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Since February 24, Detector Media has been monitoring the Ukrainian social media segment and Kremlin media, documenting the chronicle of Russian disinformation about Russia’s war against Ukraine on a daily basis. Over time, we began publishing regular reviews. You can read the latest ones here: March 1-14, March 14-21, March 23-30, March 31-April 7, the ten-month summary, and a review of the most absurd fakes during the year of the full-scale war.
From April 8 to April 15, 2023, Detector Media recorded nearly 40 disinformation attacks. During this period, the Russian propaganda machine claimed that the graves of Soviet soldiers were being officially desecrated in Lviv and discussed the development of “climate weapons” aimed at annihilating Russians.
“Ukrainian Refugees Transforming into Criminals”
Over the week, Detector Media’s analysts identified a fake news story claiming that the crime rate in Poland had risen due to Ukrainian refugees.
The creators of the false report stated that the crime rate had “significantly increased” as a result of the “influx” of Ukrainians into Poland. Consequently, they deduced that “many Ukrainian refugees are definitely among the criminals in Poland”. They “substantiate” their argument by citing a study from the local think tank UCE Research and data from the Polish police. They then conclude that unrestricted access to the European Union “has become a good opportunity for Ukrainians to carry out criminal activities”.
However, the UCE Research think tank has never published any reports indicating an increase in crime among Ukrainians in Poland, and local police have not provided such data. Ukrainian refugees are indeed mentioned in police annual reports, but in the context of Polish police protecting refugee locations and assisting in organizing various fundraisers. The reports also state that police organized numerous meetings and even provided housing for Ukrainians to “facilitate faster adaptation to their new environment”.
By spreading such fakes, propagandists aim to portray Ukrainian refugees as dangerous criminals or terrorists who could jeopardize the EU’s economic stability. In this manner, they seek to diminish support for Ukraine from Western partners.
“Golden” Train Instead of a Golden Loaf: Discrediting Zelenskyy
Russian propaganda circulated manipulations about the “vain” Zelenskyy, who allegedly traveled to Poland on “his own” golden train. The authors of the messages claimed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was spending money irrationally and even rumored that Zelenskyy owned a dozen such trains.
In reality, Volodymyr Zelenskyy did travel to Poland by a high-class train. However, the “golden” car is not the property of the President of Ukraine. Such cars are provided by Ukrainian Railways, and anyone can use this service by paying the appropriate amount for a ticket. For example, a trip from Kyiv to Odesa in November 2021 cost 24 thousand hryvnias. Saloon cars can be booked from Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Dnipro.
By spreading such manipulations, propagandists aim to discredit the President of Ukraine, portraying him as wasteful and vain. They suggest that instead of helping Ukraine and its people, he travels on “ten golden trains”. The authors of the fake also claimed that Zelenskyy was “no better” than Yanukovych.
Ukrainian Officials “Begging” for Western Resources
Russian propagandists spread the message that Ukraine’s leadership is “begging” against the backdrop of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal’s visit to Canada. The authors were outraged by emoji stickers in the form of a Ukrainian flag, a fighter jet, and folded palms conveying a gesture of request placed on the diplomatic plane. According to the propagandists, Ukrainians are “becoming closer to primitives”, claiming they lack words and are too ashamed to ask for weapons, so the Ukrainian leadership expresses their thoughts through emojis.
By disseminating such messages, propagandists aim to ridicule Ukraine and suggest it is not taken seriously. They imply that Ukraine is continuously begging for help. However, the supply of weapons to Ukraine is not decreasing, which shows that foreign countries remain interested in supporting Ukraine.
Russian “Cultural Diplomacy”
This week, Detector Media analysts recorded attempts by Russian diplomatic structures in European countries to promote their agenda. The entities in question are Russian Houses, institutions engaged in spreading Russian “culture” and its “values” worldwide. They are subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and therefore broadcast Kremlin rhetoric. The agency’s social media pages have posted about the “super-fast reconstruction” of Mariupol, claiming that something “incredible” is happening as the territories occupied by Russia are being rebuilt “at a frantic speed”, unlike in Ukraine.
The authors fail to mention why the cities needed to be rebuilt or whose missiles obstructed the work. Instead, Russia’s “cultural diplomacy” continues to glorify Moscow and whitewash Russians, presenting them as the real “saviors” of disadvantaged Ukrainians. By publicizing their actions via official institutions, the Russian propaganda machine seeks to legitimize them.
“The US Knows How to Awaken Russian Volcanoes”
Throughout the week, Russian propaganda claimed that the United States was creating a “climate weapon” to be used against Russia. The reports said that the volcanic eruption in Kamchatka was the work of the United States and “only the beginning” of the US’s malicious actions. Conspiracy theorists argued that the US Congress had adopted a so-called five-year plan for “climate interventions” that envisaged the creation of climate control technologies to “fight Russia”.
The existence of a “climate weapon” to be used against Russia is another conspiracy theory from Moscow. The document, which propagandists call a plan for “climate interventions”, is actually a scientific assessment of climate change as part of the study of environmental risks. The document shows no signs that the United States is “manipulating the climate to fight Russia”.
According to propagandists, climate weapons are hypothetical physical weapons capable of controlling the climate conditions on the planet. In particular, in the context of this message, climate weapons are capable of awakening volcanoes and accumulating magma to kill people.
Earlier, we have already covered the conspiracy theory of “tectonic weapons” allegedly used by the West against Turkey and Syria during the devastating earthquakes.
Easter is Banned
Before Easter, several anonymous Telegram channels promoting pro-Kremlin rhetoric falsely claimed that Kyiv had banned Easter services in churches as a way for the Ukrainian authorities to fight the dominance of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
However, the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) did issue a statement on April 11 regarding the celebration of Easter under martial law. According to the KCSA, the curfew remained unchanged (from 12 a.m. to 05 a.m.), and residents were urged to prioritize online broadcasts of services. According to the KCSA website, the city authorities requested religious community leaders “to limit the holding of mass services and to provide online broadcasts from religious buildings on Ukrainian TV channels and via the Internet as much as possible”. Moreover, regular services were not canceled, and the KCSA informed the churchgoers that they could stay in the church until the end of the curfew if they decided to attend the Holy Liturgy in the evening.
On Easter, Russians shelled two churches.
Lviv’s Handling of Soviet Graves
“Nazi Ukraine defiles the graves of Soviet soldiers” – Russian propagandists have been spreading manipulations claiming that Soviet graves are being destroyed in Lviv, and the remains of fallen soldiers are being “thrown away”. In reality, ongoing excavations at the Lychakiv military cemetery are uncovering the remains of bodies from World War I. Archival documents show that all World War I burials were moved during Soviet times; however, modern archaeologists are still finding new remains in the cemetery, as the Soviet authorities did not verify the thoroughness of the relocation before starting their own burials at the location.
The Lviv City Council issued a press release stating that the remains would not be “thrown away” but reburied. The graves of World War I veterans will be relocated adjacent to the cemetery, where a memorial complex will be built later. The Soviet-era remains, on the other hand, will be temporarily stored in a special depository designed for this purpose.
