Russian telegram channels are distributing a video in which allegedly soldiers of the Third Separate Assault Brigade (3rd Separate Assault Brigade) shot Russians in a trench who were trying to surrender.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine stated that this video recording was obviously staged. Firstly, in the video one can trace the artificial Ukrainian actors - “fighters”. Secondly, the “killed man” suddenly began to move. In fact, Ukraine adheres to the Geneva Conventions and treats prisoners humanely. The Russian army has repeatedly shot Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered.

Thus, propagandists encourage the Russian military to kill every Ukrainian, even unarmed ones, without hesitation, they say, “look, they do this!” In addition, in this case, Russian propaganda uses tactics of reflection, that is, they bring forward the same accusations against Ukraine as it does against Russia. Only the Ukrainian side has real grounds for this, unlike Russia, because, for example, only on February 18-20, 2024, cases of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian occupiers near Avdiivka, Vesele and Robotyne were recorded.

Read also: While studying in Germany, Ukrainian soldiers allegedly boast about the atrocities they commit against Russians

Propagandists are distributing on social networks a screenshot of a supposedly real vacancy from the Free Charitable Organization, where they are looking for a choir artist or vocalist who preaches the importance and tolerance of LGBT ideology to parishioners. However, this is a fake photo.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that, judging by the design of the vacancy, the advertisement was posted on the job search site Work.ua. However, they could not find this vacancy on this site. Moreover, the address indicated on the official website of the fund differs from the address in the screenshot. Additionally, the photo was checked using the FotoForensics tool, which showed signs of editing.

Also on the official Facebook page of the Svoboda Charitable Organization it is noted that this screenshot is fake, and the organization is not looking for vocalists. This is another attempt to discredit the organization’s activities by unscrupulous users, as well as to cause skepticism towards the LGBT movement in Ukraine.

Propagandists are distributing messages on anonymous telegram channels about the release of an energy drink called “Tears of Zelenskyi” by a Swedish company, along with a corresponding photo. However, this is a fake photo.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that OVRHYPD does not produce such a drink with the appropriate name and design. The fake makers edited the photo, replacing the original name of the drink with “Tears of Zelenskyi”.

A search under the name “Tears of Zelenskyi” did not return any results, but under the name of another drink, “Snot juice”, the fact-checkers found the drink company OVRHYPD. However, on their website and social networks there is not a single drink with the name “Tears of Zelenskyi” or the face of the Ukrainian president on the packaging. Russian resources mainly wrote about this “new” drink.

Using a reverse photo search on Google Images, the original image was found posted on the US website Reddit on December 27, 2023. There was not a single energy drink with Zelenskyi's face on it, but instead of the name “Tears of Zelenskyi” - “F*ck You You F*ckin' F*ck”. In addition, the propagandists made other changes to the photo, removing the drawing of a condom from the red and blue cans and the drawing of a penis from the white can.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Propagandists on anonymous telegram channels that spread pro-Russian rhetoric are publishing a video that in the United States a student was allegedly expelled from the University of Florida because he publicly sang a song about Volodymyr Putin in Russian. A deduction letter is included with the video. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. Based on the phrase “Did a brave thing at Campus Square today”, which is shown in the video, they found the original video on Tiktok. In it, the man sings a different song, not in Russian, and the video does not contain any mention of expulsion from the university.

In the tags for the video, the singer indicated that there is a South African singer, University of Johannesburg and UJ student, which indicates that he is likely a student at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.

In addition, in the video, the man noted that he performed the song near Campus Square. A Google Maps search revealed that there is a shopping center with the same name in the city of Johannesburg. The image of the location on Google Maps matches the location in the video - this is indicated by blue and black signs and inscriptions on them, a black iron fence and the presence of sand on the street.

Therefore, there is no talk at all about the University of Florida or expulsion from it because of the performance of the song. To forge the expulsion letter, Russian propagandists used a real university admission letter, which can be found in open sources. This is confirmed by identical signatures on both documents.

Propagandists spread such fake news to discredit Ukraine’s Western partners and create a false impression of a better situation in Russia. They say America is a hypocrite because it censors its students.

Propagandists on anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric are spreading information that the National Police of Rivne allegedly detained a military man from the 14th separate mechanized brigade named after Prince Roman the Great for selling amphetamine. The authors of this report claim that the soldier went on leave, and two days later he was detained while transferring a narcotic substance. The text notes that the man allegedly brought amphetamine from near Kupiansk, where the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to the authors, has established drug supplies. In addition, the military man allegedly intended to sell the remainder that had not yet been distributed on the front line. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that a report from the National Police in the Rivne region mentioned the arrest of a man involved in selling drugs already in early January 2024. There is no mention that the detainee was a military man of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the police, the attacker is in a pre-trial detention center and has been charged with committing a crime that could result in up to 10 years in prison.

It should also be noted that information about the detention of a military man has not been confirmed in the Ukrainian media or on the website of the National Police in the Rivne region. This news was disseminated by only a few Russian resources, which indicates attempts to discredit Ukrainian military personnel. Russian media have not provided any evidence to support their claim. Previously, Detector Media had already refuted such fakes aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A video is being distributed online in which a former freelance adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksii Arestovych, allegedly accuses Valerii Zaluzhnyi of shooting down the Il-76 aircraft in order to frame the Office of the President. The video also states that there were supposedly Azov brigade prisoners of war on board of the plane. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that Arestovych never made such statements, and the video was a deepfake made with the help of artificial intelligence. No evidence or comments from Arestovych on social networks were found to support this story. In addition, incorrect facial expressions and the discrepancy between the term “Azov Regiment” and the actual name of the brigade indicate falsification. The results of testing the video using tools such as Deepware and AI Speech Classifier confirmed the possibility of creating it using AI. In addition, experts discovered that the footage used to create this fake was taken from a live broadcast on Arestovych’s YouTube channel, but the speaker did not mention the Il-76, and the reticence occurred the day before the event.

Propagandists create and spread such fake news to divert attention from the crimes of the Russians and incite controversy among the political elite of Ukraine.

Information is being spread online that the leadership of the Kharkiv regional military administration, led by Ihor Terekhov, is preparing to flee the city. “Proof” of this statement is the allocation of funds for road repairs in the area of Liubotyn and Korotych (Kharkiv region).

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council reports that reports about the alleged “flight” of the city administration from Kharkiv are untrue and are an information and psychological operation of the Russians.

According to the deputy chairman of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Vadym Skibitskyi, today the invaders do not have enough forces and means to launch a powerful offensive operation in the western strategic direction (Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv region). In addition, at the beginning of 2024, the press officer of the command of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Volodymyr Fitio, said that the northern border is constantly being strengthened, and the number of Russian troops stationed on this section of the border is constantly being monitored.

By spreading this disinformation, propagandists aim to sow panic among the people of Ukraine, in particular among the residents of Kharkiv and the region. Russian propaganda has previously spread disinformation about the “surrender of Kharkiv”. In the Detector Media podcast called “Russian fake, fuc* you!” in the issue dated May 23, 2022, we refuted “the preparation of Kharkiv for surrender to the Russians”.

This information is disseminated by pro-Kremlin resources. According to propagandists, the incident occurred near the border village of Slatyne.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council says that this is another fake by Russian propagandists. In fact, the victims were blown up by an explosive device installed by the Russians in the forest belt between Velyki Prohody and Slatyne (Kharkiv region). This was reported by the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office. The men were aged 32 and 19 years old, both residents of the village of Slatyne. The prosecutor's office established that they went to the forest to cut firewood for household needs.

Russian propagandists spread such fake news in order to demonize the Ukrainian military. However, it is the Russian army that is to blame for the death of these men, because Slatyne is an occupied territory. In all likelihood, during the flight from the Kharkiv region, the Russians left traps, in particular in the form of anti-personnel mines.

Read also: As a result of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ shelling of a “bakery” in Lysychansk, 28 “civilians” were allegedly killed

Lists of Ukrainian prisoners, whom Ukraine does not seem to want to return, are being circulated on social networks. These are the names and surnames of real people in Russian captivity. However, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reports that the Russian side did not offer these lists for exchange.

They also noted that Ukraine has a significant exchange fund and is ready to exchange “all for all”. However, Russia is not interested in bringing its military personnel home. The Coordination Headquarters continues negotiations for the speedy release of all Ukrainians caught in Russian captivity and living there in the most difficult conditions.

Russian propaganda continues to speculate on the feelings of Ukrainians whose relatives were captured or are considered missing, because they regard this as a lever of influence on Ukrainian society. The Coordination Headquarters writes that new exchanges are being prepared and calls on Ukrainian society to remain united and not trust the enemy and his provocations.

Russian resources are spreading the news that allegedly the American media Bloomberg released a video in which American economist Robert Kiosaki called investments in Ukraine pointless. According to propagandists, Kiyosaki made the corresponding statement at a meeting of the international investment company Traderfriends.

In fact, this information is not true, they write in the VoxCheck project. The video published by the propagandists is not on Bloomberg’s official channels - website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Kiyosaki himself also did not call investments in Ukraine pointless on his pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Propagandists edited the video from several videos that are unrelated to each other. In particular, using keywords, VoxCheck specialists were able to find an excerpt from an interview with the YouTube channel “Finance With Sharan”, published on September 6, 2023. In it, Kiyosaki discussed finance, politics and the like. We were also talking about Ukraine. Kiyosaki said that the United States is printing dollars to support Ukraine, and therefore does not recommend saving in this currency. However, the economist did not say a word about the absurdity of financial assistance to Ukraine.

In addition, Kiyosaki could not make a corresponding statement at a meeting of the international investment company Traderfriends, as propagandists write. Traderfriends is actually a company that provides educational trading services. VoxCheck's colleagues were unable to find any evidence that Robert Kiyosaki recently spoke at the company's invitation. The last publication with an economist on the Traderfriends YouTube page dates back to January 14, 2018.

After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Kiyosaki supported Ukraine and stated that if he were in Ukraine, he would also fight for freedom. The economist also believes that the impact of the war on the economy will give impetus to the development of cryptocurrency.

Russian propaganda seeks to interfere with the decision-making process of high-ranking officials on the allocation of financial support to Ukraine in many countries of the world, in particular the United States, and therefore resorts to such fakes. Previously, we denied information that French activists were allegedly conducting an anti-Ukrainian campaign, calling on citizens to stop supporting Ukraine.

Information is being spread online that Poltava residents stand in long lines for bread and even fight for the opportunity to get it for free. Entire families supposedly come to stand in the cold, since “only one loaf of bread is given per person”.

This “news” is nothing more than fiction. They write about this, in particular, in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Thus, Ukrainian and foreign volunteers, regional military administrations, and private entrepreneurs bring and distribute free bread to everyone in need, especially in settlements affected by Russian aggression. However, no unrest was ever recorded. Information about “fights for bread in Ukraine” is not found either in the Ukrainian media or in law enforcement agencies. In addition, the creators of the fake used an arbitrary photograph from the Internet, which did not reflect the context at all, to make what was written more credible.

By spreading this disinformation, Russian propaganda seeks to convince the domestic population of Russia that life is very, very bad for people in Ukraine. To be fair, the lives of every Ukrainian did change once and for all after Russia invaded Ukraine. The “Russian World” brought with it pain, despair, sadness and suffering. However, there are many programs, both domestic and foreign, that today help people affected by the war return to normal life.

Let us recall that on March 16, 2022, the Russians fired artillery at the line for bread in Chernihiv. As a result, 14 people were killed and dozens were injured.

Read also: In Chernihiv, because of “poverty”, people allegedly stand in long lines for bread

This information is disseminated by pro-Russian media. They argue that reaching the 1991 borders is an impossible goal. Even President Zelenskyi is now supposedly beginning to think about the reality of victory. In the corresponding “news”, the Kremlin media refers to Ukrainian political scientist Konstiantyn Bondarenko.

In fact, this information is not true. This is written about in the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. During a press conference on December 19, 2023, Zelenskyi stated that “the strategy cannot be changed, according to our Constitution - these are all our territories”. In a December interview of the same year for The Economist, the President of Ukraine also emphasized that only after the Russian army leaves the 1991 borders will it be possible to transfer the war from a military path to a diplomatic one.

It can be argued that statements about “Zelenskyi’s despondency” are just Bondarenko’s personal speculations, not supported by real facts. The political scientist himself has a rather dubious reputation. In 2021, he collaborated with the pro-Russian blogger Anatolii Sharii, recording a series of lectures in Russian about the OUN, UPA and Ukrainian nationalism for one of his YouTube channels. In addition, already on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he collaborated with the Russian propaganda online publication Ukraina.ru. Previously, we denied information that EU countries are seeking to take control of part of Ukrainian territories.

A letter allegedly from Volodymyr Shvachko, director of the passport service of the State Enterprise “Document”, was distributed on social networks. The letter referred to the issuance of temporary travel documents to men born between 1960 and 2006 to return to Ukraine. However, this story turned out to be fake, debunked by VoxCheck.

The first suspicious allegation was that the State Enterprise “Document” had allegedly started issuing new “temporary travel documents”. However, no official data about such a service could be found. Indeed, there are documents for returning to Ukraine, but they are issued in other circumstances and by other institutions.

Secondly, the specified age range covers people from 17 to 63 years old, many of whom are not eligible for mobilization in Ukraine due to their age.

As for Volodymyr Shvachko himself, he was suspended from his duties during the investigation, which means he could not sign such documents at the time of their alleged issuance.

The fake document contained numerous linguistic and formal errors, which was additional confirmation of its falsity. The absence of official recognition or any communications from Ukrainian citizens abroad about the receipt of such documents only strengthened the denial.

A fake is being spread on Georgian social networks and the American edition of The Chicago Chronicle, which was refuted in Ukraine two weeks ago. Fact-checkers of the Georgian project Myth Detector told about its appearance.

In the first week of February, Ukrainian social media users circulated a video about the alleged death of 40 children in Ukraine as a result of vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine. In the video, a woman who introduced herself as an employee of the Kyiv office of Pfizer claimed that children in Ukraine were being administered an experimental vaccine under the guise of a flu vaccine. The fact-checkers contacted the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, where they objected that the heroine of the video works for them, and also did not confirm the information from social networks.

An employee of the Kyiv office of Pfizer, Anna Sakhno, claimed that children in Ukraine are being administered an experimental vaccine as an immunization against influenza without the knowledge of parents and medical personnel. In the video, the woman shows documents that show that during the second stage of trials, the mortality rate among vaccinated people was 4-5%. Considering that more than 1,000 children were vaccinated, the number of deaths must be at least 40-50 children.

However, Pfizer, at the request of StopFake, denied that Anna Sakhno works for them. In addition, Pfizer reported that it does not conduct clinical trials in Ukraine that could lead to the death of children. The main source of the allegation about the death of 40 children in Ukraine due to experimental Pfizer vaccination is a video on TikTok, where a woman in medical clothing and with a mask on her face claims that the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and even President Zelenskyi personally closely cooperate with Pfizer know about this, providing the company all necessary data on electronic registers of Kyiv hospitals.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security of Ukraine also denied this information as false.

The dissemination of such information is part of an information war aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian authorities and misleading the public.

A video is being circulated on social networks claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is allegedly planning to move to the United States, and even showing a fake naturalization document. The fact-checkers from FactCheck.org refuted this fake.

The video begins with the text: “Will Volodymyr Zelenskyi soon become a US citizen and move to live in the sunny state of Florida?”

He was voiced by former Fox News host Clayton Morrison, according to FactCheck.org.

Reports of his alleged move are based on unconfirmed sources and contain numerous inaccuracies, such as the absence of a middle name on the naturalization document and a false name of the signatory.

Such documents require a clear indication of the full name and signature of the person who is not on the certificate shown in the video. This indicates its inauthenticity and an attempt to spread misinformation.

Steve Eil-Lohr, a professor of immigration law at Cornell University, also told AFP Fact Check that a real certificate of naturalization would include the person's signature next to the photo. This is not in the fake image.

Zelenskyi remains in Ukraine, despite the long war, and continues active international activities aimed at strengthening the country’s defense capability and international position. The spread of false claims about his upcoming move is part of an information war aimed at discrediting Ukrainian leadership and misleading the public.

This is not the first time that propagandists have attributed other citizenships to Volodymyr Zelenskyi. For example, in December 2022, they reported that Volodymyr Zelenskyi has a Russian passport.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that the son of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, supports Russia. The so-called “ataman of the Cossack society of Australia” Semen Boikov recorded a video from the Russian Consulate General in Sydney, in which Ivan Syrskyi, allegedly the son of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, “congratulated the Russian army on the defeat of the Ukrainian military in Avdiivka”.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security analyzed this information. In fact, Ivan Syrskyi, who became the “hero” of the video, is not the son of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is the son of Oleksandr Syrskyi's ex-wife from her other marriage. The commander-in-chief did not adopt Ivan, and broke up with his mother back in 2009.

The ex-wife of Oleksandr Syrskyi left with her children and new husband for Australia 14 years ago. Colonel General Syrskyi does not maintain any relations with her family. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council has already written about this.

In this case, propagandists seek to discredit Oleksandr Syrskyi. In addition, the purpose of such stuffing is to demotivate Ukrainians and make them despair of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Previously, in the Newspeak section, we wrote about how and why the word “virus”  was again remembered in Russia after the appointment of Oleksandr Syrskyi to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Such information is distributed by pro-Russian telegram channels. Like, the military wanted to take revenge on the “military commissar” (an employee of the Territorial center of procurement and social support), who forcibly mobilized him more than a year ago. The man allegedly remembered the identity of the one who sent him to his death, and all this time he lived with the goal of killing him. Returning home, the soldier allegedly tracked down an employee of the Territorial center of procurement and social support, but hesitated to blow him up with a grenade and was detained on the spot.

In fact, this information is not true. On February 20, 2024, a man in military uniform who threatened to detonate a grenade was actually detained at the Pryvoz market in Odesa. However, there is no confirmed information on the Internet that in this way he wanted to take revenge on the representative of the Territorial center of procurement and social support, who allegedly sent him to the front. This is nothing but an invention of Russian propaganda.

Thus, Russia once again discredits the mobilization process in Ukraine and uses this fake to nourish the message that “mobilized men will sooner or later start tracking down and killing Territorial centers of procurement and social support workers who sent them to the front”.

Let us remind you that there are no military commissariats in Ukraine anymore, so it is incorrect to use this phrase. They were renamed into Territorial centers of recruitment and social support.

• Read also: An employee of the Territorial center of procurement and social support allegedly called the wife of a soldier a “katsap woman”.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are disseminating information that the bookmaker Betfair has begun accepting bets on which city the Ukrainian Armed Forces will leave next. As confirmation of their own statements, Russian propagandists distribute an image with corresponding content. According to them, “Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kherson, Kharkiv, Odesa and even Kyiv are at stake”.

In fact, this is another Russian fake. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. There is no section with bets on the war in Ukraine on the official Betfair website. Accordingly, the image distributed by propagandists is fake.

The purpose of such fakes is to create the illusion of the Kremlin’s control over the situation in Ukraine and to assure that Russia’s victory is inevitable. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not intend to give up their positions, and partner countries continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, thereby making their contribution to the speedy de-occupation of the territories occupied by Russia.

• Read also: Betting on political assassinations in Ukraine has allegedly gained popularity in the United States

Propagandists are spreading information in the English-language segment of social networks, allegedly the American media company CNBC published news about a “global” US military operation called “Storm”, which was supposed to take place in 2024. One user posted the screenshots on Platform X (formerly Twitter), describing them as “shocking in many ways” and pointing out that they referred to Donald Trump as the “current president” of the United States. However, this is fake.

The fact-checkers from Reuters drew attention to it. They found that the expression “Storm” is often used by adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Through it, they describe moments when influential individuals are expected to be detained. Also, the authors of this fake falsely claim that Donald Trump has led the US Military since 2020.

The material was published on the now defunct website cnbcusa.com, which is not related to the official CNBC website. A CNBC spokesperson confirmed in a comment to Reuters that the article was not published by them and stressed that cnbcusa.com was never affiliated with CNBC. Reuters also did not find any related articles about Trump as the “current military president” in 2024 or about the “global” US military operation called “Storm” on the official CNBC website. Therefore, this information is false.

Propagandists distribute or support such materials in the English-speaking world to deepen divisions in American society and create distrust in democratic institutions. Detector Media has already written about what methods Russia is using for this in the context of the upcoming presidential elections in the United States.

Propagandists in Russian-language telegram channels published a video claiming that the statement of the Ukrainian Embassy in France outraged French farmers. The video, which bears the logo of the media company Euronews, shows a document that, according to the authors of such messages, indicates that the Ukrainian Embassy called on farmers to end their protest and unite as Ukrainians in favor of their Motherland. According to the video, the leader of the farmers' union responded to this by saying that Ukraine has no right to demand anything from France and should keep its opinion to itself. They say that because of this statement, farmers threw manure at the Embassy. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the MythDetector project drew attention to it. They found that although the Euronews logo was used in the video, the media had never published such content. Also, the information that farmers threw manure at the Embassy was not confirmed. Local media such as France 24 and Le Monde did not write about this. The initial footage of the video shows the farmers' protest, but they were not filmed in front of the Ukrainian Embassy, but in front of the regional council building in the city of Dijon. The authors of the video claim that the statement from the Ukrainian Embassy is dated February 7, and therefore farmers should have tested in the following days, but the video used has been circulating on social networks since December 2023. In addition, the statements that the propagandists are talking about are not on the official resources of the Embassy.

Open's fact-checkers also verified this video with the Euronews logo. The organization compared the signature on a fictitious document attributed to Ukrainian Ambassador Vadym Omelchenko with his real signature. It turned out that, among other inaccuracies, the signature shown in the video did not match the Ambassador's real signature. The video also falsified a commentary by Arnaud Rousseau, the leader of France's largest farmers' union. The images, which show Rousseau’s false statement on screen, were cut from an interview published on February 2.

Since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine, videos with logos of various foreign media have appeared. They mainly concerned events in Ukraine and the West and had the goal of discrediting Ukraine and the EU countries. This is especially true in the context of farmer protests across Europe, which Russia is trying to fuel. Detector Media recently published a study on exactly how Russian propaganda does this and what role right-wing movements play in this.

Propagandists in pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that the Office of the President of Ukraine plans to introduce a “tax on parasitism”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the Beyond the News project drew attention to it. They found out that the fake was created on the basis of material from Ukrainska Pravda, which states that out of 11.1 million men aged 25 to 60 years who are subject to mobilization, 950 thousand do not work, do not pay taxes and do not serve in the army . However, pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that Rostislav Shurma, deputy head of the Office of the President, took the initiative to introduce a “tax on parasitism” in order to stimulate labor and pay taxes.

The fakers came up with the idea that the tax could reach 1,500 hryvnia per month, and if it is not paid, citizens will not have access to government services, will not be able to drive a car or travel outside of Ukraine, and their property will be seized and sold. They also emphasized that paying such a tax will not exempt them from mobilization, and they plan to include this provision in the bill on economic mobilization.

However, there have been no official announcements about these plans. Even at the level of rumors in the Ukrainian information space they do not talk about this. Punishment for parasitism existed in the former USSR and in Belarus, but was later abolished. There were also talks about introducing a “tax on parasitism” in Russia, but then this initiative was rejected.

Propagandists spread such fake news to intimidate society. They say that the Ukrainian authorities are mocking their own citizens. It also fuels what is already quite an active discussion about new ideas for mobilization. Detector Media has already refuted other Russian inventions regarding mobilization in Ukraine.

Propagandists are spreading information on social networks that Pfizer, together with the Ukrainian government, is conducting research on Ukrainian children. Like, an employee of the Kyiv office of Pfizer reported this in her TikTok. According to her, a vaccine has been developed in Germany, which is being tested on Ukrainians as a flu shot, and more than 40 children have already died from it. Such tests are carried out in violation of moral and medical standards. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the video with such information was posted on a private channel in TikTok, so it was impossible to view it. However, a recording of Anna Sakhno’s story can be found on YouTube. It was posted by an anonymous user registered online in early February 2024. This is his first and only video. Anonymity and the absence of other content may indicate that the account is fake and specifically created to spread false information.

An appeal from an alleged “Ukrainian Pfizer employee” is also being spread in the English-language segment. The source there is, in particular, an article from the Chicago Chronicle. However, this resource is also fake, as evidenced by a number of signs. The Chicago Chronicle is a well-known local newspaper in Chicago, but it was published from 1895-1907. The site, it claims, has been around since 2021, but the first news appeared on it just two weeks ago. One can also see news categories on the site, but there are publications in only three of them: Business, Politics and Health, the other categories are empty.

There are other signs that a site is fake. For example, the “About Us” section is written in Latin, and the translation of the description shows that it is a set of individual sentences. All links below the page are inactive. Additionally, the study used an outdated Pfizer logo. If this was a current publication, it would use the organization's new logo, introduced in 2021.

So far, no clinical studies are being conducted at the Kyiv representative office of Pfizer. According to the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, not a single company in Ukraine is testing vaccines to prevent influenza.

Propagandists spread such fake news to intimidate society and cause panic. In addition, in this way they justify Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Russian propagandists are spreading information that more than eight metro stations are allegedly flooded in Kyiv. Moreover, they simultaneously express their indignation at the fact that the Ukrainian authorities decided to rename the metro station “Lev Tolstoi Square”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They note that in fact, none of the Kyiv metro stations are flooded. There is only a restriction on the movement of trains on the blue line after the tunnel between the Lybidska and Demiivska stations was flooded in December 2023. Fake information about station flooding is being spread after problems with the drainage and waterproofing systems of the metro have been identified. Train traffic on this section has been stopped, and restoration work may continue until the fall of 2024. Meanwhile, trains run from the Heroes of Dnipro station to Lybidska, and there is a shuttle train service between the Demiivska and Teremky stations.

On the eve of January 8, photos appeared showing leaks in the ceiling in the lobby of Akademhorodok. However, the metro management assured that specialists are monitoring the situation and there is no threat to passengers.

As for renaming stations, three metro stations have now been renamed. In particular, the station “Lev Tolstoi Square” was renamed into “Square of Ukrainian Heroes”. On February 8, 2024, the letters of the previous name were already removed. This decision was supported by the residents of Kyiv themselves in a survey of the Kyiv Digital application.

Propagandists spread such fake news to indicate that the city is supposedly being destroyed so that people will come to it and restore it. They say that the Ukrainian authorities are incompetent, and the Russians understand infrastructure better. However, it is in a number of Russian cities that there are significant problems with infrastructure.

Russian news resources and social media users spreading pro-Russian rhetoric are spreading an alleged quote from Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. They say that in Ukraine they were considering the idea of renaming the city of Avdiivka to Prague in order to activate Article 5 of the NATO Charter and provoke a war with Russia on the part of the alliance member states. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has never expressed such absurd proposals, and such a quote is not on his official pages on social networks or other communication channels of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. This fictitious quote was distributed only in Russian telegram channels and in user posts on social networks.

Regarding Ukraine's entry into NATO and the activation of Article 5, the Minister wrote in an article for Foreign Affairs why Ukraine should join NATO, noting that this would ensure its protection under this article.

Propagandists spread such fakes to misinform and discredit Ukraine before the world. They say that Ukrainian diplomats are going to the extent of desperate and absurd attempts for Ukraine to join NATO.

A video is being circulated online where several women in military uniform claim that they were sent to fight near Avdiivka because of the decision of the Zelenskyi regime. They say that the reason for this is Zelenskyi’s desire to create a “picture” for the Munich Security Forum. However, the video is most likely staged.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to this. Firstly, the women in the video are unlikely to actually be military personnel - makeup, long hair and manicure usually interfere with the performance of combat missions. Also, they do not have the equipment that is necessary during the battle. In addition, there are no identifying marks on their uniforms.

Secondly, in the video the Ukrainian language of the woman trying to speak it is noticeably “broken”. This may indicate that she is not a native speaker.

Thirdly, the video appeared for the first time on a TikTok profile, which was probably created specifically for the distribution of this video. This is the only message on this page that indicates its inorganic appearance. The video is being circulated exclusively by pro-Russian anonymous telegram channels and pro-Russian groups on Facebook, but even users of these channels express doubts about its authenticity.

Propagandists spread such fakes to discredit the Ukrainian government and Zelenskyi personally, especially against the backdrop of active public discussion of possible changes in the mobilization process. Detector Media has already written about other Russian inventions regarding mobilization in Ukraine.