Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić allegedly claimed that Western countries were threatening him and trying to “sway him to the right side”, reports say. The authors of the reports refer to an interview by Aleksandar Vučić with the Serbian television company RTS. This is manipulation.

Analysts of The Insider project investigated this case and found that the authors of the messages distorted the context of the interview. In the original version, Aleksandar Vučić said that both Russia and representatives of Western countries are trying to drag the Serbian president “to their side”. The West, for example, calls for supporting sanctions against Russia, because the security of Ukraine means the security of Europe. At the same time, Russia probably wants Aleksandar Vučić not to support sanctions. He added that now there is no pressure on Serbia to impose sanctions against Russia.

By spreading this manipulation, the propagandists want to discredit Western leaders who allegedly resort to blackmail and open threats. At the same time, they nourish the narrative about the existence of the so-called “Collective West”, which has united against Russia in order to destroy it.

Photos and videos from the Seimas of Lithuania are being circulated on social networks. They depict choristers in embroidered shirts performing the anthem of Ukraine, printed on sheets with the Ukrainian flag and coat of arms on the back. Reports say that this is evidence that Ukraine has already occupied not only Lithuania, but also other Baltic countries. This is manipulation.

In the Seimas, the anthem of Ukraine was indeed performed as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine on February 24, 2023. Fact-checkers of the Delfi project confirmed the time and place of the shooting using software. Events dedicated to the expression of solidarity with Ukraine, during which Ukrainian symbols were used, were held in many countries of the world. Therefore, this can in no way be regarded as evidence of the occupation of the Baltic countries by Ukraine. Fact-checkers note that this is not the first case of misrepresentation of information about the use of Ukrainian symbols or elements of Ukrainian culture.

Russian propaganda deliberately spreads the message about the “Ukrainization” of states that help Ukraine in order to turn their citizens against Ukrainians. Allegedly, helping Ukraine threatens to destroy their culture and identity. Earlier propagandists wrote that the Ukrainians were trying to Ukrainize Poland.

Information is being disseminated on social networks that they allegedly brought in rice with cadmium, which causes infertility and atrophy of the muscles of the limbs. Allegedly, it was “rejected” in Italy and deliberately taken to Ukraine. Like, there are no shells with depleted uranium for Ukrainians, but there is poisonous rice. This is manipulation.

Italian rice did indeed make it to Ukraine, but even before it was considered dangerous. The product was promptly withdrawn from circulation following a hazard alert notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). VoxCheck fact-checkers explain that this is Italian risotto rice, which was found to have a high content of cadmium. Cadmium really has a toxic effect on the kidneys, bone and respiratory systems, therefore it is dangerous to health.

Finland was the first to have reported on a dangerous product on February 3. Ukraine received a notification a little later, when the results of the Polish inspection were ready, since rice was imported to Ukraine from Poland. That is, poisonous rice was not specially imported to Ukraine, it was sold both in Italy and throughout Europe. On the contrary, after the threat was discovered, Ukraine was immediately informed about the danger.

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. Previously, Russian propaganda spread a similar fake, which allegedly poisoned Ukrainians with cookies.

Messages are circulating on the net that the alleged number of tanks that Germany will transfer to Ukraine is not accidental. They are talking about 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks and 88 Leopard 1 tanks. Users claim that Nazi symbols were encrypted in these numbers: 88 - two eight letters of Latin (HH - Heil Hitler), 14 - the slogan of white racists from 14 words. This is manipulation.

The statement about encrypted characters in the number of tanks is a conspiracy theory. Moreover, finally Germany will transfer more tanks. First, the German government announced the supply of 14 Leopard 2 A6 battle tanks to Ukraine from the stocks of the Bundeswehr. According to VoxCheck fact-checkers, according to NATO standards, a tank company consists of 14 tanks. That is, this figure has nothing to do with Nazi symbols. Somewhat later, they announced the delivery of 88 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine. However, the German federal government finally approved the delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.

Russian propaganda used the coincidence and came up with a “hidden meaning” in the number of tanks it plans to deliver to Ukraine. Thus, Russian propaganda not only nourished the narrative that Nazism reigns in Ukraine, but also tries to discredit military assistance to Ukraine from other states. Previously, propaganda spread fakes, as if the Ukrainian military were awarding “Nazi” awards and allegedly fascist crosses were depicted on Ukrainian armored vehicles.

Propagandists spread information that Italian Prime Minister George Meloni called the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to Brussels on February 9, 2023 inappropriate. This is manipulation.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact Meloni had in mind a visit to Paris. In her comments to the media, she criticized not Zelenskyi, but France and Germany, who organized a meeting with him separately from other European countries. Meloni said that such an invitation “was more inappropriate” and that community and unity in this case are above domestic political issues.

Thus, propagandists are trying to convince Ukrainians that even the closest allies in Europe are turning away from Ukraine. Allegedly, Ukraine is gradually left alone with the problems that “the West started”. Russian media are actively using Zelenskyi's recent visit to Europe, spreading a number of narratives harmful to Ukraine.

Propagandists say that a year ago at a press conference US President Joe Biden made a reservation about plans to blow up Nord Stream. This is manipulation.

Analysts of The Insider project drew attention to it. They analyzed Biden's responses at a press conference cited by propagandists. A press conference between Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz took place on February 7, 2022. At it, Andrea Schalal, a correspondent for Reuters, asked whether Germany gave Biden guarantees to close Nord Stream in case of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Biden replied that if Russian “tanks or troops cross the border of Ukraine again”, there will be “no more Nord Stream 2”. The reporter tried to clarify how the United States wants to achieve this, to which the President of the United States replied: “I promise you, we can do it”.

Analysts at The Insider drew attention to the fact that at that time Nord Stream 2 was completed, but not yet put into operation. Given the full context of the press conference, it is clear that we are talking about sanctions against the operation of Nord Stream 2. These sanctions were introduced on February 23, 2022 in response to Russia's recognition of the so-called “DNR” and “LNR”. Then Germany stopped certification of the gas pipeline, which led to a halt in its operation.

Thus, propagandists want to shift the responsibility for Russia's crimes to Western countries. Like, the West is provoking Russia and testing its patience. Russian propaganda actively uses the statements of Joe Biden, taking them out of context. Detector Media published a selection of messages that propagandists disseminated on his recent visit to Kyiv.

This thesis was spread in social networks, in particular in telegram channels and in propaganda media. Newly elected Czech President Petr Pavel said that Ukraine “will have to cede territory to Russia”, reports say. Like, he said this in an interview with the Suspilne (Public). This is manipulation.

In fact, the authors of the messages distorted the context of Petr Pavel's answer to the question about Ukraine's victory. In the original version of the interview, the Czech president says that the West should not push Ukraine to make concessions while there is still a real chance of winning. Therefore, Petr Pavel calls to support Ukraine by all means. At the same time, Petr Pavel says that the right to start negotiations between Ukraine and Russia should be left to Ukrainians and Ukrainian officials. That is, to negotiate or not is the business of Ukraine, no one will encourage it to do so.

He also says that the West will do everything for Ukraine to win in 2023. However, he warns of the result of the victory, which could turn into a “long war”. Some scenarios for unleashing war, according to the official, could be that Ukraine - not only the people, but also the political leadership - is aware that a high price will have to be paid for the return of territories. However, the President of the Czech Republic did not say that Ukraine would have to cede the territories, but only predicted different scenarios for the war.

Earlier, within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, Petr Pavel announced various scenarios for the development of the war in Ukraine. For example, if Russia falls apart into different “states”, each of them will have its own ambitions, according to Peter Pavel, this may add complexity in the future. That is why the President of the Czech Republic calls for a discussion of the various results of the war in Ukraine and the foresight  of each aspect.

In the pro-Russian telegram channels, reports are being circulated that allegedly in the Kharkiv region they began to mobilize employees of the local administration. As evidence, they cite a photo of the draft notice signed by the mayor of the city of Pervomaiskyi, Mykola Baksheiev. The reports suggest that the Ukrainian army is suffering very heavy losses and is doing so much “bad business” that they have begun to mobilize officials in defiance of the law. Allegedly, such draft notices will soon be issued by heads of state-owned enterprises. This is manipulation.

There is no evidence that the draft notice was handed over to the official. In addition, government employees may be exempted from mobilization, but this is not mandatory. As the VoxCheck fact checkers explain, the photo circulating on the network has a new design of the draft notice. According to the latest changes in legislation, the mayor has the right to issue a draft notice, but this does not mean that it was issued to an employee of the local administration. Receiving a draft notice does not mean that a person is immediately mobilized and sent to the front. The first thing the Territorial recruitment and social support center requires is to verify the citizen's data and determine their suitability for service.

Russian propaganda once again parasitizes on the topic of mobilization and appeals to the emotionally complex topic of losses at the front in order to demoralize Ukrainians. Earlier, propagandists said that a military enlistment office was deliberately set on fire in Kharkiv. The propaganda also said that the Territorial recruitment centers are illegal structures, so handing over draft notices by them is also illegal.

The Russian media write that allegedly now Ukrainians watch less television because of the “media policy of the “Kyiv regime”” and Ukrainian propaganda. The messages refer to the results of a survey by the Rating sociological group. Allegedly, compared to November 2021, the share of television in the segment of information sources fell from 55% to 43%, while the share of social networks (including Telegram) increased from 11% to 41%. This is manipulation.

According to the results of a study by the Rating group, today national TV channels and instant messengers really have almost the same popularity as a source of news for Ukrainians. However, the study does not conclude that the current situation is the result of Ukrainian propaganda on television. Moreover, over the past year, trust in the news content of national TV channels has increased from 43% to 72%, and local media - from 43% to 62%. As StopFake writes, the Russian media added to the results of the study the opinions of unnamed experts, distorting the general context.

Russian propaganda uses the tactics of substitution of concepts and tries to give out information to Ukrainians about state propaganda. Thus, they also nourish the narratives about censorship in the Ukrainian information space and the absence of independent media in Ukraine.

There are reports in foreign media that allegedly youth organizations like the Nazi Hitlerjungend (Hitler youth) are being created in Ukraine. Like, Ukrainian girls and boys are taught to shoot and prepared to kill Russians. It seems that they wear uniforms with crosses, very similar to those that were during the Second World War. The messages refer to the American news channel News Nation. This is manipulation.

Chris Cuomo's report for the American news channel News Nation is about Ukrainian teenagers studying at a military academy, not about youth organizations. Russian propaganda laid out the plot and gave it a second context. EU vs Disinfo analysts note that there is no evidence that Ukraine involves minors in hostilities. This is confirmed by international human rights organizations.

Russian propaganda constantly nourishes the narrative about Nazism and fascism in Ukraine with various fakes. Like, even the Germans are already asking Ukrainians not to use Nazi symbols. They also systematically manipulate the topic of adolescent mobilization. Thus, propaganda uses the tactics of the inhuman enemy and justifies the war in Ukraine.

Information is spreading on social networks and on Russian resources that US President Joseph Biden promised Ukraine “difficult times” during his speech in Poland. Like, Biden's speechwriters tried to build his speech in Warsaw as a winner's speech, but they only succeeded in fixing the intermediate results of the “conflict” between the West and Russia, in which Ukraine was assigned the role of a tool. This is manipulation.

The propagandists took the words of the American president out of context. During a speech in Poland, Joseph Biden said that the next five years are likely to be decisive for the world and the world's democracies. He expressed the same thesis during a speech in Kyiv the day before. Moreover, Biden stressed that Ukraine will never be Putin's victory and he will lose. At the same time, propagandists ignored the part of the speech in which Biden spoke about the plight of Russia.

Thus, Russian propaganda nourishes narratives about “external control” in Ukraine and “Russia’s war with the West on the territory of Ukraine”. Russian propaganda systematically uses quotes from politicians, distorted or taken out of context, to publish wishful thinking. Detector Media highlighted the key disinformation messages about the visit of the American president to Kyiv. More details.

A video is circulating on social networks in which two men say that the World Health Organization (WHO) allegedly called for preparations for a nuclear war due to a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Allegedly, WHO urges countries to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances or events. Also, allegedly, the organization provided a list of medicines that need to be prepared for use in the event of a radiation hazard. This is manipulation.

The distribution of the manipulative video was noticed by the fact-checkers of the Maldita.es project. WHO has indeed updated the list of medicines needed to overcome the consequences of a possible nuclear emergency. But this update is a permanent practice and has nothing to do with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The previous document was prepared in 2007, so over time it has lost its relevance. The recommendations of the WHO generally consider any cases of radioactive contamination, in particular due to accidents or the use of nuclear weapons.

Propagandists systematically spread various fake news about the possible use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Previously, Russian propaganda spread false claims that allegedly the UK supports Ukraine in the decision to use a dirty bomb or Zelenskyi uses a “dirty bomb” at the request of the United States. They also wrote that allegedly Ukraine calls for the start of a nuclear war. Thus, propagandists are trying to intimidate Ukrainians and force them to surrender.

The alleged words of the vice-speaker of the Senate of Poland Michał Kamiński said on the air of radio Zet are spread on the net. It seems that now Ukrainians are dying for the right to be gay. The reports add that this is allegedly the key motivation of the Ukrainian military. This is manipulation.

The words of Michał Kamiński were taken out of context. In general, he said that the Russian-Ukrainian war is a war of values. VoxCheck fact checkers quote in full: “Today, Ukrainians are dying for the right to be homosexual, the right to be left, right, Catholic, Orthodox or atheist, for the right to choose their own president, ambassador, senator or whatever. They are dying for freedom, democracy and European integration”. That is, it was said that Ukraine is now fighting for the right to remain an original state where human rights are respected.

Russian propaganda systematically manipulates topics related to the LGBT community in Ukraine. Previously, Detector Media refuted the main myths about representatives of the LGBT community. Read more about Russian LGBT disinformation on social media in the investigation.

The Kremlin media say that the US, NATO, the EU and Ukraine allegedly caused mine contamination of the territories of Ukraine and Russia. The reports refer to the words of the head of the Russian delegation in Vienna on military security and arms control, Konstiantyn Havrylov. He claims that the supposedly “collective West” violates the norms of humanitarian law. This is not true.

Neither Ukraine nor its allies will be held responsible for the forced mining of Ukrainian territory due to a full-scale invasion. This is determined by international law, in particular, in Article 51 of the UN Charter. According to StopFake, at the UN World Summit in September 2005, all UN member states officially confirmed that they have the right to protect their citizens from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

In addition, Russian propaganda resorts to manipulation, claiming that Ukraine or the West are involved in the mining of Russian territories. From the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian army has been protecting exclusively the territory of Ukraine. Only Russia is responsible for mining Russian territories.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to justify itself and shift the responsibility for the war and its consequences to Ukraine and the West. Previously, propagandists spread messages that Ukraine is a terrorist state, and Russia seeks to become a “safe harbor” for all people.

Russian media are spreading information that during his visit, US President Joe Biden ordered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to step up the actions of the Ukrainian army and launch a counteroffensive. At the same time, propagandists refer to the material of the publication Politico. Allegedly, its authors indicate that Ukraine should launch a counteroffensive now, since the pace of assistance from the West will slow down significantly. This is manipulation.

Analysts at the StopFake project found that the Politico article made no mention of the slowdown in aid to Ukraine and Biden's orders. The material is devoted to the results of the Munich Security Conference and the then upcoming European tour of the US President. The authors of the article argue: “U.S. officials believe that the defense of Ukraine is about to reach a critical phase, when Russia will launch its long-awaited offensive. The Biden administration is strongly urging the administration of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to build on the gains made and perhaps launch a counter strike”.

The Russian media do not correctly quote the publication and give an inaccurate translation of the phrasing from it. For example, if we are talking about the pace of arms deliveries, the word “freely” is used in the original material. And propagandists translate it as “slowly”.

Thus, Russian propaganda wants to re-emphasize Ukraine's “inability” to make independent decisions. The propagandists also want to convince their audience that the West is tired of helping Ukraine, but recent decisions to provide new military and financial aid packages prove otherwise. The Russian media is still spreading disinformation about the US President's visit to Kyiv. Detector Media has already published a selection of the main messages spread by propagandists on this issue.

This thesis was spread by the Russian media. Like, British ex-premier Boris Johnson called the Normandy format “diplomatic imitation”. Propagandists believe that this is evidence of the lack of desire in Europe to fight further to the last Ukrainian. This is manipulation.

On January 26, Boris Johnson gave an interview to Rada TV channel. Analysts of the VoxCheck project found out that propagandists are referring to him, taking the phrase out of context. A TV journalist asked the ex-premier how to convince Western leaders to provide more assistance to Ukraine. To this, Johnson responded that the Normandy Process and the Minsk agreements were a “fundamental lesson” that Europe has already learned well.

“We then applied some sanctions, launched this diplomatic imitation called the Normandy process, and achieved nothing. And Putin concluded that the West would not stop him. That was the mistake. I think now everyone sees this and understands that Ukraine needs to be given what Ukraine needs”, the ex-premier said.

Although the ex-premier called the Normandy format a “diplomatic imitation”, in fact he did not oppose the peace settlement and Europe's participation in it.

By spreading this manipulation, the propagandists want to shift the responsibility for the attack to Western countries, emphasizing Ukraine's “inability” to determine its own destiny. Quite often they use interviews with foreign officials, pulling the right phrases out of context.  Detector Media has already published a selection of manipulations that propagandists disseminated based on an interview with former Israeli Prime Minister Bennett.

This thesis was spread on social networks, in particular, in the Ukrainian segment of Twitter. The report says that in Ukraine they are allegedly going to deprive the pensions of those who left for Russia or live in the temporarily occupied territories. The authors argue that this is one of the requirements of the International monetary fund. This is manipulation.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to this case and, after studying it, determined that such manipulation appeared against the background of the appearance of a bill on changing the procedure for paying pensions to persons who committed a crime against the foundations of Ukraine's national security, as well as after the draft order of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine “On approval methods for verifying pension payments and monthly life allowance”. Social media users distorted the main provisions of the bill and the project of the Ministry of finance.

The bill refers to the termination of cash payments to persons convicted of crimes against the foundations of national security. This category includes those who encroached on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine or who carried out collaborative activities and collaborated with the occupiers. That is, we are not talking about everyone who, not of their own free will, ended up in Russian occupation.

Another document from the Ministry of finance of Ukraine regulates the process of checking and updating information about the recipient of a pension from the Ministry of social policy, the Ministry of justice, the Ministry of internal affairs and other departments. For example, the Ministry of finance will check and update information about the death of a pension recipient or disability group, etc. In Ukraine, pensions continue to be paid to citizens living in the temporarily occupied territories or those who have gone abroad. As for the so-called requirement of the International monetary fund, it does not exist at all.

Both documents are in no way aimed at depriving pensions of Ukrainians living in the temporarily occupied territories of the country, or those who left for Russia. Moreover, both documents have not yet been adopted and are under discussion.

Such manipulation was widespread in social networks, in particular in telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. The reports say that the head of the British Ministry of Defense, Ben Wallace, allegedly stated the fact that “aid to Ukraine has significantly weakened the defense capability of European countries”. In addition, according to reports, the head of the department allegedly “admitted” that the supply of ammunition in Europe was “very low”. The British Secretary of Defense allegedly made such statements on February 16 during an interview with British BBC Radio 4. This is manipulation.

Fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to this case and, after studying it, determined that the propagandists took the minister's quotes out of context, completely distorting the content of what was said.

In fact, in an interview with BBC Radio 4, Ben Wallace said that Russia's war against Ukraine showed the vulnerability of the defense of all of Europe. Now, according to the minister, European countries are paying the price for years of cutting the military budget, when they had to save on the combat capability of the army, defense infrastructure and its maintenance.

That is, this is not about the fact that support for Ukraine allegedly “exhausted” or “caused problems” in the armed forces of European countries. The British Minister of Defense believes that the problem of the vulnerability of the European defense system is related to the reduction of the military budget and other processes in the past.

By spreading such manipulation, propagandists want to convince the audience that helping Ukraine disarms other countries, so they stay light and weak. Thus, propagandists want to encourage other states not to send weapons to Ukraine.

Messages are being spread on telegram channels that allegedly the Prime Minister of Moldova, Nataliia Havrylytsia, admitted that weapons and donor organs are smuggled into Moldova from Ukraine. Like, Moldova has become a real black market for selling the organs of wounded soldiers. Reports claim that on October 20, 2022 a law was passed allowing organ transplants in private clinics in Moldova. After that, the number of wounded Ukrainian soldiers allegedly increased, who are allegedly taken to Moldova for treatment, and instead are used as donors. This is manipulation.

Propagandists have been manipulating themes of organ trafficking and arms smuggling since the start of the full-scale invasion. However, not once did they provide evidence of these crimes. The Prime Minister of Moldova did not say that donor organs of the Ukrainian military get from Ukraine to Moldova. Nataliia Havrylytsia noted that the country needs additional support from the EU to combat the increase in cases of human and arms trafficking from Ukraine. In particular, in July 2022, the EU created the Support Center for Internal Security and Border Control in Moldova. It deals with combating the trade in firearms and people. Forced transplantation, which propagandists talk about, is only one of the components of the concept of “human trafficking”, as well as recruitment, transportation, sale, involvement in criminal activities, forced labor, etc. So the problem is much broader.

According to VoxCheck, the Ukrainian military is sent for rehabilitation to the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Germany, Italy, Romania, the USA and Israel. There is no official information about treatment in Moldova. Reports of “black transplantology” in the Ukrainian army have also been repeatedly refuted.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit international support for Ukraine and worsen partnerships between Ukraine and other states. Earlier, propagandists spread messages that in Poland a refugee from Ukraine was sold for organs, and in Donbas, wounded Ukrainian soldiers and locals with pro-Russian views became victims of black transplants.

Such messages are distributed in pro-Russian telegram channels. Like, on the air of Polish television, Mariusz Blashchak was asked how many Polish “mercenaries” are fighting in Ukraine, despite the criminal liability for hiring. It seems that he answered this question that this is not a big figure and this is not a problem. This is manipulation.

In fact, Mariusz Blaszczak was asked about the Polish military who are fighting in Ukraine. There was no mention of criminal liability either in the question or in the answer. The Polish minister said that a small number of Poles are fighting in Ukraine, and the opposition artificially exaggerates the problem.

Russian propaganda took Blashak's words out of context and deliberately uses the term “mercenaries”. Under Polish law, Poles must obtain the consent of the Polish Ministry of Defense to serve in a foreign army. That is, those who have received this permission sign a contract and fight in the ranks of the Ukrainian army. Otherwise, the Poles are fighting as volunteers, that is, they do not receive financial rewards from Ukraine, which means they are not mercenaries. Poland is considering the possibility of amending the legislation in order to regulate the issues of volunteers fighting in Ukraine.

Propagandists constantly spread disinformation about the participation of the Poles in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Previously, they claimed that in Poland it was open to recruit Ukrainian tank troops. It was also said that Polish professional soldiers were dying in Ukraine, and a special cemetery had allegedly been created for them.

Russian media write that allegedly the “Kyiv regime” intends to arrange a genocide of Russians. Like, adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak, on the air of one of the Ukrainian TV channels, called for “destroying Russians by the thousands” every day. Allegedly, for this tanks, missiles and aircraft should be immediately provided to Ukraine by the West. This is not true.

The Russian media took the words of Mykhailo Podoliak out of context. In fact, he spoke about the prospects for the end of the war and expressed the opinion that in order to end hostilities and de-occupy Ukrainian territories as soon as possible, the Armed Forces of Ukraine need the losses of the Russian army to be about 5,000 invaders. It was this phrase of Podoliak that the Russian media took out of context and used to create “news” about the “genocide of Russians”. That is, Podoliak was talking about the Russian military who came to Ukraine with the war, and not about the Russians in general.

According to StopFake, Ukraine, in accordance with international norms and the UN Charter, has every right to use any means available to it to defend against Russian aggression. Defense against the enemy on sovereign territory is not genocide.

The Russian media deliberately use the tactics of concept substitution and portray Russia as an “affected party”, rather than an aggressor country. Although it was the actions of the Russian army in the temporarily occupied territories that were called the genocide of Ukrainians.

Russian media, citing materials from The Washington Post, write that allegedly “many” US congressmen from the Republican Party spoke out “for Ukraine to give up part of its territories in favor of Russia”. Some publications specify that we are talking about almost half of the Republicans. This is manipulation.

In The Washington Post, Aaron Blake analyzes several recent surveys of US public opinion on support for Ukraine. As StopFake writes, propagandists came up with the message about the “proposals of congressmen”.

In the article, Blake notes that now support for Ukraine in the United States remains predominantly bipartisan. The results of the survey take into account the party allegiance of respondents to Democrats or Republicans. According to a study by Fox News, the majority of Democrats (61%) believe that Ukraine is winning the war. At the same time, 43% of Republican supporters believe that Russia is winning.

In another Gallup Institute poll, respondents were asked what the US should do: “support Ukraine in reclaiming the territories, even if it means continuing the war”, or “end the conflict soon, even if it allows Russia to keep the territory of Ukraine”. The majority of Republicans (53%) were in support of Ukraine, while 41% were ready to approve the seizure of Ukrainian territory by Russia to end the war. The majority of Democratic Party supporters (81%) chose the first answer and only 16% supported possible territorial concessions to end the war.

Russian propaganda systematically manipulates opinion polls to give the impression that there is little support for Ukraine abroad. Previously, propagandists manipulated the results of surveys on arms supplies to Ukraine in Germany, the USA, France, etc.

Russian and foreign media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric use the recent statement by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz against Ukraine. Like, the chancellor is against NATO supplying weapons to Ukraine, because it weakens the Alliance. As a result, according to the authors of the messages, Germany will no longer supply Ukraine with armed assistance.

Analysts of the EUvsDisInfo project found out that in fact, in his statement, Scholz did not criticize the supply of weapons to Ukraine, but that the members of the Alliance turned this process into a “public competition”. This, according to the Chancellor, is what weakens NATO, threatening its unity. Scholz said that unity helped Ukraine in the early days of the war and countries should not argue about arms supplies to Ukraine.

Propagandists are trying in every possible way to condemn Western countries for providing military assistance to Ukraine, using various methods for this. They either call it “foul play” or direct intervention in the war. Very often this is combined with manipulations on the topic of the attitude of society in NATO member countries to the provision of weapons to Ukraine.

On the air of one of the Georgian TV channels,there was a thesis similar to Russian narratives. Like, Ukraine had to refuse to join NATO in accordance with the terms of the Minsk agreements. In exchange for this, Russia supposedly must return the occupied territories to Ukraine. But since Ukraine violated these terms, Russia had no choice but to attack. Analysts of Mythdetector, the Georgian project, drew attention to the case.

In fact, there are no provisions in the Minsk agreements regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO. In addition, it was Russia and its forces that sabotaged the presence of the OSCE in the occupied territories, which was the main part of the Minsk agreements. According to Mythdetector, the Georgian media that disseminated this thesis are controlled by pro-Russian forces.

Russian propaganda uses the theme of the Minsk agreements, in particular, because of the statements of pro-Russian politicians. Thus, propagandists want to shift the responsibility for starting a war from the aggressor to the victim and accuse Ukraine of disrupting international agreements. However, it is Russia that often fails to comply with international obligations, and the outbreak of war is proof of this.

This thesis was spread in social networks and in the media of the Polish segment. Reports say that Poles' attitude towards Ukrainians has worsened. Like, the majority of Ukrainians speak Russian and boast of expensive cars, which is typical for the “Russian world”. Therefore, the Poles allegedly feel hostility towards certain categories of Ukrainian refugees and say with confidence that the attitude has indeed changed for the worse. Later, the material was picked up by users and the media of the Ukrainian segment. The authors of the original article for Rzeczpospolita refer to a likely study conducted by the University of Warsaw, which allegedly refers to the deterioration of attitudes, and cite the words of the President of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, which allegedly confirm these studies. This is manipulation.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the NotaYenota project, who found that there was absolutely nothing about the “Russian world” or expensive cars in the study. The quote taken by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita for their article belongs to the President of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland Myroslav Skorka. That is, this quote belongs to one person, although an official representing the interests of both Poles and Ukrainians, but this was not in the study and the quote does not represent its results. In the material itself, they are talking about the deterioration of the attitude of Poles towards Ukrainians, which was noted by Rzeczpospolita at the beginning of the article: “Many Poles are changing their attitude towards them [ed. Ukrainians] for the worse, research shows”.

According to the study, in January 2023, 80% of respondents had a positive attitude towards refugees from Ukraine. 8% of respondents perceived Ukrainians negatively, and 12% - presumably neutrally. When asked if the attitude towards refugees from Ukraine has changed over the past 6 months, that is, since June 2022, a quarter of Poles surveyed (25%) answered yes. Accordingly, for 75% the attitude towards Ukrainians has not changed. These 25% of respondents answered that the attitude has changed, without specifying how. That is why of the one quarter of those surveyed who further answered that their attitude had changed, 68% said that the attitude had changed in a negative direction. However, this is not representative, because in general nothing has changed for 75% of the respondents.

So, Rzeczpospolita journalists manipulated the data and used a quote from the President of the Union of Ukrainians as justification for their thesis, although according to the study, 75% of Poles have not changed their attitude towards Ukrainians.