Propagandists are spreading the claim on social media that the French government and President Emmanuel Macron are deliberately persecuting Le Pen and that her chances for a fair trial are limited due to reports of new details in the case against her. At the same time, analogies are being spread with trials against other opposition figures around the world, which reinforces the impression of a supposedly global trend of persecuting opponents. However, this is not true.

In reality, the investigation against Le Pen is related to possible abuses of EU funds allocated to pay assistants to MEPs. If investigators confirm violations, Le Pen and her colleagues could face restrictions on their political activities. However, this does not mean automatic intervention by the Macron government — the French legal system is independent, and such accusations against politicians require careful and objective examination to confirm or refute the allegations on the basis of facts, not political sympathies.

The main purpose of spreading this disinformation is to discredit both the French government and the judiciary, while creating the impression that Western democracies are not as free as they claim to be and persecute the opposition for political reasons. Such narratives have the potential to weaken citizens’ trust in democratic institutions, paint Europe in a negative light, and encourage the view that no government in the world is fully transparent and objective. The propaganda also attempts to mobilize Le Pen’s right-wing supporters by highlighting injustices that could inflame political sentiments in society and deepen divisions between political camps.

The propaganda publication Izvestia (News) has distributed a manipulative video report from Tbilisi. It features Russian propagandist Stanislav Hryhoriev, who has been repeatedly caught in biased coverage of events from the ATO zone in Novosti24 since 2014.

The video footage was filmed against the backdrop of a group of people who had come out to protest outside the Georgian parliament; the protest was called for by Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili due to systematic violations during the elections. In fact, she refused to recognize the results of the parliamentary elections – the previous victory of the Georgian Dream, the current ruling party.

In the story, Hryhoriev describes activists holding Ukrainian and EU flags and a poster with the inscription in English “Georgia is not Russia”:

“This is something that has long been expected in Georgia. Ukrainian activists with the appropriate symbols have appeared on the square near the parliament. They say that quite a few Ukrainians have entered the country over the past week. Their purpose is unclear, perhaps they came to share their protest experience”, the propagandist said.

In fact, the information in the video is distorted, as our Georgian fact-checking colleagues from the Myth Detector organization report. After all, it is the Italian political activists who are depicted in the video who came to support Georgia's European course. That is, this does not change the fact that there were no Ukrainians during the protests; they could also have supported Georgian citizens. However, Russian propaganda, one way or another, demonized potential attempts by Ukrainians to support the country, this time passing off Italian activists as “Ukrainian protesters”.

Italian activists arrived to observe the election process as part of the Europa Radicale delegation, which fights for democracy, rights and laws through “non-violent” forms of protest and initiatives. Since the victory of the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party “effectively stops” Georgia’s accession to the EU due to its non-compliance with the bloc’s principles and values. In particular, this concerns the adoption of the law on “foreign agents”, which had previously led to the suspension of the country’s accession to the EU.

Thus, Russian propaganda is working to create an image of bloody Ukrainian revolutionaries who, on instructions from the West, are seeking to destabilize the domestic political situation in Georgia. Russia is also promoting similar narratives in relation to the United States, accusing them of organizing “color revolutions” and protests if they are pro-democratic and reformist in nature.

During the US elections, propagandists distributed a video on social networks that spoke of fraud at polling stations. The video shows a voter trying to vote for Republican Donald Trump, but the device records the choice in favor of Democrat Kamala Harris. However, this is manipulation.

This is reported by MythDetector. Its experts refer to Leadstories and Reuters, which claim that the incident occurred due to a technical error and was quickly fixed. The voter was able to vote for the desired candidate via video after replacing the device. This incident occurred in Laurel County, Kentucky, and received attention from local authorities, who said that the problem arose due to pressing on the intermediate area of the screen. In a statement, Tony Brown, Laurel County Clerk, noted that the voter was allowed to vote again. The election process assumes that each voter has the opportunity to receive a new ballot if he changes his choice after preliminary confirmation.

The authors of the material say that this is a manipulative attempt to discredit the electoral process in the United States.

Russian sources are spreading the “news” that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, has admitted that Great Britain is taking part in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operations against Russia. “Proof” of this is the latest conversation between the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Chief of Staff of the British Armed Forces, Tony Radakin.

In fact, this information is unfounded. This is written in the VoxCheck project. On October 15, 2024, a telephone conversation between General Syrskyi and Admiral Radakin actually took place. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on his pages in social networks. However, the corresponding message does not say that Great Britain is taking part in the operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or will join them in the future.

During the conversation, they discussed the current situation at the front and the organization of Ukraine's defense in certain areas. The report also noted that they discussed the possibility of hitting military targets deep into Russian territory. According to Syrskyi, the British side is working on its own proposals as part of the practical implementation of the Victory Plan.

The officials also discussed the main pillars of Ukrainian-British military cooperation: “Supply of military equipment and weapons, training of personnel, and increasing the effectiveness of using high-tech weapons”. In the end, Syrskyi drew the attention of his British colleague to the cynical violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes of Russian troops.

Earlier, we analyzed the manipulation of Russians over Syrskyi’s correspondence for the Day of Defenders of Ukraine.

Russian resources write that Germany will apparently no longer supply military aid to Ukraine. They say that the transfer of heavy military equipment has allegedly been suspended, new supplies are allegedly not planned, and that this is “another blow to Kyiv”. In reporting this, the propagandists cite the German publication Bild.

In fact, the Bild publication's material was manipulated. This is reported in the StopFake project. Bild did publish a text in which, citing anonymous sources, it was claimed that Germany would no longer transfer heavy equipment to Ukraine, and supplies were mentioned specifically from the Bundeswehr. However, the material did not say that aid to Ukraine in the form of weapons would be stopped in general. Also, the German Aid to Ukraine blog reported that the Bild article only spoke about the cessation of deliveries of heavy equipment to Ukraine from the Bundeswehr's stockpiles, and not about heavy equipment in general.

Germany will continue to supply Ukraine with tanks, self-propelled artillery, and air defense systems until at least 2028 under existing contracts. On October 17, 2024, the list of items included in military support was updated on the German government website; according to it, even more equipment is being supplied than was originally promised. The website also states:

“So far, almost €5 billion (2023) and approximately €1.6 billion (2022) have already been allocated for military support to Ukraine; another €2.9 billion was allocated in the first two years of the war as permits for deliveries that will only be carried out between 2025 and 2028”.

The page dedicated to military support for Ukraine also clarifies that Germany supports Ukraine with supplies of equipment and weapons from the stockpiles of the Bundeswehr and through industrial supplies financed from federal government aid funds.

That is, the information that Germany will no longer help Ukraine is not true. With such propaganda, the Russians are trying to impose a narrative about the “West's fatigue”  from the war in Ukraine. Earlier, we analyzed a Russian disinformation message, supposedly the German authorities said that the German economy is deteriorating because of Ukraine.

A video is being distributed in Russian Telegram channels where a woman claims that the price of potatoes in one of the Odesa stores is about 40-50 UAH/kg. Accordingly, it seems that the Odesa resident is indignant and says that she does not know what to be more afraid of - the strikes or the prices in the stores.

In fact, this is manipulation, as reported by the VoxCheck project. In the video, a woman shows one of the most expensive varieties of potatoes available in the Silpo supermarket assortment - home-grown Granada potatoes. At the same time, this vegetable can be found cheaper in Ukrainian supermarkets. For example, in the same Silpo in Odesa, there are potatoes for 31-35 UAH/kg. In other stores, such as ATB or Tavria V, prices for a kilogram of potatoes range from 25 UAH/kg to 27 UAH/kg.

Also, according to the State Statistics Service, the average price of potatoes in Ukraine in August 2024 is about 20 UAH per kilogram. However, this is not the highest price for this year, because in June Ukrainians bought this vegetable on average for 28 UAH per kilogram.

There are varieties of potatoes that are more expensive - 50-60 UAH/kg. The same goes for other goods, for example, tea, which can be purchased for 70 UAH, or for 129 UAH. Therefore, such videos that Russians distribute are manipulative, because they do not reflect all market prices, but selectively show more expensive ones.

Earlier, we refuted the information that a 70-year-old pensioner was allegedly beaten because she refused to hand over potatoes to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Russian sources are spreading the news that the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi allegedly proposed introducing restrictions on travel abroad for high school students. According to the propagandists, such an idea indicates that Ukraine is preparing to mobilize young men and even teenagers.

However, the StopFake project reports that Russian propagandists manipulated Oksen Lisovyi’s words. The Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine spoke on this topic during the hour of questions to the government in the Verkhovna Rada. Answering the question, Lisovyi said that a large number of high school students choose to continue their education abroad. This worries the government, and the state seeks to encourage Ukrainian youth to stay in the country in various ways.

However, the minister did not say anything about introducing new restrictions on travel abroad. At the same time, he noted that teenagers should be motivated to build their lives in Ukraine, first of all, by high-quality professional, higher and higher education that meets the needs of young people.

Russian propaganda regularly spreads disinformation about the mobilization of Ukrainian youth, teenagers and even children. For example, earlier we recorded a fake about the alleged mass mobilization of students in Ukrainian universities.

Russian sources are spreading information that the National Bank of Ukraine has allegedly declared cryptocurrency illegal, and PrivatBank, in turn, has allegedly banned transactions with it.

However, in reality, the propagandists manipulated the information, writes the StopFake project. The original source of the manipulative message was a scandalous publication that is under sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council for the constant dissemination of fakes and Russian propaganda narratives.

In an interview with the Interfax agency, the head of the NBU Andriш Pyshnyi did say that the hryvnia was and remains the only legal means of payment in Ukraine. At the same time, the country has a parallel cryptocurrency market that requires regulation and bringing out of the shadows:

“Are we working on this challenge? Yes, we are. Several technical missions of the IMF took place, the purpose of which was to deeply study various experiences and develop comprehensive proposals for legislative regulation of the virtual asset market that would take into account the European experience and requirements for financial monitoring”, Pyshnyi said.

That is, the head of the NBU did not announce any bans on the use of cryptocurrency - he only said that the status of this instrument in Ukraine has not yet been determined, but the NBU is working on this issue. Moreover, according to Pyshnyi himself, the goal of the National Bank is not to displace cryptocurrency, but to “create the most transparent and understandable rules of the game in this market”.

Earlier, PrivatBank did restrict the withdrawal of hryvnia to cryptocurrency exchanges. However, this decision was made at the beginning of a full-scale invasion based on the Law of Ukraine “On the Prevention and Counteraction of Legalization (Laundering) of Proceeds from Crime, Financing of Terrorism and Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction”. At the same time, this restriction only concerned international transactions and does not prevent clients from using cryptocurrency within Ukraine.

A little earlier we analyzed a Russian fake, supposedly the VISA payment system was returning to Russian territory.

Russian propaganda telegram channels are spreading information that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could allegedly launch a full-scale offensive deep into Russian territory — into the Saratov, Oriol, Leningrad and Moscow regions — using Western weapons. In reporting this, the propagandists cite Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the Presidential Office.

However, Podoliak's words were manipulated. This was reported by the VoxCheck project. In an interview with the German media Die Welt, published on October 14, 2024, Mykhailo Podoliak did mention the listed Russian regions, but in a different context. The adviser to the head of the OP spoke specifically about air attacks on military targets deep in Russian territory, and not about a full-scale offensive. When asked by a Die Welt journalist about the depletion of Russian resources and when a turning point would be reached, Mykhailo Podoliak replied:

“This year, the Kremlin is spending $140 billion on the war and investing heavily in the military industry. But the deficit is growing, especially in ammunition, shells and missiles. That is why our air strikes on Russian territory are so important. First, it destroys production, warehouses and logistics, which affects resources and further exacerbates exhaustion. This is the military component, but there is also a social component. When attacks are carried out on a large scale, not only in Kursk and other border areas, but deep in Russia, in Saratov, Oriol, Leningrad and the Moscow region, then the social mood is completely different. People understand that there is a war going on in Russia too”.

So, in his answer, Mykhailo Podolyiak emphasizes the importance of Ukrainian air strikes on military targets deep inside Russian territory.

In the end, the adviser to the head of the Presidential Office repeated similar theses in a commentary for RBC-Ukraine, published on October 16, 2024. In it, he indicated that the classified appendices to the Victory Plan state, in particular, what kind of weapons should be used to destroy logistics, military facilities and concentrations of manpower on Russian territory.

Russian propagandists are spreading information about the demolition of a monument to UPA soldiers in the Polish village of Werkrata (Subcarpathian Voivodeship) with corresponding photos. However, this is manipulation. This is written by the Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. They found out that in fact this is old news from 2016.

Thus, propagandists try to create the impression that Poland does not support Ukraine, provoking tensions between the nations. Such information attacks are aimed at weakening Polish-Ukrainian relations and inciting national discord, which is part of the strategy of isolating Ukraine. However, Poland continues to support Ukraine in its fight for independence, despite these destructive messages.

Russian Telegram channels claim that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote in his congratulations on the Day of Defenders of Ukraine that this day is a holiday, in particular, of the invincible defenders of the Vuhledar fortress, who will soon march defeated Moscow. However, a few hours after the greeting was published, Vuhledar was finally taken by Russian troops, and therefore Syrskyi allegedly had to edit the message. As “proof” of this, the propagandists add screenshots of both the original and edited message.

In fact, Syrskyi did not edit his congratulations on the Day of Defenders of Ukraine. This is reported in the VoxCheck project.

The message in question appeared on the Facebook page of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on October 1, 2024, at 8 a.m. Kyiv time. The paragraph that the propagandists are writing about says: “This is a holiday for those who will go through all the hardships of war and battles. This is a holiday for those who will march in the parade of our Ukrainian Victory”. There was no mention of Vuhledar in it. On the morning of October 1, a number of Ukrainian media outlets distributed congratulations from Syrskyi, and the text of the message was the same everywhere - not a single one mentioned Vuhledar or the fact that the Victory Parade would take place in Moscow.

In addition, it would be noticeable on Facebook if the message was edited. In this case, when you click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the publication, the option “View history of changes” appears. Some of Syrskyi's messages were indeed edited after publication, however, no changes were made to the congratulations on Defenders' Day. Accordingly, the option “View history of changes” is not displayed.

Earlier we wrote about the Russians' lies, saying that two of Syrskyi's advisers were fired for uploading confidential documents to ChatGPT.

Propagandists claim on social networks that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly hid from the Russian army in bunkers for two days. They say it was impossible to reach him by phone. Russian propaganda is spreading this information with reference to a statement by former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. However, this is manipulation.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Security draws attention to it. Its specialists found out that Russian propaganda distorted Stoltenberg’s words in an interview with the FT, in which he actually spoke about communication difficulties and enhanced security measures that had to be resorted to in the first days of a full-scale invasion, when Russian troops were in close proximity to Kyiv. Commenting on Zelenskyi’s behavior after the start of the full-scale invasion, Stoltenberg admitted that he “completely underestimated” the Ukrainian president.

Propaganda is trying to present the Ukrainian president as a weak, indecisive leader who allegedly hides at critical moments rather than acts. Russian propaganda is also trying to deflect criticism of Volodymyr Putin, who is often called a bunker dictator due to his isolationist tendencies and fears for his own safety. The spread of fake information about Zelenskyi aims to remove this image from Putin and reduce the severity of criticism directed at him.

Propagandists claim on anonymous Telegram channels that Ukrainians could allegedly go out for mass protests in the winter due to power outages, and the authorities are afraid of this scenario. They say this is what The Washington Post writes, citing an “unnamed official from Kyiv”. However, this is manipulation.

This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Its experts found out that the original article only said that serious problems could arise this winter due to possible energy difficulties caused by Russian strikes on infrastructure. The consensus among Ukrainians is that Russia is responsible for the strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, which led to massive power outages.

Propagandists are trying to create an image of a weak government that is not in control of the situation and is afraid of protests. This is aimed at undermining Ukrainians' trust in their own government. Russia is trying to cause panic and discontent among the population by spreading fears of an energy crisis and power outages. The spread of such fakes is also aimed at demoralizing Ukrainians, encouraging them to believe that the situation in the country is deteriorating and the government is unable to cope with the challenges. The goal of the fake is to show that there are disagreements and tensions within the country that could allegedly lead to mass protests in order to reduce international support for Ukraine.

The pro-Russian segment of the Internet has widely disseminated information that 395 members of the European Parliament voted against an amendment during a plenary session on Thursday, September 19, 2024, requiring Ukraine to apologize to Poland for the Volyn tragedy. The corresponding amendment to the European Parliament resolution on further financial and military support for Ukraine from EU countries was allegedly introduced by the “Europe of Sovereign Nations” group. In turn, Russian propagandists commented on the refusal to vote for this amendment as follows: “The Banderas were allowed not to apologize for the wild atrocities that the OUN-UPA committed in Volyn”.

The Europe of Sovereign Nations group, which is inclined towards pro-Russian initiatives and is controlled by the pro-Russian German far-right party Alternative for Germany, did indeed introduce this amendment to the resolution, as some Polish media wrote. However, as the propagandists themselves claim, even four Polish MEPs (three from The Left and one from The Third Way) voted against the amendment.

In addition, Ukraine has already officially asked Poland for forgiveness for the Volyn tragedy and forgave the crimes committed by the Poles against Ukrainians. In 2014, the then President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, during his speech before both houses of the Polish parliament and in the presence of the then Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, said in the context of the Volyn tragedy: “We forgive and ask for forgiveness”. Subsequently, in 2016, Kravchuk, Yushchenko, the heads of The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church asked the Poles for forgiveness for the Volyn tragedy, signing an open appeal to Poland and Polish society. The text, in particular, said: “We ask for forgiveness for the crimes and insults committed - this is our main motive. We ask for forgiveness and also forgive the crimes and injustices committed against us”.

Russian propagandists regularly speculate on the Volyn tragedy, a sensitive topic for Ukrainian and Polish society. They manipulate information and spread corresponding fakes in order to cause discord between citizens of both countries and spoil diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Poland. Earlier, we refuted the information that the Babel publication allegedly published a quote from a Ukrainian director with the idea for the film “Volyn Chainsaw Massacre”.

Social media users are spreading a video that says that Ukraine has allegedly adopted a new law requiring all women between the ages of 18 and 60 to register for military service. The woman in the video says: "Okay, girls, line up, stand at attention! Ukrainian women are now subject to military service on an equal basis with men”.

In fact, the video was manipulated, as the StopFake project writes. It takes out of context footage from the ICTV channel's “Emergency News” program from December 23, 2021, which discussed expanding the list of professions according to which women aged 18 to 60 must register for military service. At the same time, according to Ukrainian law, only female doctors and pharmacists must register for military service. However, mobilization for them, like other women, remains voluntary.

By manipulating information, propagandists are trying to discredit the mobilization process in Ukraine and claim that the personnel situation at the front is allegedly so bad that women are already being mobilized. We have previously recorded such leaks. For example, we analyzed disinformation that Ukraine has created bulletproof vests for pregnant women, because they are supposedly going to send them to the front.

Russian propagandists claim that Kyiv is allegedly going to demolish dozens of churches belonging to the UOC MP. Citing an investigation by Ukrainian journalists, the Russian propaganda writes that “journalists are inspecting the capital's UOC churches and pressuring the Kyiv City State Administration to demolish those they consider illegally built”.

However, propagandists manipulate information, StopFake reports. Journalists from Sledstvie.Info investigated the situation with illegally built UOC-MP churches in Kyiv. Thus, back in May 2023, they drew attention to the fact that the city authorities were not reacting in any way to three illegal buildings used by the UOC-MP. All the buildings listed in the investigation were built in circumvention of the law, and they also do not represent any historical value.

In response to a request from journalists, the Kyiv City State Administration noted that employees of the Department of Land Resources of the administration surveyed the indicated areas, drew up survey reports, and sent them to local prosecutor's offices and to the relevant executive body of the Kyiv City State Administration so that they could respond within the limits of their authority.

In fact, it is Russia that is massively destroying UOC MP churches in Ukraine. According to data for 2023, during the full-scale war, Russia completely destroyed about 80 UOC MP churches and damaged about 200 more.

Previously, we wrote about the messages that Russia is promoting in response to the ban on the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

Russian propagandists write that “the Ukrainian Armed Forces are recruiting unstable and dangerous people” and “supporting Ukraine is for psychos”. In making this claim, the Russians cite an article in The Washington Post. In this context, they are talking about a 58-year-old American who attempted to assassinate US presidential candidate Donald Trump. As it turns out, Ryan Rout was a supporter of Ukraine for some time, tried to join the International Legion and even launched his own drone production. However, a few months later, he became disillusioned with volunteering, returned to the US and wrote a book, The War That Cannot Be Won. In it, Rout accused Ukraine of stealing international aid and escalating the war.

In fact, the propagandists manipulated the material published on the Washington Post website, StopFake reports. Its title is “OPINION: Ukraine has been a magnet for unstable characters like Ryan Routh”. That is, it is a column, and its author is Malcolm Nance, a former American military man who joined the ranks of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in March 2022. The man writes that in the first months of the war, many foreign “volunteers” came to Ukraine, who did not provide any real assistance, and sometimes even harmed the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The author explains this by the fact that, unlike other areas of active hostilities, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, ordinary life continues in Ukraine, cafes and establishments are open. Accordingly, unscrupulous foreigners feel comfortable in the country, imitating volunteer activities. Sometimes these are people with a suspicious or even criminal past. Malcolm Nuns admits that despite meticulous checks, the International Legion discovered an American wanted for double murder and an Australian financial fraudster. However, in both cases, these individuals were immediately fired and sent home. That is, there is no talk of any deliberate recruitment of “dangerous and mentally unstable people”, but on the contrary, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to prevent such incidents.

At the same time, Ryan Routt, accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, came to Ukraine with the real goal of helping, but had no competence. The man tried to independently recruit foreigners to the International Legion (which he had no right to do), and also wanted to open his own drone production.

Malcolm Nuns continues to support Ukraine, condemn Russian aggression and run a charitable foundation that strengthens the activities of the International Legion within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The military man is convinced that Ukraine will win if its allies provide all the necessary weapons, and also believes that after the war, Ukrainian soldiers will train their Western colleagues.

Earlier we wrote about how propagandists manipulated an article in The Times newspaper, claiming that wounded Ukrainian soldiers were being transported to Europe “as biomaterial for experiments”.

Russian propaganda writes about ‘language patrols’ that local authorities are going to introduce in Ivano-Frankivsk. They say that the city first met refugees with increased prices for rented apartments, and now they will forbid them from communicating in Russian. The propaganda also adds that in this way ‘Nazi practices’ are being restored in Ukraine.

However, the propagandists presented the information in a distorted manner. In Ivano-Frankivsk, they really proposed to create so-called ‘language patrols’, initiated by the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv. At the same time, this is not about some ‘Nazi practices’, but about popularizing the study of the Ukrainian language, as well as about compliance with Ukrainian legislation, according to which the Ukrainian language is mandatory in all spheres of public life. The legislation does not apply to the sphere of personal communication or religion. Moreover, it does not provide for any criminal liability for violating its norms.

Martsinkiv himself explained that such patrols will tolerantly make comments when using Russian and offer to attend language courses. He also said that this will be a volunteer initiative, and the volunteers will not have any special powers, they will not punish violators.

Taras Kremin, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, commented on this initiative, noting that Ivano-Frankivsk was the only regional center that did not have a language program, so the mayor can create working groups that will monitor compliance with language legislation. At the same time, Kremin noted that the choice of the name of such a program is of great importance: “The component that I would like to dwell on is very important. Despite the fact that such work will be carried out, it is important to correctly name such working groups. Since Ruslan Martsinkiv called such associations language inspections, Russian propaganda began to spread disinformation, saying that citizens of Ukraine will be persecuted on the basis of language”.

Russian propaganda manipulates information to justify the need to protect the rights of the Russian-speaking population and wage war against Ukraine. Previously, we documented the fake, saying that Zelenskyi started a war against the Russian-speaking population of Donbas.

On social media, Russian propagandists are spreading a picture of the Women's Peace and Security Global Index (WPS Index) for 2023, according to which Ukraine is supposedly “the worst country in the world for women”. The propaganda also makes an ironic comment: “But soon they will be the only ones left there”.

In fact, the Russians manipulated the information, as reported by the StopFake project. The data on the chart reflects the situation in Europe, but not in the world as a whole. According to the WPS Index, in 2023, the lowest scores were given to Afghanistan, Yemen, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and several other countries. Ukraine is not in the top ten worst countries for women, it ranks 117th out of 177 countries. At the same time, Ukraine has the lowest score among European countries.

It is worth noting that Ukraine received such low ratings precisely because of the war with Russia, and they reflect the difficult realities that women face in war conditions. Thus, the aforementioned rating evaluates various components of women's status from participation in the economy to health and risks of violence. In particular, it includes assessments of education, security, parliamentary representation, maternal mortality, legal protection and proximity to armed conflict.

By manipulating information, Russia is trying to discredit Ukraine, influence its image in the world and shift the focus. Earlier, we documented a fake, supposedly, that the Bellingcat investigation proved that Yermak paid Time for a place in the ranking of the most influential people of the year.

Russian propagandists are trying to distort the words of former US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, claiming that her comments about Ukraine’s rejection of the terms of the “Istanbul Agreements” after consultations with Western partners are allegedly proof that the US and Britain have wrecked the peace talks. At the same time, another message is being spread for the Ukrainian audience based on this comment: supposedly, the negotiators in Istanbul were ready to “surrender Ukraine”, but the West intervened and prevented this.

In fact, Victoria Nuland noted that Ukraine correctly assessed the threat of the Istanbul “peace agreements”, because they included restrictions on certain types of weapons, which would weaken the country's defense capabilities in the face of Russian aggression. At the same time, no demands were made to Russia under them, not even to withdraw troops. This is recalled by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council.

Russian propagandists actively spread such manipulations for several reasons. Firstly, their main goal is to shift responsibility for the long war from Russia to the West. They are trying to create the impression that the war continues due to the actions of the US and UK, and not due to Russia’s aggressive policies. This helps to strengthen anti-Western sentiments. Secondly, these messages are aimed at undermining trust in the Ukrainian authorities. By creating the impression that the Ukrainian leadership, allegedly under pressure from the West, rejected the peace agreements, propagandists are trying to sow mistrust among Ukrainians and undermine their faith in Western support. In addition, such messages are used for the internal mobilization of Russian society, showing the war as a fight not only with Ukraine, but also with the West “interfering” in the war. This allows Russia to justify the need to continue the war and repressive measures inside the country.

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”.