This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the alleged “cholera viruses” found in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions are associated with the activities of US biological laboratories in Ukraine. The authors argue that the outbreak occurred with a “leak of viruses” in a biological laboratory in Odesa, built in violation of safety requirements.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up the case, explaining that cholera is not a viral, but a bacterial disease, and therefore “cholera viruses” simply do not exist. And as of the beginning of July 2023, not a single case of cholera infection was recorded in Ukraine. For other infectious diseases, the department of the Ministry of Health explained that the risk of their outbreak is increasing, but at present, enhanced epidemiological surveillance is being carried out in the affected areas. The Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin spoke about a number of regular measures to combat cholera and about innovations introduced after the Russians undermined the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.

To counter the outbreak of infectious diseases in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson regions, 38 water monitoring points were opened. Also, in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, the centers for disease control and prevention have been transferred to a special response mode.

That is, the thesis about the so-called “biological laboratories” is also unfounded. Propagandists systematically speculate on this topic in order to intimidate Ukrainians.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukrainian air defense is not yet effective enough, because it is led by “incompetent” military. The authors add that the Ukrainian Defense Forces do not know how to manage air defense and themselves end up in Ukrainian high-rise buildings. According to their conclusions, all hits in civilian infrastructure (homes, shops, hospitals, kindergartens) occur, they say, because of the unprofessional Ukrainian army. At the same time, as an example of this thesis, the authors add to the publications a video of “Ukrainian air defense hitting” one of the Kyiv high-rise buildings on July 13, 2023.

Fact-checkers of the Center for Countering Disinformation explained that on the night of July 13, the Russians attacked Kyiv and the region with strike drones. The video shows the consequences of the fall of the wreckage of the Russian Shahed-136/131 UAV on a residential building in Kyiv. The propagandists simply reflected the situation and began to claim that the building had suffered at the hands of the Ukrainian army. But it is not like this.

Rhetoric about the incompetent military is often used by Russian propaganda to cover up its crimes against Ukrainian civilians. That is, all rocket attacks or drones are attributed by the Russians to the Ukrainian army, which is “inept”. Such propagandists whitewash themselves and demonize the Ukrainian military, who allegedly target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Zelenskyi allegedly deliberately ignores Ukrainian refugees during foreign visits and does not try to solve their problems. Like, Volodymyr Zelenskyi visits foreign countries only for self-promotion, forgetting about the Ukrainians and the war.

StopFake's fact-checkers analyzed this case and explained that Zelenskyi often addresses Ukrainians abroad, thanks other governments for asylum, and also repeatedly talks about the need for a strategy to return refugees home. The President himself makes trips abroad for tete-a-tete talks with allies, with whom he discusses the challenges of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Experts cited as an example the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to Poland, where during a meeting with the President and First Lady of Poland, Zelenskyi thanked the Poles for providing asylum. Fact-checkers explain that this is not an isolated case.

This message is beneficial to propagandists in order to discredit Zelenskyi and show as if he does not care about Ukrainians, but thinks only of himself. Thus, the authors seek to show the “indifference” of Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the Ukrainians.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the founder of the terrorist organization within the Russian army “Wagner”, recognized by the Ukrainian parliament as an international criminal organization, Yevhenii Pryhozhyn really serves the West and Kyiv. Accordingly, he carries out the orders of Western officials. The authors add that, in fact, the rebellion was planned in the West in order to “once again try to destroy” Russia.

The case was reviewed by the fact-checkers of the EU vs Disinfo project, who explained that this is an unfounded conspiracy theory. In the end, the authors did not provide any evidence that the rebellion was planned in the West. By blaming the West, propagandists are trying to portray Russia as the victim of a conspiracy and undue outside interference. Like, the Russians are so conscious and united that they are not capable of any rebellion. That is, such things happen only at the behest of external enemy forces, namely hostile Western officials.

Read the material of Detector Media analysts on how Russian propaganda reacted to Pryhozhyn's rebellion.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say US officials are now contemplating an imminent occupation of Europe. Like, it's easier for them to manage Ukraine. According to the conclusions of the authors, the goal in the United States is to bring Europe to an economic collapse, and then get down to Ukraine.

Fact-checkers of the EU vs Disinfo project analyzed this case and explained that the US is a strategic partner of the EU in promoting peace and stability around the world. Together they are two of the world's greatest humanitarian aid donors. The EU and the US also have the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship and the most integrated economic relationship in the world. That is, the thesis that the United States seeks to destroy Europe is unfounded. These are two strategic partners.

Using this message, propagandists seek to show that the US is “leading the entire agenda”, and the EU countries are supposedly puppet countries. Thus, Russian propaganda wants to demonize the US, which is supposedly an invader.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that, allegedly because of the failed medical reforms, the anti-epidemic control system has completely degraded and is not able to cope with infectious diseases that can flare up after the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. The authors add that Ukraine does not care about its people, but leaves them to the mercy of fate.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found out that at the beginning of July 2023, not a single case of infection with cholera, botulism, hepatitis A or other infectious diseases associated with the consequences of flooding was recorded in Ukraine. At the same time, the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin spoke about a number of regular measures to combat cholera and about the innovations that were introduced after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was blown up by the Russians. To counter the outbreak of infectious diseases in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson regions, 38 water monitoring points were opened. Also, in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, the centers for disease control and prevention have been transferred to a special response mode.

That is, the Ukrainian medical system, on the contrary, responds to the challenges caused by flooding. Propagandists are trying to intimidate people, convincing them that they were supposedly left to their fate.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukraine is “spreading” Nazism throughout Europe, so monuments to Nazis have begun to be erected there. The authors are sure that Ukraine is inciting the West to create an organization that can destroy Belarusians and Russians.

The case was worked out by analysts from the EU vs Disinfo project, who explain that none of these themes is true: neither about monuments, nor about “Nazi organizations”. The myth of Nazi Europe was used by the Kremlin after Russia attacked Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea back in 2014. Thus, Moscow is still trying to become a victim, which allegedly suffers at the hands of Western leaders. Like, “Nazi” Ukraine is supported by the same “Nazis”.

In support of the thesis about “European Nazi organizations”, propagandists cite the situation when Estonia allegedly banned Russians and Belarusians from using weapons on their territory. In fact, in the country, permits for the issuance of weapons will become invalid for citizens who are not members of the EU and NATO. The changes will affect not only ethnic Russians or Belarusians living in Estonia. Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets assured that the restriction is a direct consequence of unprovoked Russian aggression in Ukraine. That is, any restrictions concerning Russians or Belarusians are labeled by Moscow as "Nazi". However, this is only a response to Russian aggression.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that allegedly representatives of the LGBTQI+ community do not serve in the Ukrainian army, because the Ukrainian leader simply pretends to support the so-called Western values regarding LGBTQI. Like, these are all attempts to drag Ukraine into the “LGBTQI trap”. The authors say that Ukraine will not get out of it. Such a thesis is unfounded.

People with homosexual orientation serve in the Ukrainian army. In 2018, an association “Ukrainian LGBT military for equal rights” was created in Ukraine. The founder of this organization is the then volunteer of the Donbas battalion, and now a fighter of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after Black Zaporozhians Viktor Pylypenko, who made the first coming out as a veteran participant in hostilities. The organization says that their organization has 300 LGBTQI+ military, including 20 couples, and these are only those who have an active social position.

At the same time, in Ukraine, the LGBTQI+ community is supported in every possible way, in particular, by registering a draft law on registered partnerships. According to it, people of any gender can register a relationship. That is, partners acquire the status of close relatives.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports talk about the alleged worsening of relations between Poland and Hungary due to the “future division” of Ukraine. Like, countries are already choosing Ukrainian territories that will be included in their states. And now the two countries are competing and cannot get along. The authors will report that the Polish officials themselves announced the deterioration of relations between the countries.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up the case, and found out that Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki really spoke about the relations between the two states. He stated that their relationship with Hungary had changed because of Hungary's position on the Russian-Ukrainian war. The official explained that they cooperated powerfully, but now the level of support has obviously decreased. This is not the first time that Poland has criticized Hungary's position. For example, in April 2022, the chairman of the Bureau of International Policy under the President of Poland, Jakub Kumoch, said that they did not like the position of the Hungarian authorities towards Ukraine.

Propagandists seek to distort reality and convince that relations between Poland and Hungary have changed because the countries allegedly want to cut off Ukrainian territories. In fact, Polish politicians express their clear position on Russian aggression.

This thesis was circulated in social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the United States is ready to provide Ukraine with the Israeli Iron Dome system, just to protect its weapons. In particular, the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. The authors refer to the material of the international television news channel PressTV.

The fact checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated this case and found out that, first of all, such information was not indicated in the material. The United States itself considered the Iron Dome program to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses. This was explained by the fact that the Patriot can shoot down ballistic and cruise missiles, aircraft, but is less effective in intercepting low-flying small drones. And the Iron Dome can handle such drones. And the material just said that US officials were considering providing Ukraine with a dome system, taking into account a number of features of its use.

The authors use the rhetoric of “protecting their own weapons” to hint at the low combat capability of the Ukrainian army. Allegedly, the United States wants to protect their weapons, and not Ukraine and Ukrainians. Thus, the authors expose the Ukrainian military as incompetent.

This thesis was circulated in social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that it was actually the Kakhovka HPP that suffered at the hands of the Ukrainian military. Like, they destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant with their missiles. The propagandists also attach photo evidence of the surviving power plant from the turbine hall of the Kakhovka HPP. According to the conclusions of the authors, this proves that the alleged explosion occurred from outside. They also add that international organizations are aware of this, but are silent in favor of Ukraine.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project worked on the case, and found out that the circulated photo shows only a part of the surviving machine room of the Kakhovka HPP. The other part is completely destroyed. This does not prove that the Kakhovka HPP was destroyed from outside. Fact-checkers showed a photo of the turbine hall before the destruction of the hydroelectric power station and found out that it is much larger than the propagandists showed. In addition, the thesis about the destruction of the hydroelectric power plant by Ukrainians is not true. Earlier, the chief project engineer of the Ukrhydroproject Institute, Mykola Kalinin, explained that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was indeed designed and built so that it could withstand a blow from outside. He further emphasized that the dam was built so that it could withstand any blow from the outside, but not from the inside. He thinks it was several simultaneous explosions from within. That is, the hydroelectric power station was mined from the inside of the building itself and the entire complex.

Russian troops seized the Kakhovka HPP on February 24, 2022 and used the station as a military facility. Ukrainian troops did not have direct access to the dam. The New York Times also provides evidence of the destruction of Russia's hydroelectric power plant. This is indicated by the access to the dam by the Russian military and the presence of engineering drawings of the hydroelectric power plant from the Soviet times of the construction of the structure.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say Ukraine is actually committing war crimes by taking the war to the cities. Like, there are more people in cities, and they suffer from the fact that the military builds fortifications, “military bases in hospitals”, etc. According to the authors, the Ukrainian Defense Forces deliberately do not evacuate people from cities so that Ukrainian civilians would die.

The fact checkers of the VoxCheck project took up this case and determined that these theses are not true. They explained that Ukraine does not commit war crimes and did not “transfer” the war to Ukrainian cities since it is Russia that has been committing war crimes on the territory of Ukraine since 2014, shelling peaceful cities and terrorizing civilians. And after the start of a full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian authorities constantly organize evacuations from the front-line territories. The Russians are shelling Ukrainian territories, cities and villages, respectively, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are protecting civilians from the invaders.

It is clear that the military can equip the territory of the city for the needs of protection, without violating basic human rights and international law. Therefore, the allegation about the construction of military fortifications (or any fortifications in cities or villages) and violation of the rules of warfare is unfounded. On the contrary, it helps protect people from Russian shelling. With this message propagandists transfer responsibility from the aggressor to the victim as if the Ukrainian troops are to blame for the fact that Ukraine is shelled daily and they must defend themselves.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the Russians are successfully destroying Ukrainian hardware. They say that the technique of the Russians is of better quality and nothing will interfere with it. As an example, the authors write that on June 9, in the Donetsk region, a Russian army drone destroyed a Ukrainian tank without any problems. Video evidence is added to the publications. 

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project took up the case, explaining that on June 9, the Russians fired on a dummy tank. It was not a real tank, but a bait for the invaders. The officer of the 54th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Afanasiev posted a video of the consequences of the hit on his social media page. In the video, he said that until the last moment he did not believe that the Russian military would “fall for” the bait prepared by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The military can use such decoys to get the opponent to use a weapon for nothing. This is what the Ukrainian military wanted. In the end, it is impossible to say that the Russians do not destroy Ukrainian equipment on the battlefield, because this is more than possible during the course of the war.

However, propagandists deliberately exaggerate the importance of the “destroyed” equipment on the battlefield, thus hinting at the supposedly low combat capability of the Ukrainian army. Analysts of Detector Media have repeatedly explained cases in which propagandists allegedly claimed that the Russian army destroyed a certain amount of weapons. However, this turned out to be a lie.

Thus, the authors try to hide their own failures by masquerading as “effective destruction of weapons”. For example, we refuted a fake claiming that Russia “destroyed” five Patriot launchers.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the Russians are successfully destroying Ukrainian ammunition depots. Like, Ukraine loses its combat capability and loses the war. As evidence, the authors cite as an example a video of an allegedly “destroyed” ammunition depot in Uman. The authors add that this happened on June 8, 2023 during rocket attacks.

The case was noticed by the fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project who found that on June 8, 2023, the Russians actually hit at an industrial facility and a car wash, and not at an ammunition depot. In addition, the Russians hit the supermarket. As a result, there are casualties. That is, propagandists use the rhetoric about the destruction of military objects  to cover up their war crimes because the invaders are shelling civilian infrastructure, public places where people can be. For example, on June 27, 2023, the Russians shelled the center of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, hitting the nearby cafes and shops. This is not a rare case.

Thus, propagandists seek to whitewash themselves, as if they do not kill civilians and do not commit genocide. At the same time, they are trying to convince that they are shelling military targets (which also does not justify their aggression), when in fact the Russian army is destroying civilian infrastructure, killing people.

Propagandists in the Russian media claim that it is not Russia, but the United States, that is responsible for “prolonging the conflict”. Like, that is why the United States should pay reparations to Ukraine in the future and compensate for the renewal of the destruction “caused by American weapons”.

This message was noticed by experts from the StopFake project. They note that it is a continuation of a larger narrative about the “aggressive collective West” and “Russia's war with NATO”. Since it was Russia who attacked Ukraine, it must answer for the losses to the Ukrainian economy and infrastructure. More statements on this topic began to appear after the London Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine on June 21-22.

According to StopFake, the reaction of propagandists is due to anger at Ukraine's allies, who not only have not abandoned their plans to provide military assistance to Ukraine, but also unanimously support the economic stability of the state. A number of Western leaders, namely: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - even the UN General Assembly not only recognized the decision to pay reparations to Ukraine as legitimate, but also strongly supported the search for practical mechanisms.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukraine is using munitions unsuitable for combat. They say that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are sorely lacking weapons, so the military is using old weapons. The authors add that in this way the equipment will break down quickly, and nothing will resist Russian technology. They add to the publication a photograph allegedly from the Ukrainian composition of weapons.

The case was noticed by StopFake fact-checkers who found out that the thesis about the use of damaged weapons is unfounded. The propagandists did not provide evidence, since in fact the image is a warehouse of Russian weapons, which was recently found by the State Special Transport Service in the Kharkiv region. Suitable shells were given to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the damaged ones were disposed of. That is, the photo showed Russian weapons and the shells were indeed damaged. However, this does not apply to the Ukrainian army and their combat stock.

The propagandists reflected the situation and passed off Russian equipment as Ukrainian. The authors use the rhetoric about the use of damaged ammunition or equipment to convince the lack of decent combat capability in the Ukrainian army. Thus, it is propagandists’ wishful thinking, they say that Ukraine allegedly constantly loses.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that in fact Ukraine allegedly does not want to rebuild the destroyed Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, but Russia is able to restore it already “in a year”.

Analysts of the StopFake project explained that such a thesis is unfounded. According to Ukrhydroenergo, the station blown up by the Russian invaders has been completely destroyed and cannot be restored. The construction of the new hydroelectric power plant  will last at least five years, subject to the work of Ukrainian specialists around the clock and seven days a week. Fact-checkers are sure that Russians are throwing populist statements without any justification since it is impossible for such a short period (1 year) to restore the entire HPP.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say the world is illegally sanctioning Russia by taking Russian assets as its own. Like, planes, money, real estate - it's all been confiscated illegally. As an example, the authors cite the case when Canada confiscated an An-124 cargo plane and subsequently handed it over to Ukraine. The authors called it “thefts” and “world Nazism”.

The case drew the attention of EU vs Disinfo fact-checkers, who explained that in the face of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many of its EU allies or international partners, including Canada, have imposed severe international sanctions on Russia's aviation sector. Thus, the imposed sanctions prohibited aircraft registered in Russia from accessing European, American, Canadian airspace.

The Russian An-124 cargo plane was detained at Toronto airport on February 27, 2022, because it belongs to two Russian companies that fell under Western sanctions. Therefore, the thesis that the seizure of the An-124 cargo plane is illegal is absolutely unfounded. This action is fully consistent with Canadian and international law, given the sanctions imposed.

Sanctions are legal restrictions imposed under international and European law in response to violations of international law. This is where Russia's actions fall - a full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine, the killing of Ukrainian civilians, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, etc. The propagandists are simply trying to whitewash themselves and present themselves as victims suffering from crushing “illegal” sanctions. However, sanctions are governed by international law and have nothing to do with the arbitrariness of European states.

Propagandists claim that the EU allegedly thoughtlessly blames Russia for any problem, as well as for blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, but in fact it was destroyed by the “Kyiv regime” with Western weapons.

This message was brought to the attention of the EUvsDisinfo project specialists. They found out that he was an unsubstantiated accusation and a combination of other messages. Allegedly, military support from the West continues the war and continues the suffering of civilians.

Propagandists spread such information in order to once again justify Russia's aggression. However, in reality, it is Russia that causes significant damage to the Ukrainian economy and kills thousands of people. It is Russia that is trying to destroy Ukraine, its people and culture, project experts say. NATO member countries independently decide on the provision of assistance to Ukraine and it is not illegal, since Ukraine uses it for self-defense, provided for by the UN Charter.

In addition, Russia wants to shift responsibility to Ukraine for a number of provocations, artificially creating for it the image of a “terrorist regime”. Propagandists equate the explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant with fakes about “dirty bombs”, devaluing the scale of the disaster. However, Russia blew up the dam. In particular, this is evidenced by the data on seismic activity in the area of the Kakhovka HPP, recorded by the Norwegian seismic station in Romania. Detector Media has already written about what propagandists said about the bombing on the day it happened.

Propagandists create and distribute publications that Ukraine has imprisoned journalists from abroad for publishing “inconvenient truths” about Russian aggression. They say that such “Western values” are supported by the Ukrainian government, hiding behind the silence of the West.

As the main example, the authors of such publications use the situation with a citizen of the United States and Chile, journalist Gonzalo Lira. Allegedly, he was imprisoned only for what he said: “facts recognized by Kyiv.”

However, in reality, the journalist was arrested for spreading openly anti-Ukrainian aggressive rhetoric and Russian disinformation. For example, Lira called Ukrainian President Zelenskyi a “thug”, EU leaders “incompetent” (supporting the words of Russian Prime Minister Medvediev), and also accused the US and Poland of intentions to “divide Ukraine”. The journalist justified Russia's actions by saying that it needed the entire territory of Ukraine so that there would be no worse problems. In addition, he called on the International Criminal Court to arrest the ex-president of Ukraine Poroshenko for allegedly “killing children in the Donbas”.

All these and other statements by Lira were once drawn to the attention of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. By spreading this message, Russia wants to shift the responsibility for its actions to other forces and divert attention from its own systemic problems with freedom of speech.

Propaganda anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric claim that Ukraine is on the verge of a food crisis due to problems with the dairy industry. Like, Ukrainians do not buy their own milk, because there is no money to buy it, and the export of dairy products from Ukraine fails for some reason.

Although the authors of such reports recall that the number of cattle has decreased due to the war, they do not point to Russian aggression as the root cause of these problems. Everyone is again pushed to the West, which supposedly helps only with rhetoric. They also transfer responsibility for this to the countries of Central Asia and Moldova. As a result, according to propagandists, Ukraine is on the verge of bankruptcy and a food crisis.

However, its main reason was the aggression of Russia against Ukraine, since the fighting restricts both the cultivation of livestock and feed, and the sale of dairy products. In addition, plant-based milk alternatives such as almond, soy, oat, coconut milk, etc are becoming more popular due to ethical consumer concerns or intolerance to the lactose found in cow's milk. With this in mind, dairy consumption is declining globally.

By spreading such messages, propagandists want to artificially increase the scale of the problem and cause panic among Ukrainians. In addition, in this way, they traditionally want to shift the responsibility for Russia's actions to third parties.

The thesis that Russia is trying to end the war that Ukraine started in 2014 was promoted by Putin at meetings with military corps. He stated that “we are not the aggressors, the aggressors are they [Ukrainians], but we are trying to end the war by force of arms”. However, such conclusions are unfounded.

Russian propaganda is systematically spreading the thesis that allegedly Ukraine unleashed a war back in 2014, began to conduct hostilities against itself, and subsequently refused to sit down at the negotiating table. Since 2014, Russian propagandists have used the tactics of substitution of concepts and talked about the “civil war” in Ukraine. Behind this term, Russia's participation in the hostilities in the East of Ukraine was hidden. Now the Russians are conducting a “special military operation” on the territory of Ukraine.

By spreading such messages, Russian propagandists are trying to justify their actions and shift the responsibility for them to the victim. Allegedly, Ukraine started the war in 2014, and Russia is now trying to stop it. However, Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, started a war in the East and annexed Crimea. Earlier, Detector Media reported that a war broke out in Ukraine over the ban on the Russian language.

The thesis that the West is violating international law by supplying weapons to Ukraine was promoted by Putin at meetings with war correspondents. He also stated: “We have a lot of depleted uranium ammunition, we will use it in response”. Such a thesis is unfounded.

By annexing part of Ukrainian territory, launching a massive offensive, and committing war crimes since the invasion, Russia is violating international law and a number of international security agreements and the rule of law. In particular, it ignores treaties that guarantee the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states, as well as the rules of law governing the basic principles of warfare. In May, Russia initiated a meeting of the UN Security Council on the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. Then the representative of Japan to the UN said that Ukraine is defending itself from aggression, and the international community is providing assistance “so that peace and security reign in the world”. And the representative of France to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, noted that Western partners supply weapons to Ukraine legally whereas Russia buys weapons - illegally - to replenish its stocks. “Russia buys drones from Iran, and missiles and ammunition from North Korea. By these actions, Russia violates the UN resolution”, Nicolas de Riviere said.

By spreading this message, Russia is trying to discredit its Western partners and portray them as violators of international law. Thus, propagandists are trying to divert international attention from Russian war crimes, violations of rights and treaties and shift responsibility for what has been committed to others. Earlier, Detector Media talked about the message that Ukraine is a tool of the West to undermine Russian statehood.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that in fact the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was built with the expectation that it would withstand a nuclear strike and not collapse. The authors add that no one is to blame for the destruction of the dam, because this is a man-made impact on the environment. They imply that the Kakhovka HPP allegedly self-destructed over time. They also assure that the Russians do not seem to be involved in undermining the dam. 

The specialists of the NotaYenota project took up this case and determined that such a thesis is unfounded. They explained why it is beneficial for propaganda to come up with different versions of the terrorist attack at the hydroelectric power plant and came to the conclusion that in this way they blur the information field, throwing in different versions of the incident. Further, the fact-checkers said that their colleagues from the Texty.org project talked with the chief engineer of the project of the Ukrhidroproekt Institute, Mykola Kalinin. Actually, this enterprise specializes in the design of energy facilities on rivers. Expert Mykola Kalinin explained that the Kakhovka HPP was indeed designed and built so that it could withstand a nuclear strike from outside. Therefore, any theories that it somehow collapsed itself are absolutely unfounded. He further emphasizes that the dam was built to withstand any blow from the outside, but not from the inside.

He thinks it was several simultaneous explosions from within. That is, the hydroelectric power plant was mined from the inside of the building itself and the entire complex. And the explosions were not heard, since the main array of explosives was located in the internal premises of the hydroelectric power plant, below ground level. 

Thus, the authors try to whitewash themselves and deny their crimes. Allegedly, the Kakhovka HPP self-destructed, because “its time has come”. Read in our selection what else the propagandists wrote about the blowing up of the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.

This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that the Western economy is “losing its former potential” and is declining to critical levels. The authors say that GDP in Europe is only decreasing every year, which indicates a poor economic situation. In Russia, despite the war, all indicators are only increasing. This was stated by dictator Putin at the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum.

The fact-checkers of The Insider project took up this case and found out that the European Commission recently published the Spring Economic Forecast, according to which the GDP of the EU countries in 2023 will grow by 1% (the previous forecast, winter, assumed an increase of 0.8%). Growth of 1.7% is projected in 2024. That is, the thesis about a decrease in economic indicators in the EU, in particular GDP, is unfounded.

Regarding Russia, the Trading Economics team of economic analysts notes that in the first quarter of 2023, Russian GDP decreased by 1.9% compared to the corresponding period last year. According to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2022 has been a bad year for the Russian economy. According to experts, in 2022, Russia's gross domestic product fell by at least 2.2% in the best scenario and to 3.9% in the worst case. The Russian economy will shrink in 2023 as well. GDP is expected to contract by 5.6% or 3.3% according to the organizations.

In addition, the Yale University study examined in detail the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, concluding that “sanctions are catastrophically destroying the Russian economy”. And according to the latest figures from the European Commission, the EU economy is “resilient and ready to face challenges, in particular those caused by Russia's war against Ukraine”.