Russian propaganda media allegedly wrote about this concerning eyewitness accounts - a resident of Kharkiv. According to the fact-checkers of the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center, propaganda reports say that Kharkiv residents who have been in the city since the beginning of the "special military operation" are aware that the Ukrainian Armed Forces brought a large number of civilian casualties. However, this is not true. In fact, Kharkiv, like other cities in Ukraine, is being shelled by the enemy, Russia, which started the war. Instead, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are defending the country and repelling the Russian military. However, it is advantageous for Russian propagandists to claim that Ukraine is killing its own inhabitants to justify the war. However, it was the Russian occupiers who destroyed Pivnichna Saltivka. There is ample testimony from witnesses who said that the shelling came from Belgorod from settlements along the ring road, where Russian troops were stopped. In addition, experts from the Conflict Intelligence Team found that the Russians had fired on Saltivka, including by air, and that the shelling of the Rohani and Horizont areas had ceased after the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to drive the Russian occupiers out of Mala Rohan. The destroyed equipment of the occupiers, from which they fired on the city, can still be seen in the village. "As for the village of Zhukovsky, it is almost daily fired on by Russian troops from the side of Belgorod. It is because the Armed Forces managed to advance the least in this direction. Therefore, as several Armed Forces manage to push the occupiers to a distance from which they cannot reach the city, the shelling stops," experts from the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center explain.

Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan suggested that NATO declare that Putin's goal was the whole of Eastern Europe and that, thanks to NATO's actions, he did not achieve that goal, gaining only Ukraine. "NATO declares that Putin's goal was the whole of Eastern Europe. Or the whole of Europe. And he did not achieve this goal... In the end, Putin received only Ukraine. And no goals. And so, NATO prevented the escalation of the war. Take a good plan," the propagandist said.

In this way, she responded to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's words: "We have a responsibility to ensure that Putin does not achieve his goal, that the war does not escalate. At the same time, NATO must consider how to be a strong player and prevent war from escalating. "

Simonyan resorted to one of the most common tactics of Russian propaganda - the substitution of concepts and artificial blurring of real goals by much broader ones, which no one planned to achieve. In fact, since February 24, 2022, the Kremlin has constantly been changing the purposes of the war in Ukraine, its rhetoric, and its timing. These "updates" of versions show that Russia has failed to achieve its goals either in Ukraine or abroad. Fighting continues in Ukraine, and Ukrainian defenders are resisting Russian invaders. Indeed, some Ukrainian territories are now temporarily occupied by Russia - but this is no reason to say that "Putin got Ukraine."

This thesis was spread by Oleksandr Lukashenko, speaking about the alleged plans of the collective West to "capture" the territory of Ukraine. He tries to justify his statement, dragging Belarus deeper into the Russian-Ukrainian war, by saying that these "Western plans" may harm Belarus itself, saying that "they will not stop there."

Such information is distributed by various Telegram channels and the public of Kyiv, Odesa, and other cities. Reports state that tap water is unfit for use, so even brushing teeth and washing fruits and vegetables should only be done with boiled water.

However, it is not true. JSC Kyivvodokanal denied the information. "Information about allegedly low-quality tap water is part of the informational struggle that is taking place within the framework of the war with the Russian occupiers. Even during difficult times, during the period of active hostilities around the city, "Kyivvodokanal" strictly adhered to water treatment technologies and supplied safe drinking water to the homes of Kyiv residents. We will continue to do this in the future; there is no reason to worry about the safety of tap water," the company said.

A similar statement was made in Odesa: "As of 12 o'clock on June 10, 2022, there is no fact confirming the presence of the causative agent of cholera that has been found either in Odesa or in the Odesa region." Perhaps, in this way, Russian propaganda is trying to divert attention from the problems in the temporarily occupied Mariupol, where there is a real threat of cholera spreading due to the lack of centralized water supply and sewerage. It happened due to the occupiers who destroyed it during the city's capture. Thousands of unburied bodies of the dead have begun to decompose; garbage and filth have accumulated on the streets of the town and have not been taken to landfills since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. Moreover, all sewage enters the sea and reservoirs, which creates favorable conditions for the reproduction of bacteria, including cholera vibrio; Now, there is a lack of medical facilities, qualified doctors, and medicines, making it impossible to provide medical care to the infected. The journalists of Suspilne spoke in detail about the situation in Mariupol.

Note that the occupiers are deliberately hiding information about the epidemiological situation in Mariupol and spreading the news about the opening of the beach season in the city.

On the day of Russia, the propaganda media published a lot of news about the celebration of this date in the so-called "LPR," including a rally in the occupied part of the region. According to the propagandists, all this should have convinced the audience of Russia's support for the local population. But the fact-checkers from Russia received evidence that in the column of cars that went under the flags of the invader, there were cars with Crimean license plates, from Chuvashia, from other regions of Russia. They suggest that most of them belong to the Russian military. And in the column was an ambulance, which the occupiers seized from Ukrainian medics - and did not even stick the inscription on it in Ukrainian.

The fake about "Russia that did not attack anyone," which is constantly voiced by Putin, Patriarch Kirill, and other representatives of the Russian Federation, has received a new modification. Now, it seems that, as Putin said, Peter I was only "returning Russian lands" back, not seizing the lands of other states. "Peter І fought the Great Northern War for 21 years. It would seem that he was at war with Sweden; he took something there… He didn't take anything; he returned it! That's right. All of Ladoga, where St. Petersburg is founded. When he founded the new capital, none of the European countries recognized this territory as Russia; everyone recognized it as Sweden. And from time immemorial, Slavs lived there alongside the Finno-Ugric peoples, and this territory was under the control of the Russian state. The same is true in the western direction, which applies to Narva's first campaigns. Why did you go there? Turned and strengthened - that's what I did. We also had to return and reinforce. "

In fact, during Putin's Northern War, Peter I not only reclaimed part of Russia's lands (this is true because they were lost after the defeat in the previous war with Sweden) but also seized the territory of modern Estonia and part of modern Latvia, which never belonged to the Moscow state. Moreover, the Slavs who lived in Ladoga were not the indigenous people of these lands - they had captured them just before.

Putin is again using this manipulation and outright lies to convince the electorate that the war against Ukraine is not a war of aggression but only the restoration of historical justice. But appealing to the events of the XVII and XVIII centuries does not make sense - since then, any country has changed borders many times. After World War II, world security architecture insisted that governments not try to redistribute borders or return the former lands to their state.

You can read more about the history of the Great Northern War here.

Russian media are spreading fake allegations that the Ukrainian Armed Forces blew up the last bridge connecting Sievierodonetsk with Lysychansk. It is a fake because the Russian occupiers purposefully destroyed the bridges across the Siverskyi Donets for many weeks. It was repeatedly reported by the head of the Central Executive Committee of the Luhansk region, Sergei Gaidai, and other official sources.

In fact, three bridges connected the two cities. Two have already been destroyed by Russian artillery, and it is unknown whether the third remains intact. Still, civilians remain in Sievierodonetsk, part of the military, for whom the bridge is an important link and evacuation route. And it is the Russians who are destroying the ways of military retreat and evacuation of people - the American Institute also reported this for War Studies.

On the other hand, Russian attempts to destroy bridges across the river are illogical; researchers say: "Russian troops should seek to capture bridges, not destroy them because they have problems forcing the Siverskyi Donets River. They may hope to block Ukrainian defenders in Sievierodonetsk by cutting off their retreat. Still, it seems unlikely that the benefits of capturing a relatively small number of Ukrainian military personnel outweigh the costs of building a river crossing," ISW said.

Analysts do not see the logic in the actions of Russians - but the examples of Chornobaivka and Bilohorivka show that Russians are constantly acting against logic. And always trying to build pontoon bridges instead of those that destroyed themselves.

This was stated by collaborator Vladimir Saldo, who was appointed by the Russian occupiers as the so-called "head" of the Kherson regional state administration. According to him, "there will be no responsibility" for non-repayable loans. The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine stressed that this information is not true.

On June 12, Russian Education Minister Serhiy Kravtsov arrived in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and told reporters that "schools will allow us to learn Russian" and "we will not forget about the Ukrainian language." "I believe that the study of the Ukrainian language should be left in schools, as is the case in all national republics of Russia," he said.

According to him, the main thing is to "tell students the whole truth ... about our fraternal peoples, about common achievements, victories", and everything else can be solved. And this is the only thing about schools in the occupied territories that he did not manipulate. It has become the main educational process in schools in the formerly occupied territories.

It is known that linguocide is taking place in the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts and the Crimea, occupied since 2014. However, the Ukrainian language has been left in schools. You can study Ukrainian only at the elective once a week, or even once every two weeks. In addition, the elective of the Ukrainian language should be supported by the majority of the class. If there are not enough votes, there will be no Ukrainian language classes, even in the form of an elective.

For example, in elementary school in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region, the subject "Ukrainian language" was renamed "Language of the peoples of Donbas" and "Ukrainian literature" to "Literary reading of the peoples of Donbas." They spend an hour a week together while Russian is taught every day, Osvitoria writes.

All textbooks are imported from Russia, lessons begin with the Russian national anthem, and teachers work according to Russian standards. Children are taught that they need to be defenders of Russia and that "Donbas is the heart of Russia."

At present, in the territories of Ukraine occupied in 2022, children could study online according to the Ukrainian program. Those teachers who remained in the occupied territories and had a pro-Ukrainian stance were threatened with physical violence, imprisonment, and the prosecutor's office and were eventually written "fired under the article" in a Ukrainian labor book.

This fabrication was spread by representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense. "To do this, in a densely populated area of ​​the city near the service station of the regional ambulance, where the burial place of plague victims, the Armed Forces plans to place an air defense complex or its model," said the head of Russia's National Defense Management Center Mikhail Mizintsev. According to him, hundreds of civilians may be injured during this provocation. The colonel-general also noted that if the Russian military strikes at the complex, Kyiv will spread information in the media "about the emergence of biological danger allegedly through the fault of the Russian military".

There is indeed a cemetery in Odesa, where thousands of victims of the plagues of 1812, 1829, and 1837 were buried. It is a famous mountain, popularly called "Chumka." The regional sanitary-epidemiological station has repeatedly warned that it is forbidden to touch the Plague Mountain and everything stored in it. And although the risk of infection is minimal, it is still there. Epidemiologist Valeriy Sushko says that the plague is not as persistent as, for example, anthrax, so there is nothing to fear.

A spokesman for the head of the Odesa regional military administration, Serhiy Bratchuk, stressed that the so-called news of the provocation as part of Russia's information and psychological operation aimed at fueling panic among Ukrainians.

"Another goal is to conduct an information and psychological operation by the enemy and an" information alibi "for the use of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine," Bratchuk added.

Some bloggers spread such insults. It is alleged that cholera facts were found in hospitals in Odessa and the city of Kiliya. The press service of the Odesa City Council stated that no case of cholera had been confirmed in Odesa or the Odesa region. The mayor's office added that the incidence of cholera is determined not during a doctor's examination but only by laboratory and bacteriological analysis. The head of the Odesa regional military administration, Maxym Marchenko, called complete delusional the information about the alleged cholera in Kiliya. "Every day, we check not just the quality of water, but all people who come to the region from other regions where there is an increased risk of cholera due to hostilities," Marchenko said in a video message. He noted that such checking is being held - this is one of the "main tasks, as well as the defense of Odesa." The head of the Odesa region urged residents "not to react prematurely to any information" that "some people throw out for the sake of quick hype." According to the spokesman of the Odesa regional military administration, Serhiy Bratchuk, such rumors are another attempt to divert attention from the situation caused by the actions of the invaders in the temporarily occupied Mariupol by throwing a fake. He stressed that the Russian occupiers faced the threat of a large-scale epidemic in Mariupol. "Fakes are being spread about the alleged existence of such problems in Odesa and Mykolayiv to divert attention, to disprove this information," said spokesman Bratchuk, noting that the Russian army's invasion was accompanied by scorched earth and epidemics. Another goal of the enemy's information and psychological operation, according to a spokesman for the Odesa RMA, is to try to create an "information alibi for the possible use of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine." The Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine also reports that cholera outbreaks have not been registered in any settlement of Ukraine, and cholera has not been found in any of Ukraine's reservoirs. They emphasize that cholera is an acute infectious disease that develops when eating food or water infected with Vibrio cholerae. The best way to prevent the disease is vaccination, not medication. The National Security and Defense Council denies the information that nothing can be washed with raw water, swimming in ponds as if due to water contamination. And emphasize that for cooking, you should use bottled water and boil water for consumption, then the bacterium dies when boiling water.

In Berdyansk, rumors are spreading about an alleged rapid offensive and seizure by the Russians of Zaporizhzhia and parts of the Zaporizhzhia region. The city administration drew attention to this. But, according to the military-civil administration of the Zaporizhzhia region, "at the moment, there are no preconditions for capturing the territory of the region. The Ukrainian army is firmly holding the defense, and in some areas is actively conducting counterattacks," - said a post by the Berdyansk City Council.

Earlier, the Russians spread such rumors to sow panic among the population after the liberation from the occupiers in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.

For several years, Russian media have constantly been promoting the narrative that Turkey plans to seize Crimea - and propagandists write that the "secret plan" to seize Crimea by Turkey includes not only the annexation of Crimea but also parts of Russia - such as Stavropol, Rostov, Astrakhan, Volgograd region, Chuvashia, Dagestan, Chechnya, Krasnodar region and several other regions. Such material appears whenever tensions between Russia and Turkey escalate, for example, over the recognition of Crimea as Ukrainian, as Turkish diplomats have occasionally emphasized. In proof of this theory, Russian propaganda demonstrates a fragment of a report on Turkish television.

According to StopFake fact-checkers, this video was made in 2009. It showed not the seizure of territories but a possible increase in the impact, primarily economic, of Turkey on neighboring countries over the next thirty years - until 2050. At the same time, Turkey has repeatedly insisted that it stands for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and does not recognize Crimea as Russian.

According to the Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, pro-Russian messages by Danish scientist Jan Oberg are being spread in the Western information space. In particular, Jan claims that NATO is allegedly at war with Russia on the territory of Ukraine. "Over the past month, Jan Oberg has given dozens of interviews to foreign media, which have been picked up by Russian propaganda. The pro-Russian expert negatively commented on the decisions of Sweden and Finland to join NATO, as, in his opinion, such a step by independent countries is "another provocation of Putin." According to Jan Oberg, "NATO has started the war in Ukraine," and "Western sanctions against Russia are ill-considered and will have self-destructive consequences because powerful Russia no longer wants to cooperate with the West, " the Center said.

According to the Department of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the enemy is trying to sow panic among residents of Ukrainian cities who have been liberated from occupation. "We have sent out text messages about the possible re-attack of the aggressor in the Kyiv region. Do not succumb to provocations! The Armed Forces of Ukraine are closely monitoring the actions of the Russian army at the borders, control the situation, and are always ready to meet again with the Russian occupiers." reported the administration.

Information about this is spreading on social networks. Such reports refer to the allegedly Mykolayiv City Ambulance Hospital data and the words of the chief physician of the institution. However, this is a fake. The information was refuted by the deputy chief of the Mykolaiv DMA (district military administration). He stated that the information about the probable cholera epidemic in Mykolayiv did not correspond to reality and was created to sow additional panic and make people less confident that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Mykolayiv was under control.

Russian media and pro-Kremlin telegram channels spread information that the Ukrainian authorities were lying about the cholera outbreak in Mariupol, saying that the WHO had already denied this information. Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to undermine public confidence in the Ukrainian government and hide the actual situation in Mariupol.

In fact, on May 17, the WHO warned of a possible cholera outbreak in Mariupol due to problems with water shortages and water quality. WHO Incident Manager for Ukraine Dorit Nitzan said that the organization had received information from NGOs that sewage was mixed with drinking water in Mariupol: “This threatens the spread of many diseases, especially cholera. We are preparing for this; we are preparing vaccines; we cooperate with non-governmental organizations that can go there and support people. " On June 6, similar statements were made by Ukraine's chief state sanitary doctor, Ihor Kuzin, and the mayor's adviser, Petro Andryushchenko. They were talking about the threat of an outbreak of cholera.

At the same time, the Russian media spread the statement of the WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris, who allegedly denied the information about the cholera outbreak in Mariupol. In fact, Harris said the risk of a cholera outbreak in Mariupol was high, but the WHO could not confirm "whether there is a current outbreak in the absence of a systematic epidemiological investigation and confirmation of laboratory testing (PCR)." Margaret Garris also added that the WHO was looking for opportunities to get to Mariupol through partners, but it is still challenging.

Russian propaganda media reported that US President Joseph Biden had said that Ukraine would have to cede part of its territory to Russia "as part of a negotiated settlement." According to propagandists, this is allegedly mentioned in an article on the English-language website The New York Post. However, according to Stopfake, Biden did not say that Ukraine should give part of its territories to Russia to resolve the conflict. He stressed that the United States would not impose any decisions on Ukraine's truce with Russia, and Kyiv must decide whether to make territorial concessions for itself.

Russian media continue to spread information about Poland's alleged intentions to seize the western regions of Ukraine. This time, Russian propaganda spread a fake about Poland's likely creation of a "new army": "a 70,000-strong group of Ukrainian police officers, soldiers of the Armed Forces and servicemen of the Polish army." Like "for control" over the "occupied Ukrainian territories." The source of the fake was Marat Bashirov, a Russian politician who was once part of the occupation administration in the Russian-occupied part of the Luhansk region and organized the LNR terrorist structure. It is not the first time he has spread fakes about the war in Ukraine, including Poland.

Russia has spread many fakes against Poland in recent months, such as that Polish President Andrzej Duda's visit to Kyiv proved that Poland had allegedly moved from plans "to seize territory in western Ukraine"; or a photo of billboards allegedly placed in Poland, with the image of the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces Jaroslav Miki with the quote "Time to remember history"; or "Poland has an insidious intention to side with Russia and seize the western part of Ukraine"; or "Poland is tired of Ukrainian refugees, so the local police began to support Russia and glue" Z "on their cars" and many others. With these theses, Russian propaganda is trying to undermine relations between Poland and Ukraine. And also to accuse Poland of inciting war against Ukraine, thereby diverting attention from Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and the atrocities of the Russian military.

The thesis of the division between Poland and Russia of Ukraine, and the preservation of the "neutral" third of Ukraine with its center in Kyiv, Russian propaganda has been promoting at least since 2014. It began to be actively dispersed from the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, "reinforcing" it with fake maps, which allegedly demonstrated Poland's intentions to capture the western regions of Ukraine; then forged documents with alleged orders to attack these territories; then scared by the alleged battalions of Poles in Ukraine; then talked about the "legalization of Poles"; then about the alleged plans of Poland "to side with Russia and then capture the western regions of Ukraine" and so on. At first, it was spread by pro-Kremlin telegrams, then picked up by the Russian media. Similar statements began to be heard from Russian politicians, intelligence, and "diplomats," such as the Russian Foreign Ministry and representative of the department Maria Zakharova. Currently, this thesis has been promoted at the level of the Russian Security Council, particularly: Secretary of this Council Nikolai Patrushev. He said on May 31 that Poland had allegedly moved from plans "to seize territories in western Ukraine," as evidenced by Polish President Andrzej Duda's visit to Kyiv and his statement that "the Polish-Ukrainian border will soon cease to exist."

In fact, Duda was talking about a new friendship agreement between Poland and Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine and Poland could soon introduce joint border controls, particularly border and customs controls. Zelensky also stated the possibility of creating a single conditional border when Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union. "We are relatives. And there are no boundaries or barriers between us. They have not mentally divided the Ukrainian and Polish peoples for a long time. Therefore, we agreed to implement this soon in a relevant bilateral agreement. First on the joint border and customs control, and then on a single conditional border when Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union, " said the Ukrainian president.

Reports say that Ukraine allegedly deliberately worsened the regions' economies currently temporarily occupied, while Russia "is engaged in their development." In particular, the propagandists claim Kyiv "worsened the situation of farmers" in the Kherson region. The European Union is also to blame for this, as the purchase of large volumes of agricultural products from EU countries has allegedly led to a drop in demand for Ukrainian goods and a reduction in crops.

According to StopFake, the Russian media attribute the statement about the "oppression" of Kherson farmers by Kyiv to Vladyslav Shybaylov, the so-called head of the agricultural department of the Henichesk district of the region. "After all, he is a protege of the occupying power, a local supporter of the pro-Russian party "Opposition Platform - For Life, " StopFake writes. In fact, according to fact-checkers, before the arrival of the occupiers in the Kherson region, agricultural production increased, farmers could receive subsidies, and exports of goods went to different countries. Instead, due to the ban of the Russian occupiers from taking anything out of the region, farmers of the occupied Kherson region are forced to sell their products at a minimum price because they are allowed to trade only with the occupied Crimea. In addition, the Russian occupiers are massively exporting Ukrainian grain from the region, and with the new harvest, the threat and theft are growing. Read more.

The Kremlin's propaganda media spread this information. Reports say that the authorities of the Zaporizhzhia region allegedly announced preparations for the "surrender" of the city of Zaporizhzhia to the Russian army. According to the fact-checkers from StopFake, the Russian media call the proof of the quick surrender of Zaporizhzhia "almost a round-the-clock discussion of the evacuation" in the city. "On behalf of the Zaporizhzhia authorities, the Russian media broadcast a statement by Volodymyr Rohov, a collaborator and mouthpiece of Russian propaganda who has nothing to do with Ukrainian authorities. In 2014, Rohov fled to Russia and appeared in the Zaporizhzhia region only in 2022 after a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. On March 29, 2022, the National Police opened a criminal investigation into Rohov's collaborative activities.

That is why Rohov's statements have no factual basis and cannot be considered credible. StopFake has already denied the disinformation of the collaborator that the administration of the Zaporizhzhia region "excluded its return to the control of Kyiv.”

Actually, although part of the Zaporizhzhia region is indeed temporarily occupied by Russian troops, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are protecting the region from invaders, and they are not going to "surrender Zaporizhzhia" and continue active measures to strengthen the regional defense's front, where the enemy continues to accumulate additional forces and resources. As Detector Media has already written, to fix in the minds of Russians who use state propaganda that Russia is "forever" present in the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Kremlin media spread the narrative of "Kherson power" or "Zaporizhzhia power." Either they report that the "Kherson Oblast authorities" are asking Putin to deploy a Russian military base in the Kherson region or that the "Zaporizhzhia Region authorities" are announcing Kyiv's plans to "surrender Zaporizhzhia." However, there are no "authorities of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions." Such reports refer only to collaborators appointed by the Russian occupiers.

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, such a message is spread by Russian propagandists. The reports say that the information comes from a "reliable source from Bankova" and add that the reason for the shutdown is the "truth" that people in the occupation began to tell their relatives and friends about "good Russian soldiers" who do not kill and rob but help people.

"Disconnecting Ukrainians from mobile operators and Internet providers is part of the occupation's efforts to infiltrate propaganda into the Ukrainian media space. Disconnections are carried out only by Russians. Ukraine is making every effort to ensure that Ukrainian radio and television broadcasting operate in every city, even the occupied ones, ” the Center said. In particular, Ukrainian Radio remains almost the only source of information in those territories of Ukraine that the Russians currently occupy.

According to Andriy Taranov, a public broadcaster's board member, we still have a live broadcast when the mobile network and the Internet are blocked. We used to think that radio in the middle waves was obsolete, and nobody listened to it, but unexpectedly it became part of national security. "We are almost the only ones who informed people in Mariupol when humanitarian corridors were opened in Ukraine," he said.

It was reported by the Russian propaganda agency "Ria Novosti" concerning the appointment by the Russian military "Deputy Chairman of the Region" Kirill Stremousov. "Crossing the border from Mykolayiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions is very dangerous because of the systematic shelling of Ukrainian militants. After the latest shelling, they killed civilians in the buffer zone. Therefore, we do not recommend going to Ukraine under any circumstances, " Stremousov said.

Kherson has been under Russian occupation since early March. Kherson residents are offered to leave the region either to the annexed Crimea or to the part of the Zaporizhzhia region controlled by Russian troops.

After the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials said his goal was not to occupy Ukrainian territory. However, Russian-controlled administrations were formed in Russian-occupied areas of southern Ukraine. Russian-controlled administrations were formed, whose leaders argued that the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions should be accepted into Russia. Recently, Putin signed a decree giving the right to simplified acquisition of Russian citizenship to residents of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine. And now, the Russian military has blocked exits to the territory controlled by Ukraine in the Kherson region, patrols in Kherson have been intensified, and the number of Russian block posts has increased, according to the operational command "South."

In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Mayor Ihor Kolykhayev said that it was currently impossible to leave Kherson safely. Russian shelling prevents Kherson residents from leaving the temporarily occupied city for safer settlements. Many residents still dared to evacuate on their own and came under fire. Among them were both wounded and dead. The Russians continue to fire on civilian infrastructure in settlements along the administrative border of Mykolayiv and Kherson oblasts.

Earlier, the operational command "South" reported that the Russians set a fee for leaving the occupied Kherson region, at checkpoints offered a pass for $ 1,000 or their equivalent. However, then began to open fire on the trail insidiously. Thus, the Russian army is trying to keep the civilian population to "create for its leaders and commanders a picture of the satisfaction of the local population with the" Russian measure. "

To fix in the minds of Russians who use state propaganda that Russia is "forever" present in the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Kremlin media spread a narrative about the "power of Kherson" or "power of Zaporizhzhia" regions. It is reported that the "authorities of the Kherson region" are asking Putin to deploy a Russian military base in the Kherson region. Then the "authorities of the Zaporizhzhia region" announce Kyiv's plans to "surrender Zaporizhzhia."