Propagandists in the Russian media are spreading disinformation based on an interview with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for The Washington Post. In particular, they claim that Valerii Zaluzhnyi allegedly accuses Western partners of turning the counteroffensive into a “clownery”. It's fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact Zaluzhnyi did not say anything about clowning. At the same time, commenting on the progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, he noted that despite the lack of a number of necessary types of weapons in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian army “is moving forward every day, even if it is only 500 meters”. Therefore, he is “irritated” by statements that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is moving “slower than expected”.

Thus, propagandists want to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and create a false impression of Russia's victory on the battlefield. In addition, they want to show Ukraine and its government as ungrateful for the help of Western partners.

Propagandists in the Russian media are spreading information that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has acknowledged that the Russian army has “advanced in many directions”. Like, such a statement was made by Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar. It's fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the propagandists created a fake based on a recent post by Maliar in her telegram channel. Although she recalled the Russian offensive in the Avdiivka, Mariinka, Lyman and Svativsk  directions, she did not write anything about the “successes” of the Russian army or that the Russians were “occupying new territories”. The only value judgment contained in the message is the phrase “the situation is rather complicated”. On the contrary, Maliar argues that Ukrainian troops are advancing in several directions.

Thus, propagandists want to discredit the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and cause Ukrainians to panic. Like, the Russians are already winning and even the officials admit it.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the UK is allegedly transferring fighter jets with military pilots to Ukraine. That is, they will lead the fighters, not the Ukrainian troops. The authors explain this by saying that Ukrainian pilots take a long time to learn, so they send “foreign mercenaries” to Ukraine. It is not true.

The VoxCheck project specialists took up this case and determined that the UK did not announce that it would provide fighters along with crews. That is, it is an invention of propagandists. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously announced that the British military would train Ukrainian fighter pilots. And already on May 15, 2023, the British government announced that it would begin training Ukrainian pilots in the summer. At the same time, Rishi Sunak explained that the UK does not plan to send fighter jets to Ukraine, it will only train the military. Consequently, the UK does not plan to transfer either fighters or crews to Ukraine.

By spreading this fake, the propagandists feed the narrative about the fight against the “collective event”. Allegedly, mercenaries sent by NATO are fighting on the side of Ukraine. Thus, the authors attribute their failures on the battlefield. Like, the whole world is fighting against them, and not just Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that Xi Jinping declared his readiness to support Russia “in the course” of World War III. They say that the whole world helps Ukraine, but no one helps Russia. It needs help too. The authors add that Xi Jinping is sure how Russia will lead the “world order”. It's a lie.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project analyzed the case and found out that the quote was just made up. Xi Jinping didn't say that. Fact checkers verified the information using a Google search for keywords about support for Russia and World War III. They did not find such information in any authoritative publications.

Such a fake is part of the conspiracy theory that the Third World War is already ongoing or is about to begin. This is beneficial to Russian propaganda, in particular, to explain the duration and failures of the Russian army on the territory of Ukraine. Like, Russia is at war not only with Ukraine, but also with the “collective West”.

Telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric distribute ads from the Ukrainian website OLX allegedly selling ambulances. The authors claim that the 92nd brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is engaged in the illegal sale of cars. They also add that the military first collects money for these vehicles, and then they resell them and thus earn money. That is, they are cashing in on the Ukrainians. Information about the collection for the brigade (and its results) is added to the publications and the cars are compared with the announcements on the OLX website. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project managed to analyze the case, explaining that the 92nd brigade does not sell ambulances that they received from fundraising. The brands and type of cars in the photo with the collection are different from those exhibited at OLX. Fact-checkers studied the social networks of volunteers who carry out meetings specifically for the 92nd brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The pages publish the call to the meeting, their results, etc. The cars that are in the posts with the collection and are sold on OLX are different. They differ in brand and appearance. Actually fact-checkers also investigated the OLX site for the sale of cars. They noted that the cars have civilian Ukrainian and European numbers. At the same time, vehicles registered with a military unit have black military numbers. This can be seen in the fundraising publications for the 92nd Brigade.

That is, the propagandists did not provide any evidence that the Ukrainian troops are reselling cars for which they used to raise funds. The authors used random ads from the OLX platform, although these vehicles have nothing to do with the 92nd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in the social networks of the Ukrainian segment. Reports say that in the Ivano-Frankivsk region on June 13, 2023, the hospitalization of men aged 18 to 59 was allegedly temporarily stopped without the consent of the Territorial recruitment and social support center. The authors add to the publications a photo of an Extract about the decision of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration to ban hospitalization. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up this case and found out that the regional council did not make such a decision. This was announced by the Deputy Chairman of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration Vitalii Ilchyshyn. However, such a decision was actually considered the day before at the initiative of the Regional territorial center of recruitment and social support. They explained that those liable for military service, whom the military medical commission recognized as fit for service, may try to get to the hospital, declaring a “sudden” deterioration in their condition.

The chairman of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration noted that in this way people can avoid mobilization. The Extract itself, the photo of which was distributed on social networks, was not found by fact-checkers. They wrote that there were no relevant instructions on the official website of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration. The photo of the Extract was previously distributed by telegram channels and media of the Ukrainian segment, although it is not on the official pages.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that Russians should be “killed” as a nation. The authors refer to an interview with Zaluzhnyi edition of The Economist. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up this case and found out that Valerii  Zaluzhnyi did not say this. It's just a propagandist's invention. In an interview, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spoke about the destruction of the Russian military stationed on the territory of Ukraine. He has been talking about the Russian-Ukrainian war since 2014. But he stressed that in a war, Russians and any other enemies need to be killed, and the Ukrainian army should not be afraid to do this. That is, Valerii Zaluzhnyi meant Russian occupiers, not civilians.

By spreading this fake, the propagandists are trying to expose the Ukrainians and the leadership as aggressors. Allegedly, the Ukrainian army is capable of killing civilians. This is how the authors whitewash themselves by hiding their true actions.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that an American magazine recently ran a cover featuring Zelenskyi and journalists called him an “evil boy”. And against the background of the President, TV screens are shown, where they broadcast news about the sunken bathyscaphe. The authors of the publications add that Zelenskyi is allegedly evil, because all attention is not focused on his figure. It is not true.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fact checkers explained that this magazine is a two-week edition and the last available issue went on sale on June 26, 2023. The next issue will be released on the 3rd. Actually, on the fake cover, the date of the issue is June 26 - May 3, 2023. For this date there is a completely different, real cover.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Volodymyr Zelenskyi is worthless and incompetent) is also repeated in the West. So, readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Ukrainian authorities recently said that the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant is 93% out of order. They say that the relevant services do not care about the safety of the hydroelectric power plant, which can lead to flooding of certain territories. As proof, the authors cite a map of Kyiv, on which there are conditional marks about the likely flooded areas of the capital. For example, in the publications they write that the Obolonskyi district will be flooded in 3 minutes, Troieshchyna - in 2 minutes, Podil - in 10 minutes, etc. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project analyzed the case and found out that there were no official statements from the authorities. That is, the thesis about the “emergency state of the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant” is a propaganda stuffing. And with the help of a reverse Google search, fact-checkers found a photo of the map, which shows another flooding of Kyiv districts in the event of a dam break. Such a map does exist. In 2012, the Ukrainian media published an article where they raised the topic of the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant. Journalists, with the help of experts not named in the material, compiled this map. That is, it may not be entirely accurate. One of the experts named in this material, environmentalist Volodymyr Boreiko, stated that ice floes frozen in the Kyiv Sea could lead to holes in the dam. There was no other information about the breach of the dam or the flooding of certain territories. Despite the fact that such a map exists, there was no statement about the emergency state of the Kyiv HPP.

The propagandists simply used the old journalistic material and took advantageous data from it including the “flood” map.

A screenshot from a video of Joseph Biden standing at the podium is being circulated on the American segment of Twitter, his two hands are slightly raised above it, and the third hand is pressed to the edge of the podium. The spreading image also contains the text: “When you thought you saw everything…”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Reuters media drew attention to the case. They determined that the photo had been edited. The screenshot was taken from a presidential address following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, where only two hands are visible. The video itself is uploaded by the White House.

Thus, they try to discredit the President of the United States and cause distrust towards him. Earlier, Detector Media denied a number of fakes about Joe Biden, in particular, that he allegedly asked the “invisible man” not to jump during his speech.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric circulated a photo of Volodymyr Zelenskyi during negotiations in Moldova and stated that a personal bomb shelter had been built for him. Russian propaganda also claims that the meeting itself took place underground. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. In fact, the negotiations took place not underground, but at wineries, in one of the rooms of the ancient Mimi castle. Propagandists use photos taken at the second meeting of the European Political Community, which was attended by 45 heads of states and governments.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi saying that he is afraid of Russian missiles even abroad. Previously, Detector Media talked about the tactics of reflection, which the Russians use to divert attention.

In the Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, they are spreading an alleged document of the Ukrainian embassy in Turkey. It refers to the allocation of budgetary funds to exceed the amount of living expenses in Turkey for five defenders of Mariupol released from Russian captivity. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Strategic Communications drew attention to the case. The Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Turkey officially denied this information on the official website. The fact that this document is fake, “is evidenced by non-existent registration numbers, an invalid Embassy form was used, in particular, a long-defunct website of the Embassy is indicated (current website: turkiye.mfa.gov.ua), other rules for maintaining official correspondence are violated”.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Ukrainian military and complicate the cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey, aimed at the release of the Ukrainian military from Russian captivity. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the manipulation that Russia destroyed the entire fleet of Bayraktar drones in Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are circulating the alleged cover of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo with a caricature of Zelenskyi. In the image, the President of Ukraine is holding the deceased passenger of the Titan submarine so that he would transfer money to help Ukraine. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation drew attention to the case. They determined that no such cover exists. The latest issue is number 1613 and it came out on June 21, while the fake cover is numbered 1614 and dated June 23.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Western partners and convince Ukrainians that Zelenskyi is neglected in the West. To do this, Russian propaganda uses the tactic of ridicule. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that the German magazine Handelsblatt depicted a destroyed Leopard tank on its cover.

In the Russian and Georgian segment of Facebook and in the media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, they disseminate information with reference to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service that Kyiv allegedly agreed with UNESCO to transfer the Orthodox relics of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to museums in Italy, France and France as if the holy relics had to be taken out in order to preserve them. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. They established that the information about the removal of holy relics from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to European countries is false. The Minister of Culture of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko wrote on his Facebook page that “not a single sacred value will leave the territory of Ukraine”.  Also, the acting director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Maksym Ostapenko, noted that “the reserve did not have such plans and will not have them”. Information about this agreement cannot be found on the official website of UNESCO. This fake was denied on the official Facebook pages of the Ministry of Culture and the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO.

By spreading information that Kyiv has agreed to transfer relics to European countries, propagandists are trying to discredit UNESCO and the Ukrainian authorities. Russian propaganda created a fake to sow religious discord, as well as divert attention from the crimes committed by Russia, in particular, from the looting of museums and galleries. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that allegedly Russia does not destroy Ukrainian cultural and historical heritage.

In the Russian segment of Facebook and in the media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric, information is being disseminated that the IAEA allegedly refuted the statement by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyryl Budanov, about mining by the Russian military at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It's fake.

As fact-checkers of the Stop Fake project note, the IAEA press service published a press release on the official website and confirmed the mining. The press release says that the station is mined around the perimeter and in some places inside. Therefore, the claims of Russian propaganda are false. The only thing that the IAEA does not confirm is the report of mines planted near the cooling pond. The visit of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi took place on June 15.

Thus, Russian propaganda wants to shift the responsibility for the crimes to the victim and convince the whole world that Ukraine is creating provocations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Kyiv disrupted the IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Propagandists are distributing a video purporting to be a compilation created by Al Jazeera. It analyzes the comments of Ukrainians on the death of the crew members of the submersible Titan. In particular, according to it, the Ukrainians “massively accuse” the passengers of the bathyscaphe of squandering. As confirmation of such conclusions, the authors of the video used the following “comments”: “Ukraine needs help while these people are spending a fortune on stupid entertainment”, “250 thousand dollars to “view”? It is not surprising that they disappeared”, “While they hang out, we really drown. I hope they don't get rescued”. It's fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the video was not real. Its authors specifically used the logo of the Qatari television company and their design. The fact that this video has nothing to do with Al Jazeera was announced by the company's official English-language Twitter account. According to the channel's explanation, the fake was noticed after Reuters journalists asked for a comment on it. The company representative also noted that propagandists had already used the Al Jazeera branding to create other anti-Ukrainian fakes, in particular, reports that Ukrainian fans were allegedly detained in Qatar for “propaganda of Nazism”.

By creating and spreading such fakes, propagandists want to show Ukrainians as aggressive and ungrateful. Like, they don't care about someone else's grief, because the only thing they need the West for is money and weapons. This reinforces anti-Ukrainian stereotypes in Russian propaganda to justify the crimes of Russians.

Propagandists in the Russian media claim that President Volodymyr Zelenskyi refused to hold elections in Ukraine. Like, in this way he “usurped” power and “weaved” on democratic norms. In addition, they also note that Ukraine does not go to peace talks with Russia, allegedly in order to “preserve Zelenskyi's power”. It's fake.

Specialists in the StopFake project drew attention to it. They argue that the holding of any elections during martial law is prohibited by the Constitution of Ukraine (Article 83 Section IV) and the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” (Article 19). Propagandists distorted Zelenskyi's comment in a recent BBC interview. Zelenskyi said in it that there can be no elections during the war according to the law, but he wants peace next year.

Project analysts also note that holding elections during the war is not possible for a number of other reasons, including, in particular, infrastructure destroyed by Russia, the difficulty of organizing voting for Ukrainian refugees abroad, as well as security risks in the event of a missile attack on voting day. With the lifting of martial law, the next parliamentary elections should be held in October 2023, and presidential elections in the spring of 2024.

By spreading messages about the “usurpation” of power, propagandists want to personally discredit Zelenskyi and cause distrust in him. In addition, in this way, they want to shift the responsibility for the actions of the Russians to the victim of Russian aggression. They say that only Zelenskyi and his political ambitions are to blame for the fact that the war continues. However, it is the Russian criminal regime that is a true example of the usurpation of power, because it neglects its own legislation for the sake of one person being the head of state.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are calling for the destruction of all people in the de-occupied territories, since anyone can turn out to be a traitor. The authors of the messages refer to the telegram channel allegedly of the 35th Ukrainian brigade. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case, and they found out that the 35th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine does not have an official page on  Telegram. Therefore, the channel itself, from where the information was disseminated, is fake. The military unit confirmed that the information page of their brigade was not on  Telegram. And all the messages spread on their behalf are fake. Fact-checkers checked the fake Telegram channel itself and found that the authors often spread panic: they talk about the huge losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the impossibility of victory, ineffective actions of the command, etc. They also discredit Ukrainian officials. In addition, a recent fake about the death of Kyryl Budanov was circulated.

We recall that earlier we explained how and why Russian propagandists create clone pages of the Ukrainian military or even an entire brigade. Thus, they want to win the loyalty of the Ukrainians who can believe in the authenticity of the messages.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The German magazine Handelsblatt recently published a cover featuring a destroyed Leopard tank, reports say. The cover itself has a title: “This is not a counteroffensive - this is a bloody crash test”. Allegedly, they are hinting at the failed counteroffensive of Ukraine. It is not true.

Specialists from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council investigated this case and found out that such a cover does not exist. The fact-checkers explained that they did not find a magazine with such a cover on the official website of the publication. The latest issue of the magazine has a completely different design.

Thus propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric is also being repeated in the West. So readers get the impression that the whole world is laughing at Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that after the last rocket attack, Kyryl Budanov was wounded. They assure that he is in a coma, although this is “hidden”. The authors refer to the German edition of Stern. It is not true.

The case was taken up by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project who determined that the German edition did not publish such news. This is just propaganda stuff. Meanwhile, Stern journalists also denied this information, as if they had reported on the health condition of Kyryl Budanov. They explained that this was part of Russian disinformation and propagandists used their publication as a “primary source” for no reason.

Let us remind you that this fake is part of a propaganda story about how Kyryl Budanov was allegedly “wounded” as a result of a Russian missile hitting the building of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine. Previously, the authors claimed that Budanov is being treated in Germany and the Ukrainian leadership is hiding this.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that an outbreak of cholera was recorded in Mykolaiv and the region. The authors of the messages add that allegedly in the cities people are not allowed out of their apartments and quarantine is being introduced. It is not true.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that the information about the cholera outbreak is not true. At the same time, the chief state sanitary doctor of the Mykolaiv region confirmed that no cholera outbreak had been found in the city and the region. There are no deviations from the norm. And quarantine measures too.

The chief state sanitary doctor Ihor Kuzin said that Ukraine is ready to respond quickly in case of outbreaks of cholera. So far, they have not been fixed. According to him, there are enough drugs and diagnostic tools to diagnose acute intestinal infections, including cholera.

By spreading this fake, propagandists seek to sow panic among Ukrainians in order to destabilize their moods. Earlier, we just refuted a similar case about records of an outbreak of cholera in Kyiv. It turned out that this was also not true.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say an American humor magazine recently ran a cover featuring Zelenskyi lying on the hood of a car in motion. The cover itself has the caption: “before the future, one needs to get rid of something now”. Allegedly, they hint at the death of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. It is not true.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover does not exist. The fact-checkers explained that the last available issue of the magazine is 374 while the fake cover is already 375. There is no information on the official website about the 375 issue of the magazine, since it has not yet been released.

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi should be eliminated) is also repeated in the West. So readers may get the impression that the whole world is opposed to Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are circulating a video of US President Joseph Biden saying he is allegedly proud to be the most pro-Russian president in American history. I promised you that I would. But here's what I'm really proud of: I'm proud to have been re-elected as the most pro-Russian president in history”. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the VoxCheck fact-checker. They found out that the video had been edited: a disfigured Russian translation was superimposed on the original audio track. On June 17, 2023, Biden spoke to union members in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the campaign trail. In fact, at that meeting, the President of the United States said, “I am proud to be the most union-friendly president in American history. I promised that I would. But what I'm really proud of is that I was re-elected as the most pro-union president in history”.

By spreading such fakes, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Western partners and instill distrust in them. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Joe Biden admitted that Putin could not be defeated.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread the fourth series of the animated series “Ukraine Inc.” about Volodymyr Zelenskyi, which was allegedly created by a French animation studio. Russian propagandists write that for the Ukrainian president “Bakhmut is a bloody dream” and “he sacrificed an entire army of his soldiers-pawns and did not even spare Commander-in-Chief Zaluznyi”. It's fake.

According to experts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation, this animated series is a continuation of the information and psychological operation of the enemy. Previously, they reported that it was impossible to find references to the French studio, and the series was distributed by propaganda media, so it follows from this that the series was created by the Russians themselves.

By ridiculing the military leadership of Ukraine in the animated series, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit it, sow discouragement among Ukrainians and weaken the support of Western partners. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the first episode of the animated series Ukraine Inc., which says that Zelenskyi, at the request of the West, launches a “military meat grinder” by sending Ukrainians to death, and an episode in which the president tries to escape with the money of his partners.

The Russian segment, Facebook and media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock asked Ukraine not to call Leopard tanks German. Baerbock allegedly asked the media not to name the Leopard tanks destroyed in Ukraine as German. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. Annalena Baerbock did not ask the media not to call the Leopard tanks German. Experts have determined that open source searches in German, English and Russian lead to Russian propaganda sites and the Russian segment of social networks. Also, on the website of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs there are no texts with a similar request from Annalena Baerbock.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Germany and the assistance provided to Ukraine by Western partners. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Ukraine could join NATO if it gave up the territories occupied by Russia.