A “statement” allegedly made by the head of the Office of the President Andrii Yermak, which he allegedly made in an interview with Politico, is being circulated online: “We think that even after the end of the war, martial law cannot be lifted. At least for a few years. Ukrainians will stay and rebuild the country. In addition, our people are already accustomed to living with closed borders and other restrictions - this is no longer a problem for them”.

However, this is a fake, experts from the VoxCheck project found out. Andrii Yermak did not give such comments to any of the Ukrainian or international publications, in particular Politico. None of the pages of Politico on social networks, or on the media website, published actual interviews with Yermak. Some users refer to Ukrainian blogger Yurii Romanenko, but he has already deleted the corresponding message and said that the information was false.

On February 6, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada voted to extend martial law in the country for another 90 days. At the same time, martial law can end in two cases. Either after the expiration of the period for which it was established, or by decision of the president in the absence of a threat of attack or danger in Ukraine. Previously, we refuted the information that Lviv residents went to a mass rally against Andrii Yermak in March 2024. In reality, the Russians then used the old video and replaced the audio track in it.

Social networks are spreading information that the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andrii Yermak, in an interview with the American publication Politico, proposed not to lift martial law.

“Yermak believes that after the end of the war, all Ukrainians should, in the form of labor service, restore the country to martial law. And when it ends, that is, in 5-10 years, it will be possible to switch to peacetime”, propagandists write in their publications.

However, the case was investigated by StopFake fact-checkers and found that neither on the Politico website nor on any other reliable source are there any words from Andrii Yermak about the continuation of martial law in Ukraine “after the war”.

Senior Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President Daria Zarivna wrote that Yermak’s probable quote to Politico was entirely made up. The goal of such information campaigns is to discredit the Ukrainian state and the narrative about the transformation of Ukraine into a dictatorship.

Propagandists are actively disseminating information that The Times predicts that after the end of the war, half of the Ukrainian population will face mental illness. In addition, social networks are spreading the claim that Uliana Suprun, who served as the acting Minister of Health of Ukraine from 2016 to 2019, led to the death of Ukrainian medicine by destroying hospitals and rehabilitation institutions in the country. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. They found out that in an article dated January 27, journalist Anthony Lloyd talks about the psychological problems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the statistics that 50% of Ukrainians face mental problems are not mentioned. According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, between 3 and 4 million people in Ukraine (including military and civilian) require mental health care. It is estimated that up to 15 million Ukrainians may need psychological help after the war ends.

There are public and private centers in Ukraine that provide assistance to military and civilians with psychological trauma. Also, the state budget for 2024 provides 2.6 billion hryvnia for activities for mental, sports, physical, psychological rehabilitation and professional adaptation of military personnel and members of their families. In addition, Ukraine’s partners are ready to help overcome the psychological consequences of the war. For example, NATO member countries are exploring the possibility of funding recommended measures to improve the health care system in Ukraine in the area of mental health.

Propagandists spread such disinformation to intimidate Ukrainian society into accepting Russia's conditions. Detector Media has previously written about how Russian propaganda stigmatizes the topic of mental health.

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric promote the thesis that it is better for Ukrainians to emigrate from Ukraine, because life here will only get worse, especially after the war. As an example, they add a screenshot of the message of the Ukrainian writer Larysa Nitsoi, where she “condemned the wounded soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for saying “thank you” in Russian as well as a video where passers-by make comments on listening to Russian music. Like, after the war, all “inadequate Ukrainians” will do this and mock the “adequate” ones.

The telegram channels also write that “if one is not going to wear an embroidered shirt in a restaurant or does not speak the state language, they will sometimes have uncomfortable situations”.

However, remarks on the use of the Russian language in everyday life are not a reason to go abroad. In Ukraine, there is no criminal punishment for communication in Russian, and even more so in private communication. The Verkhovna Rada also supported a bill on a partial ban on Russian music in public transport and public places, but it does not apply to singers included in the List of Musical Performers condemning the war against Ukraine.

By spreading such messages, propagandists are once again trying to stir up hostility over the language issue, discrimination against Russian-speaking Ukrainians and split Ukrainian society. Also, such messages help Russian propaganda to create the image of unbearable Ukrainian radicals who are ready to mock everyone who does not agree with their opinion. This radical image has become one of the elements of Russia's exculpatory rhetoric. Like, the Russians attacked to save the Russian speakers, etc. By the way, earlier propagandists spread the message that a war had begun in Ukraine because of the ban on the Russian language.