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.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric circulate a photo of Olena Zelenska’s Israeli passport and write that the first lady received it during her last visit to this country. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. This document has been edited with a photo editor. On the passport allegedly of Olena Zelenska, the date of issue is indicated as 19.06.2023, and the date of expiry is 18.06.2023. It is impossible to issue a passport after its expiration date.

Also, experts found in open sources a template for an Israeli passport. Probably, the Russian propaganda used this particular template, and took the photo of Olena Zelenska  from the official telegram channel.

Thus, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit Olena Zelenska, cause neglect among Ukrainians and Western partners, and deprive international support. Detector Media denied the fake that photos of Olena Zelenska's vacation on a nudist beach in Israel appeared.

Kremlin propaganda media disseminate information that PACE allegedly insists on the need for Ukraine to hold parliamentary elections, despite the martial law. Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, said that this would “tear the state apart”, moreover, in the current conditions it is very difficult to organize elections. Russian propaganda also writes that experts believe that “Kyiv is not interested in organizing voting as soon as possible, since it can blow up the position of the current government”. It's fake.

Fact checkers from The Insider investigated the case. The PACE position was expressed on June 12 in an analytical article by Olena Davlikanova, a project coordinator of the Representation of the Foundation of Friedrich Ebert in Ukraine. She explains that parliamentary elections should be held in October 2023, and presidential elections in March 2024, but due to the Russian occupation of Ukraine and the flooding caused by the actions of the Russians, “the expediency of a popular vote is in question”.

From the legal perspective, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, elections in Ukraine cannot be held under martial law. From the point of view of security and practicality, there are also a number of reasons why elections cannot be held now - the occupiers can fire at polling stations along with voters, about 20% of Ukrainians have become refugees and it will be difficult to organize voting in other countries, part of the territory is under occupation, and part is destroyed.

As for the thesis that they allegedly do not want to hold elections in Kyiv, because this will undermine the position of the current government, the article, on the contrary, notes that holding elections could help both Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the ruling “Servant of the People” party. Zelenskyi exceeds the popularity of the party, and this could play into the hands.

Russian propagandists use the tactics of substitution of concepts and try to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Like, Zelenskyi is holding on to power, because elections in Ukraine will not be held. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that Ukraine is postponing parliamentary elections in 2023 due to Zelenskyi's political ambitions.

Kremlin propaganda media and anonymous telegram channels spread the information that the Ukrainian embassy in Estonia allegedly informed the Ukrainians that they were being called to a “two-week meeting of reservists”. Those who refuse are deported. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. According to the Estonian National Defense Law, foreigners are exempted from the obligation to join the army. Also, the Ukrinform news agency requested the Ukrainian Embassy in the Republic of Estonia. The embassy said that this information is not true and it is another fake of the Russians. Moreover, according to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On approval of the procedure for organizing and maintaining military records of conscripts, conscripts and reservists”, diplomatic departments have no right to force them to join the ranks of a foreign army.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Estonian government and intimidate Ukrainians, to destabilize the situation. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that Poland had allegedly launched covert mobilization.

Propagandists are spreading a fake, allegedly the chairman of the GUR, Kyryl Budanov, was wounded and instead of him, a double was sent to meet with Japanese Ambassador Matsuda Kuninori. It's fake. 

The authors of such messages note that the “double” can be exposed thanks to a new hairstyle, a clean-shaven chin and an “unnatural fold” of the right hand. However, all these are rather signs of a slight change in the image of one person.

By concocting such excuses, the Russians want to nourish the fake about Budanov's severe injury, even if it has already been debunked. In addition, by spreading reports about the injury or death of Ukrainian top military/political figures, the Russians want to cause panic among Ukrainians and create the illusion of defeat. However, the leaders who appeared in these fakes repeatedly debunked them on their own.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular in the Polish segment of Facebook. Reports say unidentified women “desecrated” a Polish monument in Opole. Allegedly, the monument was decorated with the Ukrainian flag. So, the authors came to the conclusion that the women were engaged in profanation and desecrated the monument with a “Ukrainian sign”. The authors add video evidence to the publication. The Polish fact-checkers of the Demagog project investigated this case and found out that the organizers of the event filmed on video were a group of volunteers from Opole. They weave camouflage nets and then hand them over to the Ukrainian military. Moreover, the blue and yellow ribbon on the monument, which is visible on the monument, is not the flag of Ukraine, but the flag of the Opole Voivodeship. And even if the monument has a Ukrainian flag, this is not a profanity.

The Ukrainian banner does not contradict the values of the monument itself. It also symbolizes freedom and victory. The organizer of the rally himself noted on his Facebook that the purpose of the rally was to express solidarity with the victims of the floods in Ukraine. Thus, the authors simply tried to demonize Ukrainians, who allegedly desecrate monuments and propagate their values.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that after the death of Silvio Berlusconi, Ukraine demanded that all of his legacy be handed over to it. The authors refer to a statement by Dmytro Kuleba, allegedly saying that Berlusconi was a friend of Putin and would rightly transfer all his legacy to Ukraine. It is not true. 

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, and determined that Dmytro Kuleba did not say this. It's just a made up quote. Berlusconi has been known for controversial statements about the Russian-Ukrainian war. Yes, he accused Ukraine and President Zelenskyi of Russia invading Ukraine. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reacted to this situation by saying that Silvio Berlusconi undoubtedly disseminated pro-Kremlin narratives in this statement. However, this does not give any reason to alienate the heritage from Berlusconi. The children of the former politician will receive it. 

Propagandists speculate on the topic of the forced seizure of property of Russia and its residents. This law was signed by Zelenskyi back in March last year. The law says that they will seize, without any exception, the property of Russia or its residents on the territory of Ukraine. However, we are not talking about third parties. This year, for the first time, the United States allowed the transfer of confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine. These were the assets of the Russian oligarch.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say a German humour magazine recently published a cover featuring fallen Ukrainian soldiers spelling out the phrase “counteroffensive”. The authors add that the whole world is mocking Zelenskyi's plans for a counteroffensive. It is not true. 

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found out that such a cover does not exist. The fact-checkers explained that the latest available issue of the magazine was the sixth while on the fake cover one could see the seventh. There is no information on the official website about the seventh issue of the magazine, since it has not yet been released. 

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Ukraine will fail the counteroffensive) is also being repeated in the West. So, readers may think that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyryl Budanov, is allegedly in a hospital in Berlin after a “Russian missile” hit the office next to him. Like, at first he was delivered by helicopter to Poland, and then by an American evacuation board to Germany. It's a lie. 

This information was denied by the representative of the GUR Andrii Yusov, he explained that it simply does not correspond to reality. Kyryl Budanov is still on duty. 

By spreading this fake, the propagandists seek to demoralize the Ukrainians and show them that “there is no one to protect them anymore”. Thus, propagandists sow panic among Ukrainians. We recall that we recently refuted similar fakes regarding the “death” of the military leadership. This was one of the cases about the commander of the territorial defense units, Ihor Tantsiura, who, according to Russian propaganda, was allegedly killed in Bakhmut. And we also refuted the fake about the “death” of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Such information was disseminated in the Polish segment of social networks. Reports say that Polish politicians visited the Vatican during the funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI and members of the delegation took a photo with the Russian flag. Like, they “flaunted” it and thus expressed their commitment to Russia. The authors add to the publications a photograph where the delegation allegedly holds the flag of Russia. It is not true. 

The Polish fact-checkers of the Demagog project investigated this case and found out that the photo was simply edited using Photoshop. In fact, in the original photo, the politicians were holding the Polish flag, not the Russian one. Fact-checkers found the original photo by a reverse Google search. The photo was published by one of the members of the Polish delegation on his Twitter. 

By spreading this fake, the propagandists, first of all, sought to undermine the confidence of the Poles in their high-ranking officials, who, they say, express the “favor” of Russia in an international format. Also, in this way, Ukrainians can despair of the actions of Ukraine's brother country. Allegedly, on the one hand, they help the Ukrainians, on the other hand, they wear the Russian flag during international events.

Kremlin propaganda media, anonymous telegram channels and users of the Russian segment of Twitter spread information that the UK is allegedly recruiting “mercenaries” for the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south and east of Ukraine. Proof of this is the announcement of the EU Citizenship Program on the Adzuna job site. Russian propaganda refers to the publication of the British edition of The Times. It's fake.

The fact-checker of the Stop Fake project drew attention to the case. The UK did not recruit “mercenaries” to Ukraine because of the Adzuna website. What's more, Adzuna chief executive Doug Munro told The Times that the ad was created for the purpose of propaganda and that his site was “a victim of Russian disinformation about the war”. After the message began to circulate among the military, The Sunday Times contacted Adzuna. And the company immediately froze the advertisement and contacted the police. Doug Munro believes that this provocation was created by “Russia or pro-Russian fans”.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes and manipulations by so-called foreign mercenaries in Ukraine. Thus, Russian propagandists seek to create the appearance that Russia is actually at war not with Ukraine, but with the so-called collective West. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that the West allegedly does not allow the Ukrainian military to use its equipment, because “foreign mercenaries” are doing this.

Such information was disseminated in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The cover of a German satirical magazine allegedly depicts Zelenskyi with the inscription “Successful counteroffensive in their pants”, and the propagandists themselves distribute the publication: “Betrayal or what, ladies and gentlemen”. It's fake.

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found that such a cover of the Titanic edition with Volodymyr Zelenskyi does not exist. Fact-checkers checked the magazine by serial number and found the real cover of the issue. Russian propagandists systematically create detailed covers for foreign publications.

By spreading such fakes, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and split the society, and also seeks to convince it that the West repeats the rhetoric of the Russians and laughs at the Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media denied a fake about the cover of the German edition of Eulenspiegel with the inscription “Ukraine is raising money for suicide”.

This message is spread by Russian media and anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The report says that “after several unsuccessful attempts to attack the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the shares of the German defense concern Rheinmetall went down sharply”. According to Russian propaganda, this happened after the mass destruction of Leopard 2 tanks produced by the concern by Russian troops. Ukraine seems to have become a testing ground for the “miracle technology”, which proved to be not the best. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. The German concern Rheinmetall AG is one of the largest manufacturers of military equipment in Germany and Europe. Together with the Krauss-Maffei concern, it also produces Leopard tanks, which are now supplying Ukraine. The group is now ramping up production and is not having a significant drop in shares or economic problems, as evidenced by the data from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. And the head of the German defense concern Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, said earlier that the Ukrainian military spoke very positively about the weapons provided.

By spreading this message, propagandists are once again trying to promote the message that Russian technology is effective and invincible, and that Ukraine is a testing ground for Western weapons. Russian propaganda is also trying to embroil Ukraine with its partners. Earlier, Detector Media explained the message that Western technology is stupid, it is unsuitable for use in Ukraine.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are spreading a statement by Russian collaborator Volodymyr Rohov that since 2016 the number of TB patients in the Zaporizhzhia region has been on the rise. According to him, 70% of patients have a treatment-resistant form, and this was the result of American biological experiments, the closure of bacteriological laboratories, and the abolition of the diagnosis of tuberculosis among children. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. According to the Center for Public Health, in the Zaporizhzhia region in 2015-2021, the level of registration of new cases of the disease has decreased. Infection also decreased in 2022 compared to 2021 to 33.5 cases per 100,000 population. Deputy Minister of Health Ihor Kuzin explains that the high incidence in Ukraine is due to insufficient vaccination and untimely access to doctors. Indeed, in 2022, 119 patients in the Zaporizhzhia region were diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis for the first time. However, this is not the result of Western actions, but non-adherence to the treatment plan and a consequence of the previously ineffective system of care for tuberculosis. However, since 2007, an anti-tuberculosis bacteriological laboratory has been operating in Zaporizhzhia, and in 2020, a phthisis pulmonological center was established in Zaporizhzhia on the basis of the regional anti-tuberculosis dispensary. Diagnosis of tuberculosis is still carried out, mantoux is mandatory for children.

Russian propagandists systematically spread fakes and manipulations of the biological laboratory on the territory of Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit Western partners and intimidate Ukrainians. This is part of the narrative that “the West controls Ukraine”. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that Ukraine collected bird flu strains in the Askania-Nova nature reserve.

On the Russian forum, in the Georgian segment of Facebook and media spreading pro-Kremlin rhetoric, on June 9 and 10, they posted a photo with eco-activist Greta Thunberg holding a poster with the inscription: “Putin! Stop killing leopards!”. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project drew attention to the case. Greta Thunberg's photos were processed using the program. In fact, she was holding a piece of paper with the words “Let Russia strike for climate”, namely the photo she posted on May 14, 2019 on Twitter, in an attempt to urge Russia to join the protests against the climate crisis.

By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to discredit environmental activist Greta Thunberg and distort reality to show that Ukraine will allegedly lose. They say that even powerful equipment does not help to defeat Russia, so it remains only to persuade them not to touch the Ukrainians. Earlier, Detector Media explained the message that Western technology is supposedly poor and unsuitable for use in Ukraine.

Propagandists of Polish social networks are spreading a video in which, according to its description, an alleged Ukrainian teenager beat up his Polish peer in a Polish school. Russian is heard in the video. Polish commentators have already accused Ukrainians of “dishonest attitude” towards Poles under posts with him. However, this is fake.

Analysts of the Demagog project drew attention to it. They found out that the original video was posted on telegram. According to the original post, the fight took place in a rural school in Turochak, Republic of Altai (Russia), over a dispute over the theft of a vape. 

Thus, propagandists want to turn the Poles against the Ukrainians and kindle artificial discord between them. Like, Ukrainian refugees are ungrateful and do not know how to behave in the countries where they migrated.

Russian propaganda media disseminate publications in which the recent decision of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands on the return of the collection “Crimea - a golden island in the Black Sea” to Ukraine is described not only as “a complete degradation of the system of international law in Europe”, but also as due to the “Nazi inclinations” of the countries EU and Ukraine. In particular, Russian “historians” claim that the Scythian gold is returned to Ukraine only “for occult reasons”, because according to their version, Ukraine and Europe are “collecting magical artifacts” in order to defeat Russia “with their help” . It's fake.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that Russian narratives based on the collection “Crimea - a golden island in the Black Sea” have evolved from theses like “Russia has nothing to do with it” to statements about “breaking the bottom in the European judicial system”. Now propagandists have moved on to spreading frank conspiracy theories about this. In a comment to StopFake, Evelina Kravchenko, senior researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, emphasized that this approach is not new and that these theses do not explain the situation with the collection in an effective way.

By spreading such stories, propagandists want to justify the failure of the gold situation, raise doubts about whether it can be true, what is not, and also distort the historical context of the issue. Detector Media explained how Russian propaganda instrumentalizes the history of Ukraine.

Propagandists are spreading a video on social networks in which the Ukrainian military, together with NATO soldiers, allegedly drowned a Piranha 3C armored personnel carrier during their training. It's fake.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that the video had nothing to do with the training of the Ukrainian military abroad, or with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in general. The event in the video took place on June 3 during the international NATO training Saber Guardian. Then the armored personnel carrier sank while trying to cross the Borcha River. The press service of the Romanian Ministry of Defense (since the equipment is in service with this country), according to StopFake experts, reported that the armored car sank due to water penetration inside. It has already been lifted from the bottom and started to repair. In addition, Switzerland, as a manufacturer of this type of armored vehicles, blocked the provision of them to the Armed Forces of Ukraine after Denmark announced the idea. Therefore, there was no need to learn how to manage them. Thus, propagandists want to accuse Ukrainians of damaging foreign weapons and the inability of the Ukrainian army to quickly master the methods of controlling equipment. 

All this is another attempt to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is also evidenced by the fact that the propagandists began to distribute the video after it was published on one of the TikTalk accounts of the Wagner terrorist organization.

Russian propaganda media circulated publications according to which NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and former Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen allegedly stated that in 2023 “there will be no peace”, Ukraine will lose its statehood and that it will not be accepted into the Alliance. Propagandists gloat: they say that NATO is carrying out “denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine”, as Russia demanded. It's fake.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to it. They refuted it by finding two interviews cited by the authors of the fake. In particular, Stoltenberg, in a conversation with the Center for a New American Security, on the contrary, pointed out the readiness of the Ukrainians for a counteroffensive and the need to strengthen their position in order to guarantee the independence of Ukraine. In addition, he notes that the allies agree that sooner or later Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Rasmussen, in an interview with The Guardian, said that unless a clear path to NATO membership is offered to Ukraine at the Vilnius summit, some states may send troops to Ukraine on a case-by-case basis. Moreover, he stressed that it is important for Ukraine to receive security guarantees from NATO in writing and before the summit. According to the ex-secretary general, they should include the exchange of intelligence, joint military training, increasing the production of weapons, compatibility with the standards of the Alliance and the supply of weapons in quantities that will deter Russia from future attacks. Summing up, Rasmussen stressed that leaving Ukraine without a response to its membership requests for an indefinite period is dangerous. None of them made predictions about the timing of the end of the war.

By manipulating the words of foreign politicians, propagandists want to change the attitude of Ukrainians towards Western partners and make them doubt their intentions. In addition, this is another attempt to show that Ukraine is not in NATO, and it has no chance of winning against Russia. All this is aimed at demoralizing Ukrainian society.

Propagandists on anonymous telegram channels with pro-Russian rhetoric are spreading images in which the Ukrainian telecom operators Kyivstar and Vodafone allegedly sent an SMS message with the following text in Russian: “Welcome to Russia, one of the hospitable countries in the world. Enjoy your vacation, and we will take care of the connection”. Allegedly, such messages were received due to the mass shutdown of mobile communications. It's fake.

Specialists in the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They contacted the mentioned mobile operators, who replied that no such messages were sent and that there were no failures that could lead to such (for example, hacker attacks). In addition, Kyivstar noted that the messages on the images contain errors and traces of editing. For example, all lines have different distances, and the propagandists wrote the word “today” as “tday”. The company also reminded that it adds the date, year and exact time of sending the message at the end.

Thus, propagandists want to cause panic among Ukrainians. They take advantage of the fact that such messages come while staying in another country and want to make the population believe that Russia allegedly occupied certain territories. However, such fakes are easy to disprove due to their errors.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a Ukrainian military sabotage group allegedly blew up a section of the Togliatti-Odesa pipeline that Russia was using to export ammonia. The authors add that toxic fumes allegedly covered the positions of the Ukrainian military: one was killed, several were poisoned, the rest of the military received orders to use gas masks in their positions. They also claim that the Ukrainian military is doing this on purpose. It is not true. 

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, they established that it was not a “sabotage group of Ukrainian military”, but the Russian military that damaged the pipe of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline near the village of Masiutivka as a result of artillery shelling. This was stated in the Kharkiv police department. The head of the Regional Military Administration confirmed that the pipeline had been depressurized as a result of Russian strikes.

Also, the thesis about the death and poisoning of the military is a lie since later the Kharkiv police department came out with a statement that the situation with the release of ammonia in the Kupiansk district is fully controlled. Nothing threatens the life and health of people. After the night shelling, the safety valves at the station worked, and due to this, the leakage of ammonia was relatively insignificant. It was also reported that a cloud of ammonia was blown away by the wind in the direction of the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. That is, in fact, it is the Russian military who carry out terrorist attacks on industrial facilities and destroy the ecosystem of Ukraine. For example, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine recently reported that the Russians were mining the Crimean Titan plant in temporarily occupied Armiansk and preparing a terrorist act with the release of about 200 tons of ammonia. This can lead to an artificially created man-made disaster. Russia simply reflects its actions and thus tries to present itself as a constant victim of Ukraine's “aggression”. Allegedly, it is Ukraine that commits terrorist attacks and kills civilians.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, including the Russian segment of Facebook. Reports say that allegedly during a working trip to the Kherson region on May 8, people met Volodymyr Zelenskyi badly: he was insulted and cursed. The authors add that Zelenskyi was indifferent to the reaction of the public and he continued his “tour of the regions”. They also add video to the post. It is not true. 

The case was noticed by the Georgian fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project, who explained that, first of all, Volodymyr Zelenskyi came to the Kherson region as part of his working trip to establish the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. Fact-checkers checked the video and found out that it was compiled. A different sound was superimposed on the video, where people scold. Meanwhile, they also managed to find the real video with a reverse Google search. So, in the original video, Ukrainians are chanting the phrase “Glory to Ukraine!”, and Volodymyr Zelenskyi and his delegation answer “Glory to the heroes!”. Moreover, the video was published back in November 2022, when Zelenskyi visited the liberated Kherson. That is, the authors used the old video to spread false information. 

By spreading this fake, propagandists seek to show how the public is dissatisfied with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Allegedly, in Ukraine, everyone does not respect him and is ready to scold him in the face. Thus, the authors undermine the authority of the President.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Ukrainian armed forces allegedly shelled the Kherson region during the evacuation of civilians from flooded areas. Like, they prevented the evacuation of people. It is not true. 

The StopFake fact-checkers worked on the case, explaining that the propagandists simply made up such information. In fact, there is plenty of documented evidence that the Russians shelled Kherson during the evacuation of civilians. Also, according to the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Prokudin, it was the Russian army that shelled the coastal territories, the central part of the city, and the place of evacuation from the flooded areas. 

Thus, propagandists use the tactics of reflection, attributing their actions to the opponent. So, they try to hide their crimes and become a victim.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukraine is preparing a nuclear strike. The authors add that this is the response of the Ukrainians to the alleged murder of Kyryl Budanov by the Russians. It is not true. 

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, they found out that Ukraine is not preparing and cannot prepare a nuclear strike, since it does not carry out undeclared activities at nuclear facilities. This is also confirmed by the conclusions of the IAEA mission after visiting Ukraine. Checks of nuclear facilities are carried out systematically, the last of which was in May this year. According to the conclusions of the expert commission, no suspicious types of activity were recorded. As for the so-called “death” of the head of the GUR, Kyryl Budanov, we also recently refuted this fake. 

Thus, the propagandists seek to demoralize the Ukrainians and show them how supposedly “there is no one to protect them”. By spreading this fake, propagandists are trying to re-justify their actions and shift the responsibility for them to the victim. Allegedly, Russia is fighting against Ukraine, which wants to destroy Russia with “dirty bombs”.