Propaganda media and social media users have begun spreading information that in Ukraine citizens are allegedly being forced to change their Russian surnames to Ukrainian ones through the state service Diia. Propagandists have allegedly published a screenshot of a message in which a user with the surname “Lebediev” is asked to “Ukrainize” it and change into “Lebedenko”, “Lebedinskyi” or “Lebedchuk”. However, this is a fake.

StopFake debunked this fake, finding errors in the screenshot text that indicate a fake. In particular, the use of the Russian letter “e” instead of the Ukrainian “є” and the incorrect gender of the word “surname” as feminine rather than neuter, as well as the use of an unofficial font. These errors are unlikely for an official message from Diia. In addition, StopFake specialists checked the official pages of Diia and did not find any similar initiatives or services for Ukrainization. The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which is responsible for the functioning of Diia, also confirmed that such messages were not sent and are fake.

This fake is yet another attempt by propaganda to discredit the Ukrainian state system and stir up tension in society by spreading false information about the alleged forced imposition of Ukrainian identity on citizens.

Anonymous propaganda Telegram channels are actively distributing an ad about a “50% discount” on one boot for veterans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a disability allegedly established by Ukrainian sellers. However, this is fiction, and the photo with the ad has been edited.

This is what experts at the Center for Countering Disinformation say. They note that this type of disinformation is aimed at manipulating citizens' emotions in order to cause indignation and despondency among Ukrainians, especially among those who actively support the military and help the wounded. Through targeted fakes, Russian propagandists are trying to portray Ukrainian society as not appreciating its heroes, as absolutely false and manipulative.

Such propaganda can also sow discouragement among international partners providing financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Propaganda seeks to convince both external and internal audiences that support for veterans is weak and their needs are ignored. This not only undermines unity within the country, but can negatively affect Ukraine’s reputation in the world. At the same time, such manipulations reinforce stereotypes, portraying Ukraine as a country that allegedly despises its heroes, which in a war situation is a dangerous tool for psychological influence on society.

Russian anonymous Telegram channels have spread information about the detention of a volunteer at a checkpoint in the Sumy region, allegedly with more than 100 kg of drugs that were supposed to be received by Ukrainian soldiers from the 82nd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The propagandists used a photo of a pickup truck with drugs from the X social network. However, this is not true.

This was discovered by experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They found out that the photo used for the fake really does refer to a report from the US Border Service. And the drug shipment mentioned in the fiction was seized in Texas, not in Ukraine.

The purpose of such information manipulations is to discredit the Ukrainian military and volunteers in the eyes of the international community, which undermines support for Ukraine at the international level. Such fakes create the impression of corruption and criminal activity among Ukrainian defenders and volunteers, aiming to cause mistrust among partners and donors providing assistance to Ukraine. Such disinformation campaigns are part of Russia's strategy aimed at undermining the unity of international support and the attitude towards Ukraine as a reliable partner in the fight for security and democracy.

The pro-Russian segment of the Internet is spreading information that Ukrainian doctors allegedly removed a healthy kidney from a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who was wounded near Sudzha as a result of a Russian drone attack. In claiming this, the propagandists refer to a message on Facebook from the Ukrainian soldier's “girlfriend”, who announced a collection for the man's rehabilitation and allegedly reported that he “no longer has a kidney”.

However, the information about the removal of the Ukrainian soldier's kidney is not true - the propagandists edited the original message of a Facebook user under the nickname Victoria Pendeliuk. The woman did announce a collection for the rehabilitation of the man, but did not report the disappearance of his kidney. So, if one looks at the screenshot of Victoria Pendeliuk's message, which is being distributed by propagandists, and the real message, one will notice that the original publication does not contain the words “and he no longer has a kidney”.

On Facebook, it would be noticeable if the post had been edited. In this case, when you click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the post, the option “View edit history” appears. Some of the posts by Facebook user Victoria Pendeliuk were indeed edited after publication, but no changes were made to the post announcing a fundraiser for the man's rehabilitation. Accordingly, the option “View edit history” is not displayed on it.

After all, Facebook user Victoria Pendeliuk is in fact the wife, not the girlfriend, of the wounded Ukrainian serviceman, and she has already managed to publish a new message refuting the “news” about her husband’s “disappearance of a kidney”.

This fake is intended to feed the Russian narrative about the alleged flourishing of black transplantology in Ukraine. They say that black transplantologists are profiting from the war in Ukraine. We have previously analyzed a number of fakes on this topic. For example, we wrote about disinformation that the heart of a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier is allegedly being sold on the darknet for 70 thousand dollars.

Pro-Russian sources, citing the Polish publication Gazeta.pl, are spreading information that from November 20, 2024, paper hryvnias will allegedly be printed only in Poland. According to the propagandists, the reasons for this decision are power outages, a shortage of materials, and the expensive logistics of producing the national currency in Ukraine.

However, in reality, this is a fake, journalists from the StopFake project write. First of all, the gazeta.pl website did not disseminate the relevant information. In addition, the publication publishes materials exclusively in Polish (the fake material is in English), and does not create video content (the source of the fake is a fabricated video). In the end, neither the National Bank of Ukraine itself, nor any authoritative media published the relevant “news”.

By spreading such fakes, Russian propaganda is trying to undermine trust in the Ukrainian banking system. We have previously recorded disinformation concerning the National Bank of Ukraine. For example, we refuted information that cryptocurrency payments were banned in Ukraine.

The pro-Russian segment of the Internet is spreading information that the head doctor of a medical institution in Cherkasy refused to provide medical assistance to parishioners of the UOC MP. This allegedly happened after a scuffle between representatives of the OCU and believers of the UOC MP near the Cherkasy St. Michael's Cathedral due to the fact that some parishioners were unhappy with the decision of chaplain Volodymyr Pedko to transfer the church to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The propagandists write that as a result of the clash, about 20 people with serious injuries sought hospital treatment, but the head doctor Oleksandr Fedoruk forbade documenting the injuries of some of the victims, providing them with first aid, and hospitalizing them. So this is allegedly “evidence of religious intolerance” towards Orthodox believers in Ukraine.

In fact, this information is false, StopFake journalists report.

The Third Cherkasy City Hospital of Emergency Medical Care published a refutation of this news on its Facebook page: “On October 17, 2024, 10 people who were injured during these events turned to the Third Cherkasy City Hospital of Emergency Medical Care. Six were provided with outpatient care, two were hospitalized in the traumatology department, two in the neurosurgery department. All who sought help received it in full. The information about the refusal to provide assistance is false and discredits our establishment”.

Soon after the incident occurred, law enforcement agencies began investigating it: the regional national police opened a criminal case under Part 4 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - hooliganism. The maximum punishment that can be threatened under the sanction of the article is imprisonment for a term of two to five years.

The religious community of Cherkasy voted and made a decision to transfer the church to the subordination of the OCU back in June 2024, and on October 17, the process was finalized. The corresponding order was issued and signed by the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration. As a result, the UOC community is no longer registered at this address and has also lost its property rights. “The Russian Orthodox Church has occupied the territory of St. Michael's Cathedral and hypocritically calls itself the Ukrainian Church, so today we did it. We must liberate all of Ukraine from the Russian occupation and the spiritual Russian occupation”, said military chaplain Father Nazarii in a commentary to Cherkasy Suspilne (Public) about the transfer of the church to the subordination of the OCU.

This fake is intended to feed the Russian narrative that Ukraine is allegedly persecuting people on religious grounds. We previously recorded disinformation that an OCU priest refused to perform the funeral service for Ukrainian defenders baptized in the UOC MP.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are distributing a video in which a friend of a Ukrainian soldier, who was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, 3rd degree, allegedly shows the state's assistance to the family of the deceased. The video says that the family was given toothpaste, antiseptic, seasoning, and a sheet. The man in the video concludes that this is not the kind of assistance that the family actually needs.

However, this is a fake, the VoxCheck project writes. Despite the fact that the order shown in the video is real, the aid shown in the video was unlikely to have been provided by the Ukrainian authorities. After all, among the items shown, there is not a single one that was produced or sold in Ukraine. For example, OraLine Bubble Gum toothpaste for children is produced and sold in the USA. The antiseptic is also not available for sale in Ukraine, but can be ordered from the UK. The manufacturer of the bed sheet is the Finnish company Sakupe, its products are also not available for sale in Ukraine.

Accordingly, it is unlikely that the Ukrainian authorities would purchase household items, such as toothpaste or bed sheets, from foreign companies to help the families of fallen defenders. Perhaps these items were transferred to Ukraine as humanitarian aid, and propagandists passed it off as state support for the families of fallen soldiers.

Families of Ukrainian soldiers killed at the front receive a one-time payment of 15 million hryvnia from the state. If a soldier died during his service, but not during combat, his relatives receive financial assistance in the amount of 750 subsistence minimums. As of January 1, 2024, the subsistence minimum is 3,028 UAH for able-bodied individuals. That is, the family of a fallen soldier receives almost 2.3 million hryvnia. However, this amount may change with the change in the subsistence minimum. These amounts, 2.3 or 15 million, are equally divided between all members of the deceased's family. The following are entitled to receive the funds: the parents of the deceased; one of the spouses who has not remarried; children under 18; dependents.

Also, families of missing soldiers, in addition to maintaining monthly payments for the soldier (official salary, salary for military rank, allowances for length of service, other monthly additional types of monetary support), are provided with an additional payment, which was assigned to the soldier for participation in military operations, in the amount of 100 thousand hryvnia. The family is deprived of such payments if the soldier voluntarily surrendered, deserted or arbitrarily left the military unit or place of service.

We have previously recorded similar fakes from Russians. In particular, they spread disinformation about a dead Ukrainian soldier buried in an anonymous grave, as well as about the alleged theft of personal belongings of a Ukrainian soldier at his funeral.

Russian propaganda sources are distributing a video produced by the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF). It claims that law enforcement agencies are massively detaining and harshly interrogating Ukrainian citizens who contact Russian phone numbers, or even for searching the Internet in Russian. Thus, allegedly, in Sumy alone, as of early October, 56 criminal cases for collaborationism were opened, and 27 people arrested on such charges died from torture.

In fact, RSF did not release such a video, as reported by fact-checkers from the StopFake project. They contacted the head of the organization's investigations department, Arnaud Froger, who denied that RSF had published such material.

“This is the third time in recent months that pro-Kremlin social media accounts have used the RSF brand and staff to lend credibility to their propaganda. They use Western media or NGOs like RSF to add value to their narrative and bridge the trust gap that their own propaganda outlets suffer from. With this disinformation, Russia and its affiliated trolls manipulate what is at the heart of every relationship: trust” , Froger commented.

Two things are also indicative. Firstly, the footage of Frozhet's face in the propaganda video is indeed taken from a video in which RSF debunks another Russian propaganda story - about the mass use of Nazi symbols by Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk. We also recorded this disinformation in one of our previous materials.

Secondly, despite the fact that the fake video clip talks about 26 people allegedly dying from torture, the text of the propaganda publications for some reason already mentions 12 dead people – the propagandists are confused in their own fabrications.

After all, communication with relatives in Russia and Russian-language queries on the Internet are legal and are not regulated in any way by Ukrainian legislation.

Based on the results of monitoring, the Center for Countering Disinformation reports that Chinese media continue to write a lot about the results of the BRICS summit in Kazan. A number of publications are skeptical about BRICS, noting that some member states do not agree with its transformation from a geoeconomic to a geopolitical association. In addition, there is a message that the Russian-Ukrainian war could cause disagreements within the organization.

China also continues to promote a joint initiative with Brazil to diplomatically resolve the war in Ukraine. It is noted that Beijing is allegedly interacting with “various interested parties” to facilitate this. At the same time, Chinese journalists almost completely ignore the issue of the participation of the DPRK military in the war against Ukraine.

The Center for Countering Disinformation adds that anti-Western rhetoric remains very common in Chinese media. In particular, the narrative is being promoted that the long war in Ukraine has led Europe to an extremely difficult period, and that anti-Russian sanctions have a negative impact on the energy sector and the economy of EU countries as a whole. It should be noted that such rhetoric is in line with Russian propaganda.

A propaganda source is spreading information that on October 15, 2024, Russia launched a targeted strike on the alleged location of NATO “mercenaries” in Mykolaiv.

However, this is not true. In fact, as a result of the Russian missile strike on that day, civilians were injured and civilian objects were also damaged. This is reported by the VoxCheck project.

On October 15, Russian troops shelled Mykolaiv with S-300 missiles. As a result of the attack, civilian objects were damaged - private residential buildings, an infrastructure facility, a restaurant complex, etc. This was reported by the State Emergency Service and the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Vitalii Kim. A woman died and 16 people were injured as a result of the shelling.

The propaganda message contains photos of a fire published by the State Emergency Service. They show the aftermath of a missile strike, but none of them prove that the Russians hit the location of “NATO mercenaries”. In general, the publication does not provide any real arguments and contains typical phrases about so-called “mercenaries” in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is a recurring Russian narrative, with which it is trying to discredit Ukraine.

The disinformation about alleged “NATO mercenaries” at the impact site was published by Dmytro Vasylets, a pro-Russian blogger and propagandist. In 2015, he was arrested while assisting the separatist TV channel Novorossiya TV, but was fired in 2018. Before the full-scale war, the blogger moved to Russia, where he continued his propaganda activities against Ukraine. In early 2024, the SBU informed Vasylets of suspicion for public calls for a violent change of power or the overthrow of the constitutional order.

Finally, another propaganda source reports that the arrival was recorded by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. That is, this version contradicts the version about the arrival of “mercenaries” at the location of deployment. Accordingly, in this way the Russians are trying to justify the shelling of civilian objects, claiming that military personnel, equipment or ammunition depots are located there.

Russian anonymous Telegram channels are actively spreading false information about the sale of organs of deceased Ukrainian soldiers on the black market. According to their reports, ads for the sale of the heart of a Ukrainian soldier for $70,000 have allegedly appeared on the darknet, and similar cases have allegedly been recorded earlier. However, these messages are part of a long-running disinformation campaign known as Black Transplantology, which dates back to 2014, that is, false. Its main goal is to discredit the Ukrainian military-political leadership and form a negative image of Ukraine in the international arena. This is written by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

This fake also functions as a tool of psychological warfare, creating mistrust of the Ukrainian government, speculating on emotionally sensitive topics, and creating an image of the Ukrainian military as “victims of the system” rather than victims of Russian aggression. The manipulation is aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society and weakening support for the country from the international community. Propaganda often uses such disinformation tactics to tarnish Ukraine’s reputation, presenting it as a corrupt state that disregards human rights.

Ukraine complies with international humanitarian law and ensures appropriate treatment of fallen soldiers, strictly fulfilling its international obligations. The dissemination of such fakes is an attempt to manipulate public opinion and undermine the morale of Ukrainians.

Russian state media recently reported that snipers trained in Ukraine had been spotted in Tbilisi, intending to provoke protests. This was accompanied by RT footage of people in military uniforms, allegedly with Ukrainian and Georgian patches, seen among the protesters. Russian media used the video to support the claim that Ukraine was involved in fomenting unrest in Georgia.

After an investigation, MythDetector identified these people as Georgian tourists with no military ties. One of them, Lasha Katsiashvili, explained that he and his friends regularly attend public gatherings and protests in camping gear for convenience. In addition, the patches with the Ukrainian and Georgian flags on their clothes were purchased in Tbilisi and distributed among local outdoor enthusiasts.

This attempt to label Georgian tourists as “Ukrainian snipers” fits into a larger pattern of Kremlin propaganda alleging Ukrainian interference in Georgia’s internal affairs. Similar narratives have emerged falsely claiming that Ukrainians travel to Georgia to incite political unrest, particularly during election campaigns. Recently, a Ukrainian MP who visited Georgia as an election observer was also portrayed as one of the leaders of “professional protesters”. The aim of the disinformation strategy is to create suspicion of foreign influence, particularly Ukrainian, on Georgian politics to support pro-Russian narratives.

Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that the Ukrainian military is allegedly demanding a ransom of 1 million rubles for the life of a captured Russian soldier, threatening his relatives. However, after checking, the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security declared this story a fabricated fake.

The organization of prisoner of war exchange in Ukraine strictly observes international norms and such actions as ransom or blackmail are strictly prohibited and subject to control by authorized bodies. Such fakes are aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and sowing mistrust towards the Ukrainian army both among Ukrainians and at the international level.

This is one of the attempts at an information attack by Russian propagandists, aimed at undermining morale, discrediting the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and creating a negative image of Ukraine in the eyes of the world community.

Russian propaganda telegram channels are distributing a photo of an ad pasted to a pole with information for Ukrainians about the possibility of earning extra money in Georgia. The poster promises 100 euros for one participation in a rally, and as much as 150 euros for people with a flag. The ad also says that even men are helped to leave Ukraine. Propagandists comment on the poster, writing that these are supposedly Ukraine's priorities today: “Not to pull your country out of the mud, but to plunge others deeper into the same mud”.

In fact, such a poster does not exist - it was created using graphic editing and superimposed on a photo. This was found out thanks to the reverse image search function from Google. So, the original photo was first posted online in 2021 on the regional resource of the city of Rivne 0362.ua, and it shows a completely different poster - an announcement of a joint concert of DOROFEEVA and Dance Way, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the modern dance studio.

In addition, the original image has been edited in other places. For example, a different gate and the roof of the building located in the back right of the photo are noticeable.

This fake photo is a reaction of Russians to the protests in Georgia, which began after the parliamentary elections in this country. Georgians took to the streets to express their disagreement with the official election results. Russian propaganda did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of the unstable situation in both countries - both in Ukraine and in Georgia, and issued such a primitive fake in order to claim that the protests in Georgia were paid for and decreed.

Against the backdrop of the end of the grain harvest, Russian media began to spread information that this season in European countries there is allegedly a catastrophic grain crop failure due to “anti-Russian sanctions”. Propagandists also write that against the backdrop of hunger in Europe, Russia has become the guarantor of food security for the EU.

In fact, Russian propaganda simply manipulates data and spreads disinformation. This is reported in the StopFake project. This year, the world, and Russia in particular, has seen a drop in grain yields. However, this is due to unfavorable weather conditions at the beginning of the sowing season, and not the EU sanctions policy. A very rainy spring and summer caused delays in harvesting and negatively affected wheat growth in Western Europe, while Central and Eastern Europe suffered from a lack of moisture, which also affected grain filling. According to data from the European Commission published at the end of September 2024, due to unfavorable weather conditions, the total volume of grain production in the EU is projected at 269.9 million tons. This is only 3.9% below the average for the past 5 years.

However, in Russia, according to the October report of the US Department of Agriculture, wheat production fell by 10% compared to the previous season. Russian propaganda deliberately does not provide data on Russian grain, taking into account only the decline in yields in European countries, although Russia itself suffered due to weather conditions at the beginning of the year. In the end, the Russians deliberately keep silent about the fact that Russia is not the only one among the three leading grain exporters in the world. The EU and Ukraine are also among the world's largest producers and exporters of agricultural products. They play an important role in the supply of oilseeds and grain crops to the world market.

It should also be noted that Russia steals Ukrainian grain from the occupied territories and sells it. Thus, the British newspaper Financial Times published an investigation back in 2022, where it showed, using the example of one vessel, how Russia trades Ukrainian grain stolen from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Previously, we analyzed the Russian fake, which claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were deliberately shelling fields in the Kherson region to destroy the harvest.

Russian sources are once again spreading information that Ukraine is preparing to make a dirty nuclear bomb. Nuclear waste from nuclear power plants is used to create it. After all, as the propagandists write, this waste can allegedly be used not only for detonation, but also for contaminating the area for tens of kilometers.

However, information that Ukraine can create nuclear weapons from waste from nuclear power plants is unfounded. This is reported by journalists from the StopFake project.

In 1994, Ukraine joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. These actions confirmed that Ukraine is the owner of all nuclear weapons that it inherited from the USSR and intends to get rid of them completely, using atomic energy in the future only for civilian purposes. Already in 1996, Ukraine renounced nuclear weapons and has not developed the corresponding technologies since then. Today, Ukraine has neither the ability to create such a type of weapon, nor the desire to violate the preliminary agreements.

Polina Sinovets, head of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Center, said in a commentary for BBC Ukraine that “we do not enrich uranium to obtain a high content of the 235U isotope, which is necessary for creating uranium nuclear weapons”. Nuclear weapons can also be created by enriching plutonium in nuclear reactors, which is not practiced in Ukraine. “We do not enrich uranium - this is the main thing, and we do not process nuclear fuel to obtain plutonium - that is, there are no opportunities for either the uranium or plutonium paths of developing nuclear weapons”, Polina Sinovets concluded.

After all, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi recently denied information about Ukraine's intentions to restore its nuclear arsenal, noting the importance of NATO membership as the main guarantee of security. Also, the creation of such weapons cannot go unnoticed. Thus, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitors the nuclear programs of states and constantly monitors the situation in Ukraine. At the same time, earlier NNEGC Energoatom stated that it was Russia that could prepare an act of nuclear terrorism at the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP, violating all possible safety rules.

The narrative about the creation of a dirty nuclear bomb in Ukraine is one of the most widespread. Russian propaganda uses it to discredit Ukraine and justify Russian full-scale aggression.

Russian sources have distributed a video on behalf of United24, which says that the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andrii Yermak, allegedly called French President Emmanuel Macron a “hypocritical politician” for his “demand” to reduce the G7 loan to Ukraine to $20 billion instead of the expected $50 billion. In an interview with the 1+1 channel, Yermak also allegedly asked an outrageous rhetorical question: “Back in April, Macron was ready to send his army to help us, and now he wants to reduce the amount of aid?”

However, this information is not true. This is reported in the StopFake project. The video was fabricated by propagandists - United24 did not publish such news either on their website or in their social networks. Moreover, United24 is a state platform launched to consolidate international support for Ukraine, so it is very unlikely that insults against the leaders of allied states could appear on the platform.

Secondly, the interview with the 1+1 channel, where Yermak allegedly made the corresponding statement, does not exist at all. The last time the head of the Presidential Office gave an interview on this channel was three years ago, when he became a guest of the VIP with Nataliia Mosiichuk program. In the end, the claim that Macron allegedly demands to reduce the amount of the loan to Ukraine is fake. In fact, the President of France, together with the US government, was one of the initiators of the program, according to which the G7 countries will transfer a loan of $50 million to Ukraine, using the proceeds from the frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia in Europe worth $325 billion. The funds should arrive in Ukraine by the end of 2025. The motivation for approving this loan was Donald Trump's statements that if he wins the presidential election, he will stop providing financing to Ukraine. Thus, the G7 program is designed to ensure a regular flow of aid to Ukraine, regardless of the decisions of the next leader or the head of the United States.

Earlier we analyzed the Russian message that Yermak was seeking to escalate the war.

Russian resources are spreading information that, allegedly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast does not include the option of Ukraine winning the war against Russia. As the propagandists claim, “Western experts have stopped believing in “Ukraine's victory” in the special military operation”.

However, this is a fake, writes StopFake. On October 18, 2024, the IMF published a report on Ukraine. In the document, analysts estimate that the war will continue into the next year, 2025, and “the outlook remains highly uncertain”, and therefore additional financing of $32 billion will be needed. It will be covered by $33.1 billion of the G7's proposed Emergency Relief Arrangement (ERA) initiative, which provides for the use of proceeds on frozen Russian assets.

The report's risk section also talks about baseline and downside scenarios, both of which assume that the war will last longer than expected. At the same time, the scenarios do not talk about Ukraine's expected loss. On the contrary, the IMF report emphasizes: “We are currently focused on supporting macroeconomic, external, and financial stability to strengthen Ukraine's potential for victory”. This contradicts the information disseminated by Russian propagandists.

With this fake, the Russians are feeding the propaganda narrative about the West losing faith in Ukraine's victory. Earlier, we refuted the information that Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko stated that the West “is tired of driving Ukraine into debt”.

Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that allegedly in the city of Zhmerynka in the Vinnytsia region, three Ukrainian young men beat up a citizen of Kazakhstan, mistaking him for a Korean. In the corresponding publications, the propagandists add that during the clash, the Ukrainians allegedly shouted racist insults, and the Kazakh embassy even intervened in the incident.

However, in fact, the “news” about this incident is fake. This was reported by the Center for Counteracting Disinformation after verifying the information at the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Vinnytsia region. No similar incidents have been recorded in Zhmerynka recently.

This fake is a reaction of Russian propagandists to the involvement of North Korean troops in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The purpose of such lies is to discredit Ukrainians and create a false idea of racism in Ukrainian society. Earlier, we refuted the information that the Territorial center of recruitment and social support workers allegedly beat up an ethnic Hungarian in western Ukraine.

Propagandists are actively distributing video materials from Ukrainian sources on anonymous Telegram channels, in particular, a video of Ukrainian servicemen of the 15th Brigade of the NGU Kara-Dag, where they evacuate the wounded from the combat zone under fire. Russian propaganda presents this video as evidence of the alleged retreat of Ukrainian troops from Selydove, disseminating information about the transfer of the city under Russian control. However, this is not true.

This was indicated by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Its specialists emphasize that, according to the representative of the NGU Ruslan Muzychuk, Selydove remains under the control of Ukrainian forces. At the same time, Ukrainian units are holding back Russian attempts to advance from the north and east. Such information leaks are aimed at demoralizing the Ukrainian military and creating a false picture of the situation in order to sow doubts among the population and undermine confidence in Ukraine's defense efforts.

Such disinformation campaigns are also part of a broader Kremlin strategy that includes discrediting the Ukrainian military and distorting the real situation on the front lines, trying to justify Russian aggression as “protection” of civilians.

Propaganda Telegram channels are spreading the message that Ukrainian soldiers from the 61st Separate Mechanized Brigade are “committing atrocities” against civilians in Kursk and “bragging” about photographs of the tortured on the Internet.

But in fact, the original publication talks about Russian atrocities in one of the villages that was liberated by the fighters of the 61st Separate Mechanized Brigade. To create a fake, the real message was edited.

In fact, the original publication is a message from October 13, 2024 on the Facebook page of the educational project of the analytical center CASE Ukraine “The Price of the State”. The description of the project states that it explains to Ukrainians “how much the state costs them and what their taxes are spent on”.

The message noted that the photo shows the aftermath of Russian crimes in one of the liberated villages (the location is not specified). The 61st Separate Mechanized Brigade took control of this settlement. Its fighter took a photo of the dead tortured by the Russians. The post then included a gathering for the brigade. There is no mention of the Kursk region in the text. The Russians changed the original publication.

The Internet is spreading information that the Ukrainian State Film Agency has allegedly announced a presidential grant competition for 2025. Its goal is to create projects where the authors must demonstrate a “positive image of the Territorial center of recruitment and social support”.

The Ukrainian State Film Agency website does indeed contain news about the announcement of a presidential grant competition in 2025. To participate, one must submit the relevant documents: an application, an estimate, a description of the film. Similar conditions were previously in 2023 and 2024. They do not mention positive coverage of the Territorial center of recruitment and social support actions. The purpose of the competition is to provide state financial support to young artists for the creation and implementation of socially significant creative projects. Clear restrictions on the topics of the projects are not specified.

The counterfeit indicated a sum of over UAH 1 billion for the creation of products, but the official website indicated only UAH 3.9 million. This is the amount of funds allocated for the payment of three grants.

The Citytv publication is distributing a video online, which claims that the Colombian government wants to restrict the showing of videos from Ukraine on TikTok. They decided to resort to such an event because “young people, having watched enough Ukrainian videos, think that war is a romantic event and go to war”.

But Citytv did not publish the video, and some elements in the video indicate a forgery. Colombian authorities have not publicly announced their intention to restrict the showing of videos from Ukraine on TikTok.

Citytv is a Colombian TV channel. The channel is exclusively Spanish-language, but the text in the video that was distributed is written in English. Neither the Citytv website nor social networks contain any news about the Colombian government's plans to restrict the showing of videos from Ukraine on TikTok.

In addition, the video has several differences with the original videos of TV channels. For example, the Citytv Noticias logo is usually placed in the lower left corner and is part of the news banner, while in the propaganda video it is placed separately on the top left.

The Russian segment of the telegram writes that in Kyiv, Heroiv Sevastopolia (Sevastopol’s heroes) street was supposedly renamed in honor of the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Thus, the Russian propagandists write, Ukraine has once again demonstrated its dependence on the West. In this “news” the fake “order” on renaming No. 267, allegedly issued by the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, is used as confirmation.

“Instead of Heroiv Sevastopolia (Sevastopol’s heroes) street, the Nazi regime decided to name a street in Kyiv after the new NATO Secretary General. According to the Kyiv regime, such a renaming will help to get help from international partners. Soon, cities will be named after their masters”, users write.

The published “order” of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration is a fake. The above-mentioned document is missing from the official website of the administration, as well as any news about the decision to rename the street. Since the authorities may not publish all documents due to martial law, our colleagues from the fact-checking organization StopFake submitted a request for information directly to the Regional Military Administration. They confirmed that they did not disclose such an order.

The authors of the fake “document” also made grammatical errors that are not typical for a native Ukrainian speaker. For example, Russian propaganda uses the phrase “keeping of assistance”. If you translate this into Russian, it is “content of assistance”.  At the same time, the “document” meant “receiving assistance”.

The Internet is spreading alleged “announcements” about a poetry competition for the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language, which allegedly took place on October 27 in Ukrainian schools. In this announcement, schoolchildren are asked to write poems on the topics “We are ready to die for the Motherland” and “Volodymyr Zelenskyi is our immortal leader”.

But in Ukraine there is no holiday called “Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language”. On October 27, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language. In 1997, the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma supported the initiative of public organizations and signed decree No. 1241/97 “On the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language”, which was celebrated on November 9 until 2023. Considering that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine switched to the new Julian calendar style, the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language was moved to October 27.

Or the text itself contains many errors, indicating that the author of this “advertisement” has a poor command of the Ukrainian language. For example, the sentence “Poems glorifying Ukraine and fighting enemies!” is syntactically incorrect, since poems cannot “fight” enemies.

We have documented fakes many times, whether they involve fake graffiti, foreign magazine covers/newspaper columns, or advertising videos. In this way, propagandists aim to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Zelenskyi is hated by the whole world) is also repeated in the West. This may make readers think that the public is really unhappy with Ukraine. And especially when the authors use elements of popular culture, implying that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda is a reason for Europe to laugh.