Spilnota Detector Media

Manipulation Ukrainians are masse returning to the temporarily occupied territories

This is reported by the Russian media with reference to the CNN story. He said that the report was a "miscalculation of the Western media", which "suddenly admitted" that "what is happening in Ukraine". This is manipulation.

The Russian media used the CNN story, distorting its essence. As the StopFake fact-checkers write, it is actually about people who are forcibly returning to the territories occupied by Russia for various reasons. At the same time, the Russians do not allow Ukrainians who, on the contrary, would like to leave the occupation. Journalists also say that traffic from the occupied territories was blocked on the day of the shooting. According to CNN, 6,000 people were stuck on the Russian side, only 76 were able to pass through the checkpoint. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine also confirmed that the movement at the Kamianske checkpoint is mostly due to the occupation, but on that day the Russians blocked Ukrainians from leaving. Currently, this is the only way to get to the occupied territories, traffic on other roads is blocked for various reasons. Russian mass media do not talk about it.

People who entered the territory occupied by Russia said that they did not want to leave their relatives there. However, pro-Kremlin media made their own "conclusions". In their opinion, these people finally decided to leave Ukraine. This is allegedly indicated by the large number of things they carry with them. Some of the cars in the plot do carry a large number of personal belongings. However, most of them are not. This is visible in the general footage present in the CNN story. Therefore, the conclusion that everyone returns to the occupied territory for permanent residence is an exaggeration. The CNN journalist does not draw such conclusions but notes that those who want to stay on the Russian side may not admit it. The stories of the heroes of the plot also do not contain grounds for such conclusions.

Fake Residents of Zaporizhzhia are being evacuated

Such information is distributed in social networks and messengers. It is not true.

The secretary of the city council, Anatoly Kurtev, said that now there are no reasons for the mass evacuation of citizens. The other day, the city authorities started an information campaign to clarify the rules of behavior of the population during an emergency, including during evacuation. However, the official says, these are only preventive measures, because, in the conditions of a full-scale war, such knowledge should be available not only to Zaporizhzhia but also to the entire country. Kurtev urged residents to remain calm and trust only official sources of information, not speculations and rumors on social networks.

Recently, fake reports about the evacuation of residents of Odesa were also spread. Local authorities denied these rumors.

Fake Kherson Residents must pay for water in rubles

The occupiers distribute invoices with allegedly new details of the water utility and send them to the heads of condominiums. Screenshots of tariffs and requisites were published by the Deputy Chairman of the Kherson Regional Council Yuriy Sobolevskyi. These accounts do not exist, writes the "Nota Yenota" project.

"The information stated in the material regarding the opening of accounts in rubles does not correspond to reality. It is forbidden to open accounts in rubles in Ukraine. We checked the details indicated in the material. Such does not exist. Details are fake. We ask you to remove the mention of Alfa-Bank from the material and use only verified information, not to mislead readers," Alfa-Bank's press center replied to Kavun.City journalists. In addition, the IBAN (International Bank Account Number) account format is not used in Russia and for the Russian ruble.

Fact-checkers assumed that the goal of the occupiers was either to discredit the utility company or to assure the people of Kherson that "Russia is here forever." We will remind you that earlier propagandists tried to discredit Khersonoblenergo

Disclosure The occupiers opened a recruiting center for collaborators in the Zaporizhzhia region

As the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports, in the temporarily occupied cities of the southern part of the Zaporizhzhia region, representatives of the self-proclaimed authorities are searching for collaborators to create a "mass" for the so-called "spontaneous actions" in referendum support. The occupiers believe that such television stories will reduce the degree of dissatisfaction with the war among Russians. Despite the "material incentives", the local residents are not active enough, so the "mass" is brought from the occupied Crimea.

Fake The Polish publication “Dziennik Wschodni” published an article on the front page with the headline "Zelensky will return Ukraine to Poland"

Russian propagandists falsified the front page of the Polish publication “Dziennik Wschodni” and published it on Facebook and VKontakte. On a fake newspaper page, the propagandists posted the material under the heading: "Zelensky will return Ukraine to Poland." This is, of course, a fake, which shows quite well how Russia works on social networks.

The thesis that the western part of Ukraine should allegedly become part of Poland was actively promoted by Russian propagandists from the beginning of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine. The fiction was "reinforced" with fake maps that seem to demonstrate Poland's intentions to seize the western regions of Ukraine; then forged documents with seemingly orders to attack these territories; then about the alleged battalions of Poles in Ukraine; then about the "Poles legalization"; then about the alleged plans of Poland "to go over to the Russian side and then capture the western regions of Ukraine", etc.

In this way, the Russians want to provoke enmity between Poles and Ukrainians.

Fake In Dnipro, a school and a dormitory house ground territorial defense units and military equipment

Information is spread by the Russian media concerning the Ministry of Defense of Russia. Allegedly, in Dnipro, a school and a dormitory are used as cover for Ukrainian military and equipment. Similar reports are being spread about Kryvyi Rih, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly settled in residential buildings. It is not true.

Fake In stores in Ternopil and Lviv regions, prices are indicated in hryvnias and zlotys

Photos of price tags from stores in the Ternopil and Lviv regions for basic products (buckwheat, eggs, and cabbage) on which the prices are indicated not only in hryvnias but also in zlotys are allegedly being distributed on the network. Because of this, residents allegedly are afraid of joining the regions of Poland, especially because of the draft law on a special status for Polish citizens. It is a fake. These photos have been edited, and the prices are not correct. More details. As for the law on the special status of Polish citizens in Ukraine, the president introduced the relevant draft law to the Verkhovna Rada on July 11 in compliance with the principle of reciprocity of international law. It is a response to the law on assistance to citizens of Ukraine, adopted by Poland in March. There are no provisions of law that would provide for the accession of Ukraine to Poland.

Fake Ukrainians have never lived in Odesa

Another historical fake used by Russian propaganda is the myth that Ukrainians never lived in the Black Sea region. It is part of the great myth about "originally Russian lands," which Russia allegedly went to "return to itself," restoring "historical justice."

As the history of the last 30 years shows, Russia started wars everywhere without using historical myths - for example, in South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Syria. Propaganda did not need an explanation about "Russian peace" or "liberation of suffering peoples" from the "Nazis." But to explain the invasion of Ukraine since 2014, propaganda uses all sorts of fakes to prove its own "right" to kill Ukrainians. Sometimes they are directly opposite. In some cases, propaganda proves that Ukrainians do not exist at all; in others - they exist but "did not live" in certain territories and therefore do not have the right to them.

One of these fakes - that Ukrainians never lived in Odesa - was analyzed in detail by StopFake.

Images with data on the national composition of Odesa in 1894 are being distributed on social networks. According to these data, Russians, Jews, Poles, Germans, Greeks, and French lived in Odesa then. As the publication writes, the data indicated in the picture are more or less comparable with the data of the Odesa population census of 1892. His results were published two years later, in 1894. At that time, 336,000 people lived in Odesa. But, as the researchers explain, the population distribution took place according to many parameters, such as native language, religion, and whether the resident was: a Russian citizen or a foreigner. At the same time, people were not asked about their nationality; however, later census, held in 1897, there were statistics by nationality - and in the Kherson province, which included Odesa, 1,462,039 Ukrainians lived, which was 53.5% of the population of the region.

Here, read more about population censuses and historical data about Ukrainians in Odesa and Kherson regions.

Manipulation Missile strikes on the Antoniv Bridge do not harm Russian troops

Propaganda telegram channels spread the message that rocket strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Antoniv bridge in Kherson are irrelevant - it is "a matter of three beams and two liters of concrete." These messages were recorded by the Center for Strategic Communications in its study of propaganda telegram channels.

In fact, although the bridge is currently standing, it is closed to all types of vehicles. Moreover, according to the standards of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the army must stop moving on the bridge in the event of any, even minor, damage. However, according to satellite images, the bridge cannot be patched with "two liters of concrete", it has significant surface damage.

The other two bridges are a single-track railway bridge across the Dnipro and a bridge over the Kakhovska HPP dam in Nova Kakhovka. The latter was also shelled earlier, the Russians tried to repair it. Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine previously attacked the Daryiv Bridge across the Ingulets River, which connects two parts of the right-bank Kherson Oblast occupied by the Russians.

It is obvious that all these bridges are now under the fire control of the Armed Forces and the supply of equipment to the occupiers in the region has been substantially closed. That is why the Russian army is trying to build a pontoon bridge instead of the closed Antoniv bridge. At the same time, propaganda tries to convince the audience that the destruction of bridges will not affect the situation in the region.

Fake The part of the Zaporizhzhia region not under the control of the Ukrainian government "began to establish international contacts"

The Russian mass media spread the information that the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region has allegedly already "established international contacts" regarding the collaborator and protégé of the Russian authorities, Volodymyr Rogov. Allegedly, the occupiers began receiving "appeals from members of parliament in Germany, Spain, France, Greece."

Manipulation Metallurgists' Day was celebrated massively in Mariupol

On social networks were spread the video of a concert in Mariupol, at which the residents allegedly celebrated en masse and sang along to "a white swan on the pond..." of the soloist of the Russian group "Lisopoval." Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels distributed photos and videos of the "very massive" participation of citizens in the concert from the "press service" of the so-called DNR. Then these videos were shared on Facebook. It is manipulation.

Indeed, July 17 is celebrated in Ukraine as the Day of Metallurgical and Mining Workers. A similar holiday is also celebrated in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. As NotaYenota writes, the occupiers decided to hold several events for Metallurgist's Day, including a concert with the participation of a special guest, Serhiy Kuprik. In the comments to the video of the show, Ukrainian users write, "who are our guys fighting for," "look, we felt sorry for them," etc. It is precisely the effect the occupiers sought — to convince the Ukrainians of the "treason" of the Mariupol's residents.

More than 400,000 people used to live in Mariupol. Probably, among them, some have pro-Russian views. However, at least 22,000 Mariupol residents died due to the hostilities. The occupiers forcibly removed thousands of people through the so-called "filtration camps" to Russia. Many citizens left for safer places earlier. According to the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andryushchenko, 50-100 people still leave the city every day. Therefore, the information of the occupiers that the city's population is now 220,000 is invalid. There are no more than a thousand people in the "holiday" video, but there is no evidence that these are Mariupol residents, not specially brought actors. From another perspective, the picture of the crowd of the event is significantly different. The event is sparsely populated compared to videos from previous years. Probably some of the people were collected by distributing food packages because there are problems with food in the city. The propagandists also attracted Russian bloggers, who, in their comments, talk about the support of the residents of Mariupol by the residents of Russian cities and talk about the "peaceful" life in Mariupol.

Manipulation Russia will help the Ukrainian people eliminate an "anti-people and anti-historical regime"

It was stated by the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov. The Russians and Ukrainians allegedly will continue to live together.

According to the Constitution, Ukraine is a sovereign, independent, democratic, and legal state. The only source of power in Ukraine is the people. Using their rights, Ukrainians elected Volodymyr Zelensky as president. Therefore, the popular results will refute the thesis about the "anti-people's regime" in Ukraine. As a foreign state, Russia should not interfere in Ukraine's internal processes at all. Lavrov's words "the historical unity of the Ukrainians and Russians" are one of the cliches of Russian propaganda, built on the history and communist ideology rewritten by the Soviet authorities.

According to the sociological survey, only 2% of Ukrainians have a good attitude towards Russia, while 92% have a bad attitude. Therefore, Lavrov's statement about the further "common life" of Ukrainians and Russians does not correspond to reality.

Fake The Russians plan to launch an operation from Belarus "in the morning"

In the Telegram chat "Shatskyi Tereveni," they spread the message about the beginning of the attack by the Russians from Belarus "in the morning." It is advised to collect all important things and prepare for the absence of electricity and the Internet.

Reports of military activity in neighboring Belarus have become more frequent since the start of military training near the border of the Volyn and Rivne regions was announced.

Currently, there are no facts about an attack from Belarus. Such messages are most likely sent to sow panic and destabilize the situation, write the fact-checkers of the "Rayon. Shatsk."

Several things indicate that a message is fake. For example, "in the morning" - but there is no exact date on which morning it will happen.

Later, a message appeared: "Let it not happen, but it is better to prepare." A seemingly unobtrusive message, however, makes the reader tense up. Many questions and the source of information - "Oleg, a journalist from Stryi, who was transferred from the USA."

Fake Hungary is preparing to protect itself from the violence of Kyiv and Brussels

Such messages are spread in the Russian mass media. Allegedly "because of what is happening in Ukraine," Hungary is planning to strengthen the army's combat capability and is introducing a state of an energy emergency.

The Embassy of Hungary in Ukraine emphasized that such statements are unreliable information.

"Being a member of NATO and a country neighboring Ukraine, Hungary took a clear position from the very beginning: in cooperation with our allies, we will provide all possible humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but we do not want to risk getting involved in a war and risk Hungary's security in any case. This position remains the same, so any news portal that claims otherwise is lying. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary did not define any scenario under which the Hungarian army would cross the Ukrainian border," the embassy said.

Message Volodymyr Zelensky is already losing to Putin in infrastructure reconstruction

Anonymous Telegram channels promote the message of Ukraine's inability to rebuild, showing how the Russians are allegedly repairing the Melitopol-Berdyansk highway and building houses "even without a referendum."

The purpose of such a message is likely to be psychological pressure on the residents of the occupied territories, as well as to spread the message that Ukraine will not have enough funds to rebuild the country.

Manipulation Anton Gerashchenko offered to sell Crimea to Russia

Russian media write about this. They say the official allowed the Ukrainian authorities to bid for the territories. However, Crimea can be left as part of Russia in exchange for an annual payment of 500 billion rubles. It is not true.

On June 23, Anton Gerashchenko published a post on his Telegram channel in which it is said that the Crimean peninsula will be Ukrainian, but "it will be a matter of negotiations and further sanctions pressure." Gerashchenko wrote: "Let Russia pay 500 billion dollars of unearned income for Crimea every year. ... And then sooner or later the peninsula will return to us due to sanctions pressure." He meant that due to sanctions, Russia would lose 500 billion dollars (not rubles, as the Russians write) each year, forcing it to de-occupy Crimea. There is no question of the direct sale of Crimea to Russia. More details.

Manipulation Representatives of the White House claim that Ukraine has no chance of returning the occupied territories by Russia

The Russian media spread such messages concerning CNN publications. It is not true.

The Administration of the President of the USA did not make such statements. It is the personal opinion of some officials. VoxChek fact-checkers investigated the manipulation. In fact, the author of the CNN article, Natasha Bertrand, regarding anonymous comments of White House officials, writes about the doubts of some representatives of the Biden administration about the possibility of returning territories to Ukraine. However, this opinion is only the "internal discussions" of the advisors of the US president. The article emphasizes that the US will not pressure Ukraine for territorial concessions and hopes that Ukraine will return the territories during the counteroffensive. The opinion of individual officials cannot be considered the official position of the Administration of the President of the USA. Russian propaganda systematically uses distorted quotes from Western media to discredit the world's support for Ukraine and devalue the actions of its partners regarding military aid to Ukraine.

Fake An improvised explosive device was discovered at a bus stop in Energodar, Zaporizhzhia region

In the temporarily occupied Energodar, the Russians published a fake through their Telegram channels about an alleged "warning of a terrorist attack" at a public transport stop, where an improvised explosive device was found.

The mayor of Energodar, Dmytro Orlov, denied information about a possible "terrorist attack." He urged the city's residents not to believe the occupiers and to trust only verified sources of information. The mayor of Energodar reported the purpose of the Russians staging such provocations.

"Why is this for r(f)ashists? Firstly, you must report "to the top" about your stormy activity. Their commanders are as stupid as they are, raised on Nightingale/Skabeeva television, so they believe the delusion they are sent in reports. Secondly, in this way, they want to justify all the terror they are doing in the city. Allegedly, all their kidnappings and torture of residents are a struggle against the underground.

Moreover, they are wrong in assessing the local population's critical thinking- the residents laugh at the invaders, realizing their worthlessness. Thirdly, it is beneficial for the orcs to create the image of "guerrillas" on whom they can write off their sloppy miscalculations. Please, use verified sources of information, enable critical thinking, and do not trust invaders and occupiers," Dmytro Orlov wrote.

Fake Ukraine has begun the process of handing over part of Poland's territory

It is what ex-Nardeput Ilya Kiva, hiding in Russia, tells us. Russian editions RIA Novosti, RadioSputnik, Liz.ru, and Life.ru spread the stories of Kiva about introducing Polish troops into Ukraine at the end of July. It is not true.

As GWARAMEDIA writes, the reason for the fabrication was that on July 11, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law on the special status of Poles in Ukraine. It refers to allowing Polish citizens to legally stay in Ukraine for 18 months from the date of adoption of the law. Poles will also have the same rights as Ukrainians for employment, conducting economic activities, studying in educational institutions, medical care on the territory of Ukraine, and separate social benefits by Ukrainian legislation. The Office of the President clarified that this project is a manifestation of gratitude to the Polish people for their solidarity and support of Ukraine. The rights granted to Polish citizens on the territory of Ukraine are similar to those that Poland introduced for Ukrainian refugees after February 24 by the Polish law "On assistance to citizens of Ukraine in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of this country."

Ilya Kiva, referred to by the Russian mass media, repeatedly spread propaganda messages and fake news. Russian propaganda is actively spreading fakes that Poland wants to seize the western regions of Ukraine and is sending its troops into Ukraine. It spoils the relations between Poland and Ukraine, devalues the partnership with Poland, and sows panic.

Fake Placing American Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems in Ukraine will renounce sovereignty

Such messages are distributed on social networks. They said that the deployment of American Patriot air defense systems to protect the airspace means that Ukraine is relinquishing part of its sovereignty due to the introduction of foreign troops. In addition, these systems are allegedly ineffective because they did not save Saudi Arabia from missiles and drones. But it is not valid.

There are two options for using Patriot systems in Ukraine: deploy US military units on the territory of Ukraine, train the Ukrainian military to use Patriot, and transfer these systems to the Armed Forces. In both cases, it does not contradict the principle of autonomy and independence of Ukraine in both domestic and foreign policy. Ukrainian legislation allows the placement of foreign military units on the territory of Ukraine in cases of repelling aggression or under the terms of a previous agreement on the temporary order of foreign military units on its territory. A violation of sovereignty would be the forced placement of a foreign army without prior agreement on this issue with Ukraine. However, itis not the case. As for Saudi Arabia's experience, it did have 108 Patriot installations as of 2019, when two oil facilities were hit by drones and cruise missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels. However, firstly, it is no air defense system that provides 100% protection against air attacks. Secondly, it is unknown whether Patriot systems protected Saudi Arabia's oil facilities. VoxCheck writes that there are successful examples of Patriot use: air defense systems have shot down air targets in Iraq and Israel and recorded cases of interception of enemy targets in Saudi Arabia during the Yemen war since 2015.

By spreading such fakes, Russian propaganda tries to discredit the effectiveness of any Western weapons provided to Ukraine. We have refuted Russian fakes regarding the Turkish Bayraktar drones, the American HIMARS salvo fire systems, the French Caesar self-propelled guns, etc.

Fake Texas can recognize "DPR" and "LPR"

Russian propaganda spreads to foreign audiences, particularly Arab countries, the information that Texas is allegedly planning to hold a referendum on secession from the United States in 2023. At the same time, the state authorities can supposedly recognize the "DPR" and "LPR" (these are the territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions illegally occupied by Russia).

In fact, as EUvsDisinfo writes, this is part of the pro-Kremlin narrative about the so-called disintegration of the US. Although Texas Congressman Kyle Biedermann introduced a bill that would have called for a "Texit" referendum in 2021, it ultimately failed. So in 2023, there is no planned referendum on the secession of Texas from the United States. The USA does not recognize the "independence" of the so-called "LPR - DPR" and condemns the regimes and countries that did this way.

Fake Most residents of the Zaporizhzhia region "dream" of joining Russia

The Russian media report it regarding the self-proclaimed "head" of the occupation administration of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Balytskyi. According to reports, more than 60% of Zaporizhzhia region residents see the region's territories as part of Russia in the status of a separate entity. It is not true.

According to the Industrialka publication, the occupiers scheduled a vote for September 11. Still, Balytsky already claims that "the liberated part of the Zaporizhzhia region will become part of Russia through a referendum," and 60% of residents will allegedly support such a decision. The Melitopol partisans reacted to Balytskyi's statements, warning the collaborator in leaflets that "Ukrainian night is near" and punishment is inevitable.

The results of actual sociological research conducted in Ukraine refute the fakes of Russian propagandists. The majority (89%) of those surveyed support the recognition of the actions of Russian troops in Ukraine as genocide of the Ukrainian people. 76% favor banning the Z and V symbols used on Russian military equipment, and 74% favor banning the St. George ribbon in Ukraine (5 years ago, it was only 45%).

Recently, pro-Russian propaganda spread fakes that the authorities and residents of the Kharkiv region "want to join Russia." The actions of the occupiers on the territory of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are the same as in 2014 in the temporarily occupied Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions - an illegal referendum, the results of which are known in advance.

Fake The Americans bred ticks in Ukraine to increase the incidence of borreliosis in the border regions of Russia

The Russian mass media report it concerning the Ministry of Defense of Russia. Allegedly, scientists from the University of Texas studied ticks in the territory of Ukraine, and the study coincided with a sharp increase in the number of ticks in the Russian regions bordering Ukraine and an increase in the number of cases of borreliosis (Lyme disease). It is a fake. Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russians have repeatedly claimed that the United States has created laboratories for the development of biological weapons. This topic became the most common in Russian propaganda. As the Polish publication Wiadomosti writes, the study of Lyme disease was published in the journal BMJ Global Health. For the publication, scientists analyzed the results of 137 studies conducted until 2021 with the participation of almost 160,000 people. The researchers obtained statistics on immunity against Lyme bacteria in Eastern Europe, Eastern Asia, Western Europe, and the Caribbean. The research was conducted in many countries, but only the Russians claimed they were trying to harm them. Russia is again manipulating information to confirm fabricated theses about American biolaboratories in Ukraine, which allegedly became one of the reasons for the invasion of Ukraine.

Fake The electricity supply will be turned off in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions

Such information is distributed on social networks. However, it is not true.

PJSC "Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo" denied the report about the disconnection of energy supply in the temporarily occupied territories. The company emphasizes that there are currently no planned power outages in the Zaporizhzhia region, and there will not be any. A similar message was published by the press service of "DTEK Donetsk Electric Networks." The enterprises confirm that there are problems with energy supply in certain territories. Still, they are connected exclusively with damage to power grids due to military actions or difficult weather conditions. However, if there is an opportunity, energy workers have been working around the clock since the first days of a full-scale invasion and restoring electrical equipment as soon as possible.

Earlier, propagandists spread fakes about the disconnection of gas supply in the temporarily occupied territories. In this way, they try to convince the residents of the temporarily occupied territories that they have been "abandoned" or "forgotten" in Ukraine and the occupiers "care" about their well-being.

Fake Belarusian saboteurs tried to cross the Ukrainian border in the Rivne region

The message was circulated on Facebook, which says that allegedly on the morning of July 10, a unit of the fifth special brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus tried to cross the state border in the Zarichnen community of the Rivne region.

The saboteurs got into a minefield and were under mortar fire. This news was also spread by the local media Volodymyrets.City. However, it is a fake.

As the fact-checkers of the Brekhunets project write the message in a comment to the publication Rayon. Varash was refuted by Bohdan Kvachuk, the head of the Zarichnen community of the Varash district of the Rivne region: "The border in the community has not been violated!". It is not the first time that fake reports about the crossing of the Ukrainian border by Belarusians have spread. In this way, propagandists are trying to draw Belarus into active hostilities and intimidate Ukrainians, saying that the opening of the "second front" is close.