Such a message is being shared by propagandists in their telegram channels and in the Kremlin media. The report says that during his speech in Davos, Zelenskyi allegedly “revealed Ukraine's weakest point” and assured that it was the air defense system. However, this is manipulation.

In fact, StopFake's fact-checkers examined the case and found that propaganda resources omitted the context in which it was said and reduced Zelenskyi's response to just this phrase.

The propagandists distorted the president's quote. In fact, it was an answer to the question of how Ukraine defends itself from the destruction of civilian infrastructure by Russia. This is what the actual quote looks like:

“Defend our weak points. Defend places with partners where the enemy hits. Air defense system. This is our weak point. Maybe this is not a weak point in Ukraine compared to other states,”. That is, we are talking about the fact that, in general, our air defense is quite powerful, however, unfortunately, there is a hit on civilian infrastructure. Therefore, it does not cope with all enemy missiles or drones.

In addition, earlier Volodymyr Zelenskyi repeatedly said that the air defense in Ukraine is strong enough, and in 2023 it will become even more powerful.

By spreading this manipulation, the enemy is trying to prove that the means of Ukrainian defense or, for example, weapons are meaningless and can be quickly destroyed. Allegedly, not a single Western technique can be compared with the domestic Russian one.

This is the message propagandists use on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. It says that Denmark deeply regretted the transfer of its howitzers to Ukraine. Like, Denmark was left with nothing now, because it was waiting for a very long time for howitzers, which in the future would form the defense basis of the country. The authors of the message refer to the words of a military analyst who allegedly said it. This is manipulation.

The StopFake project specialists explained what the comment to the Danish publication Berlingske actually says: military analyst Christian Christensen expressed concern that replacements for the 19 Caesar howitzers would not be easy to find due to the realities of the modern arms market. However, the expert did not say that the decision of the Danish government to transfer weapons to Ukraine was a mistake and that Denmark “regretted” this step. That is, there was no such official position of the country, although the expert noted that howitzers are an important element in the country's defense capability.

Propagandists are spreading this manipulation to nourish the narrative that by handing weapons to Ukraine, other countries are left light and weak. Thus, propagandists want to encourage Western states not to send weapons to Ukraine.

This message is being spread by propagandists on social networks and telegram channels. The report says that the Russian military near Soledar destroyed the first American M1 Abrams tank from the RPG-18 Mukha. It is not true.

As experts from the Center for countering disinformation explain, the occupiers used an old photo that was not even taken in Ukraine. Moreover, the US has not yet handed over a single such tank to Ukraine, which makes it impossible to destroy it.

Propagandists are spreading this fake in order to distort reality and show that Ukraine is constantly losing and even powerful American equipment does not help, because the Russians are successfully destroying it. Against the background of previously initiated military assistance from the United States, Russian propaganda is trying to convince people that all weapons are ineffective and can be easily destroyed.

Photos from the exhibition of “captured” weapons in Moscow's Patriot park, including allegedly banned Italian-made mines, are being circulated on social networks. Propagandists say that they were neutralized by Russian sappers in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The original source of the photos is the Twitter account of the Russian Embassy in Italy. It's fake.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto denies any allegations by Italy of supplying banned weapons to Ukraine. According to Stop Fake, the Italian Ministry of Defense reported that the objects in the photo are not of Italian origin. This is indicated by the corresponding marking. The production of such mines in Italy was stopped 28 years ago, after a moratorium was introduced in accordance with the Ottawa Convention. The signatories are obliged to get rid of stockpiles of these weapons, it is forbidden to transfer anti-personnel mines to third parties. Ukraine ratified the Ottawa Convention in 2005, unlike Russia.

Russia systematically accuses Ukraine of using prohibited weapons. Earlier propagandists wrote that Turkey supplies Ukraine with cluster munitions; they wrote that Ukraine used chemical weapons against the Russian military in the Zaporizhzhia region. Russian propaganda also said that allegedly Russia does not have banned chemical weapons.

Such a message is spread by pro-Russian telegram channels as a reaction to the statements of Ukrainian partners in the supply of weapons to Ukraine. In particular, the reaction was caused by the speech of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the Davos form. He stressed that Ukraine needs a significant increase in arms supplies at a key moment in the war.

In this way, Russian propaganda nourishes narratives that Western military aid “really” only prolongs the war and increases the number of casualties.

The purpose of these messages is to influence the emotional state of Ukrainians, to intimidate and force them to surrender. Previously, propagandists spread a similar message that the desire for peace and the desire to further stuff Ukraine with weapons are mutually negative actions.

Russian media and pro-Russian resources are spreading information that Germany will never hand over Tornado fighter jets to Ukraine. The messages are based on a quote from the German politician Gauke Schulz. It seems that he said that these fighters protect Germany and should not cause a war with Russia. He also allegedly said that fighter jets in Ukraine would be used inappropriately. This is manipulation.

According to StopFake, Gauke Schulz is a representative of the pro-Russian German party Die Linke. He does not have a mandate, he does not stand for federal state, federation or EU bodies. Moreover, Schultz has nothing to do with making decisions on arms supplies to Ukraine.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads messages that the West does not want to help Ukraine with weapons, relying on non-authoritative sources of information or distorted quotes. Thus, Russia is trying to undermine the authority of Ukraine at the international level, to show the weakness of the Ukrainian government.

Earlier, Russian propaganda spread messages that NATO was supplying “scrap” instead of weapons. The propagandists argued that the supply of weapons to Ukraine would increase the number of victims and prolong the “conflict”. They also wrote that allegedly 30-40% of the weapons supplied to Ukraine reach the front, or that the weapons provided by the United States do not reach Ukraine.

Russian media are spreading the news that the United States seems to be in for a “gloomy future” due to the “catastrophically devastated military depots” of the American army after military assistance to Ukraine. Propagandists write that the US “will not be able to restore its stocks for at least five years”. This is manipulation.

Russian propaganda refers to an analytical publication by the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The author analyzes the number of shells and weapons systems that the Americans have already supplied to Ukraine and makes predictions about how and with what the US will have to replace them. And in some cases, indeed, according to analyst Mark Kanchian, it will take years. But there are conclusions in the article that clearly explain: “Most inventories are okay. These six systems do not represent the full spectrum of U.S. inventories. Most items provided to Ukraine have been in small numbers, or from areas that have large inventories or production capacities. For most categories of weapons and munitions, the United States can provide support indefinitely”. The only thing that confuses the analyst is the lack of transparency of data that can be used to evaluate stocks of weapons and the insufficient speed with which the US Department of Defense purchases aid to Ukraine outside the United States. That is, there are no “threats to national security” due to a decrease in the number of weapons or a crisis in the supply of weapons to Ukraine in the article - these are all inventions of Russian propaganda who for almost a year have been trying to destroy or weaken Western support for Ukraine through disinformation. Propaganda spreads several messages on this topic: Ukraine sells weapons to other countries; Western weapons are not enough for Ukraine to win the war; Western weapons are scrap metal that cannot be used to fight. At the same time, propaganda calls Ukraine a testing ground for the latest weapons. Despite these efforts, Western partners are supplying more and more needed modern weapons to Ukraine.

This is the message propagandists use on social networks and telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. It says the war provided an opportunity for the US and Ukraine's other allies to study how their weapons system performs under heavy use. They say that Ukraine is used as a testing ground and in fact the partner countries are only worried about their own benefit. The authors of the messages add, as evidence of the publication, a likely material from CNN, which allegedly talks about this. However, this is manipulation.

In fact, the propagandists changed the title of the article using a graphical editor. Here is the original title of the material “How Ukraine became a testbed for Western Weapons and battlefield innovation”, but the propagandists distorted the title and called it a “laboratory”. However, the material does say that Ukraine is testing the latest weapons and many countries can determine its effectiveness. In contrast, the authors of the article describe how the inventive Ukrainian army maintains and repairs weapons. That is, the enemies distorted the context of the entire material and singled out theses that are beneficial to propaganda.

Propagandists are spreading this manipulation to undermine the confidence of Ukrainians in Western countries that help Ukraine in the war with Russia. Allegedly, their goal is not to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but only to test their weapons for their own benefit. Enemies want to distort reality and show that everyone seems to be indifferent to the fate of Ukraine.

Such a message is spread by pro-Russian telegram channels. Allegedly, the Pentagon has reservations regarding the transfer of weapons to Ukraine. The reports claim that the samples received by Ukraine always work under the control of American instructors, since there is a threat of disclosure of technology. There is also allegedly a risk that the weapon will fall into the hands of a third party or in the hands of Russia.

Russian propaganda is systematically spreading messages that the West does not want to help Ukraine with weapons. In fact, the United States has been transferring weapons to Ukraine since the beginning of the great war, just like other states. The lendlease mechanism has not yet started working, but this depends not only on the “desire” of the United States, but also on the financial capabilities of Ukraine.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads rumors that Western weapons are resold on the black market, but so far there is no evidence of this. The United States really controls how the weapons provided to Ukraine are used, for this they created an Interim special commission.

Previously, propagandists argued that the supply of weapons to Ukraine increases the number of victims and prolongs the “conflict”.

Russian media and pro-Russian resources are spreading messages that Europe will get tired of supporting Ukraine if the Ukrainian army fails to demonstrate new successes on the battlefield. Allegedly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi understands that prolonging the conflict will entail criticism and therefore signals to the West that in 2023 he will be “ready for peace talks”. Like, that's why Zelenskyi initiated the convening of a special peace formula summit this winter.

To spread such messages to an international audience, the propagandists used the words of the former national security adviser to former US President George W. Bush, Michael Allen, who has repeatedly spoken out in support of Russia.

Russian media and pro-Russian resources write about this. Like, in the Pentagon, a weapons check was carried out, provided to Ukraine as military assistance. Allegedly, only 10% were able to confirm the presence in Ukraine, the location of the remaining 90% is unknown. It is not true.

Russian propaganda is based on the words of Brian Dean Wright, who worked at the Pentagon until 2015 and now opposes the provision of assistance to Ukraine. Officially, the US Department of Defense has not made any statements about the weapons provided to Ukraine. According to official information, the Pentagon is checking the stocks of delivered military equipment in Ukraine and there is no evidence of the “redirection” of American aid.

Russian propaganda is systematically spreading messages that military aid provided to Ukraine is being stolen or resold on the black market. Thus, they are trying to discredit Ukraine and level out international support. 

Such information was disseminated by pro-Russian telegram channels. Allegedly, in the Slovak capital of Bratislava, people went to a rally against the supply of weapons to Ukraine, and the police dispersed them with NATO water cannons. As proof, propagandists published a video that actually turned out to be a story about an action during the coronavirus pandemic two years ago.

The only true thing here is that the video is really from Bratislava.

A reverse Google image search and Google Streets can be used to determine that the events are taking place under the office on Freedom Square.

A Google search for the keywords "protest", "Bratislava", "water cannon" gives messages about an anti-government rally in Bratislava in October 2020 due to dissatisfaction with the measures taken during the coronavirus pandemic.

Advanced search on the Twitter social network for the phrase Bratislava protest, as well as for the dates from October 16 to October 19, 2020, shows several messages about the protest.

In a screenshot from the video posted by a ZNeveri user, one can see the same man with a phone in front of a water cannon, who appears in the video of the alleged protest in December 2022 against the supply of weapons by Slovakia to Ukraine.

In addition, according to the same search on the social network Twitter, there is also a link to Youtube, although the video has already been deleted. But it can be viewed using the Wayback machine online archive. It shows the same man with a telephone in front of a water cannon, and an operator in the background. It appears that the propagandist's footage was filmed on his camera.

This video is also dated October 17, 2020, when an anti-government action using a water cannon took place in Bratislava, and not a protest against arms supplies to Ukraine in December 2022.

And the weather is far from winter. In the video, you can see trees that are full of green and some purple leaves. In reality, the picture is different as the online camera from Bratislava shows almost bare trees.