Category Russian propaganda

DISINFO: In Ukraine, Russia defends traditional values for the benefit of the whole world

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on the morally corrupt West which is presented as a justification for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and serves to deflect responsibility for Moscow's illicit actions. Russia's brutal war against Ukraine is absurdly portrayed as a war against the West and as a noble cause of fighting for the benefit of mankind against the "culture of degeneracy, perversion, and pathology." Western values as well as concepts which are not necessarily linked with Western values and policies but nevertheless attributed to the West in the article are intended to present the West as pernicious, immoral, degenerate, and a threat to traditional values. The narrative about threatened values is one of the most common pro-Kremlin narratives. It portrays the Russian civilisation as morally superior to the Western. Russia uses this narrative to proclaim itself the defender of traditional social and spiritual values all over the world. Progressive Western attitudes about a variety of normative issues, including the rights of women, ethnic and religious minorities, and LGBTQ groups, among others, are often undermined and distorted in pro-Kremlin outlets. Respect for individual choices is often falsely portrayed in the pro-Kremlin media as state policies aimed at propagating and imposing specific actions, such as sex changes on the population.
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Russian fake news: Ukrainians allegedly disconnected from public utilities for not appearing in military commissariat

In a commentary to Ukrinform, the representative of Rivne Regional State Administration confirmed that the above 'announcement' was another fake story. By spreading fake narratives, Russian propagandists pursue two objectives at once. Firstly, they make attempts to sow panic within Ukraine against the background of the adoption of a decision on the draft bill on mobilization. Secondly, they try to discredit Ukraine's military and political leadership before international partners, as if the Ukrainian authorities were conscripting citizens against the law, allegedly shutting them out even in routine matters.
Read MoreRussian fake news: Ukrainians allegedly disconnected from public utilities for not appearing in military commissariat

No, Ukraine is not taking money from Hawai’i relief

In the wake of the devastating wildfires on Hawai’i in August 2023, viral posts falsely claimed that the US government would only provide $700 in aid each to affected households. In fact, the federal government responded quickly to the horrific disaster in Maui, conducting extensive rescue operations and providing aid far in excess of $700 per household.
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Russia did not invade Ukraine to stop a NATO genocide in eastern regions

The Verdict: False. There is no evidence that the people of eastern Ukraine were subject to systematic extermination. [...] The claim was spread widely after [Russian Foreign Affairs official] Maria Zakharova [...] stated in February 2022 that there was a "systematic extermination of the Donbas population." However, an OSCE monitoring mission active in Ukraine since 2014 has found no evidence of mass targeted killings of civilians in the Donbas region. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not provided any proof to back up Zakharova's claim.
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Russian Nationalist Channels Fabricate YouTube Data to Claim Ukrainians Don’t Listen to Ukrainian Musicians

"It's just that YouTube Music published the TOP artists … in Ukraine. Not a single performer in Ukrainian." That is false. Musicians singing in Ukrainian dominated all of YouTube's weekly charts of top artists in Ukraine in 2023 as shown in YouTube's own data.
Read MoreRussian Nationalist Channels Fabricate YouTube Data to Claim Ukrainians Don’t Listen to Ukrainian Musicians

How pro-Russian ‘yacht’ propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid

A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money. Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending. It was an incredible assertion - using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts. But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.
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Fake: Elon Musk Wants to Receive Russian Passport and Thinks Putin Is “Not a…

An excerpt from a broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), in which Elon Musk praises Putin and Russia, was generated by a neural network and shared initially by Russian sources. The original recording of the broadcast with Musk, where he says no such thing, is available online.
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Manipulation: Former NATO Commander Praises Russian Army and Give Up on Ukrainian Forces

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis did not say that the Russian army is significantly superior to the Ukrainian army, and certainly did not "give up on the Ukrainian army." He only noted that the Russian army currently has a significant advantage in aviation. In his column on the Bloomberg website, Stavridis emphasizes the importance of further military support for Ukraine from its Western partners. The ex-military officer also notes that, with sufficient means, Ukraine "will at a minimum be able to hold off further significant Russian land gains."
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Fake: Ukrainian Resort Bukovel Saves Guests from Mobilization for Money

In a comment to StopFake, the resort's press service denied the existence of such a service and noted that representatives of Territorial drafting centers have full access to the territory of Bukovel.
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