The so-called statement of Dmytro Kuleba is spreading on social networks, allegedly, Ukraine considers the International Space Station (ISS) a legitimate military target, since a Russian cosmonaut is on it. This is a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts wrote that such news was fabricated and published it on a satirical channel. And the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not make such statements. Also, Ukrainian diplomats did not give similar comments to the media.

Anonymous claims that Ukrainian border guards were allegedly allowed to open fire on those trying to flee the country illegally. As “proof” of such an innovation, social networks show a photograph of an alleged border checkpoint, on which a sign with text is visible. The sign allegedly says: “When crossing the border illegally, officers will use weapons”.  It's a lie.

StopFake fact-checkers found out that no sign exists, and the information about the use of weapons is fake. The State Border Service of Ukraine also denied the so-called innovation. Moreover, the photo, which supposedly shows a sign about new rules for border guards and border crossers, was generated using special programs.

Propaganda resources are disseminating information that Kyiv has allegedly announced the preparation of Kharkiv for defense, therefore all civilians are forcibly deported from the city.

In fact, this information is not true. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Ukraine, unlike Russia, does not carry out deportations. Ukrainians can only be evacuated from the most dangerous zones to protect their lives. Thus, civilians, primarily children, have been evacuated from the most dangerous communities of the Kharkiv region since the fall of 2022, when almost the entire temporarily occupied part of the region was dismissed by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

On February 24, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov announced plans to include 18 villages of the Velykoburlutsk and Olkhovatsk communities in the mandatory evacuation zone due to increased hostilities. And already on March 6, 2024, he announced the evacuation of 161 children from the most dangerous communities of the Kupiansk district. However, in Kharkiv itself, no forced evacuation was announced. Moreover, it is not about “forced deportation”.

This information stuffing aims to sow panic among the residents of Kharkiv. In addition, Russia is trying to reassure everyone that it has seized the initiative on the battlefield and is allegedly even considering scenarios such as an attack on Kharkiv.

• Read also: Kharkiv authorities are allegedly planning to flee the city.

This information is disseminated by pro-Russian media. They argue that reaching the 1991 borders is an impossible goal. Even President Zelenskyi is now supposedly beginning to think about the reality of victory. In the corresponding “news”, the Kremlin media refers to Ukrainian political scientist Konstiantyn Bondarenko.

In fact, this information is not true. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. During a press conference on December 19, 2023, Zelenskyi stated that “the strategy cannot be changed, according to our Constitution - these are all our territories”. In a December interview of the same year for The Economist, the President of Ukraine also emphasized that only after the Russian army leaves the 1991 borders will it be possible to transfer the war from a military path to a diplomatic one.

It can be argued that statements about “Zelenskyi’s despondency” are just Bondarenko’s personal speculations, not supported by real facts. The political scientist himself has a rather dubious reputation. In 2021, he collaborated with the pro-Russian blogger Anatolii Sharii, recording a series of lectures in Russian about the OUN, UPA and Ukrainian nationalism for one of his YouTube channels. In addition, already on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he collaborated with the Russian propaganda online publication Ukraina.ru. Previously, we denied information that EU countries are seeking to take control of part of Ukrainian territories.

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels are disseminating information that Ukrainians have allegedly begun to massively withdraw deposits from their bank accounts and take everything valuable and important from the boxes. According to Russian propagandists, this is due to the fact that Ukrainians are preparing “for something sad”, and the entire banking sector is now “supported only by foreign credit injections”.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council analyzed this message. Having verified the information with the NBU, the Center found out that at the beginning of 2024 there actually was a seasonal outflow of funds from the accounts of individuals, but growth resumed in February - and therefore there are no threats to the stability of bank funding.

By spreading such messages, Russian propaganda seeks to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt about the future in Ukraine. The ultimate goal of such messages is to force Ukrainians to either protest against the current government or flee abroad in search of a better life. Previously, we refuted the information that Oschadbank was allegedly blocking the cards of those residents who were draft evaders.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are distributing a video with a survey of Odesa residents answering the question: “In your opinion, how to stop the war in Ukraine?” The majority of those surveyed are in favor of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Propagandists present it this way, as if “the majority of Odesa residents are for peace”.

In fact, such a survey cannot be called representative, that is, generally corresponding to the real sentiments of all residents of Odesa regarding the end of the war in Ukraine. In the video one can hear the opinions of only 11 passers-by. Also, the author of the video could have edited it “in his own way”, and not in the way people actually responded. That is, 30 people, for example, could actually take part in the survey, but only 11 people could be selectively shown in the video. Specialists from the VoxCheck project write about this.

In the summer of 2023, the American research organization Gallup conducted a series of surveys in Ukrainian-controlled territories. In one of the articles in the form of a report, they noted that 60% of Ukrainians surveyed want Ukraine to continue to fight for victory. Only 31% of all respondents support ending the war through peaceful negotiations with Russia. However, in the south of Ukraine this mark is higher - 41% of respondents support the negotiations.

The Ukrainian survey was conducted for Independence Day 2023 in the territories that Ukraine controlled at that time. 2019 respondents over 18 years old took part in the survey. In particular, they were asked what the Ukrainian leadership should do if Russia intensifies rocket attacks, which will lead to an increase in the number of civilian casualties. Only 23% of respondents in this case are in favor of negotiations with Russia. At the same time, in the south, among those surveyed, 38.5% were in favor of negotiations if Russia intensifies shelling of Ukraine, and in the east - 31.9%.

By distributing manipulative information online, propagandists intend to assure everyone around them that Ukrainians have long been ready to enter into peace negotiations, but supposedly the “Kyiv regime” does not want this. In particular, in this way, the creators of the video are trying to split the people of Ukraine. Previously, we analyzed the manipulation that almost half of Ukrainians in the front-line territories are ready to agree to territorial concessions for the sake of peace.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that the bookmaker Betfair has begun accepting bets on which city the Ukrainian Armed Forces will leave next. As confirmation of their own statements, Russian propagandists distribute an image with corresponding content. According to them, “Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kherson, Kharkiv, Odesa and even Kyiv are at stake”.

In fact, this is another Russian fake. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. There is no section with bets on the war in Ukraine on the official Betfair website. Accordingly, the image distributed by propagandists is fake.

The purpose of such fakes is to create the illusion of the Kremlin’s control over the situation in Ukraine and to assure that Russia’s victory is inevitable. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not intend to give up their positions, and partner countries continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, thereby making their contribution to the speedy de-occupation of the territories occupied by Russia.

• Read also: Betting on political assassinations in Ukraine has allegedly gained popularity in the United States

Pro-Kremlin media write that the Ukrainian army seems to be unable to defeat Russia even after a change in military leadership. In asserting this, they refer to Oleh Soskin, a former adviser to the second President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma.

Today, the Defense Forces continue to hold the front and repel attacks by Russian occupiers. To strengthen the Ukrainian army, new approaches and strategies are needed; this is precisely why the top leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been updated. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. It is too early to draw conclusions about the activities of the new military leadership and argue, in particular, that personnel changes in the army do not make sense, because the “reset team” has only just begun to fulfill its tasks.

Such statements by political scientists and other experts or pseudo-experts only nourish  panic among Ukrainians and play along with Russian narratives. Previously, we refuted the information that Germany allegedly created graffiti in which Zelenskyi is holding the bloody head of Zaluzhnyi in his hand.

This statement was made by Putin during an interview with pro-Russian journalist Tucker Carlson on February 6, 2024. Like, “Ukrainians still feel like Russians, and in this sense, what is happening is to a certain extent an element of civil war”.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security denied this information. In fact, the Russian-Ukrainian war is by no means “civil”, because its participants have been citizens of different states for many years.

Yes, Russians really live in Ukraine and some of them are defenders of the Ukrainian state. However, this fact alone destroys the propaganda narrative about the alleged “persecution of Russians” or that ethnic Russians in Ukraine are “waiting for their liberation” by Russia.

Russian propaganda continues to deliberately nourish the narrative of “civil war” and “protection of the rights of Russian speakers”, starting with the occupation of Crimea and the Russian war in Donbas in 2014. The Kremlin sees this as an element of justification for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Pro-Kremlin media write that there will soon be a breakthrough by Russian troops on the contact line, as the number of Ukrainian defenders is getting smaller. Russian troops are allegedly successfully moving forward along the entire front line. In asserting this, propagandists refer to former intelligence officer of the US Armed Forces Scott Ritter, who made a corresponding statement.

This information is fake, as reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Ritter's statements duplicate Russian narratives. He has more than once predicted the “imminent collapse of Ukraine” and the “victory of Russia”, and frightened the Ukrainians with a “large-scale offensive by the Russians”. In November 2023, Ritter also said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would soon be destroyed, but Ukrainian soldiers continued to hold the line. As for the supposedly successful advance of the Russians, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the offensive operation of the Russian troops has been going on for two and a half months: “They have a certain advance in the fields, what happened near Avdiivka. But this is not what they expected. The occupiers wanted to reach the barrier line along the Black Stallion River in the Kharkiv region and the administrative border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as quickly as possible. There’s nothing even close to that”.

Russians fill the information space with news demotivated by the Ukrainian people. This is all happening against the backdrop of the fact that the United States and the EU have been unable to unblock financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $61.4 billion and €50 billion, respectively. Therefore, the Ukrainian army suffers, which may not receive enough weapons and equipment necessary for waging war. Previously, we refuted Ritter’s assertion that “Ukrainian aviation has been completely destroyed”.

In the Ukrainian segment of TikTok they are distributing a video in which they say that a state of war is not specifically declared in Ukraine, because then deputies and civil servants would be fired, and subsequently those fit for military service would be mobilized.

The VoxCheck analysts explained this stuff: “state of war” is rather a diplomatic term and characterizes the process of a state’s foreign policy in the world. While “martial law” describes the country’s domestic political agenda. And in order to be in a “state of war”  there are no mandatory official documents that would confirm this. For example, the UN Resolution On Aggression in 1974 writes that an invasion or attack by the armed forces of a state on the territory of another country, bombing or blockade of ports is qualified as an act of aggression - in international law, an act of aggression is considered a “primary” or “mother” crime. To briefly explain, if Russia had not attacked (had not committed aggression; had not used the armed forces of its state against the sovereignty of another state), then Ukraine would not have had to defend itself from Moscow’s crimes.

Moreover, politician and diplomat Andrii Shevchenko, in a commentary for Detector Media, explained that there is a war going on in Ukraine and this is understandable without announcements. And he added that international law is not focused on words or statements, but on actions (Russia carried out a large-scale military attack on Ukraine). Therefore, from the point of view of international law, what is happening is an obvious war and a violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine.

And as for the general mobilization, it occurs precisely during the period of “martial law”, or more precisely at the moment this state is declared. And according to the law “On mobilization preparation and mobilization”, people’s deputies, in particular, have a deferment from conscription for military service during mobilization.

Krzysztof Sokołowski recorded a video message to the Poles and called on them to go to war in Ukraine and kill Russians. At the end of his speech, he exclaimed: “Hit Moscow, hit it to the last bullet, go ahead to Moscow, for Ukraine our homeland! Death to enemies! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!”. This video was picked up by a Polish pro-Russian politician and distributed on his pages on social networks with the caption: “In one minute, the Ukrainian is warming us up to war with Russia”.

Krzysztof Sokołowski is a Pole, he was born in Warsaw and graduated from the University of Warsaw. Ukrinform journalists write about this. The man began learning Ukrainian in 2022, as evidenced by a message on his Facebook page. Previously, Sokołowski was a lawyer, but lost his license due to numerous frauds. Now he has become a tool in the hands of pro-Russian Polish politicians.

With this fake, Russian propaganda seeks to worsen relations between Ukraine and Poland and to quarrel between the two countries. They say that the Ukrainians are also trying to involve their Polish neighbors in the war. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, has repeatedly noted that Ukraine does not need NATO military, but only weapons and money. Previously, Detector Media denied information that Poland would now issue draft notices to Ukrainians.

Recently, generated illustrations have begun to be actively posted on social networks, which some believe reflect on the reputation of Ukraine. In the captions to such images they try to assure that this is exactly how artificial intelligence perceives reality in Ukraine. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the Beyond the News project drew attention to it. They explained that the artificial intelligence generates an image based on the information it has been taught, the user queries entered, and the instructions provided. For example, for the query “Polar bears counting money in the Arctic”, the AI will easily create images with elements corresponding to these words. Understanding this process should convince people of the importance of reviewing content before sharing it, especially if it is accompanied by emotional headlines and AI-generated images.

Unfortunately, it is not always easy to identify the author of generated images that present Ukraine in a negative light. According to project specialists, there is a possibility that this may be an initiative of Russian users. Owners of Ukrainian social networking groups that publish such content may even unintentionally help the enemy. They do this for the purpose of gaining reach, abuse and shares, since emotional content is the easiest to attract people's attention during a difficult period.

Propagandists create such information campaigns to test the reaction of Ukrainians and create a negative impression of Ukraine. They say that even the AI, which is led in the West, understands what problems Ukraine has.

Pro-Russian resources are spreading information that Romania is preparing to seize the Chernivtsi and Transcarpathian regions. In this regard, Bucharest is allegedly rapidly building a new highway, which was supposed to “transfer military armored vehicles”.

In fact, this information is false. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. The Romanian government fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and has no aggressive intentions or claims against the neighboring country. The construction of the expressway is purely for trade and infrastructure purposes.

The A7 motorway project, which politicians have named Autostrada Moldovei, is seen as a necessary element for the economic development of Romania's eastern regions; combination of the Black Sea with highways of Ukraine, Central and Eastern Europe. If this project is implemented, Ukraine will receive an additional route for export transportation by road, in particular to the port of Constanta.

Russian propaganda is trying to “create a quarrel” between Ukraine and its allies so that they weaken military assistance or stop providing it altogether. Previously, Detector Media already analyzed a similar fake, saying that Romania lays claim to part of Ukraine.

Russian resources are disseminating information that the countries of the European Union “intend to seize” the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine in order to “free” use the mineral resources of the Ukrainian region. This thesis is based on a part of an interview taken out of context by German parliament member Roderich Kiesewetter, which he gave to the German television channel ARD. That is, the politician’s words were manipulated.

The fact-checkers from the StopFake project analyzed the information and found out that in fact, in the interview, the deputy reflected on the need to increase the level of assistance to Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. Roderich Kiesewetter argued that the Ukrainian economy is necessary to provide the world market with certain goods. He also gave an example of the current crisis in the global food market and the risk of famine in the poorest countries left without Ukrainian grain after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Roderich Kiesewetter also mentioned large lithium deposits in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, access to which Ukraine lost after the start of Russian aggression back in 2014. That is, the politician’s opinion was that by seizing Ukrainian fields, Russia placed the EU under an energy blockade.

After the start of the spread of Russian disinformation online, Roderich Kiesewetter separately explained in an interview with the German newspaper Nordkurier that in an interview with ARD he spoke exclusively about the aggressive motives of Russia, which in 2014 began the occupation of Ukrainian regions rich in minerals.

“Raw materials in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are another interest and goal of Russia in this aggressive war, and this explains why [Russian — Ed.] slogans like “land in exchange for peace” are completely unrealistic. Ukraine must be able to survive economically as a country, including the Donetsk and Luhansk region, as well as the Black Sea ports that are needed for grain exports. That is why Crimea has not only symbolic significance, but also ensures the economic viability of Ukraine in the future”,  argued Roderich Kiesewetter. That is, the German deputy spoke about Ukrainian minerals purely in the context of the motives for Russian aggression and the need to support Ukraine in the war.

Propagandists manipulated the politician’s words as part of a broader Kremlin information campaign against Western countries that allegedly “started a war in Ukraine to divide it”. Let us recall that collectively, EU countries have allocated about $85.1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine as of October 6, 2023. Germany, Denmark and Poland turned out to be the largest sponsors of this issue. Claims that the EU wants to divide Ukraine and gain access to Ukrainian minerals through predatory means have no logical basis.

Pro-Russian media disseminated manipulative messages that the Ukrainian military-political leadership allegedly does not have a backup plan in case of the end of aid from the allies. In asserting this, Russian propaganda refers to a statement by the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, in which he allegedly “recognized the absence of a plan B” in Ukraine in case the “military support for Ukraine from the countries of the collective West is completely stopped or reduced so the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be forced to stop fighting”.

This information is not true. Answering a question from a CNN journalist about how Ukraine will resist Russian aggression if financial and military assistance from allied countries is delayed, Kuleba noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will, in any case, continue to repel the Russian occupiers. Fact-checkers from the StopFake project write about this.

“We don’t have a plan B, we are confident in plan A - Ukraine will always fight with the resources it has”, Kuleba said in an interview with CNN. The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also added that any officials who think that Putin will never dare to attack a NATO country if the Kremlin “sees the possibility of victory” in Ukraine are deeply mistaken. If Russian aggression expands beyond Ukraine, democratic countries will pay much more than the Russian-Ukrainian war, so Ukraine is confident in the support of its allied countries, Kuleba concluded.

Disinformation is spread by Russian propaganda as part of promoting the narrative about the “West prolonging” the war in Ukraine. They say that Western countries benefit from this war, since it exhausts Russia, which continues to pursue its imperialist dreams. In addition, the West supposedly has the opportunity to test existing weapons at a “testing ground in Ukraine”, and also, if necessary, modernize them and replenish stocks with new weapons and military equipment. In fact, it was Russia that started the bloody war in Ukraine and it is it who continues it, and not the collective West, because it sees a certain benefit in it for itself.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that Ukraine allegedly deserved the shelling of military infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv on January 2. They say that this is an equivalent response to the attack on Belgorod by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on January 1. In addition, they say that the information about the downing of Russian hypersonic missiles is allegedly untrue, since this is not technically possible. None of this is true.

First, a number of visual materials confirm that Russia is once again targeting civilian infrastructure. This is a violation of international humanitarian law and contradicts official statements of the Russian authorities. Moreover, even from the point of view of war tactics, an attack carried out in self-defense in response to numerous rocket attacks on Ukraine on New Year's Day and a targeted mass missile attack using 99 missiles, including 10 hypersonics, are not equivalent phenomena. Moreover, back in May 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that they were using the American Patriot system to successfully shoot down Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. In the English-language segment of the Internet one can find a large amount of information about the downing of hypersonic weapons, in particular about methods for determining them in space and neutralizing them.

Propagandists continue to justify the crimes of Russians in various ways. They want to create a false impression that their actions are fair. However, in reality we are talking about searching and creating reasons for the continuation of the aggression that Russia started. In particular, under far-fetched pretexts, such as the fight against the Nazis and US biological laboratories in Ukraine.

In the Ukrainian segment of social networks, information is being spread that a curfew is being introduced in Ukraine during the New Year holidays. As they add, it will take place from December 30, 2023 to January 2, 2024. To find out the exact list of areas in which there will be a curfew, users are asked to go to anonymous telegram channels using the link. The publications also refer to the TSN story. However, this is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts were able to analyze the case and establish that the “story” has been compiled: there is no mention of the introduction of a 24-hour curfew on TSN’s social media pages.

The experts also checked the video for the use of artificial intelligence using a special tool called AI Speech Classifier. It turned out that the probability of using AI is 98%. This is indicated, among other things, by the fact that the presenter’s facial expressions do not coincide with the words superimposed by artificial intelligence. That is, the authors used real TSN news material, but put other words on it.

By dispersing such stuffing, telegram anonymous people seek to artificially increase the audience on telegram channels for their own benefit.

Pro-Kremlin propagandists are spreading information that the Indian satirical publication Rodip Reb published an issue on December 16 with a broken Christmas tree decoration in the colors of the Ukrainian flag on the cover. In addition, the cover contains the text: “Dragged into darkness: Ukraine’s tragic prospects in 2024”. However, this is fake.

The fact-checkers from the Georgian project Myth Detector found out that in fact such an Indian satirical publication as Rodip Reb does not exist and has never existed, and the photo with the supposed cover from the magazine is fake. Investigators also note that the photo with a broken decoration in the colors of the flag of Ukraine is distributed only by Russian-speaking users on social networks, and the likely primary source of distribution is Olesia Losieva, a Russian propagandist who has previously distributed fake photographs to discredit Ukraine.

Russian propaganda regularly creates fake covers of the world's leading magazines or invents them in order to tarnish the reputation of Ukraine in the international arena. We have repeatedly refuted fakes on this topic.

Read on Censor.NET: A German satirical magazine allegedly released a cover depicting the severed legs of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that the head of the German Ministry of Defense, Boris Pistorius, said that Germany is ready to start a “war”  against Russia. The publications refer to the German tabloid newspaper Bild. It's a lie.

The StopFake analysts investigated this case and found that on December 10, 2023, Bild actually published material about Germany’s defense capabilities. The primary source of this material is the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. That is, the editors reprinted material from another newspaper. However, in both publications there is no mention that Germany is “preparing to attack” Russia. On the contrary, they write there that it is Russian aggression against Ukraine that forces the Bundeswehr to put the country on a war footing. The point is that the country's defense capability must increase; the country must learn to respond to systemic challenges; be, for example, prepared for military aggression from others. At the same time, the German Defense Minister did not make any statements about an “attack” on Russia.

The Kremlin's minions manipulated the wording - German authors used the word “kriegstüchtig” to indicate the state that a country should deal with its defense potential. What does it mean for a country to be able to operate reliably in war conditions? On anonymous telegram channels this was presented as Germany’s readiness to enter the war against Russia although it is more about defense than attack.

Russian media are interpreting the results of a sociological survey among Ukrainians in their own way, claiming that “Ukrainians do not need peace” and that “Ukrainians are drawn to battle”, even without the help of the West.

Such reports focus on the fact that if these results were true, then “Ukrainians in a single patriotic impulse” would daily storm their territorial recruitment centers to enroll as soldiers and, singing, go to the front to beat the “damned Russians”. Thus, the narrative is again put forward that Ukraine is ready to fight “until the last Ukrainian”.

The StopFake specialists found out that the manipulation was created on the basis of an opinion poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). It showed that the majority of Ukrainians believe that with the necessary help from the West, Ukraine can confront Russia and achieve an acceptable result. 87% of respondents expressed support for this statement.

At the same time, two strategies were proposed for Ukraine in case of a significant decrease in Western support: stopping hostilities while maintaining control over existing territories and receiving serious security guarantees from the West, or continuing military operations to put pressure on the Russian occupiers at the risk of Ukrainian-controlled territories. The results showed that 58% of respondents are now inclined to believe that even with a significant reduction in aid, the West should continue military action to put pressure on the occupiers, albeit at risk to controlled territories.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to shift responsibility for their actions from the aggressor to the victim of aggression, without mentioning that it was Russia that started the war against Ukraine.

Commenting on the consequences of missile strikes on Ukraine on December 14, 2023, Russian propagandists are disseminating information that five Patriot air defense missile launchers, one command vehicle, one air situation radar, 80 million ready-to-fire missiles worth $5.5, 160 missiles were allegedly eliminated near Zhytomyr that were in stock. According to Russian propaganda, Russia “virtually destroyed the annual production of MIM-104 missiles with one blow”. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council checked this information and found that it was untrue. In fact, the Russians are simply trying to overcome the failures of their hypersonic missiles, which have been regularly shot down by the MIM-104 Patriot since the spring of 2023.

By spreading disinformation, in this case, Russian propaganda appeals to the supposed omnipotence and invincibility of the Russian army. In addition, such “news” should cause a feeling of euphoria among Russian citizens, since the Russian military allegedly managed to destroy as many as five “hyped” Patriot air defense systems, which Ukrainians had been waiting for so long from their partner countries in order to strengthen the state’s air defense. Previously, Detector Media denied information that the Russians allegedly destroyed the Patriot air defense system at the Zhuliany airport in Kyiv.

Such information is disseminated by pro-Kremlin media and anonymous telegrams. They say that 46% of Ukrainians living in the front-line regions are in favor of ending the war without returning the territories. In asserting this, propagandists refer to the all-Ukrainian public opinion poll Omnibus of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), which was conducted from November 29 to December 9, 2023. However, Russian propaganda manipulates its results.

In the “BezBrekhni” (No Lies) project, experts worked on this case. It turned out that the majority of respondents - 58% - are inclined to believe that even in the event of a significant reduction in assistance from Western countries, military operations should still be continued to put pressure on the occupiers. Moreover, this should be done even taking into account the risks for the territories controlled by Ukraine now.

Still, in the south and east of Ukraine, opinions were divided approximately in half, with a slight predominance of sentiment in favor of continuing hostilities. Yes, in the south 46%, and in the east 47% of Ukrainians believe that even with limited Western assistance, fighting should continue. At the same time, 40% and 42%, respectively, are ready to agree to a cessation of hostilities.

None of the options says that any part of society is willing to cede territory. In the survey, there is the following wording: “The fighting stops with serious security guarantees from the West, but the liberation of the territories is postponed for an indefinite future”. That is, we are not talking about the surrender of territories, as propaganda claims, but about the fact that their de-occupation will occur in the future.

KIIS also notes that “in this case, the factor of proximity to the front line plays an important role. The south and east are significantly closer to the active combat zone, which largely leads to a higher willingness to cease hostilities in the face of limited assistance (although, remember, the vast majority in these regions believe that with proper assistance Ukraine can succeed)”.

By manipulating the results of this survey, propagandists are trying to influence the morale of Ukrainians - to sow panic, fear and uncertainty in the future of the country. Moreover, in this case, Russian propaganda also encourages Ukrainian citizens to rethink the course of the war, saying that “the long-awaited victory may not happen”.  Detector Media has previously denied information that the majority of Ukrainians allegedly want to capitulate.

Pro-Russian telegram channels write that in the near future Ukrainian troops will supposedly begin to retreat from the left bank of the Kherson region, from the village of Krynky, since the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces there can be calculated in the dozens. They say that since the end of autumn 2023, the Ukrainian military has been “pushed” there not to expand the bridgehead, but to inevitable death. In the Russian army, supposedly in Krynky there are only a few wounded. In asserting this, propagandists refer to Putin’s statement made during the “direct line” on December 14, 2023. However, this is not true.

The experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security analyzed this case. They found out that in fact the situation in the village of Krynky, which is described in propaganda publications, referring to Putin, is significantly exaggerated, as are the “tactical successes” of the Russian occupiers in this direction. In addition, a cemetery of broken Russian equipment has already accumulated near Krynky, which is confirmed by video recordings of precise strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the occupiers. By the way, presumably, in the area of the village of Krynky in the fall of 2023, the deputy of the 14th Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces, Major General Zavadskyi, died.

It should be noted that on December 14, 2023, the day of Putin’s “direct line”, the British Ministry of Defense reports specifically on the problems of the Russian military on the left bank of Kherson, and not the Ukrainian army. They write there that the newly formed 104th Guards Airborne Division of Russia with a high probability suffered extremely heavy losses when trying to dislodge Ukrainian forces from Krynky.

Speaking about the successes of Russians on the left bank of the Kherson region, Russian propaganda is trying to create the idea that the Russian army has a great advantage there. In addition, in this way, propagandists once again exceed the achievements of the Russian military in the war in Ukraine. Previously, we analyzed the propaganda message that Ukraine is allegedly preparing for the surrender of Kherson.

Russian telegram channels are distributing a video recording of an unknown woman who, on condition of anonymity, says that the Ukrainian military seems to be robbing residential buildings and apartments in Kherson because they will “surrender the city”. They justify their actions by the fact that they do not want to leave Russia.

The very fact of the appearance of information with reference to an anonymous authority already indicates its dubiousness. The Russians are conducting IPSO as if they are actively advancing on all sectors of the front and are preparing to occupy Kherson. In fact, the reality is different - the Ukrainian Armed Forces are conducting an operation on the left bank of the Kherson region, and this gives grounds to assert that the information about the surrender of Kherson is an invention of Russian propaganda.

With disinformation about the alleged capture of Kherson, the Russians are trying to cover up their failures on the battlefield and discredit the Ukrainian army. Moreover, the Russians launched similar messages before the Kharkiv region was liberated in September 2022.

• Read also: The Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly deliberately shelled the center of Kherson