ukrainian telegram channels speculate on the topic of air raid alert.

Manipulation Corruption in Ukraine has grown by 500%, and aid from the United States does not reach Ukrainians, the White House said

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the United States is allegedly recording a huge number of facts of corruption and embezzlement in Ukraine, which have increased by 500% over the past year. Some officials allegedly claim that “because of the scale of corruption” only 20% of financial assistance from Washington reaches Ukrainians. This was allegedly announced at the end of March by a member of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Michael McCall.

The experts of the StopFake project worked on the case, and they determined that some facts of Michael McCall's statement were distorted, while others were invented. The basis for creating disinformation stuffing was a hearing in the US Congress on March 29 on the mechanisms for transparency and accountability of US assistance to Ukraine. In his opening remarks, Michael McCall, head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that “only 20% of the funding is going directly to the Ukrainian government in the form of direct budgetary assistance”. It was this expression of McCall that was distorted by the pro-Russian telegram channels, which stated that allegedly only 20% of financial assistance to Ukraine reaches the recipient, and the rest is stolen by the Ukrainian authorities. At the same time, the thesis about the growth of corruption by 500% in Ukraine is a fiction.

During the same hearing, officials unanimously declared that there was “no evidence that support for Ukraine was misused”.

Fake Ukrainians can receive social assistance in Germany without any verification

Such information is distributed in the German-speaking segment of social networks, particularly on TikTok. Reports say that people from Ukraine in Germany seem to be able to get assistance very easily. To receive payments, they allegedly do not even need to pass the verification that people from other countries must pass. The videos that were being circulated also stated that the Ukrainians receive this aid without problems and spend it on vacations on the islands. It is not true.

Analysts of the Correctiv project drew attention to the case in the network. In fact, Ukrainians in Germany do not receive social assistance without any verification, according to a spokesman for the Federal Employment Service. However, like all people receiving social assistance in Germany, they can spend 21 days a year away from their place of residence and do not have to work within these days, so the claim that refugees travel on the islands is not logical.

Analysts note that such videos are added to a number of other false claims that have been circulated against Ukrainians in recent months in order to create a negative image for refugees from Ukraine. Russia needs such fakes in order to discredit Ukrainian refugees and change the attitude towards them in countries where there are now tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

Manipulation In Ukraine, people will not be provided with monetary compensation for destroyed or damaged property as a result of Russia's armed aggression

This thesis was spread in social networks, in particular, on tiktok. Reports say that people in Ukraine will not be compensated for property destroyed or damaged as a result of Russia's armed aggression. The authors of the messages refer to the Law of Ukraine “On compensation for damage and destruction of certain categories of real estate objects as a result of hostilities, terrorist acts, sabotage caused by the military aggression of the Russian Federation”. However, this is manipulation.

The fact-checker of the project “Beyond the news” drew attention to the case, which established that compensation can be received precisely for destroyed housing, and damaged ones will be helped to rebuild either with work or building materials. The adopted law refers to two methods of compensation “in a special form”:

Monetary compensation to a current account “with a special purposes for the use of these funds” to finance housing construction;

A housing certificate to buy a ready-made housing or finance its construction.

As the fact-checkers explained, if people’s “manor-type house, garden or country house” and the same construction objects were destroyed, people can independently choose the type of compensation”: a current account or a housing certificate.

At the same time, if people have lost their apartment, compensation is provided only in the form of a certificate that will cover the construction or purchase of a new one.

In any case, the person will receive monetary compensation, but with the possibility of targeted use of funds - in this case, to compensate for the destroyed property. Funds can be disposed of by local governments, but this is not a prerequisite.

Manipulation The Polish government is forcing Ukrainian refugees to return the money provided earlier

Propagandists are spreading the news that the Polish government is forcing Ukrainian refugees to return previously provided support payments. Like, the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita published an article about this. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the Georgian project MythDetector drew attention to it. They found out that the publication cited by the propagandists really says that the Polish Social Security Service is trying to return funds paid “without legal grounds” to Ukrainian refugees. This applies to those who left the territory of Poland immediately after receiving public funds. Also, this practice only applies to payments under the programs “500+”, which is cash support for children, and “300+”, which is paid to cover the cost of school goods.

On January 28, 2023, an amendment to the Polish Law “On the Support of Ukrainian Citizens” was adopted, according to which payments stop being paid when the guardian or child leaves the territory of Poland and does not return to it within 30 days. Service Speaker Pavel Zhebrovsky notes that payments do not stop if these persons return to Poland within a certain time.

Thus, propagandists want to show that even the closest allies are tired of helping ungrateful Ukrainians. In addition, such messages are created to cause distrust of the Polish government and support the narrative about the seizure of Western Ukrainian lands by Poland. Like, today they help, tomorrow they take the money, and the day after tomorrow they are already in your house. Detector Media has already explored this narrative, which is present in a number of propaganda materials.

Manipulation In Ukraine, they want to deprive everyone who lives in the temporarily occupied territories or left for Russia of their pension

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular, in the Ukrainian segment of Twitter. The report says that in Ukraine they are allegedly going to deprive the pensions of those who left for Russia or live in the temporarily occupied territories. The authors argue that this is one of the requirements of the International monetary fund. This is manipulation.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to this case and, after studying it, determined that such manipulation appeared against the background of the appearance of a bill on changing the procedure for paying pensions to persons who committed a crime against the foundations of Ukraine's national security, as well as after the draft order of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine “On approval methods for verifying pension payments and monthly life allowance”. Social media users distorted the main provisions of the bill and the project of the Ministry of finance.

The bill refers to the termination of cash payments to persons convicted of crimes against the foundations of national security. This category includes those who encroached on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine or who carried out collaborative activities and collaborated with the occupiers. That is, we are not talking about everyone who, not of their own free will, ended up in Russian occupation.

Another document from the Ministry of finance of Ukraine regulates the process of checking and updating information about the recipient of a pension from the Ministry of social policy, the Ministry of justice, the Ministry of internal affairs and other departments. For example, the Ministry of finance will check and update information about the death of a pension recipient or disability group, etc. In Ukraine, pensions continue to be paid to citizens living in the temporarily occupied territories or those who have gone abroad. As for the so-called requirement of the International monetary fund, it does not exist at all.

Both documents are in no way aimed at depriving pensions of Ukrainians living in the temporarily occupied territories of the country, or those who left for Russia. Moreover, both documents have not yet been adopted and are under discussion.

Fake Relatives of the dead Ukrainian military are given toys as “compensation”

Russian publications disseminate information that the only “compensation” from the state for relatives of the dead Ukrainian soldiers are toys. The authors of such messages in Russian telegram channels are ironic. Like, the life of the Ukrainian military is worth nothing for the state. It's fake.

StopFake analysts came to the conclusion that the basis for the fake is the real message of the Facebook page of the Third branch of the Lubenskyi district territorial center for acquisition and social support of the Chornukhy village, Poltava region. However, toys are only part of the help. According to the legislation of Ukraine, the families of the dead Ukrainian soldiers can receive monetary compensation in the amount of up to 12 million hryvnias. In addition, there are a number of non-governmental initiatives that provide material and psychological assistance to such families. The local authorities of the Poltava region also provided them with financial assistance in the amount of 50,000 hryvnias.

With such messages, Russian propaganda wants to show that human life is worthless to the Ukrainian government. Thus, Russia wants to demoralize the Ukrainians and persuade the government to negotiate. Like, the Ukrainians will be able to put pressure on the authorities, because without decent compensation, these efforts are worthless. However, as practice shows, compensations only in the form of food packages or items of clothing are the most common thing in Russia.

Disclosure Fraudsters offer Ukrainians to receive non-existent foreign assistance

According to the Center for counteracting disinformation, scammers send fake messages online and on phones about the possibility of receiving financial assistance from foreign partners. Like, every Ukrainian can receive 6,500 hryvnia on a bank card.

To get such “assistance”, scammers offer to follow the link and enter personal data to enter the site. The design on the fake site imitates official web resources. After the introduction of bank details, thieves withdraw all funds from the owner's card.

The Center urges people to check information in official sources so as not to become a victim of fraudsters. Also, in case of suspicion of fraudulent activities on the Internet, they are asked to inform the cyber police by e-mail: callcenter@cyberpolice.gov.ua.

Taking advantage of the difficult situation of Ukrainians because of the war, scammers systematically offer a variety of “help”. Previously, scammers offered 6,000 hryvnias of “New Year's” assistance, 5,000 hryvnias of assistance from PrivatBank, financial assistance from the Uappl project, winter payments from the European Union, etc.

Fake In Ukraine, military’s payroll is in bonds

War bonds are securities, so they cannot be used for payroll type calculations. As the fact-checkers of the “Without Lies” project explain, the nominal value of one bond is UAH 1000 / USD 1000 / EUR 1000. Bonds (certificates) with a face value of two million hryvnias do not exist.

On the fake bond it is indicated that this is a certificate for the amount of compensation in the institutions of Oshchadbank and Ukrainian state commercial insurance organization (Ukrderzhstrakh). This certificate has a different wording. Moreover, Ukrderzhstrakh was liquidated back in 1993. The fake certificate was allegedly signed by Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko. However, the actual signature belongs to one of his predecessors - Oleksandr Shlapak (February-December, 2014). It was during the work of Shlapak that war bonds began to be issued.

Thus, propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian army and the leadership of the state. Earlier, propagandists claimed that Ukraine canceled the payment of 15 million hryvnias to the families of the dead servicemen.

Disclosure Fraudsters offer Ukrainians a one-time payment from the Red Cross

Messages are circulating on social networks that allegedly due to the difficult energy situation in the country Ukrainians are provided with a one-time payment of 2,300 hryvnias from the Red Cross.

Fact-checkers of the “Brekhunets” (Liar) project checked the information and found that it was a scam. The scammers use a fake telegram channel called the Red Cross society, which has only 170 subscribers. At the same time, the official telegram channel of the organization has five thousand readers. Information about “assistance in connection with the energy situation in the country” is not there. Links to the pages of Ukrainian banks in messages are also fake. There is no information on such payments on the official pages of these banks. Fraudsters manipulate the limited registration time (only until 10:00 pm or only until 02:00 am) and ask to “hurry up to leave personal details” in order to receive “assistance”.

Also, to receive fake assistance, you need to enter your personal data, including your bank card number. This is a sign of phishing - the collection of personal data.

Fraudsters systematically use the difficult situation of Ukrainians because of war and offer a variety of “help”. The goal is different: from manipulative advertising of telegram channels to gaining access to bank cards of Ukrainians. In particular, earlier the scammers offered 6,000 hryvnias of “New Year's” assistance, 5,000 hryvnias of assistance from PrivatBank, financial assistance in conjunction with the Uappl project, and winter payments from the European Union.

Fake In Germany, Ukrainian refugees will receive five hundred euros as a “welcoming” bonus

Reports are circulating on social networks that allegedly the German Bundestag has urgently adopted a decision according to which Ukrainian refugees will receive a “welcoming” bonus of 500 euros at Caritas offices. Such assistance is allegedly funded by German taxes. The video gained thousands of views and caused discontent among the Germans. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Correctiv project asked for clarification from the office of Caritas and the Bundestag and received confirmation that the video was fake. The Caritas Association does not pay or offer any “welcoming” payments. The Bundestag did not make such a decision; moreover, there was not even such a project. The fact-checker also notes that the primary source of the video is an account from which false information about financial assistance to Ukrainian refugees was also previously shared.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes to discredit Ukrainian refugees. In particular, fakes were circulated earlier in Germany, allegedly social services pay for the services of a hairdresser instead of Ukrainian refugees; as if Ukrainians go to Germany, draw up social benefits and immediately return home; and as if Ukrainians resell items received in Germany as humanitarian aid.

Fake Zelenskyi and other officials and politicians enriched themselves in 2022

Russian media and users of the Georgian and Russian language segments of Facebook are distributing BBC infographics, allegedly created according to the American edition of Forbes, from which it follows that the military-political leadership of Ukraine enriched themselves during the war. But this is fake.

Russian media report that Volodymyr Zelenskyi's capital has grown from $650 million to $1.5 billion. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, and adviser to the head of the presidential office Mykhailo Podoliak also seem to have become billionaires; Volodymyr Klychko’s fortune reached almost 800 million dollars.

As noted by the Myth Detector project, a created graphic is a forgery. On December 27, 2022, Forbes Ukraine did indeed publish a list of the 20 richest people in the country, but none of the Ukrainian politicians mentioned in posts of Russian-language media appears on it. The top five richest Ukrainians in 2022 look like this: Renat Akhmetov, Viktor Pinchuk, Konstiantyn Zhevaho, as well as two IT entrepreneurs - Oleksii Shevchenko and Maksym Lytvyn. Everyone who used to be on the lists of the richest people in Ukraine, and those who were in the top 20 for the first time, have significantly lost their fortune this year. The BBC actually created its own infographic based on the Ukrainian Forbes data, all the data of it coincide with the Forbes data, and there is no president, no defense minister, or other officials in it.

We recall that earlier Russian media have already spread fakes about the status of Volodymyr Zelenskyi and called him a dollar billionaire. According to estimates, in fact, Zelenskyi's fortune is estimated at 20-30 million dollars.

Fake Switzerland banned money transfers to Ukraine, including donations to the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Such messages are distributed through social networks and hostile telegram channels. It says that it is forbidden to transfer funds to help Ukraine in Switzerland. Like, all charitable platforms are inactive in the country. As evidence, the propagandists attach a video from a TikTok user in which she allegedly complains that she cannot transfer money to Ukraine. However, this is not true.

According to StopFake experts, in Switzerland there is no ban on transferring money to any account in Ukraine. Fact-checkers say that Switzerland is among the top ten countries whose residents most often donate money to help Ukraine through the United24 platform, including for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Propagandists are spreading this fake to once again discredit Ukraine and show that it is not supported by the West, which prohibits the transfer of funds from its banks. Thus, they are trying to hint that no one wants to help Ukraine and Ukrainians. However, the absolute assistance of our partners demonstrates the true attitude of the world to the war in Ukraine.

Disclosure Fraudsters promise Ukrainians six thousand hryvnias of “New Year's” assistance

Messages are distributed through social networks and instant messengers. Like, every Ukrainian can receive a one-time cash payment as a New Year's aid. The messages have got a link where you need to register ostensibly to receive money. They note that this is assistance from the state, which “by order was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi”.

Fact-checkers of the Brekhunets (Liar) project checked these reports. The link hides an anonymous telegram channel with the name “Payments from the state to every citizen of Ukraine”. The channel avatar has the logo of the Privat24 application. However, on the channel, the authors say that financial assistance can be obtained from three banks, the names of which are written with errors.

Under the name of each of the banks, there is a published link, allegedly to a “personal account”, in which you can apply for New Year's “help”. However, instead of a “personal account” there is a form in which they offer to enter a bank card number, password and pin code. That is, instead of “help”, scammers get access to bank accounts.

On the website of the President of Ukraine there is no information about financial assistance on the occasion of the New Year holidays. The press service of Privatbank confirmed to the fact-checkers that they do not pay any New Year's aid from the state. There is no information about these “New Year's payments from the state” on the websites of other banks as well.

Disclosure Scammers promise to provide stable mobile communications for money

Fraudsters take advantage of the fact that as a result of a power outage, the mobile signal is weakened or disappears altogether. This was reported in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

They pretend to be representatives of mobile operators and promise to “switch” a person to another “tower”. Like, so the connection will remain stable even when the electricity disappears.

After that, a person receives a code - if you say it to a criminal, they will get access to mobile applications of banks, social networks, etc.

Manipulation All Ukrainians will pay less for electricity

Such a message was distributed in the Rivne segment of Telegram. Anonymous telegram channels name the source of their information the National Commission, which regulates energy and utilities.

The fact-checkers of the “Brekhunets” (Liar) project explained why this is manipulation.

On December 5, the website of the state institution indeed published a decree on the need to protect consumers by applying, in the absence of actual meter readings, a reduction factor for electricity consumption.

Representative of Rivneoblenergo Alla Likhachova explained to journalists that it is not yet possible to say what the coefficient will be in December 2022, since the company will have indicators for electricity consumed in December only in January 2023.

“To put it simply, residents of those regions that have suffered from Russian occupation and where the power grids have been significantly damaged and energy consumption has definitely decreased, and there is also no way to track the actual meter readings, we can count on the application of the coefficient there. As for the residents of relatively peaceful areas, it is too early to draw conclusions”, the fact checkers noted.

Fake Nuns with Russian passports were hospitalized in the Rivne region

Such information appeared in social networks, in particular, in the Ukrainian segment. Reports say that after the Security Service of Ukraine raided a local monastery in November, rumors began to circulate in the Rivne region that three nuns with Russian passports had been admitted to a local hospital. Like, there are Russian women among the novices of the monastery. However, this is not true.

According to fact-checkers of Brekhunets (Lier), the representative of the monastery, nun Savatiia, assured that there were no Russians among their inhabitants, the novices were Ukrainians. The Directorate of the Security Service in the Rivne region also does not confirm the information that people with Russian passports were found among the nuns in the Koretskyi Holy Trinity Convent.