Social media users are claiming Mexican TV reported that anti-tank missile systems the United States sent to Ukraine ended up in the hands of a Mexican cartel. This is false; the claims are based on a mistranslation of the segment, which showed a man sporting apparent gang insignia carrying the same type of military-grade weapon used in Ukraine -- but did not say the artillery was diverted from Kyiv.
Since May 21, a number of posts online have been claiming that an advertisement posted on the British jobs website Adzuna offers proof that Western countries are recruiting mercenaries in Africa and the Middle East to go and fight in Ukraine. However, we investigated and determined that this post isn't real.
This "letter" has been forged, as evidenced by numerous gross errors in the text and vocabulary not typical of official documents. Specifically, the "letter" incorrectly states the addressee's official position and the location of the cemetery for victims of World War II, and the surname of the secretary of the Zaporizhia city council is misspelled.
Polish General Waldemar Skrzypczak did not talk about the West supposedly preparing a coup in Belarus. Skrzypczak emphasized that events similar to those that recently took place in the Belgorod region are quite likely to occur in Belarus in the event of a successful advancement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Polish military officer, it is the citizens of Belarus who may potentially rise against the self-proclaimed regime of President Lukashenko in the future. He stated that Poland should be prepared for this and support a democratic uprising in the neighboring country.
Russian propaganda is spreading another fake in the form of a "questionnaire" filled with numerous errors and listing military activities which simply do not exist in the Ukrainian military. Children and minors are not involved in Ukraine's military service in any way. Mobilization is mandatory for individuals aged 18 to 60.
Without providing any evidence, anonymous sources are claiming that one third of the Patriot missiles produced annually are being destroyed in Ukraine. There are over 240 Patriot systems in 18 different countries in total (with Ukraine being the 19th), and thousands of missiles with different characteristics are produced for them. This sprint American defense companies have also signed additional contracts with the US Army for the production of Patriot missile systems components.
Ukrainian journalists have not published any investigations regarding the ICEYE satellite purchased by the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation through donations from Ukrainians. Satellites for television signal transmission and the ICEYE operate in different orbits and serve different purposes.
The Foreign Affairs article does not address a need to plan Ukraine's future after a failed counteroffensive. This conclusion was fabricated by Russian propagandists. The authors of the article discuss the need for the West to plan long-term support for Ukraine, as there is currently no clear plan for what will happen after the counteroffensive. However, the United States and other European countries have repeatedly stated they will support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
As of January 2023, Ukraine's population ranged from 28 to 34 million people, according to Ukraine's Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies. Temporarily occupied territories are not included in the calculations. The United Nations Population Fund meanwhile cited a figure of 36.7 million people, taking into account the temporarily occupied territories.
The video circulating online is satirical and its author is not and has
never been a 'Ukrainian refugee in Europe.' The woman from the video
permanently lives in Ukraine and films many satirical sketches on TikTok.
However, Russian propaganda used the 48-second joke video to once again
discredit Ukrainian refugees.