Russian sources are spreading information about alleged “atrocities” by Ukrainian soldiers from the 61st separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region. The propagandists write that a Ukrainian serviceman allegedly “bragged” online about a photograph depicting “tortured peaceful resisting residents”.

However, this is a fake. The Center for Countering Disinformation found the original message, and it turned out that it had a completely different context. Russian propagandists made certain manipulations with the real correspondence, changing its text in a photo editor and, finally, presenting it as the real one.

The purpose of the fake is to present Ukrainian military personnel in a negative light. That is, it is about discrediting Ukrainian soldiers, in particular those carrying out combat missions in the Kursk region. Earlier, we documented a fake that Ukraine allegedly created “concentration camps” in the Sumy region.

Propagandists are spreading information that a mutiny has occurred in the 116th separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Kupiansk. In addition, they claim that the unit has lost its combat capability, as a result of which it was allegedly withdrawn from the combat zone. The enemy's messages say that the military refuses to follow orders, and relatives are raising money for lawyers to help the detained fighters avoid punishment. However, this is fake.

This was reported by specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. They checked this information among the military command and confirmed that these statements were fictitious. The brigade continues to carry out combat missions in a certain area of responsibility and acts in accordance with orders.

Such information leaks are part of psychological operations aimed at undermining the morale of the military and distrust of the Ukrainian Armed Forces among the population. Their goal is to destabilize the internal front, cause panic, despondency and discredit the Ukrainian army against the backdrop of active military operations. Such campaigns are also designed to exert emotional pressure on the families of the military in order to cause fear and doubt in the effectiveness of the armed forces. The enemy uses disinformation as a weapon to weaken Ukraine's defense, so it is important to trust only verified sources of information.

A video of Ukrainian servicemen packing up their belongings is being circulated in the Russian segment of social networks. Propagandists claim that the video is allegedly evidence of “looting” by Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region.

“The villagers are robbing the Kursk region. The Nazis cannot do otherwise”, users comment.

But using image search tools, StopFake fact-checkers discovered that the video of soldiers packing their belongings was published on September 15 on the channel of a Ukrainian serviceman from the 58th separate motorized infantry brigade.

Also in the description of the video the location is indicated - Donbas. From the following videos on this channel one can see that the military is moving to another place.

Russian propaganda accuses Ukrainian troops of looting for many reasons - both to discredit the image of the Ukrainian armed forces and to distract attention from the problems with looting among Russian soldiers, which have repeatedly proven themselves guilty.

Anonymous Telegram channels are discussing the reaction of the Ukrainian leadership to a previously published article by The Wall Street Journal, which states that the number of killed Ukrainian soldiers allegedly reaches 80 thousand, and the wounded - 400 thousand. At a meeting with journalists on September 20, 2024, Volodymyr Zelenskyi denied such information.

“80 thousand? That's a lie. The real figure is significantly lower than what was published. Significantly”, Zelenskyi said.

WSJ journalists also reported that it is difficult to determine the exact number of dead and wounded in the Russian-Ukrainian war, since Russia and Ukraine refuse to publish official estimates or publish ones that “many do not trust”. And they formed their figures based on unnamed sources familiar with the situation in Ukraine.

Russian propagandists used this information drive and spread reports that Polish journalists also decided to conduct their own assessment of the dead and came up with a figure of up to 500 thousand killed Ukrainian soldiers.

“The more Ukrainian soldiers, and especially those from the western regions of Ukraine, die, the easier it will be for Poland to take back what already belongs only to it,” the propagandists who allegedly commented on the “results” of the study on Polish radio reported.

But this is just a Russian fake. No major Polish media outlets have come out with such news - and even with the help of a reverse Google search - using the key phrase “500,000 wojskowych zabitych na Ukrainie” (500 thousand soldiers died in Ukraine) there are no similar publications.

As for the phrase on Polish radio, it was also made up, because there were no “results”  of the study. Moreover, the quote that the propagandists cite was only published in the segment of Russian and anonymous telegram channels. That is, official sources did not confirm this: and the quote itself is a set of Russian rhetoric about “Poland taking the western part of Ukraine”.

Information about the dead is sensitive information that the Kremlin's minions are trying to speculate on, playing on the mood of Ukrainians. Due to the extremely inflated figures from the propagandists, it may seem that the war has no end and soon no one will be fighting. In general, such figures cannot be genuine; even the Ukrainian authorities can adjust some constant figures, for example, only deny the WSJ material, since it is currently impossible to establish the real number of dead during the active phase of the war.

Let us recall that in February of this year, the Ukrainian president reported the number of 31 thousand fallen Ukrainian soldiers over two years of the great war.

A pro-Russian resource has spread information that an advertisement for Ukrainians to join the Ukrainian Legion has been placed in a Polish aid distribution center in Lublin. It says that an Apple iPad tablet will allegedly be raffled off among those who join the Ukrainian Legion. As proof, the propagandists publish a corresponding image.

In fact, no reliable Polish or Ukrainian media outlet reported the existence of such an ad. A search for this photo using Google's reverse image function also yielded no results.

In the Polish city of Lublin, on Defenders' Day, October 1, 2024, a recruiting center of the Ukrainian Legion really opened. However, neither the Ukrainian Legion website nor the social networks of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine contain information about the Apple tablet raffle. Probably, propagandists simply made up this news, reacting to the opening of the first recruiting center of the Ukrainian Legion abroad.

Previously, we analyzed Russian manipulation, saying that Ukraine is recruiting mentally unstable foreigners.

Russian sources are spreading messages online that during military operations in the Pokrovsk direction, the 152nd separate ranger brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly disappeared along with its commander. The publications write that Ukrainian soldiers are disappearing en masse, and their relatives cannot obtain any information about the fate of their loved ones.

In fact, this is fake. The Center for Countering Disinformation verified this information with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and reported that the 152nd Brigade continues to carry out combat missions, and the statements about its “disappearance” are unfounded.

Such fakes by Russians are aimed at sowing panic among Ukrainian society, causing mistrust of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and demoralizing Ukrainian soldiers and their families. We previously refuted information that the 128th separate mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly abuses mobilized soldiers.

Propagandists regularly create videos to discredit Ukrainian military and volunteers, as well as to demoralize society. This time, due to comments in various channels and groups, they are massively distributing another fake, which was noticed by specialists from the NotaYenota project. This is a short 46-second video, filmed in vertical format with the logo of the Yedyni Novyny (The Only News) telethon. It tells the story of a 70-year-old pensioner who was allegedly beaten for refusing to provide Ukrainian soldiers with potatoes. They say that because of her decision, the military will go hungry. The video states that she “rudely refused”, spoke Russian and complained about low pensions and high prices.

However, such a video was not available on any media outlet included in the United News telethon. The logo is used to give the video authority, to create the impression that this is reliable material. Propagandists often use logos of well-known media outlets to create the illusion of truthfulness. This video plays well on emotions, but it does not contain any specific information - neither the name of the pensioner or the volunteer who allegedly beat her, nor any mention of potatoes. The police did not report such incidents, and the video consists of blurry footage where it is impossible to identify a single person. Such fakes deliberately simplify the situation, causing an emotional response and forcing people to invent details. The video recalls that the State Bureau of Investigation allegedly opened a criminal case, although this is not true, since the State Bureau of Investigation only has jurisdiction over officials, law enforcement officers and war criminals.

Propaganda thus tries to create an image of cruel and heartless soldiers or volunteers, allegedly attacking civilians. This is aimed at undermining trust and support for the defenders of Ukraine, in particular among the population that provides them with assistance. The fake is also intended to exacerbate hostility between different groups of the population - volunteers, soldiers and civilians. This division contributes to the weakening of unity, which is a key component for defending the country in war. By spreading fake stories about conflicts within society, propagandists try to demoralize citizens and create a sense of hopelessness. Such videos are used to sow doubt and pessimism, creating the impression of disorder in society. The use of fake stories with emotional triggers, such as the beating of a pensioner, is aimed at causing indignation and negative emotions, which contributes to the faster spread of disinformation among people. The Kremlin is also trying to portray Ukraine as an unstable state where social conflicts are taking place, which can affect the international community and reduce the level of support from other countries.

Propagandists claim on anonymous Telegram channels that Ukraine allegedly created concentration camps in the Sumy region, and these camps contain not only Russian civilians captured in the Kursk region, but also local Ukrainians, allegedly “awaiting the arrival of the Russian army”. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council writes about it. Its specialists found out that Russian sources came up with different versions to explain the purpose of these camps. Among them are the use of civilian prisoners as human shields, their forced participation in demining minefields or for creating staged videos. At the same time, Russian propaganda does not provide any evidence to support its claims.

The purpose of this disinformation is to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and distract attention from the war crimes that Russia itself is committing in the occupied territories, including forced measures to filter out civilians and kidnap children. Such fakes create a false impression of events in Ukraine and try to justify Russia's actions by manipulating fears and distracting from responsibility for its crimes.

Russian propaganda resources are spreading reports that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) allegedly detained employees of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR MO) who were trying to enter Russia from Lithuania. The goal of the Ukrainian intelligence officers was to “gather information about border security and kidnap a child”.

In fact, this information is not true. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation after verifying this news. They also added that Ukrainian intelligence does not use such methods, and this statement is another provocation by Russian special services.

The purpose of the fake is to discredit Ukrainian intelligence officers and demonize them in the eyes of ordinary Russians, because in addition to “collecting information”,  they allegedly also wanted to “steal a child”. Earlier, we wrote about eight fake chats that copied the official “Main Intelligence Bot”.

Russian propagandists are spreading manipulative messages that Russian aviation allegedly destroyed a UAV train in Zaporizhzhia. Russian media, citing the alleged words of the spokesman of the Operational-Strategic Group of Forces “Tavria” Vladyslav Voloshyn, claim that the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly confirmed the “liquidation of the UAV production workshop”. This is reported by StopFake.

In fact, Russia has really stepped up terror against the civilian population of Ukraine's frontline cities - dozens of airstrikes are carried out daily on Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kherson, Odesa and other populated areas. Schools, playgrounds, residential buildings and hospitals often fall under these indiscriminate attacks. Russian occupiers have modernized guided aerial bombs (GAB), allowing them to attack cities located deep in the rear. On September 27, 2024, on the air of Novosti.Live, the press secretary of the Tavria Operational-Strategic Group of Forces, Vladyslav Voloshyn, commented on the modernization of Russian aerial bombs, but made no statements about the destruction of “UAV workshops”. Voloshyn noted that Russia continues to destroy Ukrainian frontline cities, striking the civilian population. He also noted that it is very difficult to shoot down guided air bombs and Ukraine should focus on destroying the enemy's rear airfields and its aircraft. This requires long-range weapons.

Russia's airstrikes in Ukraine can be considered war crimes falling under the jurisdiction of international courts. In this context, on March 5, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for the commander of Russia's Long-Range Aviation Serhii Kobylash and the former commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Viktor Sokolov for attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.

Propaganda is trying to create the false impression that the Ukrainian military will suffer serious losses due to Russian airstrikes. Fakes about the destruction of “UAV warehouses” and “drone production workshops” help to present Russia as an effective force capable of carrying out pinpoint strikes on important Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities. By claiming that Ukrainian speakers allegedly confirm Russian successes, the Kremlin is trying to raise doubts about the veracity of Ukrainian reports and sow mistrust among Ukrainian citizens and the international community. The spread of false reports about allegedly massive strikes on important facilities in the rear can also sow panic among the population, undermine morale and create a sense of danger even far from the front line. Fake reports about the destruction of military infrastructure can be aimed at weakening Western support for Ukraine, making them doubt the advisability of providing further assistance.

Information is being spread on social networks that the Ukrainian energy company, the Sumyoblenergo joint-stock company, allegedly promises to leave without wages those workers who refuse to donate blood to the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The publications include a photo of an announcement stating this.

“Ukrainians are forced to donate blood for the Zeus members who defend the independence and security of Ukraine in the Kursk region. And if they don't donate, they won't get paid…” - this is how the fake news scammers describe the situation.

StopFake specialists analyzed the case and contacted Sumyoblenergo with a request to confirm or deny this information. The company's press secretary stated that the ad was fake and indicated where exactly the propagandists had miscalculated. For example, the company does not have such a department as the “personnel department”, since it was this department that allegedly posted the ad.

Propagandists have been systematically spreading fakes and manipulations on the topic of an alleged blood shortage in Ukraine. In this way, the authors of the messages are trying to convince that everything is bad in Ukraine and that there are many wounded who are not receiving adequate care because “there is not enough blood”. We managed to refute several fakes on this topic. For example, one of the fakes said that Ukraine is banning all foreign citizens from becoming blood donors. We also checked the authenticity of a message on social networks about a Ukrainian woman abandoning her husband because he was “transfused with Russian blood”.

Read on Censor.NET: In Ukraine, LGBT community representatives were allegedly banned from “donating blood”

Propagandists are distributing an image on anonymous Telegram channels, which shows a propaganda poster, allegedly placed in one of the Ukrainian public toilets. The poster calls for joining the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and contains the provocative inscription “Don't piss yourself - join the Armed Forces of Ukraine”. However, this is a fake.

The poster looks evenly placed on the wall. However, paying attention to the overall plane of the image and the corners, you can see that the poster is too perfectly positioned on an uneven surface (in particular, the curvature of the walls). This may indicate that it was added using a graphics editor. The poster in the photo also does not have natural shadows that would fall from it onto the wall. This may be one of the key indicators that the image was superimposed on the photo using Photoshop or another image editing program. The lighting in the room does not match the appearance of the poster surface. The entire plane of the photo has a natural blurriness and low quality, which may be due to the poor quality of the camera. However, the poster looks too clear and bright against the background of the overall interior. Such a contrast may be a sign that the poster was inserted into the image in post-processing. In toilets, such materials quickly deteriorate from moisture or physical impact (dirt, damage), but the poster looks new, which also raises doubts. After all, the phrase “Don't piss yourself - join the Armed Forces of Ukraine” is a tracing from Russian, which is almost never used in official recruitment advertising for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A search for news about such a poster in the Ukrainian media, as well as this image on other resources, did not yield any results.

The aim of the fake is to discredit mobilization campaigns in Ukraine. The image is used to ridicule patriotic agitation and recruitment efforts into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It attempts to provoke a negative reaction from the audience, especially people who may be sensitive to subtle provocations and emotional manipulation.

Anonymous propaganda telegram channels are spreading a statement by a former Ukrainian MP that the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have allegedly already exceeded half a million people. This figure is confirmed by the state of cemeteries in large cities. However, such claims are unfounded.

This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Its experts emphasize that this former MP has long been known for his provocative and false statements, regularly used by pro-Russian propagandists. In particular, in September 2024, the man spread lies that “the Ukrainian authorities are allegedly downplaying the number of victims” after a missile strike on a military school in Poltava. In July, he claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi was allegedly preparing a bloody provocation to save US President Joe Biden. In April, the former MP spread a fake about Russian missiles allegedly hitting a military unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was allegedly located in a hotel in Chernihiv.

Propagandists try to use such information, especially inflated figures of Ukrainian Armed Forces casualties, to demoralize Ukrainian society and create disillusionment about the army’s ability to defend the country. This fake news also aims to accuse the Ukrainian leadership of hiding real losses and failing to effectively manage the army. Russian propaganda uses such statements to strengthen support for the war among Russians, claiming that the Ukrainian army is allegedly suffering catastrophic losses.

Propagandists are spreading information on anonymous Telegram channels that a Ukrainian special forces unit consisting of “mercenaries”, including thousands of fighters from the American private military company Forward and hundreds of units of equipment. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security draws attention to this. Its experts have found out that this story is yet another fictitious Russian fake, which is part of a long-term information campaign trying to promote the image of “NATO mercenaries” allegedly participating in military actions on the side of Ukraine. Russian propaganda has been actively using these fabrications since 2014 to create a myth that Ukraine is under the external control of NATO and Western countries.

In reality, Forward Observations Group is a tactical gear and medical supplies company founded by American veteran Derrick Bales. This company has nothing to do with military operations in Ukraine. It is called a “private military company” only by Russian disinformation agents.

The Kremlin uses such fakes to impose the idea that the war in Ukraine is not simply Russian aggression, but a confrontation with the entire West, in particular NATO. This helps mobilize support among the Russian population, making them believe that Russia is defending itself from foreign anger. The spread of fakes about “Western mercenaries” helps Russian propaganda explain its military failures. The successes of the Ukrainian army are often portrayed as the result of help from “all-powerful” Western forces, rather than as achievements of the Ukrainian military. The Kremlin also constantly tries to portray Ukraine as a state that is unable to independently resist Russia and needs “mercenaries” for support. This is part of the narrative about the weakness of the Ukrainian army and the alleged “external control” of the country.

Propagandists claim in the media that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) allegedly shoot prisoners of war, abuse civilians, shell residential buildings in the Kursk region, and also create concentration camps in the border regions of Russia. However, this is not true.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security draws attention to this. Its specialists have found out that propagandists have been spreading similar fake statements about the “crimes” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for years, but they have no evidence. In reality, the Ukrainian Armed Forces act in accordance with international law and strictly adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Not a single Russian fake about the “atrocities” of the Ukrainian military during the entire war has been confirmed by any independent investigation or international organizations. In addition, Russian prisoners of war held in Ukraine have all the necessary rights and are treated in accordance with international norms.

Russian propaganda is trying to create an image of Ukrainian soldiers as criminals and punishers in order to undermine international support for Ukraine and justify Russia's aggression. Such fakes are also aimed at inciting aggression and hatred among the Russian population towards Ukrainians, stimulating support for the so-called “special military operation” and attracting new volunteers to the war. The spread of such fakes helps Moscow distract attention from its real crimes in Ukraine, in particular, mass murder of civilians, torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mariia Zakharova has once again stated that in Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian soldiers are allegedly “at gunpoint” driving Russian civilians into “concentration camps”. Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasyl Nebenzia made an identical statement. He also added that “from 70 to 100 civilians were subjected to violence in the basements of the Sudzhanskyi boarding school”.

In fact, this information is not true, as reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

With this fake, Moscow is trying to shift the focus of attention from the Russian filtration camps that have been massively created by Russians in the occupied territories of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war, thereby violating international humanitarian law. However, no fakes of Kremlin propaganda absolve Russia of responsibility for its war crimes.

The Center for Countering Disinformation adds that with the help of “filtration measures” the Russian occupiers identify disloyal people and intimidate Ukrainian civilians. Many of those who did not pass the filtration ended up in Russian prisons, were subjected to torture, etc.

Earlier, we recorded a fake story that allegedly “mercenaries” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had shown extreme cruelty towards residents of the Kursk region.

Russian media have spread information that in Ukraine children's blood was allegedly forcibly taken for the needs of the army. At the same time, such propaganda materials note that this is done by the military themselves, or that this blood is collected for “foreign mercenaries”. The publications are accompanied by a photo of a guy who donated blood in an educational institution - school desks are visible in the background of the photo.

“There have already been cases in history when children's blood was used to support the health of Wehrmacht soldiers. And this practice was assessed during the Nuremberg Trials”, the propagandists write.

VoxCheck fact-checkers analyzed the case and determined that this photo was actually taken on Donor Day, which was held on August 22 in the Vinnytsia region. At that time, a blood collection point was indeed set up in a local lyceum, and the blood collection itself was carried out by a mobile team from the Vinnytsia regional blood service center with the help of local health workers.

A total of 80 people donated blood, local groups write that there were many more who wanted to, but not everyone was able to take part in this procedure due to health reasons. Many photographs from the West were published, among them readers can see the one used by agitprop, but not a single photo shows children, only adults are in line and donating blood.

Propagandists have been systematically spreading fakes and manipulations on the topic of an alleged blood shortage in Ukraine. In this way, the authors of the messages are trying to convince that everything is bad in Ukraine and that there are many wounded who are not receiving adequate care because “there is not enough blood”. We managed to refute several fakes on this topic. For example, one of the fakes said that Ukraine is banning all foreign citizens from becoming blood donors. We also checked the authenticity of a message on social networks about a Ukrainian woman abandoning her husband because he was “transfused with Russian blood”.

Propagandists are spreading information on anonymous Telegram channels that Ukrainian soldiers have stopped being fed, which is why store administrators in Pokrovsk are calling on the military not to rob their establishments, since “people also want to eat”. However, this is fake.

This is what experts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council write. They remind us that such fakes are aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the eyes of Ukrainian society. Their dissemination is aimed at creating an image of irresponsible military personnel who allegedly violate civil rights. This is an information attack aimed at reducing morale and trust in the defenders of Ukraine, especially in conditions of heavy fighting and temporary occupation of certain territories.

The aim of such fakes is also to cause tension between the military and the civilian population, to portray Ukrainian soldiers as a threat to their own people, undermining the unity of the country in its fight against Russian aggression. In addition, such fakes can influence international perceptions by presenting the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a negative light, which is in line with the Kremlin’s strategy to undermine Western support for Ukraine.

A pro-Russian Moldovan Telegram channel writes that Ukraine is “a testing ground not only for conventional, intelligent and unmanned weapons”. Wounded Ukrainian soldiers are also allegedly transported to Europe as biomaterial for studying the effects of modern weapons on humans and for testing new types of viruses and bacteria that are more resistant to antibiotics. In reporting this, the propagandists partly refer to the material of the British publication The Times.

In fact, the propagandists manipulated an article in The Times titled: “Ukraine war highlights mutated superbugs that can resist antibiotics”. The text tells of the case of a Ukrainian soldier whose leg was amputated at St George’s Hospital in London because antibiotics could not cure his infection, as the bacteria were resistant to all classes of antibiotics. However, the propagandists’ claims that Ukrainian servicemen are being transported to Europe to test new types of viruses and bacteria are unfounded.

At the same time, The Times writes that this is not just a crisis of war zones and distant lands. In 2022, more than 58,000 people in England were infected with an antibiotic-resistant infection, up 4% from the previous year. Moreover, almost 8,000 people die from such infections in the UK every year.

With this message, propagandists feed the narrative about Western biological laboratories in Ukraine. As part of this disinformation campaign, we recorded a number of such leaks. For example, we wrote about the spread of a fake about the invasion of poisonous spiders from American biological laboratories in Ukraine.

Russian Telegram channels are distributing a video that allegedly talks about cases of abuse of mobilized soldiers in the 128th separate mountain assault Transcarpathian Brigade. According to the propagandists, this footage was filmed by one of the brigade's combat medics.

However, the Center for Countering Disinformation, having verified the information in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that the disseminated recordings about the alleged cruel treatment of mobilized personnel are another Russian propaganda leak. The Center added that an investigation was conducted, as a result of which no facts were found that confirm the statements of the author of the aforementioned videos.

This fake is aimed at undermining the mobilization process in Ukraine and discrediting the Ukrainian defense forces. Russia shows that the Ukrainian army allegedly treats newly mobilized people badly, thereby trying to reflect the desire of Ukrainians to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Earlier, we analyzed the disinformation that Olena Zelenska called on women to mobilize.

Russian Telegram channels are spreading information about the search for armed prisoners in the “Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions” who, after signing a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, voluntarily left the military unit. The propagandists add that these individuals, known as the “Dnipropetrovsk maniacs”, are guilty of numerous murders.

However, the information about the escape of these persons is not true. According to the records of the Information Subsystem of the National Police, they are not wanted - this was reported to the Center for Countering Disinformation by the Head of the Communications Department of the National Police of Ukraine Olena Berezhna. In addition, the “wanted announcement” mentions “Dnipro region”, but such a region does not exist in Ukraine, which further indicates that this news is fake.

Also, the persons in question could not sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine due to the current restrictions of the Ministry of Defense, the Center for Countering Disinformation adds (persons convicted of murdering two or more people cannot sign a contract and leave prison).

By spreading such disinformation, propagandists seek to discredit the bill No. 11079-1 adopted in May 2024 on the mobilization of certain categories of convicts. Thus, we have previously documented similar fakes. For example, on mobilized prisoners who allegedly sell drugs in the Sumy region.

Propagandists are spreading information that during Russia's missile strike on Kharkiv, facilities of the nationalist Azov battalion were hit, including a shopping center where the military allegedly set up their base. However, this is a fake.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security writes about this. They found out that this is a typical technique of Russian propaganda. Russia deliberately attacks civilian objects in Ukraine, committing acts of terror. Every time a Russian missile hits a hospital, school, shopping center or post office, propagandists claim that it was a “military object” or “Azov base”.

In this way, the occupiers are trying to shift responsibility to Ukraine, claiming that “the Ukrainian Armed Forces are using civilian objects and the population as a “human shield”.”

In fact, on September 1, Russian terrorists deliberately launched a missile attack on a shopping mall, the Sports Palace, and one of the Nova Poshta branches in Kharkiv. According to the city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, 44 people were injured as a result of the shelling of these facilities, including seven children, the youngest child being only three months old.

Anonymous Telegram channels are spreading a video that appears to show a soldier forcibly evacuating residents of Vovchansk in order to “then freely rob their homes”.

VoxCheck analysts explained that the Kharkiv region authorities announced the evacuation of Vovchansk precisely because of constant Russian shelling and the threat of occupation. In addition, the person in the video is not a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but an employee of the National Police.

The excerpt distributed by the Kremlin's henchmen is part of a video about the evacuation of Vovchansk, which was published on May 23, 2024, on the YouTube channel by the host of Channel 24. It shows, in particular, the evacuation of a family with a child who did not want to leave. In the end, they agreed to temporarily leave the city.

Parents cannot refuse to evacuate their children. Otherwise, they may be subject to administrative or criminal liability for failure to fulfill their child-rearing responsibilities. However, in this case, the priority is the safety of the children, not the punishment of the parents. Therefore, law enforcement officers and local authorities are trying to convince parents or other guardians to leave with their children. In fact, this is also shown in the video – a law enforcement officer explains to the parents why they need to leave.

On May 10, 2024, the Russian army launched an offensive in the north of the Kharkiv region. Due to the threat to the lives and health of local residents, the evacuation of the population from the city was accelerated on the same day.

Against the backdrop of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region, pro-Russian and anonymous Telegram channels began a series of discrediting messages about the military. In particular, one of these is the assertion that the “Kursk adventure” has escalated into “the murder of Ukraine”: as the messages claim, Volodymyr Zelenskyi ordered all forces to be sent to the Kursk region in order to achieve military success there. At the same time, other directions were left “without any military”, which allowed the Russians to advance further.

“Now the Russian army will soon control the entire territory of Donbas, which will simplify the enemy's offensive along this entire front”, the propagandists explain.

In fact, such a thesis is not true, no directions could be left “to the mercy of fate”. In this way, the fake news is trying to convince of the failure of the Kursk operation for the Ukrainian side. It would seem that these are just wasted resources. At the same time, they feed the mood of the domestic audience: if we are talking about an attack on Russian territory, the Kremlin's henchmen find justification for such an attack. They say that the Ukrainian army is already losing, it will soon retreat from the territory of Kursk region; and during this time, Russia will attack other territories.

Although, for example, in Lithuania, they recorded a reduction in Russian ground forces due to the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia. This was stated by the commander of the Lithuanian army. That is, one way or another, the Kursk operation affected the actions of the Russian troops and there, at least, rotations to other directions are taking place.

Let us recall that Ukrainian troops broke through the Russian border in the Sumy region on Tuesday, August 6. On August 12, President Zelenskyi wrote directly for the first time that Ukraine was conducting an operation in the Kursk region of Russia. On August 12, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukraine controls almost 1,000 km of Kursk region. As of August 21, 93 settlements in Russia are under Ukraine's control.

Anonymous Telegram channels and social networks in the Russian segment are spreading information that after the offensive on Kursk, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense in Donetsk region was left without shells and soldiers. This is reported by the American publication The Financial Times.

“The offensive in Kursk has accelerated Russia's offensive in Donbas. This happened because up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops, including elite airborne assault units, were withdrawn from this section of the front. Priority in providing ammunition, as well as soldiers, is given to the Kursk direction, officers transferred from Donbas to Russian territory told FT”, they reported on social networks.

StopFake fact-checkers analyzed the case and determined that The Financial Times article did not say at all that the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense in Donetsk region “was left without shells and soldiers” after the offensive on Kursk region.

The article emphasizes that due to the Kursk operation, Ukrainian servicemen in Donbas have to ration the amount of ammunition, and soldiers “may face an even longer stay at the front without rotation”. Moreover, this is the conclusion of the authors of the publication themselves, that is, an assumption.

Let us remind you that Ukrainian troops broke through the Russian border in the Sumy region on Tuesday, August 6. On August 12, President Zelenskyi wrote directly for the first time that Ukraine was conducting an operation in the Kursk region of Russia. On August 12, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukraine controls almost 1,000 km of the Kursk region. As of August 21, 93 settlements in Russia are under Ukraine's control.

Read on Censor.NET: The US is allegedly involved in the operation in the Kursk region.