Russian media are disseminating information that Ukrainian Serhii Dubinin, “associated” with the Azov battalion, stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In addition, propagandists claim that American intelligence services “have already discovered other Ukrainians who were near the Capitol that day. But none of them were brought to justice.” It's fake.

Analysts from The Insider project drew attention to it. They found out that the photo that is being distributed online as evidence of this thesis shows Inter TV channel operator Serhii Dubinin. He filmed reports at the Donetsk airport, in other places along the collision line in 2014, and was even put on the wanted list of the so-called LNR for “carrying out terrorist activities”. On January 6, 2021, he was reporting on the onslaught of the Capitol for the Details program. During the shooting, he took a photo with Jacob Chansley, a man with the pseudonym Shaman Q-Anonu, which is said to be evidence of his participation in the onslaught. In fact, Dubinin has nothing to do with either the Trumpists or Azov.

With the help of this fake, Russia wants to discredit the Ukrainians, justify its actions against them and indicate the “selectivity” of American justice. They say that the participants in the assault were convicted, but the Ukrainians were condemned not once because of the war.

Propagandists are trying to adapt their messages to audiences in different states. One of the newest attempts at such adaptation is the conspiracy theory about Ukropolin. It is being promoted to a Polish audience.

According to this conspiracy theory, the Polish government is preparing the Poles for the “absorption” of Poland by Ukraine and the emergence of the “Ukropolin” state.

“Ukrpolin” is an evolution of the “Polin” project, a variation of the so-called world Jewish conspiracy. The history of the conspiracy theory about Polina dates back to 1989. Then, in the first after 1945 elections in Poland, supporters of the Solidarity trade union came to power. Conspiracy theorists, however, decided that “Polin” had arisen, a state led by Germany and Israel (Polin is the Jewish name for Poland). Polina conspiracy theorists also believe that the POLIN Jewish History Museum is involved in this process.

In the case of Ukropolin, propagandists scare the Poles with the loss of their statehood. To do this, they take the news out of context or come up with evidence of the gradual absorption of Polish space by Ukrainians. For example, they publish an unknown list of first-year students of a technical school specializing in “automobile technician”, where only two Polish names and surnames are indicated, and all the rest are Ukrainian.

“Two Poles and other Ukrainians in the first year of an automotive technical school? Is it still Poland or Ukropolin?” - note the authors of the message.

Using this conspiracy theory, the Russians are trying to quarrel with the Poles among themselves. They mention “Ukrpolin” in any context. For example, here is how a Polish pro-Russian telegram channel presented a meeting between the leader of the United Left of Poland, Robert Biedron, and the then Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, in April 2023, about free abortions for Poles in Finland:

“Superrrr! We will kill more Poles and do it voluntarily, the most important thing is to kill them as much as possible, send them to war like cannon fodder, then make women disappointed, dress openly and go right and left, and then we will finance their abortions, and in the end we will take their country and make Ukropolin ... 

Probably, the Russians are trying to influence the perception of Ukraine by the Poles with such inventions and reduce the level of assistance to Ukraine from Poland. Currently, the level of support for Ukraine by the Polish society remains the highest among European countries. Therefore, in order to change this, the Poles are trying to cause fear for their country and skepticism towards the Ukrainians. Like, there are already so many Ukrainians in Poland that Poland is gradually turning into another region of Ukraine. This is yet another example of how conspiracy theories can deepen social divisions and fuel hatred against ethnic groups.

On September 6, 2023, the Russian military launched a missile attack on a market in the city of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. As a result of the attack by the Russians, 16 people were killed, 28 more were injured, but the number of victims may vary. This was announced by Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the official page on the Telegram.

Russian propagandists and pro-Kremlin telegram channels accuse Ukraine of shelling the center of Kostiantynivka. Allegedly, during the operation of air defense, the rocket flew in an unplanned trajectory or shot down something in the sky that fell on the market. Russian propaganda uses the tactics of reflection and transfers responsibility to the victim of the crimes of the Russians. After the attack on the house in Dnipro on January 14, 2023, Russian propagandists also tried to whitewash the Russians and blamed the Ukrainian military for the tragedy.

On the fact of the shelling by Russian troops, the prosecutor's office opened criminal proceedings under article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war).

The Kremlin media are spreading information that the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov was removed from his post, allegedly due to the fact that “the conflict with Russia dragged on”. Russian propaganda refers to an article in The New York Times. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. After analyzing the New York Times article cited by Russian propagandists, they came to the conclusion that the publication did not indicate this reason as the key reason for the dismissal of Oleksii  Reznikov. “The fate of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has become the subject of growing speculation in Ukraine as financial irregularities at the ministry became known and the government launched several investigations into official corruption”, the NYT article says. They also add that as the war dragged on, there was a need for new leadership that could solve the accumulating problems.

Thus, Russian propaganda discredits the Ukrainian authorities and tries to shift the responsibility to Ukraine - they say, it is to blame for the duration of the war that Russia started. Russian propaganda uses the “most guilty” tactics.

Mary Wareham, advocacy director of the arms department of the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, allegedly admitted that Ukraine is killing civilians with cluster shells. On September 5, Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels began to disseminate such information. Russians and propagandists refer to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2023 report. The analytical team of Detector Media has looked into the primary sources and tells what human rights activists wrote and what the propagandists thought up.

On September 3, the Human Rights Watch website published Mary Warham's column on the use of cluster munitions in Ukraine. In the text, she refers to Russia's “widespread use of cluster munitions” that has resulted in “civilian deaths and injuries, damage to civilian infrastructure, and contamination of agricultural land”. The human rights activist points out that Ukraine also uses cluster munitions, which “cause civilian casualties, but on a much smaller scale than the Russian army”.

In his blog, Wareham refers to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2023 report. This report mentions that the Ukrainian Armed Forces “used cluster munitions in attacks on Izium in the Kharkiv region between March and September 2022, when it was controlled by the Russian army”. The authors of the report note that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denied the accusations of using cluster munitions. The list of sources of the document contains a link to a letter from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. And the letter from the Ministry of Defense states that although Ukraine is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions of May 30, 2008, “The Armed Forces of Ukraine strictly comply with the norms of international humanitarian law when planning and conducting military operations”. Human Rights Watch condemned the use of cluster munitions, but primarily blamed Russia, not Ukraine, for their use on the battlefield. The authors of the report cited the discussion about the transfer of cluster munitions by the United States to Ukraine as an example of how “stigmatized” the use of these munitions on the battlefield is. But they were reminded of the threats to their civilians even after the end of the war due to the fact that they may not explode immediately. Propagandists claimed that the human rights organization criticized only Ukraine and admitted that it violates international humanitarian law, and ignored the criticism of Russia by human rights activists.

This is not the first time propagandists and Russians have turned to the topic of cluster munitions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which allegedly kill civilians. In July, Detector Media refuted a claim about the death of a Russian propagandist who was allegedly killed by Ukrainians with American cluster shells. With messages about the use of cluster munitions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, propagandists are trying to plant several ideas on the audience. Firstly, that the Ukrainian military seems to be killing civilians, and this symbolically equates the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the war crimes of the Russians. Secondly, they try to shift the responsibility for the suffering of civilians from the aggressor to the victim of the aggression. And for this, they use the tactics of “third party” propaganda — they put into the mouths of representatives of non-Russian public organizations and media theses that are consonant with the messages of Russian propaganda.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels are circulating a photo that allegedly shows an order from the commander of the 123rd Trooper Brigade to create mobile crematoria. In the “document” this decision is explained by a large number of losses on the Ukrainian side and overcrowded morgues. However, this is fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They checked the document for errors and found out that the text indicated a period of 5 days instead of a period. In addition, the format of the name does not meet the current requirements for official documentation, according to which the document should not contain “R. Tokarenko”, but “Roman TOKARENKO”. Moreover, since the 123rd TRO brigade is a territorial defense formation in the Mykolaiv region, such orders should be issued in Mykolaiv, and not Kherson, as in the photo. There were no reports of command redeployment. The seal is also not real - there is no organization with the EDRPOU code 07849800. VoxCheck specialists tested the print with the InVid plugin and found signs of being added in the photo editor. Also in the photo one can see that the text is above the seal, but should be below it. The 123rd troop brigade also denied the fake on their Facebook page, calling it “another IPSO of Russian propaganda”.

By creating and spreading such fakes, propagandists want to exaggerate the scale of losses and the situation, as well as demoralize Ukrainian society. They say that the Ukrainian army has heavy losses, which indicates the loss of Ukraine. However, such fakes only indicate that Russia wants to cover its own numerous losses and failures at the front.  Detector Media has already refuted the Russian fake from the “Kyivstar video” about the losses of the Ukrainian army.

Such information was disseminated in social networks and propaganda media. The reports say that on August 23, 2023, the Russians shelled the Sumy region and the city of Romny. The authors added that the invaders managed to destroy the school where the Ukrainian Defense Forces were located. The publications added that only the Ukrainian military suffered from the missile attack. It is not true.

The VoxCheck project specialists investigated the case and found that in fact there were no military among the victims. Instead, the occupiers fired on civilians - and they fired on a civilian object, not a military one. Particularly the local school. Four people were killed in the attack by Shahed drones: a school principal, a deputy principal, a secretary and a librarian. Also four civilians were injured who were passing by the school and came under fire. The head of the Romny Regional Military Administration explained that at the time the drone hit the school, there were 19 teachers. One of the eyewitnesses, a primary school teacher at the Romny school, also confirmed the presence of employees at the school. That is, the authors are trying to deny their own attacks and hits on civilian infrastructure. They disfigure reality and convince themselves of their “truth”. And they say: wherever they went, there were definitely soldiers there. However, the authors do not provide any facts and reject any reproaches in their direction.

The occupiers are constantly working on similar tactics: wherever the shelling occurs, it is allegedly justified. But documented cases of Russian terror testify otherwise. By the way, one  can read the chronology of Russian shelling of residential and civilian objects here. Also, check out fakes on similar topics, in which Russian propaganda denied shelling civilian infrastructure, justifying itself by “NATO headquarters”:

For example, when the Russians allegedly fired at a meeting of Lithuanian and Polish NATO officers in Chernihiv, but in fact the invaders got into the local drama theater. Or a case where propagandists tended to believe that the terrorist shelling of Odesa in July was a shelling of weapons production sites. And not on the cultural sites of Ukraine, included in the UNESCO world heritage, as it really is. Or, let's say, how the occupiers “destroyed” the ammunition depot in Uman. We found out that the Russians hit an industrial facility and a car wash. And finally, read here how a propaganda shelling of the residences of “NATO instructors” in Kramatorsk turned out to be a terrorist attack on a local cafe.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that the Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar allegedly disclosed real losses among the Ukrainian military in the war against Russia in the promotion of a charity initiative. Allegedly, the company has created a video in which it encourages sending text messages to dead servicemen, but hundreds of thousands of defenders will not be able to respond to the messages. This is fake.

The case was investigated by fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation. They checked the information at the Kyivstar company, where they were told that the telecommunications operator did not conduct similar actions and did not release a promotional video.

Russian propagandists are trying to intimidate Ukrainians and discredit the military leadership by spreading fakes about casualties among the Ukrainian military. They say that the authorities are silent about real losses so that people are not afraid of mobilization. Earlier, we refuted the fake that in Ternopil they threatened to cut off the gas and hot water to conscripts who do not come to the Territorial centers of procurement and social support.

A video is circulating on the American segment of Facebook and YouTube, which allegedly captures the moment when a Russian Su-57 aircraft shoots down NATO F-16 fighters in Ukraine. The Facebook user account that shared the video has the description “creator of the game video”. Also, some users asked if this was already the beginning of the Third World War and wrote that they “did not know that NATO was participating” in the war. It's fake.

The case was studied by Reuters fact-checkers. Pavel Kryzka, public relations manager for Bohemia Interactive, the creators of Arma 3, said in an email that the footage circulating on the Internet was taken from a modified Arma 3 game. Some social media users also recognized the game in the video, but others perceived the footage as real fights.

Thus, Russian propaganda want to show that the Russian “second army of the world” is powerful, therefore it wins on the battlefield, and also that Russia is at war with NATO on the territory of Ukraine. With such fakes, propagandists intimidate Westerners and seek to reduce assistance to Ukraine from Western partners. Earlier we talked about the manipulation that NATO could agree to send troops to the territory of Ukraine.

This thesis was spread in social networks, in particular in the Russian segment of Facebook. Reports say Polish General Waldemar Skrzypczak allegedly claimed a “mass flight” of Ukrainians abroad. Like, they are fleeing because Zelenskyi cannot achieve peace with Russia and does not make concessions. The authors refer to the material of the Polish edition Wprost. This is manipulation.

StopFake fact-checkers took up this case, they explained that Waldemar Skrzypczak actually published his material in the Polish media with the title “How to end the war in Ukraine?”. In it, the Polish general reflected on possible options for ending the war. He also wrote about the problems of forced migration to the EU countries. However, the material does not contain the thesis at all that Ukrainians are migrating abroad because of Zelenskyi, who “will not come to an agreement with Russia in any way”. This is an invention of fake robs, distorting the context of the entire material. Moreover, in the text, the Polish general explained that the migration was caused by the war.

Propagandists spread this manipulation to show that Ukrainians are allegedly positive about cooperation with Russia and are waiting for “reconciliation”. Like, Zelensky’s policy does not suit the Ukrainians and they “run away”.

Russian propagandists spread the information that “it was definitely Ukraine that killed Pryhozhyn (...) This is a terrorist attack by Ukraine on Independence Day. Russian propaganda accuses Ukraine of selling an Embraer business jet owned by Yevhenii Pryhozhyn, on August 23, 2023, near the village of Kuzhenkino, Bolohivskyi district, Tver region. It's fake.

During a press conference with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Ukraine had nothing to do with the crash of a private plane in the Tver region of Russia, in whose passenger lists Yevhenii Pryhozhyn  was.

Also, the American Institute for the Study of War reported on its website that “Putin almost certainly ordered the Russian military command to shoot down Yevhenii Pryhozhyn’s plane”. The President of Russia could take revenge on Pryhozhyn for the attempted rebellion that took place at the end of June 2023.

By spreading this version of the death of the leader of the Wagner group, Russian propaganda is trying to accuse Ukraine of interfering in the internal affairs of Russia and shifting responsibility for the death of Pryhozhyn  to the Ukrainians. Also, the Russians are trying to divert attention from domestic political problems within Russia. Earlier, we told how a video of a plane crash in the Voronezh region of Russia was circulated on the network and stated that this was supposedly the moment of shooting down a plane carrying Yevhenii Pryhozhyn.

His people killed him, he was killed by enemies, he decided to take a break - those are a few versions of the event thrown by propagandists in order to confuse the audience.

Oleksandr Kotenko

On August 23, 2023, an Embraer business jet owned by Yevhenii Pryhozhyn crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino, Bolohivskyi district, Tver region. Later, the Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia published a list of passengers, according to which there were 10 passengers on board, including Yevhenii Pryhozhyn and co-founder of the group Dmytro Utkin. On the morning of August 24, the body of Pryhozhyn among the dead had not yet been identified.

Yevhenii Pryhozhyn is a Russian war criminal, oligarch, founder of the Wagner terrorist organization within the Russian army, recognized by the Ukrainian parliament as an international criminal organization. In the past, a restaurateur, which is why he began to be called “Putin's chef”. The Kremlin provided financial and military support to the Wagner group when the mercenaries performed tasks in Sudan, Libiia, the Central African Republic and participated in Syria and the Donbas, as well as in a full-scale war in Ukraine.

On June 23, 2023, Yevhenii Pryhozhyn reported that the troops of the Russian Ministry of Defense had hit the place of deployment of the Wagner group, as a result of which many mercenaries were killed. He announced the “march of justice”, said that there were 25 thousand Wagner groups, and they were going to “sort things out”, and everyone could join the “march of justice”.

This was the beginning of the Wagner mutiny - an internal conflict in Russia between the Ministry of Defense and the regular Russian army and Wagner led by Yevhenii Pryhozhyn. During this conflict, the Wagner group killed more than 13 pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces. On June 24, negotiations took place between the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Oleksandr Lukashenko and Yevhenii Pryhozhyn, the rebellion itself was stopped, the criminal case for “armed rebellion” was closed, and the Wagner group and Pryhozhyn himself left for Belarus, and then to Africa.

Russian propagandists, authors of anonymous telegram channels and pro-Kremlin media responded to the death of Wagner group leader Yevhenii Pryhozhyn with a number of messages. We have highlighted some of them.

Pryhozhyn’s plane was blown up, there was a technical breakdown or he was shot down by Russian air defense

After the crash of the plane, on board of which Yevhenii Pryhozhyn was probably on board, the pro-Kremlin media put forward the version that Pryhozhyn’s plane was blown up from the inside - allegedly someone planted a bomb. Also technical breakdown is not excluded. However, the Wagner group telegram channels promoted the thesis that the plane was shot down by the Russian air defense system, and the locals allegedly heard two loud explosions. Also, anonymous telegram channels published a video with a characteristic trail in the sky.

The variety of versions shows that there was no unequivocal attitude towards Yevhenii Pryhozhyn in society. Those who did not sympathize with him tend to believe in a “technical error” or “explosion from the inside” due to the supposedly planted bomb. Prior to the mutiny, official Russian propaganda portrayed him as a tenacious and efficient military leader who had military accomplishments in Ukraine and earlier in Africa. After the rebellion, he was portrayed as a traitor, a thug, and a dangerous criminal element. Despite the change in the official version, some military correspondents and bloggers continued to consider him a hero, so the version of a technical error is unpopular in their media environment.

Pryhozhyn was killed by Ukraine, it was a terrorist attack on Independence Day

“It’s definitely Ukraine that killed Pryhozhyn. For Putin, Yevhenii Pryhozhyn is no longer a problem. For Shoihu, Pryhozhyn is no longer a problem. Big bosses do not take revenge, because they have a lot of real problems and real enemies. This is a terrorist act of Ukraine on Independence Day”, Russian propagandists wrote.

The American Institute for the Study of War reported on its website that “Putin almost certainly ordered the Russian military command to shoot down Pryhozhyn’s plane”. Analysts believe that this is how Putin could have taken revenge on Pryhozhyn for the attempted mutiny that occurred at the end of June 2023.

By blaming Ukraine for the murder of Yevhenii Pryhozhyn, Russian propaganda is trying to shift its internal political problem outward, to shift the responsibility to another country. Like, Ukraine interferes in the internal affairs of Russia.

In Russia, Pryhozhyn was not given a promise that they would not be killed

Russian propagandists write: “It was necessary to sit in Africa or Belarus, where Lukashenko gave his security guarantees. Nobody in Russia promised him anything. Or rather, they promised to open all criminal cases and they did”.

This thesis allegedly removes responsibility for the death of the main “Wagner” from Russia. They say that Yevhenii Pryhozhyn himself is to blame for his death, because no one provided him with security guarantees in Russia - they were voiced by the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Lukashenko. In one of his interviews, Putin noted that he could forgive everything except betrayal. He adhered to his principles and punished treason. So, Putin in this situation is depicted as a “man of his word”.

Yevhenii Pryhozhyn did not die, but staged his own death 

The opinion that Yevhenii Pryhozhyn could have staged his own death was expressed both by pro-Kremlin political scientists and propagandists, and by so-called liberal journalists and experts in exile. “But in order to hide forever, taking one of the many spare passports, a burned-out plane is also a good excuse”, they wrote on social networks. 

Allegedly, the leader of “Wagner” was tired in the “service” and decided to leave everything and rest. However, this version is conspiracy theory and resembles a conspiracy theory, according to which Hitler did not commit suicide on April 30, 1945, but fled to Argentina and lived until the end of the twentieth century. Such mythologization only adds mysticism to the figure of Pryhozhyn, which in the eyes of fans makes him an even greater hero. 

Putin killed Pryhozhyn 

“Yevhenii Pryhozhyn, despite being an outspoken enemy of Ukraine in this war, stood out qualitatively against the backdrop of the lazy, stupid top of the Russian Federation”, write anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. But they add, speaking of the death of Pryhozhyn: “Today Putin could not cut his teeth, openly, or rudely, or like a man, but simply using resources that did not belong to him”. 

This opinion is shared by the “Wagner”, but they do not say directly who exactly they mean when talking about the death of Pryhozhyn. In the “Wagner” telegram channels they write: “He died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia. But even in hell he will be the best! A similar thesis is promoted by another Russian propagandist, hinting that Russia did not react properly to the death of two important military figures. In his telegram channel, he wrote: “We shot down a plane with two of those who have the stars of the Hero of Russia - and wait for official information, don’t be nervous”.  

According to this version, Putin could have eliminated Yevhenii Pryhozhyn because of the Wagner rebellion that began on the evening of June 23, 2023. The death of Yevhenii Pryhozhyn may be the beginning of the end of this structure as an independent organization. 

One of the Russian propagandists wrote about this in his telegram channel: “Putin cowardly destroyed not the Wagner group, but a brand that had been created for decades, terrified and was known all over the world”. 

Consequently, Putin is shown as a cunning politician with no honor, a man who does not keep his word, and his style of reprisal against political opponents - “kill in the toilet” - is unchanged. Having eliminated the war criminal Yevhenii Pryhozhyn in broad daylight, having done it defiantly, the Russian dictator also seeks to intimidate political rivals and the Russian elite. They say that everyone who goes against Putin will have a fate like that of Yevhenii Pryhozhyn. 

Yevhenii Pryhozhyn was killed by the intelligence services of other countries 

“Both the CIA and the Mi-6, and the French DGSE and the GUR could well pull off such a thing. The public assassination of one of the most media and influential public figures is a huge blow to the Russian collective unconscious”, wrote anonymous pro-Kremlin telegram channels. 

This version was put forward by Russian propagandists in order to discredit the West and divert attention from other versions and likely killers. Here Russian propaganda applied the tactic of reflection. The leader of the criminal organization is heroized by some propagandists and “Wagner”, romanticizing his “achievements”. 

A cult of personality was created from Pryhozhyn in Russia, but he is a criminal, and Putin saw him as a competitor who, by his actions, raises the vertical of power and violates the state's monopoly on violence.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, and  the Russian segment of the X social network, formerly known as Twitter, spread the information that “Ukraine should not rejoice”, since it allegedly will receive F-16 fighters only after the end of the war. They link to material published on the Dutch site GeenStijl. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. The political leadership of the Netherlands has repeatedly stated that Ukraine will receive the F-16 after the necessary conditions are met. A press release on the government website says that Denmark and the Netherlands will be able to transfer the F-16 after training Ukrainian pilots, establishing logistics processes and building the necessary infrastructure. According to the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, the training of the Ukrainian military will most likely last from 6 to 8 months.

Regarding the Dutch site GeenStijl, which Russian propaganda links to, it is one of the popular political blogs among skeptics. The blog has been involved in scandals more than once, and in the past has opposed the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Western partners and sow discouragement among the Ukrainian military and civilians. Like, the event allocates assistance, but not on time, so it will not be possible to win the war against Russia. Previously, we refuted the manipulation that Ukraine is going to attack the Hasidim in Uman in order to get the Israeli air defense system.

The Kremlin media, citing the Polish edition of Mysl Polska, disseminated information that over 10,000 Poles died in Ukraine during the 1.5 years of the war against Russia - reservists, military personnel who were sent to war, calling them volunteers. It's fake.

The case was studied by the fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications. There are no publications on this topic on the Mysl Polska website, although the publication has repeatedly published Russian fakes, but journalist Mateusz Piskorski denied the information, saying: “I explain to my Russian colleagues: the material they allegedly quote does not exist. It is necessary to check the sources, and not risk the image of those few Polish media that objectively write about the current war and do not join the choir of russophobes”. He also added that they have no information about the losses of the Polish military, moreover, according to him, even the Polish Ministry of Defense does not know them.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic and despondency among the Poles and Ukrainians, sow discord in relations between the two states. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Poland is asking to open the border with Russia for trade.

In the pro-Kremlin media and in the Russian segment of Facebook, they spread information that the Ukrainian military administration allegedly fled from the city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region. The news appeared against the backdrop of fakes that the Russians allegedly took Synkivka. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. There is no information on the official pages of the Kupiansk city military administration and the Kharkiv regional military administration that the administration left the city. Andrii Besedin, the head of the city administration of Kupiansk, told the fact-checkers: “Everyone is at their workplaces. We are working as normal”. And the speaker of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Olena Shapoval, on the air of Radio Svoboda (Liberty) said that everyone was in their places.

Also, after the publication of information about the flight of the administration, Andrii Besedin published a post about a working meeting with photographs from his office. Also on August 21, he posted a video from the city center near the memorial sign of the defender groundhog - the symbol of Kupiansk.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to spread panic among Ukrainians and cause distrust in the authorities, saying that the Ukrainian military administration left them and Ukraine does not need them. We have previously refuted the manipulation that Ukraine is going to attack the Hasidim in Uman in order to get the Israeli air defense system.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric have circulated a photograph of a Wagner fighter allegedly standing on the Polish border. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. They determined that the photo had been edited with a photo editor, adding a Wagner chevron and a Russian flag. In fact, the original photo shows a Polish soldier. This fact was determined by the Google reverse. Also, Stanislav Zharyn, the Commissioner of the Polish government for the security of the information space, said that the photo is not real and can be used to spread panic.

Using the relocation of the Wagner group and leader Pryhozhyn to Belarus after an unsuccessful rebellion in Russia, Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic and create pretexts for an attack on Poland. Earlier, we refuted the fake that Poland is asking to open the border with Russia for trade.

In the Russian segment of Facebook, they distributed a screenshot of supposedly news from the Deutsche Welle website with the heading “Forced mobilization in Ukrainian regions controlled by Kyiv may be a special operation of the Kremlin”. They also write that such publications are an example of the work of “Western propaganda”, which is trying to whitewash Ukraine and shift responsibility to Russia. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. The image has been specially edited to spread misinformation. In fact, there is no such publication either on the Russian version of the Deutsche Welle website or in other languages. The publication published only articles about forced mobilization in the territories occupied by Russia. Olesia Halkina is also listed as the author of the news, but the name of this person cannot be found in open sources.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the West and Western media that allegedly whitewash Ukraine. Like, they also distribute fakes in order to create an image of solid evil in Russia. Earlier, we talked about the manipulation that in Ukraine they created a military uniform for pregnant women in order to send them to the front.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are circulating the alleged cover of the American magazine Chronicles about Russia's superiority over Ukraine in aviation. The picture shows a Russian fighter jet, a ghost hunter, hunting down the Ukrainian ghost of Kyiv. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. There is no issue of the American Chronicles magazine with this cover. The image indicates that this is the August edition, but the Chronicles website, which has covers for every issue of the magazine, does not have such a cover. And the August issue was dedicated to the US elections.

Russian propaganda systematically publishes fake covers of world publications. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also repeated in the West, and the whole world is laughing at Ukraine, and Russia is winning the war. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that the German magazine Handelsblatt depicted a destroyed Leopard tank on the cover.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that Ukraine is preparing to carry out armed provocations against Hasidic pilgrims. The Ukrainian military will allegedly launch a missile attack on Uman during Rosh Hashanah New Year celebrations to blackmail Israel into getting their air defense system. They refer to the words of Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniichuk. It is not true.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In an interview with Liga.net, he said that Russia may resort to provocations against Hasidic pilgrims who come to celebrate the New Year in Ukraine. That is why Ukraine offered Israel to provide air defense to protect its citizens. The Russian media distorted what the ambassador said and said that Kyiv was preparing a provocation against the Hasidim.

Russian propaganda uses repulse tactics to shift the responsibility for Russia's crimes to Ukraine - to accuse it of shelling Ukrainian territories. However, it is Russia that is shelling Ukrainian cities. Also, propagandists are trying to quarrel Ukraine with Western partners. Earlier we talked about the message that the Russian military “destroyed” an ammunition depot in Uman.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that, according to the results of a sociological survey, the majority of the Ukrainian population is demanding surrender. In particular, 30% of Ukrainians are allegedly ready to do anything for the sake of peace. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker.

On July 28, 2023, the “War, Peace, Victory, Future” poll referred to by Russian propaganda was published by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, conducted jointly with the Center for Political Sociology and in cooperation with the OPORA Civic Network in June 2023. The report notes that “30% of Ukrainians want a speedy end to the war under any conditions, but only 8% of respondents are really ready to make at least some concessions for the sake of a quick end to the war”. So the Ukrainians want peace, but are not ready to make concessions. 77% of respondents are confident in the victory of Ukraine.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow discouragement among the Ukrainian population and sow doubts about the victory over Russia. Earlier we talked about the tactics of how Russian propaganda uses fear, uncertainty and doubt to achieve its goals.

In the Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric there are reports that the United States allegedly specifically transferred the main financial burden “in support of the anti-Russian war” in Ukraine to the countries of the European Union in order to impoverish them. They seem to be “ruining the EU, provoking record inflation there and worsening living standards”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. In fact, the financial military support for Ukraine from the United States is 43 billion dollars, and the EU countries - 20 billion euros. So, the US is providing a lot of help, and the pro-Kremlin media are manipulating information.

Russian propaganda systematically promotes narratives about a “starving Europe” and sanctions that harm Europe. Thus, they are trying to reduce the assistance of partners to Ukraine. Earlier, we talked about the message that the EU's GDP is allegedly declining to critically low levels, while Russia's is only increasing.

In the Italian segment of TikTok, a video is being circulated in which President Volodymyr Putin says that “he who organized and prepared the military rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades in arms, betrayed Russia”. The video is also overlaid with text stating that the CIA allegedly paid $6.2 billion “for the loyalty of the Wagner fighters” and this could allegedly lead to a civil war in Russia. It's fake.

The fact-checker of the Facta project drew attention to the case. There is no information in any foreign newspaper and among the official statements of the CIA that the CIA paid 6.2 billion dollars to the Wagner group. The leader of the Wagner mercenaries himself has been criticizing the Russian military leadership for several months.

In fact, weapons sent to Ukraine over the past two years have been inflated by $6.2 billion. The figure on the financing of the “Wagner” group follows from this news about military assistance to Ukraine. Moreover, it all started with the fact that several verified users of the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo announced this. The message circulated on Weibo actually mistranslated the title of the Los Angeles Times article from English to Chinese and contains a photo of a paramilitary group that is not actually in the US newspaper article.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the United States and state the involvement of Americans in the rebellion in Russia. Like, Russia is a victim of a conspiracy and illegal actions. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Pryhozhyn's rebellion was allegedly planned in the West.

Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the information that the 37th US President Richard Nixon wrote in his letter to Bill Clinton that an “American” Revolution of Dignity and an “American War” would take place in Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Richard Nixon envisioned a change in Russia's nascent democratic course to an authoritarian one and an invasion of Ukraine. Russian propaganda manipulates real quotes from Nixon's declassified 1994 letter to Clinton. He also noted that the situation in Kyiv is “explosive” and asked to strengthen the US diplomatic presence in Ukraine. There was no mention of “American” wars and revolution in Nixon's letter.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads the message that Ukraine depends on Western partners and is a puppet of the event, and the war is a confrontation between the United States and Russia, and not Russian aggression against Ukraine. However, it was Russia that started the war in Ukraine and is fighting not with the collective West, NATO or the United States, but with Ukraine. Earlier we talked about the message that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is a puppet of the West, and the “Kyiv regime” is similar to apartheid.

Russian media are spreading information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have confirmed that they are placing air defense systems near residential buildings and have recognized “hits of homes of civilians”. This is manipulation.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the propagandists deliberately took out of context and disfigured a quote from Yurii Ihnat, a representative of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, he did not speak about the “deliberate deployment of air defense forces near residential buildings”. On the air of the national telethon on July 16, Ihnat said that the forces of the Ukrainian air defense system were positioned to protect previously peaceful cities, as well as important critical and military infrastructure. He stressed that due to the fact that it is impossible to cover the entire territory of Ukraine with the available air defense systems, these complexes are located near settlements. On July 21, Ihnat even reacted to disinformation saying that it was Russia that was spreading it.

According to the speaker, propagandists make such statements to cause panic among Ukrainians and justify their aggression against Ukraine. Detector Media has already written about how other propagandists support their message about the “harm” of the Ukrainian air defense system for civilians.

Russian propagandists in the media and anonymous telegram channels claim that Ukraine was planning an attack on the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa in advance. Like, this is confirmed by the fact that the Wikipedia article about the cathedral was supplemented with information about the destruction a few hours before the Russian missile struck Odesa. It's fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that such a statement was conspiracy theories and that in fact the information was added to the article after it became known about the destruction of buildings in Odesa as a result of the Russian attack. The project accepted a comment from the administrator of the Ukrainian Wikipedia Anatolii Lutsiuk. He noted that in the history of editing Wikipedia, the UTC time zone is used, that is, with a difference of 2 hours from Kyiv time.

By spreading such conspiracy theories, the propagandists want to justify the crimes of the Russians and shift the responsibility for them to the Ukrainians. Detector Media explains every two weeks how Russian propaganda uses conspiracy theories for its own purposes.