Since February 24, Detector Media has been monitoring the Ukrainian segment of social media and Kremlin media, documenting the chronicle of Russian disinformation around Russia’s war against Ukraine on a daily basis. Recently, we have also started doing regular reviews. Check out the latest ones here: March 1-14, March 14-21, March 23-30, March 31-April 7, April 8-15, April 16-23, April 23-30, May 1-7, the final text for ten months, and a review of the most ridiculous fakes during the year of the full-scale war.
Between May 8 and May 14, 2023, Detector Media identified over 30 instances of disinformation. Within this span, propagandists sought to convince the global audience that Ukraine was implementing large-scale student mobilization and obliging schools in Lviv to teach the Polish anthem.
“Entered NATO? Brace for Nuclear War!”
Early in the week, Telegram channels echoing pro-Kremlin sentiments disseminated false information that Russia was relocating nuclear weaponry to the Finland border in retaliation for the nation’s NATO membership. The propagators of this claim stated that Russia had initiated the transportation of nuclear armaments to the border town of Vyborg. They supplied a video as evidence, suggesting that Topol-M or Yars nuclear weapons were the cargo being transferred.
However, this is a fake; the video was actually recorded in the town of Kolchugino near Moscow. A similar video showing nuclear weapon transportation through Kolchugino, dated February 26, 2022, was found online, which the propagandists could have used as purported proof of weaponry relocation to Vyborg.
By disseminating such fake news, propagandists resort to scare tactics, implying that so-called hostile actions against Russia (like joining NATO) could trigger a “decisive response.”
“Jeszcze Polska Nie Zginęła... in Lviv?”
Anonymous Telegram channels supporting pro-Kremlin views spread a fake claim that children in Lviv schools were being forced to learn the Polish anthem. The channels reported that not only was the Polish anthem mandatory, but so were the state symbols of the neighboring nation. They rationalized this directive by alluding to an imminent open history lesson, suggesting that children should express solidarity with Poland and be ready for “any” situation. They insinuated the potential annexation of western Ukraine by Poland, furnishing a “screenshot” from Lviv School No. 6’s school chat on Viber as evidence.
However, there was no mandate for Lviv pupils to learn the Polish anthem, nor were there any open lessons featuring such a task. The school administration refuted this information. Moreover, upon scrutinizing the screenshot shared by the propagandists, it’s noticeable that the so-called parent chat is labeled “school 6,” despite the fact that the school has been converted into a lyceum. No other sixth school exists in the city. Furthermore, the fake screenshot stated that the open lesson was scheduled for 11:15. As per the current timetable displayed on the lyceum’s official website, the third lesson commences at 10:55 and concludes at 11:40, which contradicts the times indicated in the chat.
Propagandists routinely circulate falsities and manipulations concerning the purported annexation of Ukrainian regions to Poland. They attempt to portray Poland as a prospective aggressor with colonial intentions, suggesting that Ukraine is appeasing these actions, notably by introducing such open lessons. They argue that Ukrainians have resigned themselves to the inevitable annexation of some of their territories by Poland.
“Total Mobilization Continues”
Throughout the week, analysts noticed fake news about university students supposedly being forcefully mobilized. The reports alleged widespread conscription of male students in Ukrainian universities. To substantiate their claims, the authors presented a video of a Ukrainian student resisting being forcibly removed from a classroom by law enforcement officers.
However, this video was filmed seven months prior at the Shehyni checkpoint on the Poland border. Consequently, it bears no connection to any university. Moreover, it’s a clip from a BBC Ukraine report discussing the issues faced by Ukrainian students of overseas universities trying to travel abroad. The students had been protesting at the customs checkpoint for some time, demanding permission to cross the border, but to no avail. The journalists also showed footage of a Ukrainian student from a foreign university being forcefully evicted from the border premises.
On September 14, 2022, foreign university students were banned from leaving the country. The State Border Guard Service justified this move by citing numerous instances of false documents claiming enrollment at overseas universities. For instance, between June and August of the previous year, border guards discovered 600 forged documents. Notably, in the report, the journalists quoted excerpts from interviews with former Presidential Office advisor Oleksiy Arestovych and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where both insinuated that the travel ban on students was tied to potential defense needs for Ukraine.
Propagandists frequently circulate fakes and manipulations on the subject of general mobilization among young men and women, who they claim are being sent to the front lines because no one else is available. These claims aim to suggest that the Ukrainian government is infringing on its own laws by conscripting children, women, and students. The intention is to incite fear in the Ukrainian populace and convince them that the Ukrainian army is ostensibly forced to mobilize every available individual, suggesting it is losing the war.
“Roasting Marshmallows”
Throughout the week, anonymous Telegram channels promoting pro-Russian rhetoric spread a false claim that Ukrainian online retailers were offering a candle called “House of Trade Unions” featuring the scent of “roasting marshmallows.” The post authors supplied a screenshot from a Ukrainian online store as proof.
Investigation revealed that the image had been tampered with. Using reverse image search, the original picture of the candle can be found, initially uploaded on a free stock image website, bearing no inscription. Furthermore, no mention of such a candle could be identified in the Ukrainian sector of social media. Therefore, the image was evidently manipulated using photo editing software.
By creating such fakes, propagandists attempt to dehumanize Ukrainians, suggesting they can commit atrocities against fellow citizens and subsequently find it amusing.
To remind you, on May 2, 2014, during clashes in the center of Odesa and a fire in the Trade Union Building, 48 individuals lost their lives, and approximately 200 others were injured. Those opposed to the Maidan movement sought to establish the so-called Odesa People’s Republic. Amid the conflicts, anti-Maidan protesters barricaded themselves in the Trade Union Building, firing shots and hurling Molotov cocktails at pro-Ukrainian forces attempting to breach their defenses. The exact circumstances leading to the building’s fire remain uncertain. However, Russian propaganda regularly capitalizes on this event, claiming that purportedly “radical” Ukrainians murdered people based on political views.
“German Legislators Applaud the Soviet Union”
As the week concluded, propagandists circulated a fake story claiming that the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, had a Soviet Union red flag hoisted upon it. The authors of these messages supplemented their claims with photos and videos, purportedly displaying the Soviet flag, adorned with a hammer and sickle, soaring over the German parliamentary building.
In reality, no flags, whether authorized or otherwise, were ever hoisted above the Bundestag. This fact was confirmed by representatives of the German parliamentary administration in a statement to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency.
The propagandists doctored the videos and photographs using editing software, as evidenced by numerous inconsistencies. For instance, the video shows the Soviet and German flags fluttering in opposite directions. The weather conditions depicted in the video do not align with the spring climate in Berlin on May 8. The videos and photos reveal a rather overcast sky, whereas, on May 8, 2023, Berlin enjoyed a day of warmth and sunshine. Moreover, some videos display puddles before the Bundestag building, despite the fact that there was insufficient rainfall in Berlin in the days leading up to May 8 to create such puddles. These altered photos and videos can only be found within the Russian social media segment.
By spreading such fakes, Russia is once more attempting to demonstrate its greatness before the “Nazi West.” The message about the “red flag of victory over the German parliament” harkens back to the iconic image of a Soviet soldier hoisting the Soviet flag over the Reichstag mere days before Nazi Germany’s surrender in 1945.
