On social networks, propagandists are distributing an alleged photograph of a receipt from the Silpo supermarket with the message: “You have just received a draft notice. You have 48 hours to show up at the nearest Territorial center of procurement and social support”. It is stated that when paying by card, the buyer’s personal data may appear on the receipt, and in case of failure to appear at the Territorial center of procurement and social support, the person will face trial and blocking of the bank card. However, this is not true, and the photo of the receipt has been changed.

This was found out by specialists from the VoxCheck project. The stated blocking of bank cards for failure to appear at the Territorial center of procurement and social support is untrue. The primary source of this information is probably the telegram channel “Dnipro on the Agenda”, which disseminates satirical news about Ukraine. And the photo of the receipt used for this joke has been circulating online since at least 2020. It shows that the phrase about the Territorial center of procurement and social support was added, in particular, behind a font that differs from that used on the check.

In addition, VoxCheck checked their own receipt from the Silpo supermarket and confirmed that personal data did not appear on it when purchasing there, and neither did the draft notices.

Propagandists spread such fake news to cause panic among the population. They say that now it is impossible to go shopping without the permission of the Territorial center of procurement and social support. Detector Media also refuted other Russian fakes regarding mobilization in Ukraine.

Pro-Russian media are disseminating information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is preparing to travel to the United States on the orders of Washington before ending his presidency on March 31, 2024. It is noted that a house in Florida has already been prepared for him and his family. This theory, in particular, is propagated by American journalist Jessica Delvin in her article on The DC Weekly portal and by an anonymous informant from the American intelligence services. A video with similar accusations was also posted on YouTube by a user with the nickname John Doe, posing as a US Secret Service employee. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found that the evidence presented in the article was not true.

The photo of the naturalization certificate named after Volodymyr Zelenskyi, illustrating the article, is a fake. The absence of the seal of the US Department of Homeland Security and the signature of the owner of the certificate indicate its authenticity. Zelenskyi's photo was taken from open sources. The name John Doe is also listed as a placeholder name on such documents, used when the person is not identified. Note on the photo, copying the sample is prohibited; this is typical for fake documents, since there is no such note on real certificates. The height of Zelenskyi given in the document does not correspond to his actual height. In addition, it is noted that Zelenskyi applied for US citizenship on September 20, 2023, but this is not true, since the president spoke at a meeting of the UN Security Council, and not at a NATO summit. The article also provides information about the villa Zelenskyi is supposed to move into, but a reverse search shows that the price and availability of this villa are different than the propagandists claim.

They spread such fakes in order to personally discredit the President of Ukraine and question the legitimacy of his power. Detector Media has already repeatedly refuted other Russian fakes against Zelenskyi.

A video allegedly belonging to the British magazine New Musical Express is being circulated online. They say, according to YouTube Music statistics for 2023, Ukrainian musicians have been supplanted by Russian performers, in particular Basta, Aigel, Katia Lel, Instasamka and American singer Taylor Swift. However, it turned out to be a fake video.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found that New Musical Express magazine had not released such ratings. In fact, Ukrainian performers are leading the official YouTube Music rankings in Ukraine. It's important to note that Taylor Swift does not appear in this ranking.

The VoxCheck 2023 study showed that in January and February, Russian artists temporarily made it into the top 5, but throughout the year, the leadership belonged to Ukrainian artists. This indicates that the statement about the advantage of Russian musicians is not objective. Also, according to public research, most Ukrainians avoided Russian-language content, indicating changes in cultural preferences during the war.

Propagandists spread such fake news to create a false impression of the superior status of Russian culture compared to Ukrainian culture, even in times of war. Like, Ukrainians really love Russian more because Ukrainian is a surrogate.

Information is being spread online that the fortune of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is $596 million, and his rating among the richest politicians in the world according to the YouTube channel Data Sets is 31st place, and according to the website CAknowledge - 36th. However, this is not true.

The VoxCheck specialists drew attention to the fake. They found out that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is not on the list of the richest politicians in the world. The anonymous YouTube channel Data Sets regularly publishes various ratings, including “The richest Jewish actors 2024”, “The richest women in the world 2024”, etc. In April 2023, they posted a video with a list of the richest politicians in the world 2024, but did not indicate the source on which they compiled this ranking.

The fake rating by the CAknowledge website was previously refuted by American fact checkers from PolitiFact. CAknowledge did not provide any sources determining the income of the President of Ukraine. The site attributes property and shares to Zelenskyi, but this information is not confirmed.

According to Forbes, as of 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s fortune was estimated at less than $30 million. The declaration for 2020 shows that the income of the President and his family amounted to UAH 22.7 million. In January 2024, information on income for 2021 was updated, where UAH 10.8 million was noted, and for 2022 - UAH 3.6 million. This is due to the temporary termination of lease agreements due to the Russian invasion.

Forbes also did not include Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the list of the richest people in 2023. The richest people in Ukraine remain Rynat Akhmetov, Victor Pinchuk, Vadym Novynskyi, Konstiantyn Zhyvaho and Henadii Boholiubov. Previously, the fake that Zelenskyi and other politicians became richer by billions of dollars in 2022 was already refuted.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit the President of Ukraine. Like, he makes a fortune from the war while people die. Detector Media also refuted other fakes directed personally against Zelenskyi.

Russian telegram channels circulated an image purporting to be from the Instagram account of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. It shows a homemade bong – a device for smoking cannabis, with the caption “will you smoke?” However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the image had been edited using one of the advertising images of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. They did not find any similar photos on its official page. The picture shows that this is an Instagram story, that is, in theory, it may have already been deleted.

However, VoxCheck found the original image - this is an advertisement for a test week of the attack aircraft that the brigade offers. There a person can undergo a 7-day training course and understand whether he is ready to join the unit. The Russians took a photo of a unit with a military man and put a homemade bong on it. This is indicated by the fact that the device in the fake picture is located on top of the Instagram username, and from under it one can see a military headdress on top and a belt-shoulder system with magazines to the left of the picture. They match the advertising photo. Also in the fake and authentic pictures there are identical trees on the right.

Propagandists spread such fake news to try to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces and stigmatize people who use marijuana. They say that the soldiers cannot stand it, and therefore resort to such methods of relieving stress. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted other Russian fakes aimed against the Ukrainian military.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that a resident of Kharkiv allegedly killed a Territorial center of recruitment and social support employee because he sent his son to the front without a medical examination and a conclusion of the Military and medical commission of Ukraine. The guy was allegedly detained and immediately mobilized, despite the fact that he suffered from asthma. This allegedly happened “in front of the mobilized father”, so he decided to get even with the Territorial center of recruitment and social support employee by throwing his body on the railway tracks to simulate suicide.

The “news” being circulated is distorted and inaccurate. This is stated by the Center for Countering Disinformation and Information Security. In fact, the conflict occurred between two civilians in the village of Dubivka, Kharkiv region, after drinking alcohol, the Kharkiv region police reported. A domestic dispute arose between the 70-year-old suspect and his 57-year-old friend, which did not end simply with words. One of the men grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the other man several times in the neck. The victim died on the spot.

The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office established that the suspect took the body of the murdered man to the railway station and dumped the corpse on the track to make the version of the alleged “friend commit suicide” more credible. However, the railway workers discovered the body and reported it to law enforcement agencies. There is no official confirmation that the deceased was a serviceman, an employee of the Territorial center of recruitment and social support, or had any connection at all with the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

This fake by the Russians is another manifestation of discrediting the mobilization process in Ukraine. They say that Ukrainians are now killing the Territorial center of recruitment and social support workers because they exceed their authority - this is another confirmation of this. Previously, we have already refuted the information that the Ukrainian military commissar was allegedly killed while serving draft notices.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that two trucks with disassembled F-16 aircraft allegedly entered Ukraine from Poland. At the same time, propagandists fear that fighters may be armed with AIM-120D air-to-air missiles, which are capable of destroying air targets at a distance of 150 to 180 kilometers.

The information that the F-16 is already in Ukraine and also in disassembled form is fake. Specialists from the VoxCheck team write about this, in particular. Representative of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yurii Ihnat considers such reports to be unfounded, noting that the movement of F-16 aircraft to the territory of Ukraine is possible only after appropriate preparation of infrastructure and personnel. Volodymyr Zelenskyi believes that the first F-16 aircraft will most likely arrive in Ukraine in 2024.

The very preparation of pilots for transfer to the F-16 in Britain can take up to two years, and in the USA, probably until the end of 2024. In Denmark, Ukrainian pilots are already training on fighter jets, so it is expected that the planes will arrive from there the fastest.

The main armament of the F-16 fighters is the AIM-9X air-to-air missile. Also used are air-to-air missiles AIM-7 and AIM-120 AMRAAM, which in the latest modification in homing mode can hit a target at a distance of 180 kilometers. According to Yurii Ihnat, Ukraine needs F-16 fighters to hit the enemy from the air, push Russian aircraft away from the borders of Ukraine and destroy drones.

By spreading this disinformation, propagandists seek to discredit international military support for Ukraine. In addition, the creation of such fakes may be associated with the preparation of the internal population of Russia for the upcoming “bad news” from Ukraine, as a consequence of the upcoming work of pilots on F-16 fighters. Previously, we denied information that the Russian military had already allegedly destroyed several F-16s in Ukraine.

Pro-Russian resources disseminate information that after the “coup d’etat” of 2014 in Ukraine, people who were supporters of peace negotiations with Russia were killed. In asserting this, propagandists refer to Putin, who made a corresponding statement.

In fact, this information is not true, write the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. There was no coup in Ukraine in 2014. Propaganda uses this expression as a revolution of dignity, since Russia cannot come to terms with the strength and determination of Ukrainians in the struggle for independence. Then, as today, Ukrainians defended the European vector of development, democratic values, their rights and freedom.

There was no extermination of Ukrainians who sought dialogue with Russia. Proof of this can be the fact that before the start of a full-scale war, pro-Russian political parties functioned in Ukraine. Moreover, 38 pro-Russian politicians from the “Opposition platform — for life” still owe mandates. Pro-Kremlin media were and are also in Ukraine. Now there are simply clickbaits and manipulations, including about “internal problems of Ukraine”, but after the start of the great war they stopped quoting Russian disinformation, and obvious denim in the interests of Russians disappeared from them.

In the end, there can be no talk of any “peaceful relations between Russia and Ukraine”,  since in 2014 Russia annexed Crimea and started a war in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russian propaganda once again accuses Ukraine of being unprepared for negotiations, but the reason for the refusal is the lack of trust in Russia, because it has repeatedly violated agreements.

• Read also: Russia has always strived for peace, but Ukraine does not want to “agree”.

On anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, they write that Zelenskyi plans to purchase uranium from Niger for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The authors of the fake explain that the purchase contract seemed to have been signed in November 2023 by the current Minister of Defense Rustem Umierov. At the same time, they cite the African publication Sene News, where journalists quoted one of their military personnel to support this thesis. It is not true.

The fact-checkers at the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council wrote that there were no official statements from Ukraine about the so-called “purchase of nuclear weapons”. And Rustem Umierov did not make any trips to Niger and did not sign such purchase contracts. That is, this is another stuffing of Russian propagandists who continue to replicate the Kremlin’s rhetoric about the use of “dirty weapons” against Russia including in order to justify unprovoked aggression and bloody war.

Read in our material why Moscow is implementing a disinformation campaign against Ukraine and why it lies about the use of nuclear weapons by Ukraine (and threatens nuclear bombing on its part).

Pro-Kremlin media are introducing information that all exits from the city have begun to be blocked in Kyiv. According to anonymous sources, traffic across the Dnipro along the bridge to Vyshhorod and the South Bridge has allegedly been blocked. This happens because “Ukrainians do not want to serve in the army”, so the city authorities decided to increase the recruitment of people into the army in this way. It's fake.

The VoxCheck specialists were able to analyze the case and explained that in Kyiv they do not block exits from the city. Now the main bridge to Vyshhorod is under repair and instead of it a pontoon crossing has been in operation since January 17, 2024. That is, movement was not limited, but the method of movement was simply changed due to repair work. And the South Bridge has also been closed to private cars since June 22, 2022.

Pro-Kremlin resources continue to promote the topic of mobilization, hinting at the decline of the military, the lack of personnel, that Ukraine needs to “resort” to radical decisions and mobilize women. Anonymous telegrams accuse Ukraine of being a “military meat grinder”, explaining that now it will be impossible to escape a “grave”: neither for children, nor for elderly people or women.

On social networks in the Russian segment, they are allegedly distributing data based on infographics on the Eurostat website (this is the EU statistical office), which notes that the majority of German citizens surveyed support the forced extradition of Ukrainian refugees. It is not true.

The VoxCheck analysts investigated the case and found out that there are simply no such statistics on the Eurostat website, which the propagandists refer to. Moreover, no German media mentioned such a survey. Therefore, this is simply a fiction of Russian propagandists. Experts also cite as an example another survey by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the results of which determined that 62% of German residents agree that the country should accept refugees from Ukraine. The study was conducted in September 2023.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, as a cultural and economic threat to the EU - in order to reduce support for Ukraine. We mentioned this in our own investigation.

In the social networks of the Russian segment, they are distributing a story from TSN, where they say that due to the adopted amendments to the law “On mobilization reparation and mobilization”, women who “have not given birth before the age of 25” must register with the military. Moreover, the so-called story said that the Verkhovna Rada seemed to have expanded the list of specialties for women who would be required to register with the military. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts worked on this case and explained that the plot was primarily compiled. After all, the recording itself was created using artificial intelligence technologies. However, earlier there were indeed discussions around the bill on recruiting, mobilization and service: then MP Mariana Bezuhla, known for her scandalous messages on social networks about Valerii Zaluzhnyi and calls for his dismissal, published possible legislative norms on her Facebook. They stated, in particular, that women fit for military service were registered as liable for military service. At the same time, during martial law, women are recruited to combat positions only voluntarily.

However, during a big press conference on December 19, 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyi  said that he would not sign a bill with clauses on the mobilization of women. But even in these legislative innovations there was not a single clause about “women who did not give birth before the age of 25”. This is simply a fiction of Russian propaganda. The mobilization bill is being finalized; it had previously been submitted to Parliament - without changes to the mobilization of women - but was subsequently withdrawn for revision.

In general, only doctors and pharmacists must register with the military from October 1, 2023; however, military registration does not mean mobilization or the establishment of restrictions on travel abroad. The Ministry of Health notes: registration is necessary only to summarize data on the existing reserve of doctors in the country. The travel of this category of women is unlimited. To register for military service, this category of women will have three years - until December 31, 2026.

Pro-Kremlin resources are disseminating information that Ukraine allegedly intends to deprive the citizens of all temporarily occupied territories (TOT) of citizenship. They say that this will de facto mean Kyiv’s abandonment of territories captured by Russian troops. In addition, propagandists claim that the commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who once studied in Russia, will also be deprived of Ukrainian citizenship.

The National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation claims that these inventions of Russians have nothing to do with reality. Ukraine will never recognize the forced passportization of Ukrainians in the occupied territories. People whom the enemy forces to obtain Russian passports remain only citizens of Ukraine.

At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada is now considering changes to the legislation that will allow deprivation of Ukrainian citizenship only of those people who voluntarily received a Russian passport, thereby effectively abandoning the Ukrainian one.

By promoting this message, Russian propaganda is playing with the feelings of TOT residents and nourishing its narrative that Ukraine no longer needs them. In addition, in this way, Russian propaganda is trying to win over the Ukrainians in the TOT, saying that they have nothing to lose and this is “a new reality that should simply be accepted”. We wrote earlier that a network of propaganda lecturers was being formed in the TOT of Luhansk region.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels write that Western F-16 fighters will be stationed at one of the airports in Moldova before being transferred to Ukraine. In asserting this, propagandists refer to the Minister of Defense of Moldova Anatolii Nosatyi, who allegedly made a corresponding statement.

In fact, this information is not true. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Anatolii Nosatyi himself has already denied such news in a comment to Newsmaker: “They are aimed only at misinformation of citizens and discrediting the defense department. I would like to point out that all these messages are misinformation. I condemn and refute these fakes”.

The Minister of Moldova also said that in addition to Telegram channels, lies were spread by politicians who “want to destabilize the situation in the country”. Previously, we denied information that the Russian military had already destroyed several F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine.

Krzysztof Sokołowski recorded a video message to the Poles and called on them to go to war in Ukraine and kill Russians. At the end of his speech, he exclaimed: “Hit Moscow, hit it to the last bullet, go ahead to Moscow, for Ukraine our homeland! Death to enemies! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!”. This video was picked up by a Polish pro-Russian politician and distributed on his pages on social networks with the caption: “In one minute, the Ukrainian is warming us up to war with Russia”.

Krzysztof Sokołowski is a Pole, he was born in Warsaw and graduated from the University of Warsaw. Ukrinform journalists write about this. The man began learning Ukrainian in 2022, as evidenced by a message on his Facebook page. Previously, Sokołowski was a lawyer, but lost his license due to numerous frauds. Now he has become a tool in the hands of pro-Russian Polish politicians.

With this fake, Russian propaganda seeks to worsen relations between Ukraine and Poland and to quarrel between the two countries. They say that the Ukrainians are also trying to involve their Polish neighbors in the war. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, has repeatedly noted that Ukraine does not need NATO military, but only weapons and money. Previously, Detector Media denied information that Poland would now issue draft notices to Ukrainians.

Social media users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are distributing an image that is described as the cover of the new issue of the Indian edition of Rodip Reb dated December 30. On one side of the cover one sees Ukrainian refugees, and on the other - rodents. It is accompanied by an English inscription: “BATTLE FOR EUROPE. Moles and refugees: the situation in Europe is becoming increasingly tense”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They found out that it was a photomontage. Indian edition called Rodip Reb. None of the search engines, including Google and Bing, have results for this edition. The image being circulated contains the website address www.rodipreb.in, but the said site cannot be accessed. After publishing the cover of the same non-existent publication, MythDetector verified its authenticity with the Indian fact-checking organization FACTLY MEDIA & RESEARCH. It confirmed that an Indian publication called Rodip Reb does not exist. The image is also impossible to find on the Internet outside of the telegram channels and Facebook communities where it was distributed.

Propagandists regularly resort to spreading “fairy covers” to create the false impression that the world is gradually ceasing to support Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted other publications with false covers from various world publications.

Unverified lists of French soldiers who allegedly died as a result of rocket attacks on hotels in Kharkiv have appeared on social networks and publications in both Russian and Western media. The Russians, by distributing such lists, are trying to confirm the thesis about the presence of “foreign mercenaries” in Ukraine. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the Beyond the News project drew attention to it. They found that in justifying missile attacks on civilian targets in Kharkiv, in particular on the Kharkiv Palace and the Park Hotel, the Russians claim that they eliminated “200 mercenaries”. However, the GUR calls this nonsense.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, on January 10, as a result of rocket attacks at the Park Hotel, 13 civilians were wounded; not a single military man was in the hotel. Among the victims were media representatives from Turkey and Georgia.

Despite this, the Russians continue to support the thesis of killed “French mercenaries” to justify the shelling of civilian targets. On January 16, they again attacked the city center, damaging a private hospital and residential buildings and injuring 17 people. This fiction appeared again in the media after rocket attacks on Kharkiv on the night of January 22-23.

Russian propagandists are disseminating information about the supposedly dead “French artillerymen” in Kharkiv, but the project’s fact-checkers have not found any truthful evidence in this. In addition, the published names of the “dead” turned out to be part of the list that Russian propagandists published back in April 2022 as a list of “foreign mercenaries in Ukraine as of 2021”.

Propagandists spread such fake news to justify attacks against civilian infrastructure. Such actions qualify as a violation of international humanitarian law and constitute the legal basis for future liability of the Russians.

Users of social networks spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are distributing a video where President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi expressed a proposal to suspend the Constitution. Some of them claim that he has already allegedly implemented this solution. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the quote was distorted by video editing and taken out of context. By performing a reverse quote search, they found the original of this speech by Volodymyr Zelenskyi, which took place on December 22, 2022 at the Conference of Ambassadors of Ukraine. Proof that the excerpt was taken specifically from this event is the same clothes of the president and the background, where part of the inscription of Ukraine and the coat of arms are visible. However, the quote, since, firstly, the President addressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the heads of diplomatic missions. Secondly, the speech said that in conditions of war they should work harder and more efficiently. “All those rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine are now on pause for you and me personally as representatives of our state”, Zelenskyi noted.

This is the only time the Constitution was mentioned in a speech, and the President did not make any decisions that “paused” the operation of the Constitution. Any changes to this document must be approved by the Verkhovna Rada, and in some cases, an all-Ukrainian referendum is held. In addition, according to Article 157 of the same document, changes leading to the abolition or restriction of the rights and freedoms of citizens cannot be made. Article 64 provides that conditions of martial law or a state of emergency may lead to the restriction of certain rights of citizens, but this also occurs within the framework of the provisions of the Constitution.

By spreading such fakes, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian government. They say that it restricts the rights of citizens and neglects the Basic Law of the state.  Detector Media also wrote about other inventions of Russian propaganda aimed at personally discrediting Zelenskyi.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the media are disseminating information that despite the fact that the mobilization bill has not yet been adopted, women are already being sent to the front, especially those aged fifty. They say that most often nurses are mobilized, who, according to the authors of messages on this topic, then work in front-line hospitals, and sometimes are even used as attack aircraft. Propagandists claim that the supply situation for mobilized women is dire and therefore hold online fundraisers to meet their needs. The authors allegedly attached a screenshot of a message about such a collection. However, this is fake.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They discovered that the photograph in the post, presented as evidence of the forced deployment of nurses to assault teams, was in fact of volunteers. They produce equipment for the military, without reference to gender.

In addition, Bill No. 10378 does not mandate the mobilization of all women. In the bill “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine to improve certain issues of mobilization, military registration and military service”, which the Cabinet of Ministers submitted to the Verkhovna Rada on December 25, there are no ideas about mandatory mobilization for all women. Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Roman Kostenko said that the Ministry of Defense proposed making registration mandatory for all women, but the majority of deputies rejected this idea. “90% of our committee is also against returning to this issue... I think that this issue will be resolved when a comprehensive plan for mobilization in Ukraine is developed, and we will not return to it again”, Kostenko said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, expressed a similar opinion, arguing that women can only be mobilized with their consent. Even President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that he would not sign a law providing for the general mobilization of women.

On January 11, the Cabinet of Ministers withdrew the bill on mobilization for consideration. So, women with related military specialties can register for military service at their own request. At the same time, women with medical and pharmaceutical education must register with the military by the end of 2026. Although theoretically they could be called up for military service or involved in defense work (currently no such cases have been recorded), the information that nurses are being forced into assault teams is unfounded.

The screenshot attached to the message shows the name of the author - Nataliia Lychman. She is the leader of the Crazy Needles volunteer group, which makes camouflage nets, suits, first aid kits, pillows and balaclavas for the military. Lychman actually posted these posts on January 12th. In one of the distributed screenshots, she reports that the detachment is sending equipment to the 56th brigade, and in another she asks to donate money to purchase fabric. There is no mention on her page that the equipment is intended specifically for women.

On January 13, a video appeared on Lychman’s page where military personnel (only men are visible in the video) are walking in camouflage suits made by the detachment. Also, videos of gratitude for the help were recorded by servicemen from other units, usually men. There are women stormtroopers in Ukraine, but they are all volunteers.

Another screenshot shows women in camouflage suits, but these are Crazy Needles volunteers, not military personnel. Members of this detachment can be recognized from previously posted photographs. This photo was also used by a representative of the Pishchanski People charity foundation, indicating that these were Crazy Needles volunteers.

Propagandists spread such fake news to cause anxiety and panic among the population. Like, everything is so bad that we have to mobilize women. It also deepens mistrust of Ukrainian government institutions and officials.

Pro-Russian resources are spreading information that Romania is preparing to seize the Chernivtsi and Transcarpathian regions. In this regard, Bucharest is allegedly rapidly building a new highway, which was supposed to “transfer military armored vehicles”.

In fact, this information is false. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. The Romanian government fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and has no aggressive intentions or claims against the neighboring country. The construction of the expressway is purely for trade and infrastructure purposes.

The A7 motorway project, which politicians have named Autostrada Moldovei, is seen as a necessary element for the economic development of Romania's eastern regions; combination of the Black Sea with highways of Ukraine, Central and Eastern Europe. If this project is implemented, Ukraine will receive an additional route for export transportation by road, in particular to the port of Constanta.

Russian propaganda is trying to “create a quarrel” between Ukraine and its allies so that they weaken military assistance or stop providing it altogether. Previously, Detector Media already analyzed a similar fake, saying that Romania lays claim to part of Ukraine.

Russian propagandists and politicians write that on the morning of January 21, 2024, the Donetsk Mercury market came under fire from the Ukrainian army. Like, it’s customary in the Ukrainian Armed Forces to shoot at the market, even on a day off.

In fact, the Ukrainian military is not involved in these attacks, as reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. The forces that are subordinate to the Tavria Operational-strategic troop grouping and sometimes destroying Russians in the Donetsk region, in this case did not carry out combat work with means of destruction. This was noted in the joint press center of the Taurian Defense Forces and added: “Donetsk is Ukraine! Russia will have to answer for the taken lives of Ukrainians”.

With this fake, Russian propaganda seeks to nourish the narrative that “the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been bombing Donbas since 2014” and allegedly continue to do so. That is, in this case, propagandists resort to reflexive tactics, trying to justify the atrocities of the Russian army. Previously, we refuted information that the Ukrainian authorities allegedly admitted that they would have to give up the occupied territories to the Russians.

Ukrainians are receiving emails on behalf of the State Emergency Service with the text that one unit of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant was allegedly hit by a Russian airstrike. In addition, these letters add a link to download an electronic evacuation plan for residents.

The State Emergency Service reported that they did not send out such messages. This is the work of cyber scammers, and the link contained in the email is dangerous.

The Service also reminds that one should trust only trusted sources and remember: all relevant information is always posted on their official website and the State Emergency Service pages on social networks.

You can learn more about how to avoid becoming a victim of phishing links by watching the corresponding video from Dovidka.info.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that in 2024 they will spend 3.2 billion UAH from the Ukrainian state budget on propaganda. They say that compared to 2023, propaganda spending in Ukraine has doubled.

This information is untrue, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council. Russians call “propaganda” expenses for the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the National Council for Cinema and Television, the National Commission for State Regulation in the Field of Electronic Communications and the State Special Communications Service. In fact, these departments do not create media content for the state. As for information products directly, 1.5 billion UAH will be allocated from the state budget for the telethon in 2024 - this is 400 million UAH less than last year.

Russian propaganda seeks to undermine the trust of the Ukrainian people in power and force them to rebel against the “Kyiv regime”. Previously, we refuted information that Ukraine allegedly spent $1.2 billion on fake news in 2023.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that, in the conditions of social tension, employees of the National Police of Ukraine were apparently allowed to disperse people at rallies with the help of special means. As proof, the propagandists distributed a photo of the order, which was allegedly signed by the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In fact, this information is false, reports the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security Council. First, the order does not meet the requirements of official paperwork, and this already indicates its falsity. Secondly, all the rules and grounds for the use of special means are clearly spelled out in the law On the National Police in Art. 45 “Application of special means”. In the end, the Center verified the information with the press secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Mariana Reva, who assured that the so-called “order” was fake, as well as its content.

Propagandists speculate on rallies or protest actions of Ukrainian citizens, because there have been more such mayors compared to the first months of a full-scale war. In addition, Russian propaganda spread a fake with the goal of discrediting law enforcement agencies of Ukraine. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the information that in one of the Ukrainian universities, a student was allegedly forcibly taken from the auditorium by law enforcement officers.

A video is being distributed on social networks where the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi allegedly says that he created a petition to “mobilize” people’s deputies. And also in the video, as he added, if by January 5, 2024 the petition does not gather a sufficient number of votes, Valerii Zaluzhnyi will supposedly “resign from office”. It's a lie.

The VoxCheck analysts looked into this stuff and explained that the video was compiled. The audio recording itself with the words about the creation of the petition was created using artificial intelligence, and then superimposed on an existing video of Zaluzhnyi. Also, on the website of the Office of the President or the Verkhovna Rada there are no petitions created by Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Using a special tool called AI Speech Classifier, experts were able to find out that with a 98% probability the audio recording was created using AI technologies.

Among other things, we recommend reading in more detail about the use of artificial intelligence technologies, in particular deepfake ones in spreading the pro-Kremlin agenda.