Spilnota Detector Media

Fake Ukrainian refugees in Poland should recognize Stepan Bandera as a terrorist

Such information is distributed in the Georgian segment of social networks in Russian. For example, during registration in Poland, Ukrainian refugees fill out a questionnaire where they are forced to write that Stepan Bandera is a terrorist. The messages are accompanied by an alleged photo of the questionnaire and claim that if a person does not recognize Bandera as a terrorist, he will not receive the special identification number in Poland.

In fact, the information about Ukrainian refugees in Poland receiving an identification number and signing a statement that Stepan Bandera is a terrorist, and Ukrainian nationalists are responsible for the Volyn tragedy is fake.

According to fact-checkers from Myth Detector, the document published on social networks is fabricated, and the authentic version of the document is available on the official website of the Polish government. In the original version of the questionnaire, there are no questions about Bandera and the Volyn tragedy. 

Fake Terrorists from Libya can get passports in Ukraine

Anonymous Telegram channels spread information about this; later, it also appeared on the pages of Kremlin propaganda media. The authors illustrated such news with alleged photos of the Libyans and their Ukrainian passports, which they allegedly received.

The reports also said that the terrorists could migrate to Poland with these documents. In fact, Libyan terrorists did not obtain the passports of Ukrainian citizens and did not try to use these documents to leave for Poland. As StopFake writes, the footage of the detention was taken long before the alleged arrest, and the image of the "detainee's" passport was taken from the Internet and processed in a photo editor. 

Fake The company that manufactures bayraktars has agreed to cooperate with Russia

This thesis is actively spread by the Russian propaganda media, allegedly referring to information in the Turkish media. However, it is not true. The company that manufactures drones has refused to cooperate with Russia. According to the Center for Combating Disinformation, some Turkish media reported that Russia and the United Arab Emirates want to cooperate with Baykar to produce Bayraktar drones. According to the Center, Russian propaganda claims that the issue of cooperation between Russia and the company has already been resolved.

Although in reality, the Turkish media write that, despite the request of the Russian side, the CEO of Baykar Makina Haluk Bayraktar categorically refused the aggressor and stated that the Turkish "Bayraktar TB2 will never be sold to Russia." At the same time, cooperation with Ukraine continues.

By spreading such theses, Russian propaganda seeks to convince the world that the number of its partners and support is constantly growing. Thereby allegedly demonstrating that the companies that supported Ukraine in this war for a long time will now support Russia.

Fake Oxford University revokes more than 10,000 diplomas of children of Russian officials

Russian mass media and social networks spread information that Oxford University decided to cancel all diplomas issued to the children and close relatives of Russian officials since 2014. This fake was promoted as part of a message about Russophobia in Europe.

Fake The part of the Zaporizhzhia region not under the control of the Ukrainian government "began to establish international contacts"

The Russian mass media spread the information that the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region has allegedly already "established international contacts" regarding the collaborator and protégé of the Russian authorities, Volodymyr Rogov. Allegedly, the occupiers began receiving "appeals from members of parliament in Germany, Spain, France, Greece."

Fake On the cover of Charlie Hebdo, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the form of a dog with a torn-off arm of Azov's soldier

The cover of the cartoon magazine, on which Great Britain "spits out" Boris Johnson and Zelensky, was used by anonymous Telegram channels for numerous manipulations. However, such a cover does not exist.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project refuted the information. The fake cover of the magazine states that the issue was published on July 9, 2022. The Charlie Hebdo website has an archive of all magazine covers. The cover with the caricature, which Facebook users share, is not on this page. In the section with pictures published in the magazine and on the official Twitter account, there is also no cartoon with Johnson and Zelensky. It is unknown who the author of this caricature is, but it has nothing to do with the magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Cartoons allegedly published in foreign magazines are used by Russian propaganda to ridicule and devalue partnership relations between Ukraine and foreign countries.

Fake The USA developed a map and plan for the division of Russia

Russian propagandists report it. It is about the alleged Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission of the USA) developed a project called "Decolonization of Russia: Moral and Strategic Imperative," which envisages the division of Russia into seventeen parts. It is not true.

As the StopFake fact-checkers write on the US Helsinki Commission website, you can find an announcement of an event called "Decolonization of Russia: Moral and Strategic Imperative." But it has nothing to do with the distribution of Russia and the map distributed by the Russian media. They discussed the fundamental foundations of Russia's aggressive and brutal policy during the discussion. As a result, they worked out ideas to help restrain Russia and establish long-term peace on the Eurasian continent. It was about Russian imperialism and the decolonization of Russia in the sense of ending relations in which the metropolis establishes political control over another country and uses its economic and natural potential for its purposes. That is the termination of Russia's control over other states.

The map was created in 2021 by a user under the pseudonym "Kaiyr" and is freely available on the Internet.

Fake Two battalions of Polish infantry fought in Ukraine; they were destroyed

Russian media spread information that two battalions of the Polish army allegedly arrived in Ukraine and were sent to Pavlograd (Dnipropetrovsk region). Reports say that these Polish battalions were destroyed on the territory of Ukraine. However, it is not true.

Polish regular troops do not take part in Russia's war against Ukraine. In a comment to the Polish publication Konkret24, the General Staff of the Polish Army denied information about the participation of Polish battalions in the war on the territory of Ukraine, calling such reports another fake of systematic Russian propaganda. Poles can fight in Ukraine as part of the International Legion, which is subordinate to the Armed Forces. Therefore, Poles or any military personnel with foreign citizenship who fight in this legion are Ukrainian military personnel. More details. 

Fake In the airports of Great Britain, special posters in Ukrainian urge "not to litter and not to break equipment"

Russian propaganda media and anonymous Telegram channels write about this. The British allegedly are beginning to "see through" the chaos Ukrainians are creating at airports and have introduced fines for plagiarism of 5,000 pounds.

The reports add that allegedly blue-yellow posters were specially installed to inform and guarantee to draw the attention of Ukrainians. It is a fake.

Airports in Great Britain do not conduct an information campaign to warn Ukrainians about fines for violating the rules. StopFake fact-checkers checked these "warning" posters and found a video showing a completely different text of such posters. In fact, they inform Ukrainians in three languages ​​about how to get to the aid stations at the airport. The text on the banner was edited in a photo editor.

The British government has issued a special handbook for Ukrainian refugees. It does not contain any information about special fines for Ukrainians of 5,000 pounds (about 220,000 hryvnias) for breaking the rules of conduct.

In this way, Russian propaganda is again trying to discredit Ukrainian refugees, to accuse them of being ungrateful to foreign citizens who help. 

Fake A missile attack on the port in Odesa destroyed a military infrastructure facility

The Russian media report it concerning the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Maria Zakharova. The missiles allegedly destroyed the warehouse of Harpoon anti-ship missiles provided by the USA and knocked out the production facilities of the Ukrainian warship repair enterprise and the warship. It is not true.

On July 22, in Istanbul, Ukraine, Turkey, the UN signed an agreement concerning unblocking ports and exporting Ukrainian grain. Russia signed a mirror agreement with Turkey and the UN. All parties have undertaken obligations on the world stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to world markets.

The next day, July 23, the Russian army hit the port of Odesa, where grain intended for export was located, with four Kalibr missiles. Anti-aircraft defense forces shot down two missiles. Two rockets hit the infrastructure of the port - the pumping station. The shock wave damaged the houses around the port. The grain storage itself was not hit.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the strikes by the Russian military on the Ukrainian port in Odesa.

After the missile strike, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar noted that he had spoken with the Russian side. They told him they were allegedly not involved in the missile strike and were "investigating the issue."

Meanwhile, on July 23, anonymous Telegram channels were already spreading different versions of the causes and consequences of the attack on the port in Odesa:

1) if Russia has nothing to do with the attack, then it may be that the Armed Forces of Ukraine themselves loaded the planes with anti-aircraft missiles for provocation;

2) it flew over the Zavodska harbor, where there are Ukrainian military boats, not grain;

3) Ukrainian military air defenses were stationed in the port - this was the target of the shelling, so "the topic of grain can be closed." Russia has never once admitted its crime, but every time it invents fakes, why does it massively hit Ukraine with missiles.

Fake Ukrainian informers who "turn in" their friends, relatives, or acquaintances are paid $100

Pro-Kremlin mass media report it concerning Russian security forces. Allegedly, the detainees will be sent to the so-called filtration camps for a further detailed inspection by the SSU. In turn, the SSU in Mykolaiv will look for people who have ties to Russia and are not loyal to the Kyiv regime. It is not true.

In fact, the Russians were alarmed by the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitaly Kim, who appealed to the people to help save the Mykolaiv Region from shelling and promised a reward for information about the fire adjusters. Kim called to provide information on persons who, in your opinion, corrected the fire of the occupier, the Russian military, and helped them. "After a detailed check and confirmation of the provided information, you will receive a reward of $100," noted Vitaly Kim.

The SSU is really working to detain enemy agents who correct missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, not just someone's friends, and they face up to 15 years in prison, not the so-called filtration camps that the Russians opened in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine and where Ukrainian citizens are detained which threaten Russian control over Ukraine.

Fake In Ukrainian schools, online education will be paid

The Russian occupiers and collaborators spread such a fake in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region. Allegedly, to obtain a certificate of education, it will be necessary to go to the controlled territory to take exams. It is not true. "In Ukraine, all children are guaranteed free education. And future graduates will receive their documents already in free Melitopol by the Law of Ukraine "On Education," — reports the Department of Education of the Melitopol City Council.

Fake The Russians plan to launch an operation from Belarus "in the morning"

In the Telegram chat "Shatskyi Tereveni," they spread the message about the beginning of the attack by the Russians from Belarus "in the morning." It is advised to collect all important things and prepare for the absence of electricity and the Internet.

Reports of military activity in neighboring Belarus have become more frequent since the start of military training near the border of the Volyn and Rivne regions was announced.

Currently, there are no facts about an attack from Belarus. Such messages are most likely sent to sow panic and destabilize the situation, write the fact-checkers of the "Rayon. Shatsk."

Several things indicate that a message is fake. For example, "in the morning" - but there is no exact date on which morning it will happen.

Later, a message appeared: "Let it not happen, but it is better to prepare." A seemingly unobtrusive message, however, makes the reader tense up. Many questions and the source of information - "Oleg, a journalist from Stryi, who was transferred from the USA."

Fake In the West, children who eat quickly are taken from Ukrainian refugees

The Russian mass media disseminate information concerning the "Zaporizhzhia government" (separatist Volodymyr Rogov). Allegedly, children are taken away because they do not finish their meal or eat portions too quickly, because of an extreme emotional attachment to their parents, and because the mother shouts loudly at the child. It seems that such cases occur most often in Germany.

In Zaporizhzhia Region, since the beginning of the full-scale war, power has been represented by the regional military administration, whose head is Oleksandr Starukh. He did not make any statement about the removal of children from refugees.

Volodymyr Rogov is a separatist and collaborator who declared himself the so-called mayor of temporarily occupied Melitopol. The National Police opened a criminal case against him. On July 21, the European Union imposed sanctions on Rogov.

Such fakes are spread so that mothers with children do not dare to flee from the war to Western countries, where they are actually provided with social assistance and help children adapt.

Fake The SSU taps phones all over the country and monitors social networks

Viber chats spread the old fake about "total wiretapping of phones throughout the country" and "full monitoring of social networks." Now the SSU allegedly reports this, writes the Situation Center of the city of Dnipro. It is an old fake that has been circulating periodically since at least 2017. Previously, it was published only in Russian. On February 24, 2022, the day of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, the fake news that phone calls, as well as messages and calls on Whatsapp, Twitter, and Facebook, will be recorded from February 25, was translated into Ukrainian and began to spread on Ukrainian social networks.

Fake Hungary is preparing to protect itself from the violence of Kyiv and Brussels

Such messages are spread in the Russian mass media. Allegedly "because of what is happening in Ukraine," Hungary is planning to strengthen the army's combat capability and is introducing a state of an energy emergency.

The Embassy of Hungary in Ukraine emphasized that such statements are unreliable information.

"Being a member of NATO and a country neighboring Ukraine, Hungary took a clear position from the very beginning: in cooperation with our allies, we will provide all possible humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but we do not want to risk getting involved in a war and risk Hungary's security in any case. This position remains the same, so any news portal that claims otherwise is lying. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary did not define any scenario under which the Hungarian army would cross the Ukrainian border," the embassy said.

Fake The entire Volyn Territorial Defense Brigade refuses to fight

This information was spread by Russian publications concerning the Ministry of Defense of Russia. Apparently, after refusing to participate in hostilities, the brigade was disarmed, and the fighters themselves were arrested. It is not true.

The 100th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine in the Volyn Region refuted fake Russian propaganda on its official Facebook page: "The personnel of our Volyn Territorial Defense Brigade continues to fully control the situation in its area of ​​responsibility along the border of the Republic of Belarus with the support of other component forces defense of our region.

The brigade's command again asks to trust only official information and not to spread unverified, fake news."

Fake An updated list of diseases that are not accepted into the army

An updated list of diseases with which conscripts are deemed unfit for service is being circulated on social networks. The fact-checkers of the "Brekhunets" project noted that the specific laws in this regard have not changed since April, and the changes made do not concern the list of diseases. In particular, on March 18, changes were made to the Regulation of military medical examination in the Armed Forces. The modifications introduced on April 21 to the law "On mobilization training and mobilization" were related to the separation of powers between central executive bodies regarding state policy in civil protection.

The list of citizens who are not subject to conscription is defined in Art. 23 of the Law of Ukraine "On Mobilization Training and Mobilization." The regulation on military medical examination in the Armed Forces specifies a list of diseases in which conscripts may be temporarily or not recruited into the army in peacetime and/or wartime.

Fake Two Polish brigades will take control of Western Ukraine in August

Another continuation of the message that Poland will attack Ukraine in the west was voiced by Kremlin propagandist Yaakov Kedmi. He noted that he relies on the data received from Polish intelligence. Stanislav Zharin, a representative of the Polish special services, denied the information on Twitter. He noted that it is part of the Kremlin's disinformation campaign against Poland.

It will be recalled that the message about Poland's attack appeared as early as March 2022 after the visit to Ukraine of Polish Deputy Prime Minister Yaroslav Kaczyński. In May, it was activated with new fakes. At the same time, the thesis about the division of Ukraine between Poland and Russia and the preservation of the "neutral" third of Ukraine with its center in Kyiv has been promoted by Russian propaganda since at least 2014.

MythDetector adds that political scientist Yaakov Kedmi appears in the "Putin List" created by "Free Russia" as a person who cooperates with the Putin regime and is involved in the propaganda of Russian TV channels. Since the 2010s, he has been a frequent guest of the TV channels "Russia 1" and ITON.TV. Kedmi regularly criticizes Ukraine, accusing it of anti-Semitism and Nazism. More about the propagandist.

Fake Ukraine strikes at its own cultural heritage

The Russian media report it concerning the reports of politicians. They said that the Russian army has nothing to do with the destruction of cultural objects - historical buildings are deliberately destroyed by Ukrainians themselves with "Western weapons." It is not true.

Ukraine's UNESCO experts and international partners recorded Russian attacks on 160 cultural objects: 72 religious objects, 12 museums, 32 historical buildings, 24 buildings for cultural events, 17 monuments, and 7 libraries. The occupiers also destroyed 2,100 buildings of educational institutions in Ukraine. Three-quarters of destroyed cultural objects are located in Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions. However, there is destruction all over the country. The Russians are looting museum exhibits and other cultural values in the temporarily occupied territories. According to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the number of destroyed objects has increased to three hundred. The fact of the destruction of Ukrainian cultural values ​​by the Russians was confirmed by the UN Security Council during a special meeting, "Destruction of cultural heritage as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine," the holding of which was supported by 38 UN member states. Other international organizations recognized the destruction and promised Ukraine to help overcome the war's consequences. StopFake writes about this in more detail.

Russia, on the other hand, continues its tactics of denying deliberate missile strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine. Moreover, Russian politicians accuse the West of hypocrisy, as they allegedly first provide weapons to destroy cultural heritage and then funds for its restoration. In this way, Russia is trying to avoid punishment for crimes committed in Ukraine.

Fake The UN is convinced that the internal politics of Kyiv and the war in Ukraine have led to the prosperity of illegal drug production worldwide

Such information is distributed on social networks. In particular, in pro-Russian Telegram channels. For example, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that "Kyiv's internal politics and the armed conflict in Ukraine have opened wide opportunities for the thriving of illegal drug production." And this year, the number of drug laboratories in Ukraine has increased several times, and anyone no longer controls the drug production process in Ukraine. Accordingly, Ukraine has become a kind of "Afghanistan" in Europe.

Fake Germans created a social ad that suggests people wash only four body parts to anger Putin

Posts of this content are distributed on social networks. They are accompanied by an image purporting to be a social ad in Germany, urging people to wash only four areas of the body "to annoy Putin."

The picture also shows a child with the indicated body parts, the flag of Ukraine, and the inscription: "Wash only these four body parts if you want to annoy Putin. Water should also be saved for the sake of freedom." However, it is a fake. In Germany, they did not create social advertising that encourages people to wash less to spite Putin.

According to Stopfake, an extended search of this picture on the Internet shows that it appeared on a German-language Twitter profile as early as April 24 of this year with the caption: "For two years, you had to wash your hands so as not to endanger your grandmother! Four body parts in the soul are enough to annoy Putin and influence the war! (…) It's amazing how simple this world has become!". Commenters on Twitter asked the author to provide the source of this image, but there was no response. A further search for this picture only leads to publications on social networks on pro-Russian accounts. In mid-July, it began to spread information that "in Germany, Germans are offered to wash less for the sake of Russia."

Fake Margaret Thatcher said, "if you spit on Russia, it will be cleansed; if Russia spits, the world will sink"

Such a quote by the ex-prime minister of Great Britain is being shared on social networks in Russian, particularly in the Georgian segment of Facebook. The quote mentioned above by Thatcher seems to emphasize Russia's power and strength, which other countries should not argue because if it is angered, the world will simply sink.

However, Thatcher did not say such words. According to fact-checkers from Myth Detector, the quote attributed to Margaret Thatcher has been appearing on Russian-language social networks since 2014. However, finding an exact or similar quote on the Thatcher Foundation website or in other English- and Russian-language authoritative sources is impossible. Accordingly, there is no evidence that the former Prime Minister of Great Britain said such things.

Fake Roman Ratushny was a neo-Nazi militant and involved in protests in Hong Kong

Such information in Russian has been actively disseminated on social networks since June. Reports claim that Roman Ratushny is a "neo-Nazi militant" involved in anti-government riots in Hong Kong in 2019. All this is not true.

As VoxCheck writes, Roman Ratushny supported actions in support of the democratic movement in Hong Kong in Ukraine. Still, there is no evidence of his direct participation in the protests in Hong Kong in 2019. Also, Roman Ratushny was not a "neo-Nazi." He is a Kyiv activist, founder, and leader of the "Protect Protasiv Yar" initiative. He fought in the intelligence of the 93rd SMBr and died near Izyum in Kharkiv Oblast on June 9, 2022. Roman Ratushny supported the Free Hong Kong Center (FHKC) — an independent information project of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine public organization aimed at highlighting political processes in Hong Kong and the Chinese democratic world. 

Fake Centers of "black transplantology" work in Ukraine

Russian media spread information that "black transplantology" centers allegedly operate in Ukraine, dealing with illegal human organ transplantation.

For the past eight years, Russian propaganda has constantly been promoting the message that Ukraine is a "supplier of spare parts for Americans and Europeans." It has turned into a center of illegal transplantology and organ trafficking. For example, in the spring of 2022, Russian propaganda launched a fake that the Ukrainian military allegedly "trades the organs of dead and wounded Ukrainian soldiers." Later, they tried attributing involvement in "black transplantology" to Juliia "Taira" Paievska. Media Detector has already refuted these fakes before. It is a lie that has no facts behind it. According to the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center, the existence of "black transplantology" centers in Ukraine is impossible. "In 2020, the director of the National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology, named after O.O. Shalimov, Oleksandr Usenko said that not just one or two people should be involved in a transplant operation, but more than 150 professional and experienced doctors. In addition, appropriate high-tech support and conditions for storage and preservation of organs should be equipped, says the KAC. To do a transplant, you need to know the donor and the patient in advance, do many tests, perform complex operations, fulfill the conditions for transporting organs, etc. It is impossible to do this in the field."