This information was disseminated by the Russian propaganda media. Like, since the Ukrainian authorities are atheists, they will deny access to the holy relics in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra starting from March 21. In their messages, the propagandists refer to the video of Klyment, a head of the Synodal information and education department, metropolitan of Nizhyn and Pryluky, which appeared on the telegram channel of the UOC-MP. Klyment stated that on March 20, the monastery received a letter from the leadership of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra national reserve with a message that the museum would now stop access to the Near and Far Caves due to the work of the commission, which will determine the level of safety of cultural values. The priest called this approach of the Ukrainian authorities “atheistic”. However, this is manipulation.

In fact, it is not about closing access to the caves forever but checking the caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and their temporary closure for parishioners. Such actions are held completely in accordance with the law and are not an “atheistic approach”.

The fact checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case. According to them, a commission is working on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra reserve to check the availability, storage conditions and state of preservation of cultural values. The monastery is located on the territory of the National Reserve on the basis of an agreement for the free use by a religious organization of religious buildings and other property that is state property. This agreement expires on March 29, 2023. “The check of the state commission should be completed on May 15 this year, and the caves of the Lavra will again be open to parishioners”, the fact-checkers said in a statement.

However, with the help of such fakes, Russian propaganda seeks to once again expose the Ukrainian authorities as unprofessional. Like, the authorities violate the law because of their atheistic views.

In the Kremlin propaganda media, there were reports that the planes transferred to Ukraine by Poland and Slovakia are not effective in combat conditions. Like, this was recognized by the leadership of the Air Force of Ukraine. In their messages, propagandists refer to the words of the speaker of the Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, on the air of the Rada TV channel. Propaganda theses about the inefficiency of the aircraft appeared against the backdrop of news about the transfer of MIG-29 aircraft to Ukraine.

In fact, according to StopFake, the Russian media took out of context a quote from the representative of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat. He did not say that planes from Poland and Slovakia were ineffective. Ihnat said that these planes would help Ukraine on the battlefield while patrolling the airspace, covering strike groups of Ukrainian bombers and other cases.

However, by spreading such fakes, Russian propaganda seeks to create the appearance that Ukraine's partners let Ukraine down, because they are sending unnecessary weapons that allegedly will not help the Ukrainian army in any way.

Propagandists actively compare the protests in Paris with the Euromaidan, calling them “Maidan 2.0”. This is manipulation.

The protest actions in Paris are inappropriate to compare with the Euromaidan, because they have other goals. If the main goal of Euromaidan from the very beginning was the European integration of Ukraine, the protesters in Paris are fighting against raising the retirement age announced by the state. In addition, this is not the first time the French have protested precisely against this decision.

Thus, propagandists are trying to devalue the significance of the Euromaidan and its results. Like, the protest never leads to anything good, but only to destabilization and devastation. However, such rhetoric only shows the propagandists' fear of the changes that protest can bring. In their case, it can force them out of public space. Detector Media has already written about a similar attempt to equate the protests in Georgia with the Euromaidan.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. During a speech by U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Gaines, she allegedly called the war for Ukraine “already lost” and that it had “no chance” of defeating Russia. Like, the director recounted the results of the US intelligence report. The authors of the messages add that the US is preparing Ukraine for “the worst-case scenario”. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case, and investigated that the propagandists distorted the context of the statement of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States, because there were no results on the “loss of Ukraine” in the report. As analysts explain, the document, on the contrary, notes that Russia is suffering heavy losses on the battlefield, and its stockpiles of weapons are being depleted - these factors make the Russian army vulnerable. That is, in the report itself, they emphasized the fact of the military weakening of Russia, the fact-checkers noted.

As to the statement by Avril Gaines, she did not speak about the loss of Ukraine either. She noted that indeed the Russian aggression against Ukraine is “exhausting and protracted”, but immediately cited facts indicating the weakening of Russia at the front.

By spreading such a message, propagandists want to convince that Western partners are desperate in Ukraine and at the same time do not support it, because it will soon lose. Thus, the authors are trying to sow panic among Ukrainians in order to destabilize moods and discredit Western partners in the eyes of Ukrainians.

We recall that Detector Media previously denied fakes designed to discredit the Ukrainian authorities or Western partners in the eyes of Ukrainians. For example, analysts refuted the statement of Bill Gates, who said that the current leadership of Ukraine is one of the worst in the world. They also explained the manipulation in which propagandists claimed that Ukraine would soon become uninhabitable due to losing the war.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that during an address by Joseph Biden to members of the International Association of Firefighters, he said that “the doctors were checking his skull to see if there was a brain”. As evidence, a video of the appeal itself is added to the publication, where such a statement can be heard. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project, who found out that the propagandists took the words of the US President out of context, then distorted its meaning. As the checkers explain the fact, a recording of this Biden speech was published on the White House YouTube channel. The President of the United States told how firefighters saved his life. At first, he told a joke that the doctors were looking for his brain, but Biden continued to tell the real story. “I came back from a trip, after being away for a couple of days, and — I had these terrible headaches.  I was diagnosed with having a — well, anyway.  They had to take the top of my head off a couple times, see if I had a brain”, he said. Talking about the brain, Biden laughed. Then he said “all kidding aside, what happened was..” and he went on to tell the real story. That is, Joe Biden told a joke, which he said later. However, the propagandists cut out this moment from the video and did not explain that it was a joke.

Propagandists systematically spread fakes about Ukrainian partners in order to discredit them. Thus, Russian propaganda uses the ridicule tactics and tries to create the illusion that Ukrainian partners are despised.

We recall that Detector Media denied a number of fakes about US President Joe Biden, in particular about Biden's alleged fall from an airplane during a visit to Warsaw or about his statement, which claimed that Putin could not be defeated. Analysts also denied the fake about Biden’s meeting with Zelenskyi’s “double” in Kyiv and, against the backdrop of the meeting, explained that representatives of local authorities did not create any instructions “how to deal with an American during a meeting”.

What Russian propagandists wrote about Joe Biden's visit to Kyiv can be read here.

This thesis was widespread in the foreign segment of social networks and the media. Reports say that the UN report found no evidence of genocide among Ukrainians. Like, one of the members of the UN Commission confirmed this. Subsequently, the information was intercepted by propagandists and distributed in the pro-Russian segment of social networks, in particular, telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the NotaYenota project, who found out that the report was not intended to establish an act of genocide against Ukrainians at all. The Commission was engaged in investigating violations and harassment of human rights or international humanitarian law. During the investigation, the UN commission recorded numerous war crimes committed by the army of the terrorist country.

The UN Commission has identified specific war crimes that include attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure, intentional killings, false imprisonment, torture, rape and other types of sexual violence, and the illegal transfer and deportation of children.

As the fact-checkers explained, the Commission's evidence indicates that the Russian authorities committed deliberate killings of Ukrainian civilians in the territories temporarily occupied by Russia. In addition, the Commission found numerous cases of rape, sexual and gender-based violence committed by Russians. That is, the report does not really talk about genocide, because the real purpose of the investigation is to identify war crimes and violations of human rights.

The thesis regarding a member of the UN Commission, who allegedly confirmed the fact of “non-discovery of evidence of genocide”, is manipulative. In fact, he said that the Commission had not yet found such evidence, but they would continue their investigation. At the same time, some foreign media, in particular L'Agence France-Presse, published the news on their Twitter that “the UN did not find evidence of genocide in Ukraine”.

Such a message was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the Poles are trying to poison the Ukrainians. Allegedly, chicken with salmonellosis was brought from Poland to Ukraine. This is manipulation.

The experts of the VoxCheck project investigated the case and found out that the State Consumer Service did receive reports of the export of hazardous products from other countries, in particular Poland. Products were exported from Egypt through Poland to Ukraine. So, the Polish company acted only as an intermediary between companies from Egypt and Ukraine. However, as fact-checkers explain, there is no question of a deliberate attempt at poisoning since, in general, the Egyptian producer supplied meat not only to Ukraine, but also to Latvia, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia and the Comoros. All recipient countries received a notification asking them to withdraw the received product from the market.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic among Ukrainians and discredit the export of goods and products to Ukraine. They say that Ukrainians are treated with disdain, and therefore they supply low-quality goods.

We recall that earlier Detector Media analyzed a manipulation that Kharkiv residents were being poisoned with foreign cookies, and explained a case about the importation of “rejected” rice from Italy.

This thesis was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. The reports say that Estonia is a follower of “Nazi Germany” because the country's leadership has banned “certain ethnic groups” from carrying weapons. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the “Beyond the News” project drew attention to the case, who investigated that the basis for creating this manipulation was amendments to the law on weapons, according to which, from March 15, 2023, permits for the issuance of weapons will be invalid for citizens of countries outside the EU and NATO. The changes will affect not only ethnic Russians or Belarusians living in Estonia. However, these categories will also cease to issue new permits. Innovations will affect about 1,300 residents of the country, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia notes.

Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs Lauri Läänemets does not hide the fact that the restriction is a direct consequence of unprovoked Russian aggression in Ukraine and, in general, the policy pursued by Russia against countries that do not support the so-called “special operation”. In the appeal from the ministry, they do not hide the fact that there are indeed quite a few Russians or Belarusians among the 1,300 people. However, the restrictions will apply to these people not because they are Russians or Belarusians, but because of the countries' aggressive policies towards Ukraine.

By spreading this manipulation, propagandists feed the narrative about the existence of so-called “russophobia” – hatred towards Russians and everything Russian. Allegedly, xenophobic sentiments are professed in countries that do not support the aggressive policy of Russia. However, the so-called russophobia is a response to the actions of the Russian army, leadership and people, because the Russians are collectively responsible for the aggression against Ukraine, which they supported with appropriate statements or silence.

Such messages appeared in the Georgian segment of social networks. The reports said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi compared the events in Georgia to the events in Ukraine nearly a decade ago during the Euromaidan period. The authors of the post assured that Zelenskyi made such a statement during one of his video messages and added that he “wishes the Georgians would achieve the same success as the Ukrainians did”. However, this is manipulation. In fact, as analysts of the MythDetector project found out that neither in the video fragment added to the message, nor in the full version of the appeal, the President of Ukraine made an identical or similar statement. He only expressed support for the Georgian people and thanked them for playing the Ukrainian anthem and for waving Ukrainian flags at the protests. On March 9, Volodymyr Zelenskyi indeed published a video message on his official Facebook page. The first part of the video deals with current events in Ukraine. In the second part, Zelenskyi reacted to the protests in Georgia against the bill on “transparency of foreign influence”. However, in the video message, Zelenskyi did not mention Euromaidan. He thanked the Georgian people for supporting the Ukrainians and noted that there is no Ukrainian who would not wish Georgia's success. That is, the authors of messages distorted the words of the Ukrainian president on social networks. 

This thesis is broadcast by Russian propaganda in the media and telegram channels. The bill on replacing the Moldovan language with Romanian in official office work was adopted in the first reading by the ruling party of Moldova “Action and Solidarity”. The reports also claim that the team of Moldovan President Maia Sandu is trying to divert public attention from pressing problems. That is why she raises the “historically difficult” question of language.

The case attracted the attention of analysts from the EU vs Disinfo project, who are convinced that this message is intended to nourish the Kremlin propaganda narrative about “the loss of sovereignty by Moldova” and “the installation of external control by Western curators”.

In fact, in the declaration of independence of Moldova, adopted in 1991, the official language of the country is Romanian. In December 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova recognized that this document has a higher legal force than the constitution, so the state language should be called “Romanian”. It is considered native by 82.2% of Moldovan citizens. In addition, the International organization for standardization has officially recognized the Romanian language of Moldova.

As for the history of the “Moldavian” language, in 1940 the USSR annexed Bessarabia, introducing not only a new political regime, but also a new language and Cyrillic alphabet. The local population of Moldova was declared as a “Moldovan people”, allegedly different from the Romanian. Subsequently, the Soviet authorities made attempts to justify the existence of a separate “Moldovan language and nation”, resorting even to pseudo-scientific interpretations of their Slavic origin.

Now Russia is using such manipulations to create the appearance that Moldova is a puppet of the so-called collective West. Propagandists are trying to show that the President of Moldova makes all decisions only under the dictation of Western curators. The Russian propaganda machine is spreading similar messages in relation to other sovereign states. Particularly in Georgia. A similar narrative regarding Ukraine has also been circulating in the information space over the past nine years.

Such information appeared in the Russian propaganda media. Reports say that the fact that Ukraine will not receive planes from abroad was allegedly announced by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Like, Ukraine is already desperate and there is no optimism that fighters from partners will still arrive. However, this is manipulation.

As StopFake analysts found out, propagandists distorted Dmytro Kuleba's commentary to the German publication Bild am Sonntag.

In fact, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine, on the contrary, has no doubt that it will receive fighter jets from allied countries. However, he added that the acquisition process could take a long time despite the work being done.

Propagandists use such manipulation to reassure the audience that Ukraine will not receive weapons from Western partners to fight Russia. They say that even Ukrainian officials do not believe in new deliveries, so there will definitely not be weapons. Thus, Russia creates the appearance that Ukraine is allegedly losing the support of the West and will soon be left without any help.

This thesis appeared in Russian propaganda media and telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that Ukraine has allegedly brought the defense of the EU countries to a “terrible state”. The authors of the messages refer to the publication of columnists for the American edition of Foreign Affairs Max Bragman and Sophia Bash. However, this is manipulation.

This media really published a publication with the title “Why European Defense Still Depends on America” dated March 7, 2023. However, as StopFake analysts note, the Foreign Affairs publication does not at all state that Ukraine allegedly “brought the EU defense capability to a terrible state”. In fact, the authors of the publication write that Russia's military aggression against Ukraine revealed already existing problems in the defense of European countries, and that these problems also remain unresolved even after a year of war.

However, such messages are beneficial to Russian propaganda. Thus, propagandists create the appearance that due to the fact that the EU countries send weapons to Ukraine, they themselves are weakening.

Propagandists are spreading the news that the Polish government is forcing Ukrainian refugees to return previously provided support payments. Like, the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita published an article about this. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the Georgian project MythDetector drew attention to it. They found out that the publication cited by the propagandists really says that the Polish Social Security Service is trying to return funds paid “without legal grounds” to Ukrainian refugees. This applies to those who left the territory of Poland immediately after receiving public funds. Also, this practice only applies to payments under the programs “500+”, which is cash support for children, and “300+”, which is paid to cover the cost of school goods.

On January 28, 2023, an amendment to the Polish Law “On the Support of Ukrainian Citizens” was adopted, according to which payments stop being paid when the guardian or child leaves the territory of Poland and does not return to it within 30 days. Service Speaker Pavel Zhebrovsky notes that payments do not stop if these persons return to Poland within a certain time.

Thus, propagandists want to show that even the closest allies are tired of helping ungrateful Ukrainians. In addition, such messages are created to cause distrust of the Polish government and support the narrative about the seizure of Western Ukrainian lands by Poland. Like, today they help, tomorrow they take the money, and the day after tomorrow they are already in your house. Detector Media has already explored this narrative, which is present in a number of propaganda materials.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Oleksii Danilov, during a speech for a Lviv TV channel, began to assert that “more and more Ukrainians are in favor of peace talks”. Like, this is “a dangerous trend for Ukraine”. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the Center for counteracting disinformation under the National security and defense council investigated the speech of Oleksii Danilov and determined that the propagandists distorted the general context of the speech. Fact-checkers explain that the words of Oleksii Danilov were taken out of context, because he did not speak exclusively about civilian Ukrainians. He spoke about supporters of the “Russian world” and collaborators who could destabilize the situation in Ukraine. In fact, collaborators are circulating pro-Kremlin narratives regarding the so-called peace talks.

By spreading this manipulation, propagandists want to destabilize the mood of Ukrainians, because Ukraine is allegedly preparing for peace negotiations. The Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly stated that it is impossible to negotiate with the aggressor. At the same time, earlier propagandists convinced that no one needed the war, it was necessary to “somehow” negotiate. Allegedly, Ukraine has unleashed a war with Russia and refuses any negotiations, moreover, Western countries allegedly forbade Zelenskyi to negotiate.

We recall that earlier Detector Media analyzed a message in which they claimed that the United States plans to hold peace talks with Russia, since it is America that is waging war side by side with Ukraine against Russia.

This thesis was spread on social networks and in the propaganda media. The reports say that the West did not provide the Armed Forces with the necessary amount of equipment to create full-fledged units. Like, the Ukrainian military has no weapons. The authors of the messages refer to the material of “Forbes”. This is a manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project drew attention to this case, investigating that propagandists distorted the context of the material. As the fact-checkers explain, the Forbes article says that the lack of heavy equipment in some units is not a problem at all and is a “temporary state of affairs”. A military journalist explained in his material that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have enough other weapons. He gives the example that while heavy tanks have not arrived on the battlefield, the Ukrainian army already has “a bunch of other weapons, including lightly armored tanks”. That is, the military journalist did not say that there were “not enough weapons” in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but on the contrary, he talked about the presence of “a bunch of other weapons”, at the same time he called the absence of heavy tanks a matter of time.

Propagandists systematically spread manipulations designed to discredit the West and allegedly show that the Western countries allegedly do not care about Ukraine, which will not be sent the promised weapons and so on. Thus, the authors of the messages discredit Western partners and undermine Ukrainians' confidence in the West.

Detector Media has repeatedly refuted fakes about Western weapons, for example, about the destruction of an American M1 Abrams tank near Soledar, which had not yet been handed over to Ukraine. He also denied the fake creation of Leopard 2 tanks with so-called “nuclear warheads” and explained the message that the West came up with a new deadly weapon called “tectonic weapons” to punish Turkey with an earthquake.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the level of shoplifting has increased significantly in Poland. Like, it's all because of the Ukrainian refugees, who “neglect all the laws”. The authors of the messages refer to the material of the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, in which they allegedly investigated the issues of thefts involving Ukrainian refugees. This is manipulation.

The propagandists distorted the context of the entire material, because it was about the general trend of thefts in Poland. According to the data of the Police Headquarters, published by the Rzeczpospolita newspaper, in 2022 the number of shoplifting increased by 31.1%. Journalists explain that people steal mainly basic food products from small shops. They also stressed that organized crime groups are predominantly responsible for these thefts. At the same time, there was no mention of “Ukrainian refugees”. Although the material itself is titled “Poles are stealing goods from shops more and more”, the journalists investigated the general issue of thefts without appealing to specific people or age groups.

Russian propaganda systematically manipulates the issue of Ukrainian refugees abroad. Thus, they are trying to present Ukrainian refugees as criminals or terrorists, which is a cultural and economic threat to the EU in order to reduce support for Ukraine and Ukrainians. We wrote about this in our own investigation.

We recall that Detector Media previously also analyzed a manipulation in which propagandists claimed that, allegedly because of the Russian language, the attitude of many Poles towards Ukrainians worsened.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Amid protests in Georgia, reports say a “huge queue” of people wishing to leave for Russia has formed at the only checkpoint across the Georgian-Russian border. Like, Georgians are running away from protests and “color revolutions” to Russia. The authors of the messages add a screenshot from the electronic map, where you can supposedly see “live traffic”. This is manipulation.

The Insider project specialists investigated the case and found out that there really was a queue of people on the Georgian-Russian border, it was formed on March 5, while the protests began on March 6. The day before, the checkpoint was closed due to bad weather and the danger of avalanches, and it was opened only on the evening of March 7. In the screenshot, you can see that the crowd was in two directions, that is, from Georgia to Russia and vice versa. Analysts explain that it was this situation that caused a large number of people on the Georgian-Russian border, but the propagandists distorted everything in their own way.

The public of Georgia actively opposes the adoption in the first reading of the law “On the transparency of foreign influence”, called the “Russian law”. It is considered an analogue of the notorious ban on “foreign agents” in Russia, which actually suppressed the already weak voices of the opposition and made it impossible for international monitoring missions to be present inside the country. The law, adopted by the Georgian Parliament on March 7, 2023, provides for the creation of a register of “agents of foreign influence”. The authorities will create a special open database of organizations and individuals if the share of foreign investments in their activities is at least 20%. It is noteworthy that the voting continued in violation of the rules of parliament and without public discussion.

We recall that Detector Media analyzed messages aimed at discrediting the protest movement in Georgia.

Russian media are spreading reports about the “plans” of the Ukrainian army to “destroy the Crimeans”. Like, Ukraine allegedly “let slip about a new blockade” of the temporarily occupied Crimea, and the Ukrainian military “will spare no one”. This is manipulation.

The Ukrainian authorities have not made any statements about preparing “a blockade” of the temporarily Russian-occupied Crimea, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are “not preparing to destroy the civilian” on the peninsula. According to StopFake fact-checkers, Russian prpaganda used the words of Ukrainian military analyst Petro Chernyk to report on the “preparation for a blockade” of Crimea. However, his opinion is not the official position of the political or military leadership of Ukraine.

On the air of the Ukrainian talk show, Petro Chernyk expressed his opinion that the military liberation of the temporarily occupied Crimea is a realistic plan for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He added that a military blockade of the peninsula could become an effective lever to start the liberation of Crimea. So, it was about the depletion of the Russian armed group in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Russian propaganda not only published the expert's own opinion as an official position, but also distorted the content of what was said.

Earlier, propagandists wrote that Ukraine’s disconnection of Crimea from electricity and water supply was a war crime, and Ukrainians rejoice that war has come to Crimea. Thus, the invaders are trying to turn the residents of the temporarily occupied peninsula against Ukraine and Ukrainians.

Russian propagandists are spreading the message that a Ukrainian court has ordered the demolition of the Church of the Tithes (Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) in Kyiv. Like, the Ukrainians want to destroy the historical building restored in 2007, which is more than 1000 years old. This is manipulation.

EU vs Disinfo analysts drew attention to the spread of manipulation, in particular to a foreign audience. Tithe Church is considered the first stone church of Kyiv Rus. The church was destroyed during the Mongol assault on Kyiv in 1240. The renovated Tithe Church was destroyed again in 1928. Since that time, the church has not been restored. The remains of the foundation of the Church of the Tithes are a monument of national importance. Both the foundation and the area around it are protected by UNESCO.

Propaganda reports speak of the demolition of a chapel near the foundations of the Church of the Tithes, which representatives of the Moscow patriarchate church call the Tithe Monastery of the nativity of the holy theotokos. The Church of the Moscow patriarchate received permission to place a tent on this site for a one-time festive service. After that, they did not remove the tent, moreover, they turned it into a full-fledged chapel, despite the fact that any construction on this historical territory is prohibited. That is, the court decision refers to the demolition of an illegal structure in the historical part of the city, and not an ancient Orthodox church.

Russian propaganda systematically manipulates religious topics, in particular, claims that Ukraine is on the verge of a large-scale inter-confessional conflict, Ukrainians defame Orthodoxy, that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine calls on its own behalf to kill Russians. Thus, they are trying to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and quarrel Ukrainians with different religious beliefs.

Such messages are distributed in the Russian media and pro-Russian telegram channels. They say that the trade turnover between Russia and the European Union at the end of 2022 reached a maximum in eight years, while the import of goods from Russia was at a historical maximum. Allegedly, this is confirmed by Eurostat data. This is manipulation.

The volume of trade actually increased, but the entire increase occurred at the beginning of the year, that is, before the start of a full-scale war. According to The Insider fact-checkers, immediately after the outbreak of the war, exports from EU countries fell sharply and have remained at about the same level since then. Imports of Russian goods in March were still at a high level (probably due to previously contracted supplies of raw materials), after which they began to decline, by May they had decreased to about last year's level and continued to fall until the end of the year. One of the main trends in EU trade policy has been to reduce dependence on Russian raw materials. For example, in 2021, about 45% of EU coal imports came from Russia, and in 2022 only about 13%. Russia's share in gas imports during the year decreased from 36% to 18%, oil - from 25% to 14%, fertilizers - from 29% to 16%.

By spreading such manipulations, Russian propaganda aims to show that European sanctions are ineffective and Russia is still a serious economic player.

Russian media spread information that Ukraine is allegedly ready to help Moldova stop destabilization in the country by military means. Like, in Ukraine “they do not exclude the invasion of Ukrainian troops in Transnistria”. Oleksii Danilov, a secretary of the National security and defense council of Ukraine, said this in his recent interview. This is manipulation.

Oleksii Danilov did not say that Ukraine is ready to provide military support to Moldova. It was not even about the fact that Ukraine is preparing an invasion of the temporarily occupied Transnistria. As the StopFake fact-checkers explain, they are talking about an interview given by the secretary of the National security and defense council on March 3, 2023. Oleksii Danilov answered the question whether Ukraine is ready, including by military means, to help Moldova if a corresponding request is received from President Maia Sandu. He said that such an appeal could be considered taking into account all ongoing processes and circumstances. The propagandists took these words out of context and gave them a different meaning.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to destabilize the situation in Moldova and discredit the cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova. Recently, the Russians circulated a document that supposedly confirms that Ukraine is preparing to attack Transnistria and claimed that Ukraine is dragging Moldova into the war.

Propagandists are spreading information that allegedly the former commander of the British contingent in Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Kemp, in his opinion column for The Daily Telegraph, said that Ukraine will not be able to seize Crimea. Like, Kemp “dispelled the dreams of Ukraine”. This is manipulation.

StopFake analysts drew attention to it. They found that Kemp's article titled “A total Russian collapse is surprisingly close” does not mention that Ukraine will not be able to return the previously annexed Crimea. On the contrary, the colonel concludes that Ukraine will be able to take back the peninsula and “achieve the complete collapse of Putin's forces, but only with boosting our support”. In the column, Kemp notes that contrary to the expectations of many people, Ukrainians continue to successfully lead resistance against Russian soldiers. He is surprised that many Western observers still underestimate Ukraine and notes that “Far from being cowed, Zelensky’s government is emboldened. Kyiv is openly preparing its own major thrust against Russian ground forces in the spring”. The colonel also says that “It is a crying shame when the possibility of a total Russian collapse remains within reach”.

Thus, propagandists are trying to demoralize Ukrainian society and convince them that Europe is tired of helping Ukraine. Like, the West does not see progress, and the Ukrainian armed forces are incompetent. Detector Media has already written about how the Russians repeatedly try to use the statements and materials of foreigners against Ukraine, taking words out of context.

Propagandists are outraged by the situation that recently happened at the Peoples' friendship university of Russia. As part of the traditional exhibition of the culture of the home countries of the students, a Ukrainian stand was installed. Like, since the flag of Ukraine was on the stand, this means support for the nationalist regime. Moreover, according to a number of Russian officials and media people, the university is a place where the display of the Ukrainian flag is inappropriate and harmful. Propagandists also drew attention to the page of the Ukrainian community of RUDN University on the website of the educational institution. It states that “Ukraine is the Carpathians, vyshyvanka, trembita and the Mriia plane”, which is provocative.

The situation was analyzed by The Insider. According to their findings, this case is an attempt to “cancel” everything Ukrainian in Russia. The symbols, which were called provocative, are unlikely to be russophobic in nature - in particular, the Mriia was designed by the Soviet aircraft designer Viktor Tolmachov, who was born in Kursk, and then studied in Kharkiv and worked in Kyiv. Trembita is a wind instrument, the basis of the Hutsul culture not only in Ukraine, but also in Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary.

Thus, propagandists are trying to justify their aggression against Ukraine. Like, Ukrainian culture and its simple symbols have no right to exist. This may indicate that the real goal of the war against Ukraine is the destruction of an ethnic group that meets the definition of genocide. Detector Media has already investigated how Russian propaganda hangs “russophobia” labels.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Alleged Ukrainian seismologist Oleksandr Kendzera said that “Kyiv will shake like Turkey”, referring to the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria that took the lives of about 52,000 people, according to recent reports. The authors of the messages refer to the interview of Oleksandr Kendzera on the Kyiv TV channel. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts of the StopFake project investigated this case and found that the propagandists distorted the context of the interview when the seismologist was answering the question of whether an earthquake is possible on the territory of Ukraine, in particular in Kyiv. The seismologist replied that there is a special map - the seismic zoning of Ukraine - with which you can determine the seismically active zones. Kyiv may be threatened by an earthquake with an intensity of 6 points, but with a frequency of once every 5 thousand years. The percentage of excess of seismic intensity in the coming years is also very low - the probability of a 6-magnitude earthquake in the capital is 1%. Therefore, Oleksandr Kendzera did not say that “an earthquake will happen in Kyiv”, but only spoke about the seismic activity of Ukraine and Kyiv in particular.

By spreading such manipulation, propagandists want to further provoke a sense of fear and panic among Ukrainians. Like, now we must also be afraid of natural disasters, such as earthquakes. Thus, the authors use intimidation tactics to achieve their goals.

We recall that earlier Detector Media denied a fake that an earthquake from Turkey would allegedly spread to Volyn and Rivne regions and explained the message that claimed that Europe decided to punish Turkey with an earthquake.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that in Ukraine they are selling the remains of “Artemsil” for 2,500 hryvnia per kilogram. They say that the money is being sent “to somewhere”, probably this is how they profit from the Ukrainians. This is manipulation.

In fact, we are talking about the initiative of the State Enterprise “ARTEMSIL” and the fundraising platform “UNITED24”, which released a special batch of the famous salt on the anniversary of a full-scale war. The initiative was also supported by employees of the ROZETKA marketplace and the Ukrainian supermarket chain “Silpo”, where this salt can be purchased. The rest, namely 200 tons of salt, were packaged in packs of 200 grams. The cost of one pack is 500 hryvnia, 465 of which will go to charity. This is a limited edition of salt, it is not widely available. The initiators also do not position this particular salt as a consumer product, however, the propagandists changed the concept and began to claim that it is, on the contrary, a consumer product, and they “make money” from the Ukrainians.

In theory, one can buy a kilogram of limited edition salt, but it is not sold by weight. That is, it is more of a souvenir than a food product.