Propagandists on anonymous Telegram channels claim that the Kursk operation allegedly changed the “balance of attrition” to Ukraine’s disadvantage, since it allegedly lacks reserves to respond to Russian breakthroughs and is short of ammunition. They say this is what Foreign Affairs writes about. They compare it to other battles where, according to propaganda, Ukraine suffered heavy losses, and predict that a prolonged positional war could undermine public support.

However, this information is a distortion and manipulation based on the content of the Foreign Affairs article and is part of a broader disinformation campaign aimed at demoralizing Ukrainian society and reducing international support for Ukraine.

In reality, the manipulative lifts that highlight Ukraine’s supposed weakness are taken out of context to create a false impression about the situation on the front and the ability of the Ukrainian army to resist Russian forces. These operations, such as the Battle of Bakhmut or the counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region, were important steps in countering Russian aggression. Although they were indeed complex and demanding of significant resources, they were of strategic importance and were part of Ukraine’s broader defensive and offensive strategy.

Propagandists spread such messages for several reasons. One of the key aspects of this disinformation is to lower the morale of Ukrainian society by creating the impression that Ukraine’s defense is futile and the losses are unjustified. Russia also tries to sow doubts in Western countries about the effectiveness of aid to Ukraine in order to reduce military, financial and political support. Propagandists seek to present Russia as a more powerful and experienced adversary in order to force Ukraine to make concessions or end hostilities on Russia’s terms. These messages are aimed at weakening Ukraine both internally and through international isolation, so they need to be examined critically and debunked using verified sources of information.

Anonymous Telegram channels and social networks in the Russian segment are spreading information that after the offensive on Kursk, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense in Donetsk region was left without shells and soldiers. This is reported by the American publication The Financial Times.

“The offensive in Kursk has accelerated Russia's offensive in Donbas. This happened because up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops, including elite airborne assault units, were withdrawn from this section of the front. Priority in providing ammunition, as well as soldiers, is given to the Kursk direction, officers transferred from Donbas to Russian territory told FT”, they reported on social networks.

StopFake fact-checkers analyzed the case and determined that The Financial Times article did not say at all that the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense in Donetsk region “was left without shells and soldiers” after the offensive on Kursk region.

The article emphasizes that due to the Kursk operation, Ukrainian servicemen in Donbas have to ration the amount of ammunition, and soldiers “may face an even longer stay at the front without rotation”. Moreover, this is the conclusion of the authors of the publication themselves, that is, an assumption.

Let us remind you that Ukrainian troops broke through the Russian border in the Sumy region on Tuesday, August 6. On August 12, President Zelenskyi wrote directly for the first time that Ukraine was conducting an operation in the Kursk region of Russia. On August 12, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukraine controls almost 1,000 km of the Kursk region. As of August 21, 93 settlements in Russia are under Ukraine's control.

Read on Censor.NET: The US is allegedly involved in the operation in the Kursk region.

Pro-Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that from September 1, Moldovan schools will allegedly hold Russophobia lessons, where schoolchildren will be taught hatred of Russia under the guise of solidarity with Ukraine. The propagandists claim that this is part of a manual developed by the Council of Europe, which the Moldovan Ministry of Education allegedly rewrote and made mandatory for all schools. However, this is manipulation.

In fact, the lesson “Together for Peace” aims to educate solidarity, compassion and peaceful coexistence, not to incite hatred. It will be held only once – on September 1 – as the first lesson of the school year. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Moldova noted in its document about the lesson that the topic was chosen on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Council of Europe, as well as the beginning of the process of Moldova’s accession to the EU. Propagandists also call any education of young people in the spirit of European values and support for Ukraine “brainwashing”, although in fact, the same document of the Ministry notes that teachers can adapt and change the educational objectives of the lesson and its activities in accordance with the needs and pace of learning of students, and should also encourage students to draw their own conclusions, not impose their views on them. Propagandists present this lesson as an attempt to set children against Russia, whereas the purpose of the lesson is to educate peace and solidarity among young people. There is no evidence that the lessons are about preparing for war or teaching hatred.

Propagandists are trying to turn Moldovan society against European values and institutions such as the Council of Europe, portraying their initiatives as aggressive and hostile. They are also trying to sow fear among the Moldovan population that their children are being taught to hate Russia, which could lead to increased social tensions and a loss of trust in their own government. The propagandists’ message also claims that Ukraine and its allies are using educational programs for military training of children, which is an absurd and completely baseless claim. This is aimed at discrediting support for Ukraine in the international community.

Trumpist Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene released a statement claiming that the war could have ended months ago, but Zelenskyi's calls for more weapons are only leading to the deaths of a generation of Ukrainian men. Propagandists are actively spreading this statement. However, it is manipulative.

This was noted by experts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. They claim that the assertion that the war could have ended several months ago is an outright lie. Moscow has not offered any peaceful solutions since the start of the full-scale war, only ultimatums, which are equivalent to Ukraine's capitulation. Russia is also trying to convince the world that military and financial aid to Ukraine allegedly increases the number of victims among Ukrainians, while its cessation will lead to peace.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is known for her statements that echo Kremlin propaganda and her ardent opposition to aid to Ukraine. She has previously also claimed that Ukraine is allegedly waging a “war against Christianity”, that “civilians are being tortured”, and that “Nazism is thriving in Ukraine”. Greene echoes the propagandists, distorting the reality that aid to Ukraine allows it to more effectively resist the aggressor, preventing even greater casualties, destruction, and terror brought by the occupier.

Russian propaganda resources, citing the US Embassy in Ukraine, disseminated a message that Russia is preparing an attack on government facilities in Kyiv in the near future. In this regard, the United States allegedly calls on its citizens to urgently leave Ukraine.

In fact, this information is distorted and untrue, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation. Propagandists referred to one of the messages from the US Embassy in Ukraine from 2022.

As of August 22, 2024, the last message on the department’s website is dated August 21, 2024. The US Embassy in Ukraine issued this warning: “Over the next several days and into the weekend, there is an increased risk of both night and day Russian drone and missile attacks throughout Ukraine in conjunction with Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24”.

US citizens were advised to monitor local media reports, find out the locations of shelters and hide there in the event of an air raid warning, and follow the instructions of Ukrainian officials and first responders in the event of an emergency.

However, the message from the US Embassy does not talk about any attacks on government facilities or recommendations to leave Ukraine. The CPI adds that the danger of Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine exists constantly, regardless of holidays and ‘circular dates’.

Russia regularly spreads disinformation about strikes on Ukraine in an attempt to intimidate Ukrainians. For example, on August 12, 2024, we documented a fake by Russian propagandists that local authorities in Kyiv were allegedly calling on citizens to leave their homes if they lived near “decision-making centers”.

The network, citing the Polish publication Interia, is disseminating information that Ukraine was provided with faulty F-16 aircraft. The fighters allegedly did not undergo maintenance before being sent to Ukraine, and now some of them cannot be used for flights.

However, the Interia publication’s material about the provision of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine was manipulated, the StopFake project reports. The text refers to only two F-16 fighters of the ADF version, which are most likely intended to be used as decoys, spare parts donors, or training for Ukrainian aviation technicians. Ukraine could receive these units from a military base in the Davis-Monthan desert in the United States, where decommissioned aircraft are stored.

These conclusions, based on the presentation of the F-16 by Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Ukraine, are also confirmed by experts from the information and consulting company Defense Express: “Both fighters lack automatic 20-mm cannons, technical inscriptions and other signs of a suggestive operational combat aircraft, at least these two F-16s were transferred to the United States as bait in Ukraine”.

Defense Express also points out that using F-16 fuselages as decoys is an effective strategy: their resemblance to real fighter jets is so strong that a thorough review will be required to accurately identify them. Even from a satellite or drone, these non-working F-16 mockups will be indistinguishable from the real aircraft. Experts from the information and consulting company suggest that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will use, in particular, modern inflatable copies as erroneous targets.

Fearing the participation of F-16 aircraft in hostilities, propagandists are trying in every possible way to discredit the appearance in Ukraine and sow doubt about their effectiveness. Thus, a little earlier we already analyzed such information dumps. For example, they refuted the statements of the Russians, saying that Syrskyi said that F-16 fighters would not bring any benefit to Ukraine.

Propagandists claim that the Ukrainian army allegedly carried out an attack on the Kolotylivka border checkpoint in the Belgorod region. They say that it was the only place for the exchange of prisoners and dead between Russia and Ukraine. However, this is not true.

Specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security write about this. They found that this is not the first time such misinformation has occurred. For example, in May 2024, Moscow stated that Ukraine allegedly “suspended exchanges itself”, which was denied by the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets. Then he confirmed that the exchange is not happening only because Russia does not want it. However, it must fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

Russia continues to use prisoners as a tool to blackmail and destabilize Ukrainian society from the very beginning of the full-scale war. Russian propaganda is manipulating him in order to sow distrust among Ukrainians in their military-political leadership, shifting responsibility for the supposed “disruption of the prisoner exchange process” onto him.

Russian resources claim that French General Bertrand Toujouse believes that NATO would be unable to respond to a potential Russian attack. When spreading this information, propagandists refer to the material from Politico.

However, Toujouse’s words were manipulated, they write in the StopFake project. In fact, in the Politico text, the French general simply drew attention to what areas of defense Europe should improve to effectively defend against Russian aggression. In particular, we are talking about the mobility of military weapons. As Toujouse writes, the rapid transport of weapons is hampered by excessive bureaucratic procedures, inconvenient infrastructure (including tunnels and bridges) and a shortage of railway cars.

To strengthen this area of defense, EU member states introduced a new military mobility pledge in May 2024, which will help ensure the rapid and smooth movement of military personnel and materiel within and outside the EU. Commitments include investments in dual-use infrastructure and a simplified procedure for obtaining permits for the transport of military equipment across borders.

Bertrand Toujouse does not believe that Europe is powerless against a potential Russian attack. European countries are identifying weak areas in their defense systems and implementing changes accordingly.

Russian resources disseminate information that on August 3, 2024, about 20 thousand people rallied in the center of Berlin in support of peace with Russia and against arms supplies, in particular to Ukraine. The protesters allegedly carried banners and posters with the inscriptions: “Why are politicians not responsible for their actions?”, “Peace for all peoples!”, “Stop the war with Russia!”, “Friendship with Russia”, “I am not at war with Russia!”, “A world without weapons!”.

In fact, Russian propaganda sources manipulated the information, the StopFake project writes. This protest was dedicated to the fourth anniversary of the first such march of representatives of the Querdenker (Dissident) movement in Berlin. The movement was created in April 2020 to protest against the German government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Now participants in the movement oppose the basic principles of German domestic and foreign policy and call for “peace throughout the world”. Querdenker, however, does not offer realistic plans on how to achieve this. And the topic of reconciliation with Russia is far from the main one for representatives of the movement.

Querdenker's main focus is criticism of both the domestic and foreign policies of the German government. Among other things, the demonstrators are demanding Germany's withdrawal from NATO and a continued review of measures to contain the coronavirus.

About 12 thousand representatives of the movement gathered for the rally in August 2024. The German website RBB reported that some protesters waved flags with a dove of peace, while others held banners demanding that they “reconsider measures to combat coronavirus” and “punish those responsible”. Some participants held posters with the slogan “Create a world without weapons”, familiar from the peace movement in Germany in the 1980s. The peace symbol could be seen on several banners.

The Berliner Zeitung wrote that on separate posters the protesters depicted the logo of Compact magazine, classified by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as right-wing extremist and now banned. Some protesters chanted “döp dodö dop!” (“Foreigners away!”) and some carried posters of the AfD, the German right-wing party. However, the topic of reconciliation with Russia and “stopping arms supplies to Ukraine” is secondary for Querdenker. There is also no mention in the German press of such calls at demonstrations in Berlin.

Propaganda sources disseminate information that representatives of the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support kidnapped and brutally beat 20-year-old Lviv student Oleksandr Hashevskyi, who came on vacation to the Carpathians. According to propagandists, after the beating the guy was not provided with the necessary medical care; they began to drive him around the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in order to “register the case”. Subsequently, the body of allegedly Oleksandr Hashevskyi was found in the Tysa River. Thus, the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support workers allegedly decided to cover up the murder and make it out of the fugitive.

In fact, information about the disappearance of 20-year-oldOleksandr Hashevskyi while on vacation in the Carpathians was manipulated. On July 17, 2024, on the banks of the Tysa River, Hungarian border guards discovered the body of a man, in whose pocket they found a student card named Oleksandr Hashevskyi. However, identification of the body is still ongoing. Already on July 18, law enforcement officers opened corresponding criminal proceedings in Lviv.

Oleksandr’s father, Mykola Hashevskyi, suggests that his son could have been detained by Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support representatives. However, there is no evidence of this. Representative of the Transcarpathian Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support Serhii Hudak, in a comment to the Suspilne (Public), said that information about Oleksandr Hashevskyi was checked in the databases and there was no such person in the territorial recruitment centers of the region.

The Public also asked for comment from the press officer of the Ivano-Frankivsk Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support, Dmytro Boikaniuk. He replied: “The representatives of the Verkhovyna Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support did not stop, disembark or check this person (Oleksandr Hashevskyi - Ed.). No one saw him there and no one knew him. He was not a member of the Verkhovyna Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support”. Representative of the Mukachevo border detachment Lesia Fedorova added that the border guards also did not detain Oleksandr Hashevskyi.

Official investigative actions and the search for Oleksandr Hashevskyi are still ongoing, and his parents are awaiting the results of a DNA examination. The 20-year-old's parents also went to Hungary for an identification procedure, but they were unable to identify the body.

So, the information about the brutal beating and murder of Oleksandr Hashevskyi by representatives of the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support has no real evidence. Propagandists have manipulated an individual incident and are trying to present it as a trend by distorting the circumstances of what happened.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that Ukrainians will be forced out of the countries of the European Union and sent to fight. In reporting this, propagandists refer to an allegedly corresponding statement by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on the air of the Polish radio RMF24.

In fact, Sikorsky's words were manipulated. He stated that conversations about the extradition to Ukraine of those evading their duty to serve are being conducted at the level of the European Union. Thus, it is not about all Ukrainian refugees, but about men of military age who are evading military service. In addition, no decision has been made on them, at least not yet, because this issue is still debatable.

The Polish Foreign Minister also stated that “it is possible to set such conditions for the stay of Ukrainians in the EU that will encourage them to fulfill their responsibilities to protect the Motherland”. However, it was not said here that all Ukrainian refugees would be sent to war as Sikorski spoke exclusively about men liable for military service.

With this stuffing, propagandists seek to fuel the narrative about the alleged “war until the last Ukrainian”. Previously, we analyzed such fakes and manipulations. For example, they recorded lies about the alleged mobilization of all childless Ukrainian women and about the alleged call for entire families to mobilize into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian sources are disseminating information that allegedly the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, doubts that the F-16 aircraft that arrived in Ukraine will be effective in carrying out combat missions. One pro-Kremlin media wrote: “Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Syrskyi said that F-16 fighters will be absolutely useless for Ukraine”. When making up such things, propagandists refer to Syrskyi’s interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, published on July 24, 2024.

In fact, this information is not true, as described in the StopFake project. On the contrary, in his interview with The Guardian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces expressed confidence that the F-16s will strengthen Ukraine’s air defense. In his opinion, they will make it possible to work more effectively against Russian cruise missiles and accurately hit ground targets.

In the interview, Syrskyi also admitted that Russia did have an advantage in aviation and a very strong air defense. However, he noted that F-16s should remain “40 km or more” from the front line due to the risk that the Russian Armed Forces will shoot them down. However, he did not talk about the uselessness of F-16 fighters for Ukraine, as propagandists claim.

By manipulating information, the Russians are trying to assure everyone around them that Ukraine is doomed to lose this war and that no F-16 will help it turn the tide. At the same time, with such false statements, propagandists actually show their fears about the appearance of these aircraft in service with the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Pro-Kremlin sources are disseminating information that Ukraine has sharply changed its rhetoric against the backdrop of military defeats and setbacks at the front and has declared its readiness to hold peace negotiations with Russia. When reporting this, propagandists refer to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

In fact, Dmytro Kuleba’s words were manipulated, distorting the context of what was said. Journalists for the StopFake project write about this.

On July 23, 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine flew to China for negotiations with the head of the Foreign Ministry, Wang Yi. The main topic of discussion was the search for ways to stop Russian aggression and the possible role of China in achieving peace in Ukraine. Following negotiations with his Chinese colleague, Dmytro Kuleba noted: Ukraine does not refuse negotiations with Russia, but the process should begin when Russia is ready to negotiate in good faith, and now such readiness is not observed on the Russian side.

On the eve of his visit to China, Kuleba also made a statement about peace negotiations with Russia, once again emphasizing that one of the goals of the visit to China is to eliminate “competition between peace plans”. This statement was made in the context of the peace summit on Ukraine, which took place in June 2024 in Switzerland. Many countries of the world took part in it, but both Russia and China were absent.

Ukraine is considering a diplomatic settlement to the war against Russia, but it must be fair and take into account the Ukrainian Peace Formula. The Ukrainian side invites China to take part in the second world summit and makes efforts to attract Russian representatives.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels are disseminating information that 47% of Ukrainians support negotiations between the United States and Russia on peace without the participation of Ukraine. In reporting this, propagandists refer to polling data from the European Council on Foreign Relations.

However, the Russians manipulated the information, write experts on the VoxCheck project. On July 3, 2024, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) did indeed publish a report entitled “The Meaning of Sovereignty: Ukrainian and European Perspectives on Russia’s War against Ukraine”, for which they conducted a public opinion poll in 15 European countries, including Ukraine. And these surveys referred to in the messages were actually conducted. However, propagandists mistranslated the question of US-Russian negotiations without Ukraine. The report does not say that 47% of Ukrainians support this format of negotiations.

In fact, they note that Ukrainians are concerned about peace negotiations between the United States and Russia without the participation of Ukraine. The verbatim wording of the question is: “Concerns that the United States will negotiate a peace agreement with Russia without the participation of the Ukrainian government”. 47% of Ukrainians surveyed agree with this statement completely or partially, that is, they are really concerned about the possibility of peace negotiations without Ukraine. 49% (37% completely and 12% partially) do not experience such anxiety. However, respondents were not asked whether they supported this format of negotiations.

With this manipulation, propagandists seek to persuade Ukrainian society to negotiate as quickly as possible, moreover, on Russia’s terms. Thus, by appealing to supposedly public opinion about “support for negotiations between the United States and Russia on peace without the participation of Ukraine”, Russian propaganda seeks to achieve this goal.

Propagandists distribute on anonymous telegram channels, which in Ukraine want to create a memorial military cemetery in each region. They say this was reported by the acting Minister of Veterans Affairs Oleksandr Porkhun. Russian propaganda claims that they are already preparing 100 thousand burial places in the traditional way, and 60 thousand using the columbar method. This gives grounds to estimate the real number of war victims on the Ukrainian side. However, this is manipulation.

In fact, it is about creating a National War Memorial Cemetery. for the burial of all veterans. Deputy director of the relevant government agency Yaroslav Starushchenko said in a commentary to Interfax-Ukraine that all veterans will be buried in this cemetery, and not just those who died in battles since the full-scale invasion. This includes veterans who will die many years after the end of their service but will still have combat status. In addition, the war memorial cemetery does not provide for the burial of civilians who did not participate in hostilities.

The idea of creating a memorial cemetery was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in October 2022. In August 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the implementation of the project in the Hatnenska Community near Kyiv. The first phase of construction should be completed by the end of 2024, and the complete completion of the complex is planned for 2027.

Propagandists spread false information about this idea to create panic among the population and lower their morale. They seek to show that Ukrainian military casualties are so high that new cemeteries are needed in every region, even though official data suggests otherwise. In this way, they are also trying to sabotage support among the population for the continuation of the fight and disrupt the mobilization process in Ukraine.

On the eve of the NATO summit in Washington, pro-Kremlin media disseminated an alleged statement by Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said that “no one gave guarantees for Ukraine’s entry into NATO”. The Secretary General also allegedly called China the main organizer of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Propagandists claimed that Stoltenberg’s statements were allegedly made in an interview he recently gave to the American television channel CBS.

However, in fact, Stoltenberg’s words were manipulated, distorting the context of what was said,  the StopFake project wrote.

As for the accusations of the alleged lack of promises to admit Ukraine to NATO, it is important to understand the context. Stoltenberg actually answered the journalist’s question: “Why such a long period for Ukraine’s accession, you talked about a 10-year period, why exactly 10 years, and not one, two or three years, because they were faced with war?” To which the Secretary General said: “Well, no one talked about 10 years, but it is obvious that this is a very serious issue for Ukraine. Because Ukraine is in a state of war. Ukraine was attacked by Russia. Therefore, the most important thing we must do is strengthen our support for Ukraine to ensure its victory. This is a precondition for any future membership of Ukraine”. That is, Stoltenberg did not say anything about the absence of guarantees for Ukraine to join NATO; the statement was invented by propagandists. He spoke about the absence of a clear time frame for Ukraine’s entry into the alliance, and that now the support of Ukraine in the war with Russia is more important.

As for China, Stoltenberg called the country “the main enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine”, rather than its organizer: “The war in Ukraine demonstrates how closely connected Russia and China, North Korea and Iran are. China is the main leader of Russian military aggression against Ukraine. President Xi and President Putin all want NATO and the United States to fail in Ukraine”.

Russia is trying to counteract Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration by spreading disinformation about Ukraine's accession to NATO. As for China, by manipulating information, Russian propaganda seeks to antagonize NATO and Beijing for its own benefit.

Pro-Russian resources are disseminating information that a special evacuation flight to Germany for children from Okhmatdyt was planned even before the attack on the hospital. This was reported by the Russian-language service of Deutsche Welle, citing the words of the German Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach. Propagandists claim that this statement proves that Ukraine itself attacked the Okhmatdyt building as a provocation on the eve of the NATO summit in Washington.

However, this news is a manipulation, write StopFake. Yes, the screenshot from the Deutsche Welle account is real, but the publication’s journalists incorrectly conveyed the essence of the German Health Minister’s statement.

In fact, on his page on the social network X (Twitter), Lauterbach wrote that he promised the Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko to accept sick children in need at any time, and that an evacuation flight with Okhmatdyt patients would depart on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 . He also emphasized that the targeted attack on a children's hospital once again proves that Putin is a war criminal.

Accordingly, Lauterbach’s statement did not say that the parties had agreed in advance to export specifically Okhmatdyt patients—they meant any Ukrainian children in need of medical treatment abroad.

The evacuation itself takes place within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). Under this program, Germany has already received more than 1,100 patients, including children - this figure is the highest among EU states. Three German medical institutions agreed to accept patients from Okhmatdyt: university hospitals in Greifswald and Rostock, as well as the Berlin Charité clinic.

With this manipulation, Russia is trying to assure its own citizens and the world community that Ukraine itself launched a missile attack on the country’s largest children’s hospital. Previously, we explained why the information about the Okhmatdyt building being hit as a result of Ukrainian air defense is a lie.

At the beginning of July 2024, in an interview with Bloomberg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly said that in Ukraine a “Korean” or other scenario for ending the war could be put to a referendum, and the people in the referendum would say what is more important – “war fatigue” or “borders” 1991. Russian propagandists spread such information.

In fact, Zelenskyi’s words were manipulated, they write at the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. His answer to a Bloomberg journalist’s question: “Do the allies need to start thinking about the German model, that is, allowing Ukraine membership [in NATO. – ed.] while not the entire territory of Ukraine is under its control?”, is taken out of context.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Ukraine had never officially received such a proposal before. The President of Ukraine also referred to the Constitution, saying that any changes to Ukrainian territories are changes to the Constitution, and this is a crime. To this he added: “If we are offered a German model, or some other one, or a “Korean” one, etc.. In any case, we need to understand what is being offered to us, who is offering it to us, why it is being done, and after that understand the opinion of all of us. Not only mine, but above all society. Because society, the people of Ukraine, are the owners of Ukraine”.

By spreading this manipulation, Russian propagandists are trying to persuade Ukrainians to believe that Ukraine needs to begin peace negotiations to end the war as quickly as possible, and on Russia’s terms.

Propagandists are spreading a “news” story on social networks, which claims that Denmark allegedly refused to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft due to their “learning disabilities”. The 42-second video is edited in the format of a news story with the channel name NewsFlash and the caption “Planes don’t fly”. At the top of the video it says live, which should indicate a live broadcast. However, this is manipulation.

StopFake project specialists tried to determine whether the NewsFlash news channel really exists. Several accounts with this name were found on YouTube, but none of them distributed this video. The earliest version of this story can be found on the Moscow Never Lies YouTube channel dated June 25, 2024. The page notes that this is “Russian satirical news No. 1 from Dmytro Medviediev and Pieskov on Telegram!” There are also numerous videos labeled “NewsFlash”. Although the video was likely originated by a satirical channel, the story was widely disseminated among pro-Russian Telegram channels, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook users.

Analysis of the plot showed that it consists of different videos. For example, for a comment allegedly belonging to a NATO general, declaring the degree of “training” of the Ukrainian military, a video was used by the Ukrainian Mission to NATO, published on May 1, 2024 on its official Facebook page. The video shows a Ukrainian military pilot nicknamed “Moonfish”. The soldier is currently training on the F-16 in the UK.

Also featured in the fake video is General Jan Dam, commander of the Royal Danish Air Force, allegedly declaring the “fall” of all F-16 aircraft in the simulator. In the real video from which this fragment is taken, the Danish general talks about the advantages of the F-16 for Ukraine.

It is the statement that Denmark refused to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 due to their “inability to learn” that is not true. On June 24, Danish Defense Minister Trols Lund Poulsen, during a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart Bern Arild Gramm, said that by the end of 2024 Denmark would stop training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft. However, the training is being stopped due to Denmark's transition to more modern F-35 fighters, which will use Skrydstrup Air Base, where Ukrainian pilots are trained. The Danish Minister of Defense also noted that the country will be able to facilitate the training of Ukrainian pilots in other countries.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and stop the supply of weapons from Ukraine’s allies. They say that the Ukrainian military is not capable of controlling Western weapons, which means there is no point in transferring them.

Propagandists are disseminating information in the media that representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oppose the imposition of sanctions against the Russian state corporation Rosatom. Like, this was stated by Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA. However, this is manipulation.

StopFake specialists drew attention to it. They pointed out that in fact the IAEA cannot impose sanctions and has no influence at all in this matter. Grossi said that he sees the possibility of negative consequences from the introduction of sanctions against Rosatom in terms of nuclear safety.

Rosatom combines assets in the energy, construction and engineering sectors. The corporation leads the world in terms of the largest portfolio of orders for the construction of nuclear power plants and provides services of this type in many countries. For example, Rosatom is building power units in Turkey, India, and Hungary. That is why, according to Grossi, although countries may politically support Ukraine, they will not support the imposition of sanctions against Rosatom, since they need the services of the corporation.

It is beneficial for Russian propagandists to spread fake information about the position of the IAEA, since this is an element of a campaign to depreciate the impact of sanctions on Russia. Within its framework, the Russians are trying to highlight the sanctions as not beneficial to anyone, which is why supposedly more and more Western politicians and representatives of international organizations refuse to support their introduction.

Propagandists are distributing an image on social networks that allegedly proves that the Ukrainian language is a “dialect” of Russian. In this they refer to various organizations, mentioning “UN decisions” and other “documents”. They also mention an article on the Russian Dzen platform on the same topic. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that an article on Dzen talks about how in 2018, People’s Deputy of Ukraine Andrii Teteruk discovered infographics on the official UN accounts on Facebook and then on Twitter that showed the development of languages. This image showed a branch with the inscription “Old Russian language”, which branched into “Russian language” and “Belarusian language”, and another branch branched off from the Russian branch - “Ukrainian language”. After the deputy addressed the UN with reproaches for anti-Ukrainian propaganda, the image was deleted from Facebook, but remained in a 2017 publication on Twitter.

However, the text of the publication did not note that the Ukrainian language is a dialect of Russian. The post informed that UNESCO had published an updated version of the atlas of endangered languages and most of the text was devoted to Russia and its language problems.

Previously, a mention of this image was found in the material of Petro Zolin on the website proza.ru dated August 26, 2008, where the author calls it a “scientific reconstruction”. However, there are many strange aspects in the image, such as the origin of the Moldovan language from French and Romanian from Spanish. Recognized historians in Russia itself consider Zolin’s ideas to be pseudoscience. Candidate of Historical Sciences Artur Chubur notes that under the guise of patriotism, which often turns into chauvinism, pseudo-historical publications and resources are actively promoted.

The hypothesis about the existence of a vast group of related languages of Europe, Asia and Africa was first put forward in 1903 by the Danish linguist Holger Pedersen. It was given a scientific form by Soviet scientists, but it is often criticized by Western linguists.

StopFake journalists did not find any “UN documents” proving that the Ukrainian language is a dialect of Russian. At the same time, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay noted that the Russian language has been formed over the centuries, mixing various Slavic dialects, Church Slavonic and even Greek.

Propagandists spread such manipulations to justify Russia's actions and devalue Ukrainian national identity. So, she helps spread the conspiracy theory that Ukraine is not a real state.

The network is spreading information that Ukraine spent $11 million on wine, chocolate and studying penguins in Antarctica. As propagandists add, this money “can be redirected to the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project investigated the case and explained that Ukraine is one of several dozen countries that have year-round stations in Antarctica. Scientists also use this influence on the international platform to inform about Russian aggression and counter Russian activities. And the money allocated for research cannot be redirected to the defense sector of Ukraine. The purchase for the station's activities is made at a time for the entire year in Chile for 14 people.

The polar explorers also refuted the thesis about the “tons of delicacies” that are allegedly purchased for them. All products are bought once a year in Chile by 14 people at once. Also regarding alcohol, “per week, one polar explorer receives 300 grams of dry wine (two glasses) and 200 grams of chocolate and sweets”. So, it is not about any “excessive consumption”; this purchase is necessary to provide food for the year.

Russian resources are disseminating information that graffiti has appeared on the streets of Paris depicting Mirage fighter planes, which France promised to transfer to Ukraine, in the shape of a coffin and with the caption: “Mirages for Ukraine”. In their news, propagandists refer to one of the French publications that covered this incident.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council reports that this is manipulation. Although such graffiti did appear on the streets of Paris, propagandists have glossed over the fact that a Russian network is behind a series of these and other similar graffiti. Although the French publication wrote about this.

Such manipulative materials of Russian propagandists are designed for both Russian and Western audiences. In the first case, propagandists are trying to show ordinary Russians that no one in the West supports Ukraine. In the second, propagandists seek to influence the position of the French in the context of supporting Ukraine. Previously, we refuted information that Ukraine was allegedly ridiculed in street graffiti in Israel.

Information is spreading across the network that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi has allegedly introduced a moratorium on increasing utility tariffs by Law No. 2479-IX. At the same time, the authors of messages on this topic refer to the title of one of the materials of the analytical portal “Word and Deed”. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found that Law No. 2479-IX applies exclusively to natural gas distribution services, the production and transportation of thermal energy, as well as the supply of heating and hot water. However, the decision does not apply to electricity, its production and transportation.

Fake news about rising prices for electricity are spreading on social networks due to an increase in the electricity tariff to 4.32 UAH per kWh. Deputy Energy Minister Svitlana Hrinchuk reports: “The tariff increase is a forced step, the only reason for which is significant losses in the energy system after enemy shelling”.

This type of misinformation is spread with the aim of stirring up society by manipulating discontent due to the blackout. At the same time, a fake is being spread about the possibility of increasing the price of electricity to 7.50 UAH per kWh with reference to the already mentioned statement by Svitlana Hrinchuk. However, this price is actually the market value, and not the current one or being considered for implementation.

Russian propagandists are disseminating information that Ukraine has allegedly introduced a ban on the use of air conditioners by all citizens. They say that the government is hiding from Ukrainians the real state of the energy network in Ukraine and is mocking people. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that in fact there was no official ban on the use of air conditioners in Ukrainian apartments. Russian propaganda distorted the order of the Cabinet of Ministers banning officials from using air conditioners, external lighting of buildings and surrounding areas in government institutions, which was introduced in connection with the emergency situation in the energy system caused by Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

The relevant order of the Cabinet of Ministers clearly states that the ban applies only to government institutions, and the instructions “do not apply to healthcare institutions, business entities for which air conditioning is part of the technological process, as well as technical measures for organizing traffic”.

Despite the absence of an official ban on Ukrainians using air conditioners, the Ukrainian government and energy workers are calling for reasonable energy consumption and limiting the use of appliances such as boilers, washing machines, heaters, and air conditioners during peak hours in order to reduce the load and “free up” electricity.

Russia is actively parasitizing on topics related to the energy situation in Ukraine to demoralize Ukrainians, reinforce the narrative of the ineffectiveness of Ukraine as a state that cannot ensure the energy security of its citizens and undermine trust in the authorities and allies.