Such a message is distributed in anonymous telegram channels. They say that many Ukrainians who were forced to move abroad fleeing away from the war do not want to return home and plan to stay forever in the EU countries. Propagandists cite various data as “evidence”. For example, allegedly Ukrainian migrants in Poland, primarily those who do not live in state aid centers for refugees, are guaranteed to receive a payment equal to 200 euros. That is why, according to propagandists, Ukrainian refugees will not want to return to Ukraine, where the economy is already teetering on the brink.

The authors of such reports deliberately miss the root cause of Ukrainian migration, namely Russian aggression, without naming it. In addition, the provision of payments for Ukrainian refugees in Poland does not depend on whether the person lives at the state aid center. Although the practice of guaranteed issuance of social benefits for Ukrainian refugees is widespread in Poland, these payments do not reach the level of 200 euros and are one-time.  

Moreover, practice shows that Ukrainians, despite all the difficulties, are ready to return home and see their future in Ukraine. According to a survey by the Rating sociological group, 85% of Ukrainians have such intentions.

Russian propaganda spread such messages to demoralize Ukrainians and cause panic, as well as to create the illusion that Ukrainians really left only for a better life. Read more about the messages of Russian disinformation related to Ukrainian refugees in the Detector Media investigation.

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

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

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

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

Russian media, referring to the words of the representative of the Russian foreign ministry Mariia Zakharova, write that allegedly military personnel from the EU countries fought in Ukraine even before the start of the war. Like, they worked as instructors representing the Western intelligence services. Moreover, they were mere mercenaries. It is not true.

The EU countries have not sent and do not plan to send their military personnel to Ukraine. The High representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, Jessepp Borel, noted that the EU intends to maintain the status of a “non-belligerent party”, therefore it can help everyone, except for the introduction of troops into the territory of Ukraine. Foreigners fight on the side of Ukraine exclusively on a voluntary basis: either in the ranks of the Ukrainian army, or as volunteers. The EU and international partners provide significant political, military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine. After the full-scale invasion, European countries not only increased aid to Ukraine, but significantly increased sanctions against Russia.

Russian propaganda tries to justify a full-scale invasion, discredit international assistance, and systematically spread messages about foreign mercenaries fighting for Ukraine. Thus, they feed the narrative that Russia is at war not with Ukraine, but with the “collective West”. Earlier, Russian propaganda said that Poles and Syrians were being recruited into the Ukrainian army. The propagandists also wrote that, along with weapons, Western countries are sending soldiers to Ukraine. More details.

This is reported by Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi put into effect the decision of the National security and defense council of Ukraine on sanctions against Rosatom and ZNPP. This is manipulation.

Sanctions were not imposed against ZNPP. Based on the decision of the National security and defense council, by Decree of the President of Ukraine, sanctions were imposed against the Russian corporation Rosatom and 199 companies included in its structure. Including two Russian companies: JSC “Operating organization of zaporizhzhia NPP” and the Federal state unitary enterprise “Zaporizhzhia NPP”. As StopFake notes, with the help of these companies, the occupiers are trying to legalize the operation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP for Russia, including the connection of the Ukrainian power plant to the Russian energy system.

Russian propaganda is trying in this way to promote the message that the allegedly temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories and enterprises on them now belong to Russia. Earlier, propagandists wrote that Zaporizhzhia enterprises fell under EU sanctions. Like, this indicates that the EU recognized these enterprises as Russian.

Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels are circulating a photograph allegedly taken in Brussels. Like, a group of artists from Poland made a new drawing that continues the series of their work on the streets of cities. It's fake.

There is no such graffiti. Propagandists write that a “group of Polish artists” had previously created graffiti about Zelenskyi in Madrid and Warsaw. However, the photos of these graffiti were created with photo editors. Just like the fake graffiti in New York and Paris.

Thus, Russian propaganda uses ridicule tactics to discredit the President of Ukraine. Like, Zelenskyi is despised and ridiculed abroad, so Ukrainians should be ashamed of their leader. Propagandists also stir up internal disputes because of the likes and dislikes of Ukrainians towards Zelenskyi.

Such a message is spread by pro-Russian telegram channels. Like, in Ukraine there is a “hidden” mobilization. There are “colossal” losses at the front, so men are “caught” on the streets to be sent to the front.

In fact, mobilization in Ukraine has been going on since February 24th. This law has been extended several times. According to the latest changes, martial law and general mobilization will continue until May 20, 2023. However, propagandists systematically manipulate the topic of “hidden” mobilization, using the technique of substitution of concepts. Russian propaganda also uses real facts of violations in the mobilization process to reinforce its messages and make them more credible.

Systematic mobilization manipulations discredit the Ukrainian army and affect Ukrainians emotionally. Earlier, propagandists said that the Office of the President wants to send everyone to the war, so the female deputies were banned from traveling abroad and are stepping up mobilization.

The Government computer emergency response team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) recorded the distribution of emails on behalf of JSC Ukrtelecom.

The subject of the letter was about a legal claim on a personal account. A file with the “pdf.exe” format was attached to the letters, after launching of which the Remcos remote control and monitoring program was installed on the user’s computer. This application is payable and can be purchased from the manufacturer's website. Similar attempts have been repeatedly recorded since 2020. Previous cyberattacks have been carried out using the RemoteUtilities remote administration program. Letters were sent mainly to public authorities. Probably for espionage.

Earlier, experts said that Ukraine beats off from 5 to 40 powerful DDoS attacks every day.

A similar message was recently heard on a talk show on a Russian propaganda channel. According to the propagandists, Ukraine resembles a “flower jar” to which there is no point in explaining anything at all, and the negotiation agreement is also a useless thing. Like, this is not even a country, but a toy in the hands of Western curators. Moreover, as if it was the West that attacked Russia and that, they say, now ordinary Russians understand who the real enemy is.

In fact, propagandists deliberately distort reality. It was Russia that attacked Ukraine, which has been pursuing an aggressive policy towards neighboring countries and their partners for at least several decades. Russia also distorts history and actively uses it even in cases like this one. In addition, Russia creates the appearance that there is no point in negotiating with Ukraine, because it is allegedly the Ukrainian government that does not want this.

Thus, Russia nourishes two big narratives at once. The first of these is the “Western governance” narrative. Like, there is no point in negotiating with Ukraine, because all Western curators decide for it. The second narrative is that the aggressor is actually not Russia, but Ukraine, with which there is no point in negotiating, because it is the Ukrainian authorities that allegedly are not interested in a peaceful settlement of the war. However, in reality, Ukraine is not ready for negotiations on Russian terms, which include the annexation of Ukrainian territory.

Pro-Russian telegram channels used a recent interview with ex-Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett to spread disinformation. Detector Media refutes the main messages of Russian propaganda made on the basis of this interview.

Putin promised for “100%” that he would not kill Zelenskyi.

Propagandists claim that in an interview, Bennett said that the Russian president showed “mercy” to “bring peace”. They emphasize that allegedly Russia has power over Ukraine to such an extent that it can decide the fate of the President of Ukraine. Pro-Russian media write that it is supposedly “proof” of Zelenskyi's weakness and his personal “dependence” on Russia in the current situation.

In fact, the ex-premier does not say too much directly on the topic of Ukraine in an interview, but recalls that Russia allegedly promised not to do anything with the Ukrainian president. However, Bennett himself does not attach as much importance to this as propaganda ascribes to it. In particular, Bennett says he did not believe Putin's words. The message about Russia's “act of mercy” in this case is an invention of propagandists as  Bennett did not say this.

Western countries “leaked” the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Russian propaganda writes that allegedly in an interview, Bennett said that the West is deliberately “dragging out” the war and does not consider Ukraine an independent state. Like, the West and personally Boris Johnson “curtailed” negotiations at the beginning of the war. Moreover, Ukraine allegedly only “plays along” with the West and has no influence on the outcome of the war.

The propagandists took Bennett's phrases out of context and mutilated quotes to advance their interests. According to Bennett, negotiations have indeed stalled. However, he calls the tragedy in Bucha, and not the unilateral decision of the West, the real reason for this. Bennett said that after these events, the negotiations ceased to make sense.

Russian propaganda has repeatedly tried to shift responsibility for its actions to others and create the illusion of a “sincere desire for peace”. To do this, they use the tactics of substitution of concepts. The main goal of propaganda is to demoralize Ukrainian society and increase the level of distrust in the authorities.

This message is actively spread by pro-Russian telegram channels. Reports say that the energy system in Odesa and the region was already very poorly equipped and depleted, and therefore would not have survived despite Russian shelling. That is, according to the propagandists, the blackouts would have awaited the residents of Odesa even if Russia had not fired missiles at infrastructure facilities. In addition, local authorities were accused of hiding the real “details” of the situation and unequal distribution of electricity. They say that the reason for the problems with electricity is not the Russian bombing, but the “old age” of the Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the “inaction” of the Ukrainian authorities, which is only profiting from problems with electricity.

In fact, the difficult situation with electricity in Ukraine arose solely because of Russian aggression. Outrages in different regions of Ukraine began on October 10 after the first massive missile attack on infrastructure. As of today, according to information from Ukrenergo, the Ukrainian energy system has already survived 13 missile attacks and 15 waves of attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles. Unequal distribution of electricity often arises due to the technical complexity of the power grid, as well as other logistical circumstances.

Propagandists deliberately spread this message in order to distort reality and shift responsibility for their actions to others. In addition, such messages are aimed at creating mistrust towards the Ukrainian authorities and Ukraine as a whole.

Previously, Russian propaganda actively spread disinformation about problems with electricity in Ukraine. In particular, the propagandists accused the Ukrainian authorities of selling electricity abroad.

Pro-Kremlin media disseminate information that, according to a poll, 94% of German citizens do not support the supply of tanks to Ukraine. However, allegedly contrary to public opinion and under pressure from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, they were forced to agree on the supply of German tanks to Ukraine. This is manipulation.

In fact, according to the results of a regular public opinion poll, 46% of Germans supported the delivery of tanks to Ukraine, 43% were against, and another 11% refrained from answering. In terms of party affiliation: 66% of the supporters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), 61% of the Greens and 49% of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) supported the transfer of tanks to Ukraine. Among the far-right Alternative for Germany party, 84% opposed the decision. It is their opinion, as the fact-checkers of Myth Detector note, that propagandists give out in the opinion of the Germans as a whole. However, in the elections in 2021, the party won the support of 10.3% of the vote. Therefore, such generalizations are incorrect. According to a poll conducted by Civey for Der Spiegel after the decision to transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine, 54% of the population supported this decision.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads messages that the West does not want to help Ukraine with weapons, relying on non-authoritative sources of information or disfigured quotes. Thus, Russia is trying to undermine the authority of Ukraine at the international level, to show the weakness of the Ukrainian government. Propagandists continued to disseminate distorted opinion polls in Germany. They wrote that allegedly more than 70% of Germans are against increasing military assistance to Ukraine, or 40% of Germans are convinced that NATO provoked Russia into a war with Ukraine.

Such information appeared in the Kremlin propaganda media and telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. The reports claim that in the Kyiv region they announced a recruitment into nationalist groups reorganized into brigades under the general name “Offensive Guard”. Like, this is akin to the creation of military formations in the system of the Ministry of internal affairs in case of any internal conflicts in the Ukrainian elite. The propagandists also dubbed the offensive guards Nazis, once again trying to nourish the narrative that Ukrainians are Nazis. However, this is not true. 

The fact checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. In Ukraine, they really announced the formation of new brigades, but they have nothing to do with Nazism. “Offensive Guard” is a project of the Ministry of internal affairs of Ukraine aimed at strengthening the National guard, the National police and the State border service of Ukraine during the upcoming liberation of Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea. However, such fakes are beneficial to propagandists in order to once again spread the narrative that Ukrainians are Nazis, so Russia is doing everything right by denazifying Ukraine. Russian propaganda regularly creates such fakes and manipulations to nourish the narrative about the rise of Nazism in Ukraine. In particular, propagandists said that Ukrainians allegedly decorate Christmas trees with swastika toys or shout Nazi greetings at weddings.

This message was spread by pro-Russian telegram channels in the context of the discovery of a Chinese balloon in US airspace. According to China, it was a meteorological airship that allegedly went astray. The propagandists wrote that the American air defense system failed to do its job, so the United States did not immediately shoot down the balloon. To promote the message, they also used quotes from US ex-president Trump and US senators supporting him. Trump said that the bullet should have been shot down immediately and if he was still president, he would have done it faster. The propagandists came to the conclusion that the US is “really” a weak ally for Ukraine due to Biden’s “indecisiveness”. Moreover, the US is supplying its “inefficient” air defense systems to Ukraine.

In fact, the US did not immediately shoot down the balloon, as they verified the purpose of its stay in US airspace. After it was confirmed that the bullet was following US military units, it was shot down. It was impossible to shoot down the balloon without proper confirmation, since this could really lead to an escalation of relations between the United States and China. Trump's quotes in this context are manipulative, as Bloomberg found that during his presidency he ignored at least three similar situations with Chinese spy balloons. That is, the US leadership and the US military acted according to established rules, and did not show weakness, as Russian propaganda states.

By spreading messages about the “weakness” of the United States, Russia is trying to devalue partner assistance for Ukraine and discredit the United States in the eyes of Ukrainians. In fact, the issue of the war in Ukraine remains important to American politics. This is proved by new decisions on additional military assistance for Ukraine.

Earlier, propagandists wrote that the United States allegedly supported Ukraine in the war because of its interest in Ukrainian titanium, or would turn Ukraine into a new Afghanistan.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular, on a telegram channel broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that in Poland they began to openly recruit Ukrainian tank troops. Like, the Polish authorities are trying to recruit a crew for the German Leopard tanks, which will come to Ukraine. As evidence, the propagandists attach a video clip showing this “announcement”. The authors of the message cite the slogan allegedly depicted on it: “Protect Polish homeland. Be a tanker. Protect Poland in Ukraine”. There is no such announcement, it's not true.

Analysts of The Insider project investigated this case and found that for the first time information about such a poster appeared in the telegram channel of the Russian segment. The video clip itself was filmed at the Centrum station of the Warsaw metro. For the fake poster, they used the corporate identity of the “Become a soldier of the republic” campaign, which started in 2018. However, the authors of the messages did not take into account the corporate logo of the campaign, which was still not placed on the poster. So the fake announcement was just overlaid on the video. As for the campaign itself, it is aimed at recruiting people for contract service in the Polish army, so it has nothing to do with recruiting volunteers to participate in the war. So there was no such poster with an appeal.

By spreading this fake, propagandists nourish the narrative that everything is bad in Ukraine, that there is no one to fight, so the Ukrainian leadership resorts to such tricks and wants to recruit foreigners. Now the authors of the messages want to convince the readers that Poland wants to cut off our territories and thus, by mobilizing the Poles, will try to return them.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that at the Ukraine-EU summit, which took place on February 3, the President of the European Commission gave a clear understanding that Ukraine is allegedly not coping with the tasks assigned to it, so accession to the EU has been suspended. It's a lie.

In fact, Ursula von der Leyen did not say this during the EU-Ukraine summit. On the contrary, she claimed that she “sees persistence in implementing reforms that meet EU recommendations”. In addition, she stressed that one of the successful objectives of the introduction of reforms is “the right path that we follow”. In conclusion, the President of the European Commission added that Ukraine is maintaining the right pace, and she is confident in this, as well as in the actions of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, because he knows what “his country needs”. Therefore, there were no restrictions or even deviations in joining the EU.

By spreading this message, propagandists nourish the narrative that Ukraine is a dumb state that is unable to implement a number of reforms, including for EU accession. Thus, the authors of the messages want to convince readers that Ukraine is gradually losing the trust and support of the West, allegedly not coming up to its expectations.

Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels spread information that a Ukrainian air defense missile had allegedly hit a residential building in Kramatorsk on February 1. They also wrote that Ukraine allegedly organized this attack on purpose. They say that it would be easier for “Zelenskyi and his company” to ask for fighter jets and other Western weapons. One of the representatives of the self-proclaimed authorities in the temporarily occupied territories said that this explosion was allegedly staged by the Ukrainian army in order to form a “successful” agenda at the summit on Ukraine's accession to the EU. It is not true.

According to Stop Fake fact-checkers, the CNN team recorded a Russian missile hitting a residential building in the center of Kramatorsk. As a result of the strike of a Russian Iskander-K missile on a residential building, four people were killed and eight more were injured.

The propagandists used the same tactics when a rocket hit a multi-storied building in Dnipro. Then the propagandists also claimed that the building had been destroyed by a missile of the Ukrainian air defense system. In reality, the Russian X-22 supersonic cruise missile was the cause of the tragedy.

This fake is part of a campaign to discredit the Ukrainian army on the Ukrainian air defense system. Thus, Russia transfers responsibility for the consequences of shelling from Russia to Ukraine. Also, the Russians are trying to intimidate the Ukrainians even more, level the trust in the Ukrainian army and force them to surrender.

Enemy fiends is a propaganda tactic in which propagandists spread messages, manipulations and fakes that hyperbolically emphasize the negative qualities of Ukrainians (aggressiveness, vindictiveness, cruelty, etc.). The goal is to prevent compassion for the Ukrainians, moreover, to encourage the Russians to go to war as a “sacred mission”.

Russian propaganda used this tactic in the summer when covering the explosions in the Crimea. They wrote that supposedly Ukrainians are happy that war has finally come to Crimea. Information about the explosions at the airport really caused a strong reaction on social networks. But emotions are caused, first of all, by the significant losses of the enemy, because at the airfield in the temporarily occupied Crimea, the Ukrainian military destroyed the composition of aviation weapons and about a dozen aircraft systematically patrolling the airspace on the territory of Ukraine.

Somewhat modified Russian propaganda used the tactic of fiends - Ukrainians after the events in Brovary on January 18th. Russian propaganda began to spread messages that Russians sympathize with the deaths of Ukrainian children, unlike Ukrainians. Like, the Russians understand that Ukrainian children are not to blame for anything, Ukrainians call for the destruction of Russian children so that “orcs do not grow out of them”. In fact, Ukrainians showed condolences to the Russians even after 2014. However, a full-scale invasion significantly changed the situation. As of January 2023, due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, at least 459 children were killed, more than 909 were injured of varying severity. These figures are not final, since Russian war crimes, including against children, are being recorded and investigated in places of war fights and in the liberated territories.

Russian propaganda tried to make the “Ukrainians” inhuman by spreading messages on religious topics. They say that the “Kyiv regime” has turned Ukraine into a “totalitarian hypersect”, professing “neopaganism” as the basis of “radical nationalism”. The Russians wrote that allegedly the number of “Satanist sects” in Ukraine is unknown, but the countdown “is definitely in the hundreds”. So Ukraine needs to be “desatanized” and “deshaitanized”.

Such a fake was spread on social networks, in particular in the Ukrainian segment of Facebook. The report says that the draft notices are handed over illegally, because they were once issued by military registration and enlistment offices. Like, the Territorial recruitment centers are an illegal structure. The author’s messages were picked up by users of the social network, who began to spread complaints, saying that Ukrainians are being given draft notices illegally, so it is impossible to mobilize those liable for military service. It is not true.

The fact-checker of the “Beyond the News” project drew attention to the case, they managed to find the primary source where the Facebook user really spoke about this. However, as experts say, the territorial recruitment and social support centers were created on the basis of the military registration and enlistment offices and are their legal successors. This is stated in part two of the Final provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine on improving certain issues of performing military duty and keeping military records” dated March 30, 2021. Consequently, the fulfillment of military duty by citizens of Ukraine is ensured by state bodies, local self-government bodies, military units established in accordance with the laws of Ukraine and territorial recruitment and social support centers.

On February 23, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the implementation of these norms. That is why the recruitment centers are a completely legal structure that has the right to hand over draft notices to those liable for military service.

This message was circulated on social networks, in particular in the French segment of Twitter. The report says that Volodymyr Zelenskyi calls on NATO to launch a preventive nuclear strike on Russia. The authors of the messages cite an episode from Zelenskyi's online speech at the Australian Lowy Institute and add a short video. The tweets were shared by the propaganda media, who called Zelenskyi's words “a call to start a world war with unpredictable horrific consequences”. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts at the StopFake project investigated this case and found that the meaning of the quote was distorted, because in fact Zelenskyi did not call for a nuclear strike on Russia. In the short video, the president says that NATO needed to launch “preemptive strikes” on Russia to keep it from using nuclear weapons.

However, on the same day, press secretary Serhii Nykyforov explained his words, saying that Volodymyr Zelenskyi had in mind the period until February 24. Because then, according to the president, it would be worth taking preventive measures to prevent escalation. And there was no talk of a nuclear strike from Ukraine at all.

By spreading this manipulation, propagandists are trying to promote the narrative that Russia is allegedly fighting not only with Ukraine, but also with large organizations, such as NATO. Like, the Russians are protecting the world from the war that Ukraine allegedly unfolds.

Such a fake was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. The report says that no one spares prisoners of war in Ukraine. Like, upon returning from captivity, male and female fighters face a choice: to return forcibly to the front or go to jail. Allegedly, the Ukrainian leadership is indifferent to its army and everyone wants constant victories, returning defenders to the front. The authors of the messages refer to the appeal of Moskalkova, the Ombudswoman for human rights of Russia. It's a lie.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to this case and found out that the information disseminated by Moskalkova is not true. After returning to Ukraine, Ukrainian prisoners of war are not expected to either go to a prison or face a forced return to the front. Analysts turned to the Coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war with a request to explain the algorithm of actions with prisoners of war who returned from captivity. As the press service of the headquarters said, first of all, the military is undergoing a process of reintegration into Ukrainian society, which includes physical and psychological rehabilitation. Then the released POW has the right to vacation, after which a special commission will decide on the possibility of serving further.

By spreading this fake, propagandists nourish the narrative that everything is bad in Ukraine, there is supposedly no one to fight, so the prisoners have to be mobilized again, despite their psychological or physical condition.

This message was circulated on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukraine plans to include the Polish language in the list of subjects for which it is possible to take an EIT (external independent test). According to the authors of the message, the Ukrainian authorities want Ukrainians to assimilate under the Poles from their school years. Like, Poland will gradually enslave the Ukrainians, which will help it seize the territory of Ukraine.

The Ministry of reintegration explained the possible introduction of the Polish language into the list of exams by the fact that uniting with the Poles is the key to the sustainable development of states, and education and language are the main tools with which such an association begins.

Taking the EIT in foreign languages is not a mandatory component of passing the exam, except for taking the exam in English in the form of the DPA (state final examination). German, French, Spanish and subsequently Polish will remain subjects chosen by the applicants themselves.

Moreover, Poland is also introducing the Ukrainian language into its educational space: Poland recognizes Ukrainian documents on basic general secondary education (grade 9 of graduation certificates). Also, the results of the EIT are counted for admission to Polish higher education institutions. The Poles announced their readiness to introduce the Ukrainian language into the list of subjects. That is why communication is taking place on both sides, the main goal of which is to strengthen the educational sphere of the two sovereign fellow states.

Propagandists use this message to nourish the narrative that Poland is seeking to take over Ukraine, in particular, to cut off the territory of the western regions. However, Poland does not plan to annex the territories of Ukraine, but on the contrary, it remains a devoted strategic partner that helps Ukrainians fight the enemy.

In closed Russian telegram channels, a message was circulated that it was allegedly possible to “agree” on several hours of intimacy with an “orphan from Ukraine”. Like, the cost of such a “service” is 250 thousand rubles. These messages also made their way into the Ukrainian segment of the telegram. The messages also supposedly contained screenshots of “correspondence” about the “transaction”. In particular, it was about the participation of the child in the filming of porn videos. The interlocutors describe the age of the boy as “going to school soon”.

Dmytro Lubinets, an Ombudsman, published a post with screenshots on his telegram channel and turned to the National police with a request to find out the details of the case. The National police denied the information. From the primary sources, the message about the “sale” of the child was deleted.

The cyber police of Ukraine found out that the child, whose photo was used to create a fake, was really born and lives in Russia. The boy, under the supervision of his mother, works as a model and advertises clothes and shoes, so his photo is freely available.

Earlier, Detector Media told how Russian propaganda justifies the deportation of Ukrainian children. According to the latest data, the Russians forcibly deported at least sixteen thousand children (according to other sources, this figure reaches more than seven hundred thousand). The crimes of the Russian army, including those against Ukrainian children, are being investigated by the UN.

“Pass it on” is a conventional name for propaganda tactics. Russian propaganda formulates a message that evokes a sharp emotional reaction and calls for it to be spread as much as possible. Basically, the purpose of the message is to cause panic or destabilize the situation.

For example, Russian propaganda uses this tactic to spread fakes about the lack of blood. Reports say that there seems to be a shortage of blood both in clinics and in hospitals. Despite the fact that the Ministry of Health has repeatedly denied this information, reports of a lack of blood are always very actively spread on social networks. The goal is to destabilize the work of blood centers, because an unplanned influx of people who want to help increases the load on the system. Propagandists also seek to create emotional pressure on Ukrainians. Like, the state does not cope well with its tasks in a critical situation, so people suffer.

A message like “Attention!!! For tomorrow, Russia is planning a massive shelling of Ukraine. Rocket strikes will be on Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv ... Pass these coordinates on to your relatives. Perhaps, this will save someone's life” was massively distributed in various instant messengers and channels in the spring of 2022. Especially active such sharing happened on the eve of holidays or important events. The goal is to make Ukrainians nervous, increase stress, influence panic under the guise of “care and concern”. In reality, it is quite difficult to foresee Russian shelling.

What one should pay attention to:

source of information is named abstractly (military, acquaintances, friends of friends) or it is the one with very limited access (information from the Ministry of internal affairs, defense, Main intelligence directorate, etc.), it indicates manipulation;

checking information: for the most part, people in an emotionally excited state immediately share what they have written. However, checking the information is often simple. For example, the coordinates of objects that will supposedly be hit can be checked through a search engine (sometimes even the coordinates of Russian cities were distributed). Information about the lack of blood can be checked by giving a call to the institution mentioned in the message.

In fact, with the development of social media, messages like “Pass it on as there will be trouble”, “Pass it on as there will be no love”, “Pass it on and you will be happy” have become very popular. In fact, they were used to study emotional triggers for further use. Also, unscrupulous advertisers and scammers picked up the tactic and still use it.

A message about allegedly captured Ukrainian soldiers was circulated on telegram channels. The message on the channel said that Marharyta Rivchachenko, an artillery soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the call sign “Sakura”, fired at residential areas of Donetsk with a mortar and was punished for that. The authors of the messages add a likely photo to the publication, which should indicate that Marharyta is in captivity. However, this is not true.

The Kharkiv anti-corruption center investigated this case and contacted Marharyta to refute the fake. She confirmed that she was not in captivity and added that, firstly, she was a press officer, not an artillery female soldier. Secondly, the invaders came up with the call sign of the press officer given in the fake publication. Her real call sign is “Afina” (Athena). Moreover, Marharyta is convinced that the photo, supposedly proof of being taken prisoner, is not real. Since there is neither a face nor the corresponding chevrons that could belong to a fighter.

By spreading this fake, Russian propagandists are trying to show how they successfully fight the Ukrainian army and publish their “trophies” - supposedly Ukrainian military taken prisoner. However, as experience shows, this information is often not true. Also, by constantly spreading messages with prisoners, propaganda seeks to confirm the narrative that the Ukrainian army is weak.

This message was circulated on social networks and in the Kremlin media. It states that Leopard 2 tanks are capable of transporting and delivering cannons containing so-called “dirty bombs” or nuclear warheads. However, this is a lie.

Analysts of the EU vs Disinfo project investigated this case and found that it was a fake and a conspiracy theory of the pro-Kremlin media. German-made Leopard 2 tanks do not use depleted uranium shells. Yes, pure uranium is a radioactive element, but not depleted. Some countries are armed with tanks with depleted uranium shells.

To put it simply, the projectile “does not emit” radiation and only threatens Russian tankers. The Scientific committee on health and environmental risks of the EU Commission has come to the general conclusion that the impact of depleted uranium radiation is not significant.

According to international agreements, munitions containing this isotope are not considered either nuclear or chemical weapons.

By spreading this message, propagandists are once again trying to promote the message that Western weapons being handed over to Ukraine only exacerbate the situation, and Ukraine is just a testing ground for Western weapons.