Ads are being circulated on social networks allegedly from the ATB-Market supermarket chain, which states that from June 1, men over 18 years of age are prohibited from entering the chain’s stores without a military ID.

VoxCheck analysts found that the ATB-Market network reported that they had not published such an advertisement. There are numerous inaccuracies in the ad text.

Moreover, Territorial center of recruitment and social support employees, police officers and border guards have the right to check a military ID, but not store employees. Also, the announcement did not indicate the reason for introducing a corresponding ban on entering the store.

Russian propaganda is disseminating information that a Ukrainian serviceman hid for two years in the sewer system of the Azovstal plant in occupied Mariupol. He allegedly drank sewage and ate rats, but survived.

In fact, the emaciated man in the photo returned from Russian captivity on May 31, 2024. This is one of the National Guardsmen who guarded the Chornobyl nuclear power plant when the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. The purpose of this Russian fake is to deny the facts of cruel treatment and abuse of Ukrainian prisoners.

The Center adds that Ukrainian law enforcement officers are investigating the murder of more than 60 Ukrainian captives by Russians. Also, 450 criminal proceedings have been registered on facts of ill-treatment of prisoners of war. At the same time, the Russian Federation, in violation of international law, systematically captures Ukrainian civilians. Previously, we wrote about how Russia is manipulating the topic of prisoner exchange.

Propaganda resources are spreading reports that Ukrainian oligarchs, who control Ukraine's strategic energy sector, deliberately turn off electricity in the summer. Thus, they allegedly want to divert the attention of Ukrainians from “Zelenskyi’s illegitimacy”, demoralize and control them.

In fact, such statements are fake, write the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The culprits behind the blackouts are the Russians, who are terroristically targeting Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure. By doing so, they seek to plunge Ukrainians into darkness and provoke a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

In addition, Russian propaganda circulates conspiracy theories in the information space with the aim of psychologically influencing Ukrainians, saying that the limitation of electricity supply is “unmotivated”.

Previously, we analyzed the media manipulation of Russian propaganda, which consisted in the fact that the energy sector in Ukraine was allegedly protected only with sandbags costing two billion hryvnia.

Russian telegram channels and the Russian Embassy in South Africa distributed a video in which several Russian fighters allegedly captured “a French citizen who fought on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces”.

However, in fact, this is a fake video, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. The video was directed by Russian propagandists to promote the narrative about the presence of French mercenaries in Ukraine. In particular, the falsification of the video is evidenced by the very strong accent of the “captive”, which was also emphasized by the French Embassy in South Africa in a message from their colleagues from the Russian Federation:

“You have been spreading fake news for a long time, and we have become accustomed to this rather undiplomatic practice. However, this news is particularly meaningless. We encourage your actors to work on their accent in their French lessons at Alliance française”.

The Center also noted that the publication of such fake videos by representatives of Russian diplomatic departments once again confirms that Russian diplomacy is just a tool for disseminating Russian propaganda. Previously, we analyzed a Russian video fake, according to which only three Ukrainian men who were mobilized allegedly immediately died in the war.

Propagandists continue to claim that on June 2, during the visit of a delegation from Iceland to Kyiv, they handed over “a batch of equipment to increase the efficiency of mobilization”, including “detainment restraints”. The reports are supplemented by so-called photographic evidence from the meeting of officials.

Propagandists cite the words of “the head of the delegation, Bjarni Benediktsson, a female”, who allegedly said: “I am sure that the equipment being transferred will help speed up the recruitment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Beat our common enemy, thank you for protecting the entire civilized world. Sometimes you have to, even if you don’t want to, you have to because I can’t!”

But StopFake fact-checkers investigated the case and found out that, first of all, Bjarni Benediktsson is a man; he became Prime Minister of Iceland on April 9, 2024. And in the photographs, Katrin Jakobsdottir is the previous Prime Minister of Iceland. She met with the President of Ukraine in March 2023.

There was no talk of any transfer of “restraint devices for detaining evaders”; this was an invention of Russian propaganda.

Russian media write that ex-minister Oleksii Reznikov allegedly acquired United States citizenship, and he allegedly even wrote about this on his page on the social network Instagram. At the same time, the fake news agencies claim that the primary source of this news is the American CNN.

StopFake analysts analyzed the case and found out that such news was completely made up. The ex-minister did not make such statements and there is no such publication on CNN.

Russian propaganda periodically spreads disinformation that Ukrainian officials, politicians or military personnel have allegedly received citizenship of other countries. First of all, such narratives are aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian government and army, creating the false impression that they do not believe in Ukraine’s victory and are preparing to flee abroad.

A video is being circulated online in which Ukrainian soldiers allegedly shoot mercenaries from Africa. In the video itself, one can see what appears to be Ukrainian soldiers and four men kneeling against the wall.

The Center for Countering Disinformation reports that this video is staged, because the video was first distributed in the Russian segment of social networks. Subsequently, propaganda media circulated the video.

Fact-checkers of the Central Police Department add that those “being shot” are standing in front of a brick wall, from which bullets should ricochet, which would be dangerous for the “shooters” themselves. That is, this may indicate the likely use of footage and special editors to create a characteristic video.

In the Georgian segment of Facebook, the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is accused of taking children away from Ukrainians and selling them to British pedophiles. According to the author of the report, investigative journalist Jonathan Hill published this information in The Austin Crier newspaper.

Fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project explained that all accusations against Olena Zelenska are unreliable. After all, at first the information was disseminated on Russian and French propaganda sites and was based mainly on fake journalists and eyewitness accounts. There were no publications from the investigative journalist on this topic.

The Olena Zelenska Foundation is engaged in charity work and helps children and families affected by war in various humanitarian ways.

European Parliament member Mick Wallace expressed disappointment that, in his opinion, Europeans in Ukraine bought more land than Russian troops captured in the east of the country. He accused the West of turning Ukraine into a colony, pointing to reform of land laws that allowed foreigners to purchase agricultural land. His statement was quickly picked up by the Russians. However, the facts show that the information is false.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this fake. They note that the Law on the Land Market in Ukraine was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on March 31, 2020, but according to it, foreigners do not have the right to buy agricultural land. This is confirmed by Serhii Datsiv, senior lawyer at Integrites. He noted that the lifting of restrictions could become the subject of an all-Ukrainian referendum. It is now impossible to predict when this will happen due to the martial law in the country.

During the two years of operation of the land market from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2023, Ukraine sold only 1% of agricultural land that was previously under a moratorium on sales. According to the Geodetic Service of Ukraine, as of May 2024, 307,966 land plots with a total area of 677,982 hectares were sold.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Ukraine among Western partners and create distrust of the government’s actions among Ukrainians. They say that there is almost no country left because all its land was sold off.

Propagandists spread information in the media that ordinary Britons are allegedly frightened by the threat of a Russian invasion and therefore stock up, emptying supermarket shelves. They say that the British government has begun to prepare the population for possible emergencies by launching an information campaign. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden launched the government's disaster preparedness website, listing 100 possible threats, including a “full-scale Russian invasion” and disruption of transport links by drones. The Daily Mail claims that calls for an anti-crisis kit have allegedly caused panic among the British. However, this is fake.

The Insider specialists drew attention to it. They found that on May 22, the government website launched a Get prepared for emergencies page with tips on evacuating, storing important phone numbers and things you should have at home: a flashlight, a portable charger, a radio, first aid kit, hand sanitizer, water and canned food. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden spoke at the London Security Conference, where he outlined the government's approach to emergency preparedness. He referred to the National Risk Register, which contains possible threats to UK residents, including natural disasters, man-made accidents, terrorist attacks and military threats. There are no reports of panic buying of goods from the government list in the British media. The Daily Mail only urged shoppers not to repeat the panic buying that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Propagandists spread such fake news to discredit foreigners and cause unnecessary panic among Europeans.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that Ukrainians allegedly set fire to the Spektrum Tower skyscraper in Warsaw. They say that Western countries are silent about the participation of Ukrainians and justify this by faulty electrical wiring. The Ukrainians themselves, according to propagandists, are taking revenge in this way for the fact that Poland and the Baltic countries are deporting them back to the war. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that on May 8, 2024, a fire occurred in the Spektrum Tower office building in Warsaw. However, the State Fire Marshal's Office did not then release the cause of the fire or the names or nationalities of those who may have been involved. The Polish media did not report this either. Additionally, the VoxCheck team has not received a response from the Polish police regarding this event.

On May 20, 2024, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Polish law enforcement authorities had detained 9 suspects who were most likely members of a Russian spy ring and involved in arson attacks in Poland. However, Tusk did not note that it was Ukrainians who were involved in the fire at Spektrum Tower in Warsaw.

It is also important to note that Poland and the Baltic countries are not deporting Ukrainians to the war, as the Russians claim. The Ambassador of Poland to Ukraine at one time emphasized that the Polish authorities will not force men of military age to return to Ukraine forcibly.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in Europe. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on this topic.

Russian propagandists are distributing images allegedly taken on the banks of the Tysa River. They say they show a spontaneous memorial intended to commemorate the men “shot by border guards” while illegally crossing the Ukrainian border. In the water one can see flowers, paper boats, as well as the inscriptions “Tysa - Sticks” and “Forgive us all”. Propagandists also claim that these images were published by the news agency Reuters. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to the case. They found that although the images contained Reuters watermarks, they were not found on the agency's website. A search for the name of the photographer listed in the posts containing the images, Horatiu Negrescu, did not return any results. Moreover, there are no sources confirming the existence of such a “memorial”. The screenshot distributed by propagandists indicates that images from the Tysa River were published on the Reuters website on May 26 and were included in the Photos of the Day section. However, this section appears on the site only on weekdays, and May 26 was a Sunday, therefore, the image for that day was not published. On Monday, May 27, the column included three photographs from Ukraine, showing the consequences of the shelling of the Kharkiv region and the actions of the Ukrainian military. Thus, there is no reliable evidence that these photographs were taken near the Tysa River - it is likely that the attackers created the photographs anywhere and added the Reuters logo in Photoshop.

Propagandists spread such fake news to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine and cause panic among the local population. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on this topic.

Information is being spread on social networks that from June 1, men over 18 years old without a military ID will not be allowed into ATB supermarkets. They say this is evidenced by an advertisement launched on the screens of a store in Zhytomyr. This message was also picked up by Russian propagandists. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the Beyond the News project drew attention to him. They found out that no restrictions were introduced for visiting ATB stores. In addition, in their refutation they referred to the official statement of ATB on the fake:

“The fabricated ad is another attempt by low-quality communicators to hype up a brand on a top topic. We ask everyone to be careful, not to fall for such provocations and check the information on the company’s official information channels!” - Serhii Demchenko, director of communications at ATB, said.

Propagandists spread such fake news to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine and cause panic among the local population. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on this topic.

Propaganda telegram channels are disseminating information that Ukraine has allegedly begun mining the banks of the Tysa River in order to prevent the escape of military personnel abroad.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council verified this information with the speaker of the State Tax Service of Ukraine Andrii Demchenko and reported that the “news” about the mining of Tysa is another fake of Russian propaganda. At the same time, according to Demchenko, to strengthen the border, Ukraine is increasing the number of border guards and using technical surveillance equipment, including video cameras and drones.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that propagandists have spread such disinformation, and its goal is to destabilize the situation in the country. Also, with the help of such fakes, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit state institutions and cause mistrust on the part of Ukrainians. Previously, we refuted information that Ukrainians were allegedly being shot on the Tysa River while fleeing mobilization.

The last visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kyiv took place on May 14-15, 2024. After a busy first day of meetings, Blinken, together with Dmytro Kuleba, visited the Veterano Pizza establishment, where, according to propagandists, allegedly before the visit of the US Secretary of State, they changed the photo of the trade union house in Odesa on fire in 2014 to a trident. And in the establishment itself there is a wall with chevrons, where the emblem of the Nazi SS Viking division is located.

However, in this case we are dealing with a photo fake. They write about this in the VoxCheck project. Since Veterano Pizza visitors most likely posted photos identifying the establishment, VoxCheck fact-checkers decided to review such posts on Instagram. For example, a photo of two men who were allegedly photographed in front of a burning trade union building in Odesa was edited. It was originally published on the navysportua Instagram page on December 14, 2021. On the wall behind the visitors it is noticeable that in place of the photo of the supposedly burning building there is actually a trident hanging on a black and red background.

We also edited the picture with the SS division chevron. The original photo was published in February 2018. There is no Nazi emblem on it - it was added by the authors of the fake in a photo editor.

Even at the beginning of a full-scale war, we refuted the information that Antony Blinken, during a visit to Lithuania, allegedly said that the Russian army is much superior to the Ukrainian one and is capable of “grinding” it.

Information is being spread online that three Territorial center of procurement and social support representatives were found dead in Odesa. First, they allegedly beat a civilian man and dragged him into a car. However, later, when the man came to his senses, he allegedly killed the servicemen. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this case. They found out that the original source of this information systematically spreads fake news about Ukraine and does not provide any evidence for its theses. Reputable Ukrainian or Western media do not have information about the three dead Territorial center of procurement and social support workers. There is also no such information on the website and social networks of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odesa region and on the page of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The original source claims that this “news” was allegedly shared with him by a subscriber whose relative works in the police, but he does not provide any details that can confirm the veracity of these words. Ukrainian media or law enforcement agencies. However, there is information that in May 2024, a resident of the Dnipropetrovsk region attempted to murder a Territorial center of procurement and social support employee. According to the investigation, representatives of the district Territorial center of procurement and social support stopped the suspect to check his documents in the city of Synelnykove. In response to this, the man suddenly pulled out a knife and wounded one of the servicemen. That is, this case was not hidden or kept silent. The media also informed the public that in the Cherkasy region unknown persons threw an explosive device into the yard of a Territorial center of procurement and social support employee, a sergeant of the Armed Forces. There was also a case in Chernivtsi, when a person liable for military service attacked and hit a representative of the Territorial center of procurement and social support, which provoked a retaliatory strike.

With this fake and others like it, Russian propaganda is trying to disrupt mobilization in Ukraine. More fakes on the topic of mobilization can be found here.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that on the night of May 28-29, 2024, the Russian army launched a Kinzhal missile at the Yavoriv test site in the Lviv region. As a result, many servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as foreign instructors, allegedly died.

However, this is a fake, they write at the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. At the time indicated by the propagandists, Russian missiles did not fly into the territory of the Lviv region. In addition, on the night from May 28 to May 29, an air raid alert was not announced in the Lviv region (with the exception of the period from 20:17 to 20:31 on May 28, but no launches were recorded). Also, the Lviv Air Force, which reports a hit during air raids, did not record any strikes on any infrastructure within the region. No hits were recorded in the International Peacekeeping Center or the military departments of partner countries.

As of May 30, 2024, the last time missiles flew into the airspace of the Lviv region was on the night of May 26, but they subsequently disappeared from radar. Subsequently, on the night from May 31 to June 1, six missiles hit three critical infrastructure facilities in the Lviv region. However, from May 27 to May 31, no missiles were recorded in the airspace of the Lviv region. Previously, we refuted information that 180 foreigners were allegedly killed near Lviv by Russian missiles.

Pro-Kremlin resources are spreading information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have decided to release water from the dam at the Dnipro hydroelectric station in order to try to slow down the advance of the Russian army. However, in this way the Armed Forces of Ukraine seem to be only trying to delay the “inevitable dismissal of Russian Kherson”.

In fact, the fluctuation in the water level in the Dnipro is connected, firstly, with the Ukrainian energy system, which was damaged as a result of Russian missile attacks on it. Secondly, small changes in the water level in the Dnipro cascade of reservoirs are due to the natural process of spring floods in Ukraine.

The Dnipro cascade, consisting of six hydroelectric power stations, allows one to control and regulate the natural process of spring floods on the Dnipro River. In the spring of 2024, five of the six hydroelectric power plants in Ukraine experienced floods as planned. The sixth - Kakhovska hydroelectric power station - is not working due to the fact that it was blown up by Russia in June 2023.

Levels of flooding of Ukrainian territories as a result of spring floods are observed only in certain parts of the Chernihiv region (northern Ukraine, completely controlled by the Ukrainian army), reports the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center. At the same time, in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, water levels have decreased significantly. Accordingly, controlled water releases at Ukrainian hydroelectric power stations can in no way flood the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, where battles with the Russian army are taking place.

A video is being circulated online in which a Kyiv woman claims that the Territorial center  of recruitment and social support representatives are training children in Kyiv schools before they go to war. However, this is fake.

In fact, the video shows practical training on the subject “Defense of Ukraine”, the VoxCheck project reports. According to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of February 26, 2020, the subject “Defense of the Fatherland” in Ukrainian schools was renamed “Defense of Ukraine”. The Ministry of Education and Science also issued recommendations for teaching “Defense of Ukraine” in general secondary education institutions in 2023/2024. According to them, the goals of training are, in particular, to prepare students for the defense of Ukraine, professional orientation of young people to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, ensuring their own safety and the safety of other people in emergency situations in peacetime and war.

In the lessons from “Defense of Ukraine”, it is recommended for students to conduct practical classes, in particular at the bases of military units, Territorial centers  of recruitment and social support, medical and health institutions and educational institutions. The Territorial centers  of recruitment and social support, as well as local governments, can indeed be involved in the organization and conduct of such events. The classes themselves may include drill techniques and movement without weapons, rehabilitation exercises to restore the body in the field, the basics of self-defense, etc.

“Defense of Ukraine” can be taught by graduates of pedagogical higher education institutions of the relevant specialty, reserve officers with military or other higher education, and also, in the absence of reserve officers, sergeants, reserve soldiers with higher education. And here it is important that for teachers the Ministry of Education and Science proposes to wear military uniforms (without insignia of the Armed Forces of Ukraine), specialized ones, and also medical uniforms. That is, the video depicts a teacher, and not a representative of the Territorial center  of recruitment and social support.

Similar practical classes for students are held in other cities of Ukraine. Completing them does not mean joining the army, since in Ukraine it is prohibited to mobilize citizens aged 18-25 if they are not liable for military service - have not served in military service or do not have military education. In the end, there is no information in any Kyiv or authoritative national Ukrainian publications that Territorial centers  of recruitment and social support trains schoolchildren.

It’s just that now the approach to teaching the “Defense of Ukraine” course in grades 10-11 is being updated and trainers for teachers from the program are being recruited. Read here who can become a coach. One can fill out the selection form until June 4, 2024.

Previously, we refuted the information that Rustem Umierov allegedly called for the mobilization of 16-year-old teenagers, and also analyzed the fake news about the alleged mobilization of 1000 students of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

On social networks, in particular Threads, a photo is being circulated that allegedly shows data from the “leaked” Reserve+ database. It contains information about 1 million people, and it seems to be already being sold on the black market.

In fact, this is a fake photo, write experts from the VoxCheck project. If one carefully examines the screenshot, one will notice inaccuracies indicating that the “leaked Reserve+ database” is fake.

For example, in the “military rank” column one can see such ranks as “sergeant major”, “warrant officer” and “senior warrant officer”, but they were abolished long ago in Ukraine; a different list of ranks has been in effect since October 2020.

Also, the “table” contains an error where it says “lifetime”. Even if this is really a mechanical error, then in Ukrainian the correct word will be “service life”. There are also errors in design. For example, the name of a military unit is indicated in different ways: both together with the instruction “military unit” and only the unit code. Some surnames are written entirely in capital letters, while others are not. There is also a sharp transition between the column with names and phone numbers.

In the end, according to the tax identification number, fact-checkers from VoxCheck found that some of the people on the list are over 60 years old, and accordingly, they do not need to update the data, because they have been removed from the military register. This can be checked using the Public Services Portal and entering the identification code from the table. It is also unclear why the addresses and phone numbers were blurred, because if the data is true and has already been leaked to the darknet, then there is no point in hiding it.

Pro-Russian telegram channels publish a video on behalf of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in which the center’s analysts allegedly discovered a new reason for the ineffective counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: addiction to online games. In particular, the video is about online casinos. Allegedly, every third Ukrainian military man who has a phone has one or more profiles on different online casino platforms. Also, the material and messages from Russian propagandists provide “statistics” of Ukrainian losses from Russian drones due to gambling addiction.

However, this information is fake, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. This video is not available on the official pages of the Institute for the Study of War. Accordingly, the statistics and information contained in it also do not correspond to reality, because they were invented by Russian fake news. Moreover, this is not the first time that Russians have spread disinformation on behalf of the American ISW. Thus, earlier we analyzed the fake news that the Institute for the Study of War seems to be predicting a rapid advance of Russians in the Kharkiv region and an assault on the regional center.

Russian propagandists write that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) allegedly launched the “Reznikov vs Ukraine” process on the “fact” of torture of Russian prisoner of war Denys Reznikov. In asserting this, they refer to the corresponding statement of the so-called “human rights activist” Vikhoreva.

In fact, the website of the European Court of Human Rights does not contain a single mention of the case of Denys Reznikov. In addition, in the document cited by Russian propagandists, it is unclear how Reznikov turned into a “woman”, while in other ECHR documents the gender is indicated according to the rules of transliteration.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine writes that the distributed document is a fake that propagandists created using graphic editors. Previously, we refuted information that Russia supposedly treats Ukrainian captives “humanely”.

Pro-Kremlin media, citing the British television channel SkyNews, disseminated information that the rate of production of artillery ammunition in Russia is three times higher than that of all Western countries combined. In turn, SkyNews referred to data from the consulting company Bain & Company. According to “forecasts”, the Russian Federation will produce about 4.5 million artillery shells in 2024, while the United States and European countries will produce a total of approximately 1.3 million.

However, this information is not true. The head of the Conflict Intelligence Team, Ruslan Leviev, pointed out the mistake of the consulting company and, as a result, the British television channel that trusted its assessment:

“The problem is that they [the Bain & Company analysts. - ed.] name the number of shells that the USA and Europe will make, they are talking about shells of the same caliber, the main one is 155 mm. And when they say that Russia will produce 4.5 million of its shells, they count all artillery shells, that is, the main 152 mm, and some kind of 122 mm rocket, and all other shells too”.

Russian propagandists did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of the mistake of Western analysts to exaggerate Russia's production capabilities in the manufacture of shells.

Russian resources are distributing a story on behalf of the BBC that allegedly Bellingcat journalists found out the following: “The funeral business in Ukraine was monopolized by a company whose main shareholder is the personal eccentric of Hunter Biden, the second son of Joe Biden”.

However, this information is not true. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. In fact, this story is another fake by Russian propagandists. There are no materials on this topic on the official Bellingcat pages. In addition, there is no corresponding story on the official BBC resources.

This is not the first time that Russian propaganda has spread its fake news on behalf of reputable Western publications in an attempt to give them more credibility. All fake videos have similar templates using international media graphics and captions without voiceover of the text. Previously, we analyzed a similar video fake on behalf of the same BBC about the Bellingcat investigation, in which journalists allegedly found out that the head of the Presidential Executive Office Andrii Yermak paid $27 million for a place in Time’s ranking of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Russian media are disseminating information that Ukraine plans to “take hostage” relatives and friends of athletes who are members of the Olympic team. In particular, they quote the acting Minister of Sports of Ukraine Matvii Bidnyi, who allegedly proposed that athletes traveling to the Olympics leave a trusted person of military age, and if the athlete does not return, this person will immediately be mobilized and sent to the front.

However, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine did not make such statements. Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this. They also found out that not a single Ukrainian media, official departmental communication channels or government websites reported such a proposal from Matvii Bidnyi. This information can only be found in propaganda media.

Moreover, such a proposal, according to StopFake, is absurd, since in Ukraine, due to martial law, there is a general mobilization of all citizens liable for military service, which does not exclude the category of “relatives or friends of an athlete”. During martial law in Ukraine, all men 18-60 years old are subject to mobilization. Some workers of critical companies, government agencies and athletes may be protected from mobilization. Athletes participating in international competitions may also be allowed to travel abroad. However, not everyone receives reservations, and many athletes voluntarily went to defend the country from the first days of a full-scale war.

Matvii Bidnyi, to whom propagandists attributed this “suggestion”, spoke about the mobilization of athletes as follows: “... It is important to understand that men must defend Ukraine so that we have a future, in particular a sports one. This applies not only to men, because at the front women also fight. In the sports environment, we do not see anyone hiding from mobilization. A draft notice will come - everyone will fulfill their duty”.

Propagandists spread such fakes in order to disrupt the mobilization process in Ukraine and strengthen their message about the “politicization of sports”. Detector Media also refuted other fakes on the topic of mobilization.