An audio telephone conversation is being distributed on social networks in the Russian segment, in which Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly criticizes Ukraine’s allies in a conversation with Olena Zelenska. He allegedly claims that his allies are forcing him to fight corruption in the country, but without corruption the presidential administration will supposedly collapse, because “everyone in Ukraine is stealing now”. The messages refer to The Intel Drop. However, this is a lie.

The VoxCheck specialists were able to analyze the case, explaining that the “primary source” of the recording is indeed The Intel Drop - this publication publishes anti-Ukrainian materials containing disinformation or manipulative theses. Moreover, the site quotes statements of Russian politicians. That is, the recording of the “telephone conversation” between Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Olena Zelenska was compiled. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian language is supposedly spoken during the conversation, the characters make numerous spelling and grammatical errors and mostly use Russian words.

For example, such Ukrainian words as “finished”, “wink”, “homeland”, “you understand”  in the interpretation of the hero who pretended to be Volodymyr Zelenskyi were pronounced like Russian ones. And here are Olena Zelenska’s alleged phrases: “it’s in their interests that you wink”, “impossible”, “I understand”. Both the first lady and the Ukrainian president speak Ukrainian at a high level.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are distributing a video allegedly from Euronews, which depicts “graffiti” with Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the image of a maniac from the film “The Shining”, in the interpretation of the creators of street art demanding money. The reports also refer to material from the publication Der Tagesspiegel, which allegedly cites this graffiti as evidence of the growth of anti-Ukrainian sentiment. It is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated this case and found out that Euronews did not publish the video on its social media pages. This means that the probable plot is compiled. In addition, there is no material about the caricature and the growth of so-called “anti-Ukrainian sentiments” in Germany on the Der Tagesspiegel website or on the publication’s social networks.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines, newspaper columns or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Social media users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are disseminating information that allegedly during a telephone conversation, President Zelenskyi expressed a negative attitude towards US President Joe Biden, calling him a “hypocrite” and US Secretary of State Blinken a “clown”. However, the audio recording of this conversation is fake.

This was brought to the attention of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They found out that the audio recording of the conversation was fake and that it was mainly distributed on the X network (formerly Twitter). This is a recording made with the participation of actors with a distinct Russian accent and pronunciation vaguely reminiscent of Zelenskyi and his wife.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists aim to antagonize world leaders and create preconditions for the withdrawal of financial and military support for Kyiv.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks and media about blogger Gonzalo Lira, who is allegedly illegally detained in a Ukrainian pre-trial detention center. They say that Lira was detained because of “criticism of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi”. However, this is fake.

The specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that this information was first published on his X page by American presenter Tucker Carlson, who is a supporter of Donald Trump and criticizes any assistance to Ukraine. Detector Media has already written about dangerous narratives in his author’s program. After Carlson’s statements, American billionaire and head of X (Twitter) Elon Musk demanded an explanation from the Ukrainian side in connection with the arrest of an “American citizen” on Ukrainian territory. Musk also accused Ukraine of torturing Gonzalo Lira.

There is no evidence that Gonzalo Lira was subjected to torture. In addition, in Ukraine there is no criminal liability for criticizing the president. The American blogger was arrested on May 1, 2023 in Kharkiv for violating Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine). In a commentary for the Ukrainian publication NV.ua, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the actions of Ukrainian law enforcement officers to arrest the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira occurred exclusively in accordance with the law. In particular, Gonzalo Lira argued that Ukraine seems to be shelling its own territory, and that the country is led by a neo-Nazi regime.

The SBU documented Lira's activities and handed the blogger a suspicion. In May 2023, the court chose a measure of restraint for him in the form of detention with the possibility of bail. He was initially released under house arrest after posting bail, but in July Lira was arrested again while trying to cross the border into Hungary on a motorcycle. Lira is in a pre-trial detention center in Kharkiv. Court hearings in his case are scheduled for December 12 and 21, 2023.

It should also be noted that Gonzalo Lira denied the facts of the massacre of civilians in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities, disclosed the location of Western journalists and Ukrainian military personnel, and also disseminated their personal information. In addition, Lira defended Putin's motives, arguing that the Russians allegedly take special care to avoid destroying civilian infrastructure or harming civilians. On his social media accounts, the blogger spread a number of previously debunked conspiracy theories, including Russia's claim that there are American laboratories in Ukraine for the production of biological weapons. The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications, in its article “What’s wrong with the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira, for whom Carlson and Musk stood up”, spoke in detail about Gonzalo Lira’s months-long anti-Ukrainian activities. Detector Media previously wrote about other ways Russia uses the opinion of foreigners in the media field.

This information is disseminated by pro-Kremlin resources. As proof, propagandists attach a photo of a “certificate” addressed to Volodymyr Zelenskyi granting him US citizenship. In addition, they add that the President of Ukraine plans to escape not alone, but with his family. For this purpose, it seems that all the relevant documents have already been prepared. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council examined this information. The center has established that the primary source of this “news” is the fake publication The DC Weekly, which has repeatedly spread lies about the President of Ukraine and the First Lady. The photo of the so-called certificate of US citizenship is also not real - its number cannot be found in the database. After all, the author of the material is a fictitious person named Jessica Devlin, whose profile generally contains a photo of actress Judy Batalion.

Accordingly, this fake, within the framework of the narrative about the alleged insignificance and treachery of the Zelenskyi family, aims to discredit the President and First Lady of Ukraine. Another motive for creating this type of disinformation is the desire of propagandists to awaken panic among Ukrainians regarding the future of the country. Previously, we refuted information that the foundation of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is allegedly associated with child trafficking.

Users of social networks that spread pro-Russian rhetoric are distributing a video claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly called on Commander-in-Chief Valerii  Zaluzhnyi to resign from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Allegedly, Zelenskyi said that Zaluzhnyi is involved in politics and elections. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. In fact, such statements are not true, but they are consistent with Russian propaganda narratives that there is a conflict between the president of Ukraine and the commander-in-chief. It has been spreading since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and was accompanied, in particular, by the appearance of a deepfake with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, where he allegedly called Zelenskyi a traitor and called on the military to march on Kyiv. However, there were no statements by the president in which he blamed Zaluzhnyi, and especially with instructions for his dismissal. There were also no decrees on the dismissal of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the website of the President of Ukraine. On November 30, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podoliak, said on Radio Svoboda (Liberty) that the conflict described by Russian propaganda does not exist.

Propagandists spread such fake news to create distrust in the Ukrainian government and create the impression that the situation is not under control. They say that Ukraine is approaching failure due to internal contradictions among those in power. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other fakes about Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Anonymous telegram channels spread information that a monument in honor of Joseph Biden would be erected on the site of the recently demolished monument to Pushkin in Kyiv. The authors of the messages add to the publication a plan for creating the monument and its estimate: they explained that they plan to create a monument with Joe Biden shaking hands with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. They also named a real company that would create such a project and added a number of “documents” to the messages. It's a lie.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project investigated his case and determined that the company, which, according to fake documents, is the likely executor of the project, denied the report about the production of a monument to Joe Biden. Their press service explained that they are not working on the construction of the monument and at the same time they have not received such requests.

According to propagandists, the project was allegedly ordered by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. In general, this is an institution that is subordinate to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. However, on the government procurement website Prozorro, for example, there is not a single tender for the installation of a monument to Joe Biden from this government agency. Neither the Ministry of Culture nor affiliated structures mentioned such a project on their social networks.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly silent about the “colossal losses” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Propaganda media write about this with reference to a video from the YouTube channel of Oleh Soskin, a former adviser to the ex-president of Ukraine Kuchma. However, this is a fake.

Specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security undertook to analyze this case. The fact is that information about the number of killed and wounded Ukrainian military personnel during martial law constitutes a state secret. This is at least due to the fact that Russia can use this data to calculate possible further actions of the Defense Forces. That is, we are talking about the military’s demand, and not about Zelenskyi’s personal desire to hide important information from society.

By spreading disinformation on a sensitive topic for Ukrainians, Russian propaganda is trying to once again discredit the current President of Ukraine and undermine the trust of Ukrainian society in him. After all, the approximate number of Ukrainian military deaths in the war against Russia will only be known after its end. Previously, we analyzed the propaganda message that the Ukrainian authorities are allegedly lying to the Ukrainians, that there are no losses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the media began to disseminate information based on an interview with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the British publication The Sun. Like, he admitted that Russian aggression is “supported” by most of the world, and the interests of Ukraine are defended by “at best 14 countries”. In addition, according to them, Zelenskyi allegedly admitted “Ukraine’s inability to resist the military actions waged by Russia”. This is manipulation.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found that in fact, the President of Ukraine, in an interview with The Sun, accused Putin of “fuelling a fire” around the world that risks spiraling out of control, and added that a Hamas attack on Israel was Russia’s “great desire”. According to Zelenskyi, Russia plans to continue destabilizing the situation in the world, and the Balkans may be next to come under attack. According to him, this will continue until the Russian regime is stopped and punished.

Zelenskyi did note that Russia does not yet “feel that the whole world is against it”, but he did not claim that Russian aggression is “supported” by most of the world. The UN General Assembly condemned the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine by an absolute majority: the resolution “Aggression against Ukraine” was supported by 141 countries, and only five delegations - totalitarian Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea - voted against. In addition, on November 23, 2022, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for its large-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine. A month earlier – on October 13, 2022 – PACE adopted a resolution in which it also declared the Russian regime terrorist. In addition, on October 13, 2023, PACE recommended that member states of the Council of Europe recognize Putin as illegitimate at the end of his current presidential term and cease all contacts with him. All these decisions of international institutions are the consequences of Russian aggression, which clearly demonstrate the unprecedented support for Ukraine by leading democratic countries.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi also did not make any statements in this interview about Ukraine’s inability to resist Russia.

Propagandists spread such manipulations in order to personally discredit Zelenskyi and accuse him of betraying the interests of Ukrainian citizens. They say that the war must be stopped on Russia’s terms, and even the President of Ukraine admits this. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted the fabrications of propagandists aimed at personal attacks against Zelenskyi.

On social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, photos of campaign leaflets calling for “voting” for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and against Volodymyr Zelenskyi are being distributed. The authors add that such leaflets are distributed in Zhytomyr. It's a lie.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project investigated this case and explained that these leaflets are not real, because not a single local or national media has received such news. At the same time, information about the campaigns was disseminated only on social networks in the Russian segment. Moreover, there can be no official campaign under martial law. The fact-checkers add that according to the law “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” it is prohibited to hold elections. And on November 6, Volodymyr Zelenskyi stated that there was “no time” to hold elections.

But the absence of an official propaganda campaign does not indicate that anyone, including the Kremlin’s minions, is ready to create such a leaflet using graphic editors and then create news about the “distribution” of propaganda. Analysts have not determined the authenticity of the photo itself.

We recently analyzed the message of Russian propaganda, where they claimed that the West is allegedly preparing a coup against Zelenskyi: and they want to put Valerii Zaluzhnyi in his place, who is supposedly more favorable to Western leaders. Such stories are generally intended to convince consumers of disinformation that there is a split in the military-political leadership of Ukraine.

Propagandists broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks are distributing a video allegedly filmed recently at protests against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Zhytomyr. Like, slogans such as “Get out!” were heard on them. But in fact this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the video being distributed was recorded during a protest on Independence Square in Kyiv on October 1, 2019. In particular, analysts point out that in the video one can recognize the architectural ensemble of Maidan Nezalezhnosti. In addition, StopFake specialists found in the Russian search engine Yandex a video from the then Kyiv protest, where protesters can be seen chanting “Get out!” and holding the same posters and flags as in the video distributed by propagandists. This all confirms that both recordings show the same Kyiv action from four years ago.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to create internal tension and conflicts in Ukraine. Detector Media also noted the intensification of this narrative and refuted a number of fabrications of Russian propaganda aimed at personally discrediting Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Russian media are spreading information that the West is planning to carry out a coup in Ukraine and wants to deprive Zelenskyi of power. The authors explain: on November 1, 2023, the British edition of The Economist “not without reason” published an article by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and an interview with him - supposedly the West is trying to show its commitment to Zaluzhnyi, and not to Zelenskyi. After all, on October 30, 2023, the American magazine Time dedicated the cover of its new issue and an article to the Ukrainian president. “No one believes in our victory as much as I do. The lonely struggle of Volodymyr Zelensky”,  said the cover. In fact, the authors of the propaganda correspondence explain that the West is hinting at the “mediocrity” of the Ukrainian president.

Specialists from the EU vs Disinfo project investigated the case and explained that this is a typical conspiracy theory that has no confirmation. Such theses are aimed only at undermining the authority of Zelenskyi, who is allegedly losing the support of the West. And nothing indicates that Zaluzhnyi’s interview once shows the West’s “favor” for the commander-in-chief.

Detector Media analysts analyzed materials from The Times and The Economist - one  can read about it here. In short, the article about Zelenskyi contains manipulative signs, because “all betrayal goes through the stamp of anonymity”. And Russian propaganda  really gloated about this, explaining by this the so-called incompetence of the Ukrainian president.

Russian Foreign Ministry representative Mariia Zakharova is promoting the narrative that turbulence in Ukraine is growing, and that election campaigns are even starting to gain power in the country. Officials and those in power allegedly do not take into account ordinary Ukrainians, many of whom are on the brink of survival, and think only about their own benefit.

This message was recorded by the Center for Countering Disinformation. Such statements from a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry are nothing more than an attempt to root the opinion in Ukrainian society about internal conflicts among the top leadership of Ukraine. On the other hand, propaganda resources continue to discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and refer to the statement about the inappropriateness of elections in Ukraine under martial law. Finally, the enemy aims to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt among the Ukrainian society regarding the possible course of action in the country, using one of the propaganda tactics.

Media and social media users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi ordered the Ukrainian military to “immediately leave” the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, supported by a corresponding video. However, this video is fake.

Analysts from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the video used old footage and a voice similar to the voice of the Ukrainian president. In addition, it is distributed only by users of social networks, pro-Russian sites and Telegram channels. Not a single authoritative Ukrainian or English-language media reported such a “loud” order from the Ukrainian president. In addition, this video distributed by Russian propaganda is not on Zelensky’s official pages on social networks, where he usually publishes his addresses.

Secondly, with a detailed review of the fake “video message”, it is noticeable that Zelenskyi’s facial expressions do not correspond to his language. StopFake specialists discovered an identical video with Zelenskyi dated October 31, 2023. However, in the original video, the president does not issue any “orders” regarding Avdiivka, but talks about the situation in the Black Sea, the work of the “grain corridor”, international support, and so on. To create a fake, audio with an artificially created voice of Zelenskyi about the order to leave Avdiivka was simply superimposed on this video, using the corporate style of the 1+1 TV channel for greater credibility.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to cause panic among Ukrainians and personal distrust of Zelenskyi. Like, Ukraine is losing. However, Detector Media also refuted other fakes and manipulations on a similar topic, where propagandists manipulated the President of Ukraine.

Florian Philippot, the leader of the French Patriots party, said on a social network that, by refusing to hold presidential elections in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly staged a coup. They say this is due to the fact that citizens probably would not re-elect him.

Analysts from The Insider project drew attention to this message. They note that Filippot is the leader of a Eurosceptic party that has not done well in elections. He is already known for his speeches with anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, and his theses are actively disseminated by Russian media.

The very idea of a coup d’etat is that Zelenskyi adheres to Ukrainian laws prohibiting elections during martial law. Analysts of The Insider note that the chances of Zelenskyi’s hypothetical defeat in the elections are difficult to consider as a high one, since he remains the most popular politician in the country. For example, the results of a survey by the PolitiKum telegram channel indicate Zelenskyi’s electoral rating at 45%. According to data from the Razumkov Center published in October, the president's trust rating is now the highest in the country - 75%.

Propagandists spread such statements in order to personally discredit the President of Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted other Russian accusations against Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Pro-Russian resources began distributing a video in which supposedly Ukrainian military personnel, introducing themselves as fighters of the 3rd battalion of the 110th separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, complain to the President of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief about poor command and heavy losses in Avdiivka.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project processed this case. They found out that the 110th separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces responded to this video and refuted it. On the brigade’s official Facebook page they write that the video is not of their Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers, but of occupiers dressed in Ukrainian uniforms. In addition, suspicion was also aroused by the fact that the “military man” who complained on behalf of the battalion did not name his company, unit, position, surname or call sign in this “appeal”, although the video was recorded with open faces.

Propagandists are trying to demoralize Ukrainian society by spreading fake news like this video. They do this cynically, insidiously and resort to peculiar methods. Previously, we refuted the information that allegedly Hamas representatives recorded a video in which they thanked Zelenskyi for providing the weapons.

This thesis was spread by pro-Kremlin media. The messages add how Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly stated that Israel should fight terrorism “without laws and rules” - in fact, he allegedly called for the commission of war crimes. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project managed to process the case: they explained that the basis for creating this manipulation was most likely an interview with the Ukrainian president on the American television channel NBC News on November 5, 2023. During the live broadcast, the interviewer asked whether Volodymyr Zelenskyi is confident that Israel is subject to international law in the war with Hamas. Zelenskyi responded that it is Russia, Iran and North Korea that are trying to scale up the war in Israel:

“This is a fire that is burning between Israel and Palestine, and some people are still throwing matches into this fire, and I am sure that Russia is not far behind in sponsoring Hamas. And Iran too. That's who is to blame. When we talk about laws and rules, where there are terrorists, there are no rules [terrorists don’t care about rules ed.]”.

Actually, Volodymyr Zelenskyi meant that Russia and other “friendly countries” - Iran, North Korea, etc. — do not support the norms of international law, especially directly or indirectly incite discord. These countries, for example, actively block any legislative initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine in the UN General Assembly. And according to Zelenskyi, they may also be interested in scaling up the war in the Middle East.

But propagandists twisted the statement and began to claim that it is the Ukrainian leader who seeks to sow discord and calls for committing war crimes, regardless of the cost. Thus, propagandists demonize Volodymyr Zelenskyi and label him: let's say, he is an aggressor and a provocateur who wants wars around the world.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the English-speaking segment of social networks claim that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, has surrendered, and Ukraine has been under the complete control of Russia since this weekend. The primary source is an unknown tweet with the following content: “Zelenskyi surrendered. Ukraine has fallen. Israel is next”. This is a fake.

Specialists of the Associated Press drew attention to him. They found that the tweet had been shared/liked more than 10,000 times as of Monday, November 5. A number of high-ranking officials, especially Volodymyr Zelenskyi, emphasize that there is no question of a truce, just like there is no draw in the war. Russian aggression against Ukraine over the weekend did not stop, as evidenced by Russia's air attack on 10 regions of Ukraine, which led to the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

By spreading such fakes based on the statements of Ukrainian high-ranking officials, propagandists want to distort reality and create a false identity between Russian aggression against Ukraine and the war in Israel and Palestine. In addition, they use the increased level of coverage of events in the Middle East to try to convince foreigners that they are right. Detector Media refuted other Russian messages, manipulations and fakes on the topic of events in Israel.

Such information was disseminated on social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that VICKS allegedly launched an ad for a nasal spray in New York City featuring an animated character who “looks like Volodymyr Zelenskyi”. The authors of the message add a video where the hero strongly inhales air and then explodes. The video ends with the slogan: “VICKS helps increase the capabilities of your nose!”. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck fact-checkers analyzed the case and found that the VICKS company reported that they did not run this advertisement, but rather a compiled video. After all, no media came out with this news, and the video was only distributed on social networks in the Russian segment. In fact, experts used a reverse search on Google to discover the location of the likely advertisement. The fake video also contains other advertisements: for example, on the screen nearby they advertise the Amazon Freevee platform, where one can watch the series Jury Duty. Although the film was still released in April 2023. It is unlikely that it will be advertised 6 months later.

We have repeatedly documented hoaxes involving fake graffiti or covers on foreign magazines, newspaper columns or advertisements. Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. So it may seem to readers that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, hinting that people are mocking the situation in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that representatives of the Hamas group allegedly recorded a video thanking Volodymyr Zelenskyi for the transferred weapons, which help resist Israel. It's fake.

Fact-checkers at the Center for Countering Disinformation analyzed the video and determined that it was fake. It is this video that is being distributed by Russian propaganda resources and fake foreign accounts, the time and place of filming are unknown. Moreover, the video cannot be verified because Hamas representatives have their faces covered.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and reduce the assistance of Western partners. This is a continuation of the disinformation campaign about Ukrainian weapons in the hands of Hamas. Previously, Detector Media refuted the fake that Ukraine sells weapons to Hamas and debunked the fake that Hamas militants use weapons from Mukachevo.

Russian telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are disseminating information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umierov allegedly “gave consent to same-sex marriage in Ukraine”. Russian propaganda also reports that because of this decision, a “blue brigade” consisting of LGBT+ representatives will be created in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is not true.

The case was examined by the fact-checkers from the Center for Strategic Communications and the BezBrekhni (No Lies) project. They note that Article 51 of the Constitution of Ukraine states that “marriage is based on the free consent of a woman and a man”. That is, the president cannot give permission for marriage, and the minister of defense has nothing to do with legislative initiatives.

Russian propaganda presents people belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community as something wrong, unacceptable, which is coming from the West. Russian propagandists justify a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by arguing that they are fighting for traditional values and protecting our country from Western propaganda of LGBT culture. Previously, we conducted a study of the Ukrainian segment of social networks, where we identified the key trends in rhetoric directed against LGBTQIA people and their sympathizers: “Homophobia in social networks: about values between Russian propaganda and Ukrainians’ disputes”.

Russian information resources, broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, are distributing the cover of the supposedly German satirical publication Titanic, which depicts the President of Ukraine and people wearing Zelenskyi masks, with the headline “This time there won’t be enough candies for everyone”. This is a hint that the world's attention is focused on Israel, and not on the war in Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was examined by the fact-checkers from the Center for Countering Disinformation. They determined that there was no actual issue of Titanic magazine with such a cover. On the publication's website one can find the latest issue for October, number 10, with a different cover. On the cover, which is distributed by Russian propaganda, the number is indicated - 11, the magazine itself is published once a month, so this is another confirmation that it is fake.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to promote the message that the West is tired of the war in Ukraine and has reduced support and will supply less weapons. All this is to sow panic among Ukrainians. Previously, we refuted the fake that the French magazine Charlie Hebdo dedicated its cover to the Hamas movement.

Russian telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are allegedly distributing the cover of the Turkish magazine Le Man with the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyi “furious at the whole world”. The President of Ukraine is irritated allegedly because the attention of the world media is focused on the conflict between Palestine and Israel, while there is also a war going on in Ukraine. It's fake.

The case was examined by the fact-checkers from the Center for Strategic Communications and the BezBrekhni (No lie) project. They found that there was no such cover either on social networks or on the official website of the publication. Moreover, the last issue of the magazine was published on October 11 (No. 1646), and the date on the fake binding is October 16 (No. 1647).

Thus, Russian propaganda seeks to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi and create the illusion that the whole world is tired of the war in Ukraine, and therefore has switched to the conflict between Palestine and Israel. Previously, we refuted the fake that the French magazine Charlie Hebdo dedicated its cover to the Hamas movement.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks claim that secret agents will soon begin working at stations and trains in Ukraine, who will allegedly look for people “disloyal to the authorities and the Zelenskyi regime” among passengers. This is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that on October 9, the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia announced the start of work of the first railway safety marshals. Today, departmental security workers work on one of the popular western routes, which requires more attention for better passenger safety. According to representatives of Ukrzaliznytsia, the main task of the marshals is to control the situation in passenger transportation and respond in a timely manner if necessary. They note that such work is normal practice for passenger transportation companies. For example, this practice is used in the USA, Canada, India, Israel, Great Britain, Singapore, etc. Innovations are related to military operations on the territory of Ukraine.

By spreading such manipulations, propagandists want to personally discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. They say he establishes a dictatorship in Ukraine and destroys his critics even during normal passenger transportation. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other fakes and manipulations about Zelenskyi.

An alleged report from the Israeli publication The Jerusalem Post began to spread online, in which Avi Melamedson, a pastry chef from Israel, accuses Volodymyr Zelenskyi of the fact that, due to corruption in Ukraine, Ukrainian weapons fell into the hands of Hamas militants. Thus, the President of Ukraine “undermines the trust” of the Israeli people and seems to be handing over weapons to the enemy. As a sign of protest and “punishment”, the pastry chef baked a cake with Zelenskyi on the gallows, and also published an angry video on Instagram about this. It's fake.

Users of social networks and authoritative publications are discussing where Hamas got such a large number of weapons from the Russian-Ukrainian war. Experts from the Center for Countering Disinformation analyzed the cake report and found that The Jerusalem Post did not actually create such a story. Yes, Avi Melamedson recorded a video and distributed it on Instagram, but its subject was not Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the accusation against him of Ukraine’s support for Hamas, and in the publication the pastry chef spoke about hate speech against Jews.

In this case, Russia uses discredit tactics - undermining the authority of an institution or person to reduce trust and legitimacy. Previously, we also wrote about how Russian propaganda systematically uses the topic of corruption in Ukraine to achieve its goals. Russia is trying to maintain the image of Ukraine as “the most corrupt state in Europe” and emphasize that the anti-corruption policy of the Ukrainian government is more like an imitation of pro-Western reforms.