Millions of Ukrainians are encountering russian propaganda every day. It spreads through TV, radio, mass media, social networks, and by word of mouth. To defeat the enemy, we must fight it on all fronts. To this end, we have prepared a daily compilation of russian fakes.
Today, the russian information space is still not as active, since the first week of May is a holiday week for russia. Ukrainian blogger, politician, and russian collaborator Anatoly Shariy was arrested in Spain, where he was hiding after leaving Ukraine amidst accusations of treason. The fact that Spain had arrested Shariy, and, is, apparently, in the process of extraditing him to Ukraine, made russian propagandists quite mad. They bemoan “European fascism”, as their close friend and ally at long last faces justice.
putin announced his desire to create an independent and self-contained russian informational space, to cut off all the “improper” information that disagrees with the kremlin narratives. Day by day, we move closer to the total Soviet-era lockdown of russia.
A lot of attention is given to reports from Mariupol, where important propagandists and politicians demonstrate “total russian control” of the city. It is presented as a great russian victory and a sign of things to come. But while smug russians stroll around the ruins of the city they fought two months to capture, russian bombs continue to fall on Azovstal, where Ukrainian defenders still hold a fifth of Mariupol in their hands. It is clear that russia will try everything to destroy the last pocket of resistance in the city before the victory parade on May 9.
Main fake narratives:
- Ukrainian soldiers are surrendering en masse
- Ukraine is being controlled by the west
- russians don’t commit war crimes, Ukrainians do
- Ukrainian refugees are causing crime and spreading disease
- Sanctions against russia are destroying Europe
- The world is dominated by russophobia
FAKE: Ukrainian soldiers are high on drugs
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Disproof:
This is one of the oldest and, to be honest, one of the funniest fakes of russian propaganda. Back in 2008, during the Orange Revolution, russians claimed that everyone who spoke up against the election fraud committed by Victor Yanukovich was high on American drugs.
Such a narrative provides propagandists with an opportunity to explain away the russian failures. Ukrainians don’t want to be conquered by russia? They’re high on drugs! Ukrainians are destroying the “invincible” russian army? They’re high on drugs! Civilians are resisting the occupying russian forces? They are high on drugs. According to russia, if not for the drugs, cowardly Ukrainians would have surrendered long ago. Plus, it also helps to discredit Ukrainians as a nation of junkies.
It is really hard for russians to face the truth, so they invent lies to help them cope. In some ways, it’s like a drug. Their army is broken, their economy is collapsing, and their “new world order” is already dead. Their country, built on lies and corruption, is burning down around them, and they are still preoccupied with maintaining the facade of greatness and strength. For when that falls down, there will be nothing left.
FAKE: Many animals in Mariupol zoo have died because of Ukrainian bombardments
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Disproof:
russian propaganda is claiming that animals in Mariupol zoo were killed by Ukrainian bombardments. But most of the city was destroyed by russia, in its attempts to take Mariupol. It was russia, not Ukraine, who besieged the city. The animals died because of russian bombardments of Mariupol, and because there was nothing left to feed them in the besieged city. Once again, russia is trying to accuse Ukraine of its own crimes.
FAKE: Azovstal defenders are trading civilians for food
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Disproof:
russian forces have continuously denied the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, trapping thousands of people inside the city without food, water, or medicine. The only successful evacuation attempts were those that russia could use for propaganda purposes, while a large majority of the evacuated Ukrainians were forcefully deported into russia, or placed into filtration camps. Even now, in the Azovstal plant, hundreds of civilians are still trapped in the underground bunkers, under constant russian bombardments.
This situation has garnered significant international attention, so russia cannot just jail or deport would-be evacuees, as it did before. The international community demands civilians to be transferred to Ukrainian-controlled territory. But that would mean more witnesses to russian war crimes in Mariupol. Additionally, families of some “Azov” defenders are among those civilians, and russia clearly wants them dead, as “Azov” had become the focal point of russian “evil Nazi” narrative, the justification for their war. So, russia cannot let them leave.
As a solution, russian propaganda claims that russia wants to evacuate the civilians from Azovstal, but the evil Nazis of “Azov” hold them hostage. And, to make them look even eviler, they, apparently, want to trade civilians for food, kilo for kilo. We’re talking about the families of those “Azov” soldiers, just to remind you how stupid this is.
Be advised: russia is waging a full-scale information war against Ukraine. There are multitudes of new fakes swarming through the mass-media every day. To protect you and your family, be sure to obtain and share your information only from official sources.
Official information channels:
· Office of the President of Ukraine
· General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces
· Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
· Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
· Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
· Ministry of Internal Affairs
· State Emergency Service of Ukraine
· State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
· Centre for Strategic Communication
· Centre for Desinformation Resistance
· State Special Communications Service of Ukraine
Information about transportation and infrastructure:
· State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine
· Boryspil International Airport”
· Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority
· Danylo Halytskyi International Airport Lviv
· State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety
Keep calm and trust only official sources. Ukraine will prevail!
The material was prepared by ZMiST. Please follow ZMiST on Twitter and Facebook.
