On a daily basis, fact-checking newsrooms joined in the SeeCheck network of fact-checking websites from Southeast Europe (Raskrinkavanje.ba, Raskrinkavanje.me, Raskrikavanje.rs, Razkrinkavanje.si, Faktograf.hr and Fakenews.rs) monitor and verify information that appears in the media, on social networks, and through officials’ statements. After the escalation of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict and the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we launched this blog where you can read a daily updated review of disclosed disinformation regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition to the mentioned network members, the editorial staff of Istinomjer.ba, a website that evaluates the accuracy of officials’ statements from BiH, will also contribute to this blog.
November 15, 2023: The reader in the trench was photographed by comrades, not by a Russian drone operator (Faktograf.hr)
The photo of a Ukrainian soldier reading a book in a trench is authentic, but it is not true that he was reading a book by a Russian author, nor that the photo was taken by a Russian drone controller. Read more here.
November 9, 2023: There is no evidence that Ukraine sells children and organs (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Russian propaganda does not stand still. One of the members of the Russian Duma, Ana Kuznetsova, made shocking claims which, however, she did not support with any evidence. Read more here.
October 30, 2023: The imam of the Paris mosque did not thank Ukraine for sending weapons to Hamas (Faktograf.hr)
Disinformation spread on social networks that the head of the Grand Mosque of Paris thanked Ukraine for sending weapons to Hamas. The Communications Office of the Great Mosque of Paris denied this. Read more here.
October 5, 2023: NATO troops do not enter Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In the delicate relationship between Ukraine and Russia, much attention is focused on the activities of NATO and the alliance’s potential intervention in the de-escalation of Russian aggression. Various disinformation about the activities of the NATO alliance, which somehow includes Ukraine, has been circulating online for months. Read more here.
October 3, 2023: No evidence that German soldiers died in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The fighting in Ukraine continues, and it is accompanied by disinformation about the alleged direct involvement of Western powers in the war. Raskrinkavanje has already written about the fact that the commanders of the NATO forces are not on the ground. However, similar allegations have once again come into the public eye. Read more here.
October 1, 2023: The bar owner and the police denied that Zelensky’s bodyguard got into a fight in New York (Faktograf.hr)
USA Today said it did not air a story about the alleged incident, as suggested in a video shared on social media. Read more here.
August 28, 2023: Will Poland and Hungary tear Ukraine apart? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Somewhere in the middle of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is seizing the territories of a sovereign state, a narrative emerged that Ukraine’s western neighbours could “seize” a part of the territory for themselves. All under the guise of historical geographical relations, and under the guise of Moscow propaganda. The first to be attacked then, and still now, is Poland. Hungary is also appearing now, which appeared earlier, but not to the same extent as the Poles. Read more here
July 6, 2023: Manipulative presentation of the UN report on the detention of civilians in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
In an article published by one web portal, the UN report on the detention of civilians during the Russian invasion of Ukraine was manipulatively presented as an accusation that Ukrainian forces are carrying out widespread torture of civilians. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
June 28, 2023: Ukraine is a “nuclear threat” only in Russian war propaganda (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
While sharing the claims of the Federal Security Service of Russia, several local media outlets stated that Ukraine is planning to attack Russia with a dirty bomb, although there is no evidence for such a thing. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
June 15, 2023: There is no evidence for Kirillov’s claims about biological weapons in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Speculation about the biological weapons of the great powers was further inflamed by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The claim that America is developing biological weapons in Ukraine has spread on regional pro-Russian web portals in recent days, and the proof allegedly lies in the documents that Russia found in the Kherson region. Read more here.
May 31, 2023: Graham did not say that killing Russians is the best investment (Raskrinkavanje.me)
American senator, Lindsey Graham, found himself in the spotlight after meeting with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. Known for his excitable rhetoric, Graham was too hasty in his comments about the Russians. Because of this, Russia issued a warrant for his arrest, and Graham replied that he would wear it like a medal. Read more here.
May 31, 2023: Non-existent “radioactive cloud”: Favoring Russian sources in reporting (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Several local media reported the statements of the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Nikolai Patrushev, regarding the radioactive cloud approaching Europe. His allegations were denied by official sources of other countries, but this information was not found in the articles of some media that favoured Russian sources. Read more on the link.
May 31, 2023: Al-Assad speaks English and did not need a translation for Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at this year’s Arab League summit. Posts shared on social media imply that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took off his headphones for translation during Zelensky’s speech in order not to listen to his address. Al-Assad, in fact, speaks English well and did not need a translation. Read the details on the link.
May 30, 2023: Ukraine did not announce the “holocaust of Russians who support Putin” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The web portal Nulta tacka published an article claiming that Ukraine “announces the holocaust of Russians” who support Vladimir Putin.
That didn’t happen. This fake news came from a site known for spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories. The article shared the statements made by the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service to several media outlets, but added completely fabricated claims about the “Holocaust”. Read more on the link.
May 29, 2023: There was no increase in radiation in Ukraine after the attack on Khmelnytskyi (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The Russia Today Balkan channel published an incorrect claim that after the Russian attacks on a city in western Ukraine, there was an increase in radiation in that country. Read more here.
May 24, 2023: Zelensky is already in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited several European countries, after which he also attended the G7 summit in Japan. During the international tour, Zelensky tried to secure greater political and military support in the defence of his country against Russia. Considering that the Ukrainian president has spent a lot of time outside his country, some commentators used this to develop a new theory. Read more here.
May 17, 2023: Claims without evidence: Was the nuclear weapons warehouse destroyed? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The war in Ukraine continues, and with it fierce fighting on the ground. A few days ago, Russian drones hit the city of Khmelnytskyi and apparently destroyed a large weapons depot. The Kyiv Post writes that “critical infrastructure” was hit. Given the scale of the explosion, and the fire and smoke that followed, the media and social media users began to develop the theory that a warehouse containing depleted uranium weapons was hit, which represents the narrative that Ukraine has nuclear weapons. Read more here.
May 16, 2023: The general of the US Army did not say that Russia is “winning the war” in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
While reporting what Christopher Cavoli, commander of NATO forces in Europe and a general of the United States Armed Forces, said before the House Armed Services Committee of the US House of Representatives, several web portals incorrectly stated that he said that “Russia is winning the war” in Ukraine. Read more here.
May 4, 2023: “Pardon, what did you say?” – Zelensky has been (once again) taken out of context (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, met in Helsinki with the Scandinavian leaders, as part of the Nordic Summit. It was an opportunity for the northern/western partners to once again condemn Russian aggression and announce further assistance to Ukraine. A few days before the summit, Zelensky hosted the Scandinavian media in Kyiv. As many times before, his appearance in front of the cameras was an occasion for spreading disinformation. Read more here.
April 27, 2023: Meaningless claims about NATO pilots and Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, NATO and its Western partners have sided with the attacked country. As time went on, the help increased, both in money and in weapons. Given that he is fighting a more powerful opponent, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested Western fighter jets, but so far he has met with a half-hearted response. Read more here.
April 27, 2023: Are Americans who receive social aid invited to fight in Ukraine? (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Several Twitter users shared an image of an alleged poster urging Americans on welfare to join the International Defense Legion of Ukraine.
The Embassy of Ukraine in the United States of America and the International Defense Legion of Ukraine denied that such an invitation existed. Read more on the link.
April 26, 2023: “Breaking news” taken out of context (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The war in Ukraine continues, and the pro-Russian propaganda does not rest. So far, we have repeatedly had the opportunity to read wrong evaluations, wrong translations, or deliberately replaced theses when it comes to this conflict. According to the established matrix, credible media are often taken as the source of some news, whose texts are then completely twisted, thus gaining a new context. Read more here.
April 24, 2023: The “golden train” does not belong to Zelensky nor is it “reserved only for him” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
In the articles about Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Poland, some web portals claimed that he traveled there in a golden “presidential train”, while others claimed that it was a “paradise” reserved only for him. The train whose photos were published does not belong to Zelensky. It can be used by anyone who pays a defined price. Read more on the link.
April 24, 2023: The Pentagon did not admit the financing of Ukrainian bio-laboratories (Raskrinkavanje.me)
A year later, while the end of hostilities in Ukraine is not even in sight, attempts are being made to revive the narrative that there are bio-laboratories in that country. Read more here.
April 13, 2023: A billboard featuring the image of Zelensky “sucking in bills” was not installed in Milan (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, continues to be the target of fake news. This time, the story moves to Italy. A video showing a billboard (citylight) with a photo of Zelensky, is spreading on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. “Donations for Ukraine” is written above the photo. The billboard was allegedly installed in Milan. Read more here.
April 13, 2023: Camp for Ukrainians who will not go to war only in the statements of a local official (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Several local language media have published allegations that there is a concentration camp for Ukrainians who refuse to go to war against Russia. The source for these claims is an official from the territory under Russian control, but there is no evidence of such a camp. Read the details in the analysis available on the link.
April 13, 2023: Footage from a movie set is not proof of Ukrainian propaganda (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Social media users are once again sharing incorrect claims and implications that Ukrainians are faking war events. This time, footage from the filming of a movie in Latvia was used as evidence. Read more in the analysis on the link.
March 29, 2023: Videos of Ukrainian soldiers desecrating the Qur’an are not authentic (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Russian propagandists shared videos of soldiers desecrating and burning the Qur’an, claiming that they are members of the Ukrainian army. These videos were also published by some web portals in our region, as well as by the Russian embassy in BiH, with accusations that Muslims in the Balkans have understanding for Ukrainians who “burn the holy book”. However, the videos are not authentic. Read the details in the analysis available on the link.
March 17, 2023: No mass grave with the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers was found in Poland (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
False claims are being shared on social networks stating that a grave with hundreds of corpses of members of the military forces of Ukraine was found near the Bogdanka mine in Poland. Read more on the link.
March 17, 2023: The battle tank from the old photoshopped image was not captured in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A photo falsely claiming to show a German-made battle tank captured by Russian forces near Bakhmut is being shared on social media. Read more on the link.
March 16, 2022: Sputnik’s manipulation: NYT did not report that the Pentagon “sided with the Russian army” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
While reporting The New York Times’ coverage of the US refusal to provide evidence of Russian crimes in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court, Sputnik manipulatively attributed to this paper the claim that the Pentagon “sided with the Russian military”. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
March 15, 2023: Neither the EU nor Canada planned war in Ukraine, nor did von der Leyen reveal it (Raskrinkavanje.me)
While there is speculation about the potential involvement of foreign powers in the relationship between Russia and Ukraine with the aim of pacification, a claim appeared on social networks suggesting that foreign powers were preparing the “ground” for this war. Read more here.
March 14, 2023: American confession that the invasion in Ukraine was a response to a “threat” does not exist (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
At the beginning of March, certain web portals published manipulative articles in which it was falsely claimed that “American intelligence officers admitted” that Russia reacted to an existential threat in Ukraine. Read more on the link.
March 3, 2023: The video shows a bodyguard, not Zelensky’s double (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The President of the USA, Joe Biden, recently made a surprise visit to Kyiv and expressed his support for Ukraine and the President of that country, Volodymyr Zelensky. Given that the two presidents are frequent “guests” of Raskrinkavanje, it was expected that their meeting would create new theories. Read more here.
March 3, 2023: What exactly did Zelensky say about American sons and daughters? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
It has been 365 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. Unfortunately, the end of the war is not in sight, and the propaganda does not subside. Almost every day we witness various disinformation and fake news coming from the East. Often their main protagonist is the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. Just like this time. Read more here.
March 1, 2023: Gates spoke about Yanukovych’s, not Zelensky’s government (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we have been hearing various theories, which have no connection with reality. It’s the same with the “on-duty culprit” – Bill Gates. So far, his name was mostly associated with chipping and the establishment of some kind of new world order. Meanwhile, someone put two and two together and that’s how we got a new theory in which the war in Ukraine and Gates are in the same story. Read more here.
March 1, 2023: Zelensky said that the Americans will go to war if Russia attacks NATO members (Faktograf.hr)
A 19-second clip of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s response is being shared on Facebook, from which it can be concluded that he said the US will have to send its citizens to war in Ukraine. Read more here.
February 28, 2023: There is no evidence that the Russians destroyed the adrenochrome laboratory in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The world has a new hero, no less than Russian President Vladimir Putin, who exposed and destroyed the laboratory for the production of the drug adrenochrome and in that operation freed fifty kidnapped children. This is how Putin was portrayed in a fabricated news story ahead of the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more here.
February 28, 2023: Zelensky did not call on NATO to attack Russia with nuclear weapons (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Russia, Ukraine, the West and NATO are four key international factors in whose constellation of forces the public follows and analyzes every decision, considering the impact they have on the majority of the population. A video response by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was shared on social networks, with the claim that he allegedly sent an invitation to NATO to preemptively attack Russia using nuclear weapons. Read more here.
February 24, 2023: One year of the war on information (Faktograf.hr)
A year of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is marked by a year of information warfare. The narratives spread by the Russian authorities as a justification for the aggression against Ukraine have not changed significantly since the beginning of the invasion. Read more here.
February 22, 2023: Ukrainian Ana, cleaning the park and fake news (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Responsible media workers, as well as the fact-checking community, persistently warn of the danger of disinformation and fake news, which can turn into something bigger and worse. Unfortunately, one such case comes from Belgrade, where the cleaning of the park turned into violence, calls for lynching, a political game. Read more here.
February 21, 2023: Are members of the US Congress in favour of giving up Ukrainian territory to Russia? (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A series of web portals in the region announced, referring to The Washington Post, that the Republican members of the US Congress are advocating that Ukraine should cede part of its territory to Russia. The Washington Post, however, did not publish such a thing. Read more here.
February 17, 2023: A one-year-old video of Chechen fighters from the beginning of the war in Ukraine is spreading (Faktograf.hr)
A one-year-old video showing Chechen soldiers practising Muslim prayer is being shared again. Read more here.
February 16, 2023: Zelensky did not call for a preventive nuclear attack on Russia (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A recording of Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech in which he allegedly calls for a pre-emptive nuclear attack on Russia is being shared. However, his speech was incorrectly translated and presented, and Zelensky did not say such a thing. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
February 7, 2023: Hugo Boss is not making military uniforms for Ukrainians (Raskrinkavanje.me)
It has long been known that the uniforms worn by the Nazis during the Second World War were made by the world-famous brand Hugo Boss, which later, through the evolution of the company, failed to get rid of the epithet of the designer of Nazi military uniforms despite a public apology… Read more here.
February 1, 2023: Russian allegations about weapons in Ukrainian nuclear plants have not been confirmed (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Dozens of media outlets in the region reported the allegations of the Russian intelligence service about weapons in Ukrainian nuclear plants, but a significant number of them did not inform their readers that these were unverified allegations denied by the IAEA. Read more about this topic here.
January 24, 2023: Polish television did not show a map with annexed Ukrainian territories (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Some media announced that the Polish public broadcaster showed a map showing a part of the territory of Ukraine annexed to Poland. This kind of map, however, was never shown on that television. Read more about this topic here.
January 23, 2023: Sputnik missed, B92 missed: Zelensky did not admit defeat (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was the central figure of the economic forum held in Davos. In an online speech, he spoke about the necessity of sending weapons for defence against Russian tyranny, as he says, and sternly told Western partners that they must hurry. Read more here.
January 16, 2023: Allegations of the Russian Ministry about 600 murdered Ukrainians presented as facts (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Several media reported that 600 members of the Ukrainian army were killed at the beginning of the year, stating that the source is the Russian Ministry of Defense, but without any indication that these are unconfirmed allegations that the Ukrainian side disputes. Read the details here.
January 11, 2023: The official did not say that the Ukrainian army’s combat capability has declined (Faktograf.hr)
In a public Facebook group, the claim is spreading that the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Anna Maljar, recently stated that the “combat capability” of the Ukrainian army has fallen significantly “due to the lack of soldiers”. This is disinformation, in the original status of Anna Maljar, there is nothing about the fact that there are problems in the Ukrainian army with combat ability and endurance on the battlefield. Read more here.
January 10, 2023: No, these photos do not prove the existence of “black transplantologists” in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
Two photos from Ukraine, which allegedly prove the existence of “black transplantologists” in Ukraine, are spreading on social networks. This is disinformation – the photos have nothing to do with organ transplantation. The first is a photo of a truck with a mobile maternity clinic, and the second is a truck transporting victims in Bucha. The myth of “black transplantology” was used by pro-Kremlin channels even before the war in Ukraine started. Earlier, information was spread through Russian channels on Telegram that Western countries were buying organs for transplants cheaply in Ukraine. Read more here.
January 9, 2023: Photos from 2016 wrongly presented as “faking” of Ukrainian victims (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The collage shared by Twitter users as evidence that Ukraine is faking victims of the Russian invasion actually shows combat training for treating the wounded from 2016. Read more here.
December 27, 2022: The photo of empty shelves in London is from 2020, it has nothing to do with sanctions against Russia (Faktograf.hr)
The Serbian web portal Informer “illustrated” an article with the thesis that Europe is on the brink of starvation due to sanctions against Russia using a photo from London that is more than two years old. Read more here.
December 19, 2022: What did Angela Merkel say to Die Zeit about the Minsk agreements and the war in Ukraine? (Faktograf.hr)
Social networks are spreading the false claim that Angela Merkel admitted that the Minsk agreements were a “Western bluff” aimed at buying time to arm Ukraine. Read more here.
December 12, 2022: There is no evidence that FTX laundered money through Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
One of the leading companies in the world dealing with cryptocurrencies disappeared in just a few days. The fall of FTX shocked the digital community, and the director, Sam Bankman Fried, is facing several federal investigations in the US. As the news about the collapse of FTX became a major topic in the media, disinformers saw an opportunity to profit from propaganda. Read more here.
December 6, 2022: Ukrainian officials never claimed that Russian soldiers in Makiivka were killed by a mine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Videos from the battlefield in the Ukrainian village of Makiivka have captured the world’s attention, and Russian officials are accusing the Ukrainians of war crimes. Domestic media, however, incorrectly state that the Ukrainian side defends itself against the accusations by claiming that a mine killed the soldiers in the footage. Read more in the analysis on the link.
December 5, 2022: Fake report and fake news: Ukrainians did not spread Nazism in Qatar (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The Russian aggression against Ukraine and the World Cup in Qatar are probably the two most prominent and most followed events on the planet, and it was not unexpected that they would not be combined to create disinformation. Read more here.
December 5, 2022: Untruths about setting up interlocutors: Who gave statements in Kherson? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Accusations continue that Ukraine is making up scenes in a war it did not choose. Several times so far, we have debunked allegations from pro-Russian channels that Ukrainians are faking victims. The last piece of information in this regard comes from Kherson. Read more here.
December 5, 2022: Poland is not seizing part of Ukraine: Part three (Raskrinkavanje.me)
At least twice so far, we have written about disinformation that Ukraine’s neighbors, including Poland, will try to take away its western territories. This time, the narrative is the same. Read more here.
December 2, 2022: The coat of arms of Ukraine has nothing to do with the Khazars or slave owners (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, some media and users of social networks have tried to present Ukraine and its citizens as Nazis and criminals, and for this purpose symbols that can be seen on Ukrainian uniforms and on the jewellery of the leaders of the Ukrainian army are often used. This time, the coat of arms of Ukraine is the target. Read more here.
December 2, 2022: No, the Poles “did not admit what will cause a war between Russia and NATO” (Faktograf.hr)
There is a debate in NATO and the international community about whether Poland can give Ukraine the Patriot anti-missile systems offered to them by Germany. Read more here.
December 1, 2022: The government proposes assistance in the training of Ukrainian soldiers, not the HV’s fight against Russia (Faktograf.hr)
A user’s post was shared on the Facebook page Istina.info.nova, in which it is incorrectly stated that with Croatia’s entry into the European Union mission “EU military assistance mission – Ukraine”, the Croatian army will fight against Russia. Read more here.
November 28, 2022: Photos from the training do not confirm that Ukraine “makes up victims” (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, supporters of Russia have been trying to downplay the extent of the war’s destruction and point out that Ukraine is faking and exaggerating allegations of human casualties to gain as much support as possible. Read more here.
November 28, 2022: The video does not reveal how Russian soldiers were killed in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
A disturbing video is being shared on social networks and in the media, in which you can see Russian soldiers surrendering in the Luhansk region, and in the next frame, they are all dead. Russia accuses Ukraine of war crimes, and Ukrainians say that Russians committed war crimes. Read more here.
November 25, 2022: Hungary and Poland are not dividing western Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The story about the alleged division of Ukraine, whose territories should be appropriated by neighbouring countries, is intensifying. Russian “experts” have ideas of what it would look like. In the latest addition to this narrative, tensions have been fueled by a far-right Hungarian politician. Read more here.
November 25, 2022: Protests in Germany are not a sign of support for Russia (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The war in Ukraine brought far-reaching consequences for the entire Europe. The question that is being asked across the continent is – will there be enough energy to get through the winter? Because of this worrying situation, people took to the streets. Some call for an end to the war, and some for a review of the decisions made by authorities. Read more here.
December 2, 2022: No, the Poles “did not admit what will cause a war between Russia and NATO” (Faktograf.hr)
There is a debate in NATO and the international community about whether Poland can give Ukraine the Patriot anti-missile systems offered to them by Germany. Read more here.
December 1, 2022: The government proposes assistance in the training of Ukrainian soldiers, not the HV’s fight against Russia (Faktograf.hr)
A user’s post was shared on the Facebook page Istina.info.nova, in which it is incorrectly stated that with Croatia’s entry into the European Union mission “EU military assistance mission – Ukraine”, the Croatian army will fight against Russia. Read more here.
November 23, 2022: Manipulative interpretation of Jens Stoltenberg’s statements about “ending the war on Russian terms” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The statements of the Secretary General of the NATO alliance on certain web portals were incorrectly interpreted and presented as the position of this alliance. Read more in the analysis on the link.
November 23, 2022: Tendential reporting on the Russian “anti-Nazi” resolution in the UN (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Some media from the region reported on the voting of the Russian resolution on the fight against the glorification of Nazism in the UN General Assembly, conveying barely hidden accusations of support for Nazism in Western countries, coming from Russia. Read more in the analysis on the link.
November 22, 2022: The USA did not “remove Kadyrov from the list of sanctions” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Citing a notice from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, some web portals incorrectly reported that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov had been removed from the US sanctions list. More details are available on the link.
November 17, 2022: Media coverage of the rocket crash in Poland: From unverified accusations to apocalyptic conspiracy theories (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The media reported on the fall of rockets in Poland unprofessionally, presenting unsubstantiated accusations and inciting conspiracy theories. More details are available on the link.
November 17, 2022: The American congressman did not call for the destruction of Russia or Orthodoxy (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The modern “hybrid war” is not abating on social networks and in the media, and every statement of a high-ranking official very quickly echoes in the virtual space, with different interpretations. Those interpretations are often wrong. Read more here.
November 15, 2022: Will Ukraine be divided, and who will do it? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Unfortunately, the end of war in Ukraine is not in sight, but many wish for it – on both sides. Those close to Moscow predict the fatal fall of Ukraine and its disintegration into parts. Read more here.
November 9, 2022: There is no auction for the destruction of Russian works of art (Raskrinkavanje.me)
One of the narratives accompanying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the West’s supposed “clash” with Russian art. Read more here.
October 27, 2022: No, this is not a video of a “secret Russian plane” (Faktograf.hr)
A video showing a plane taking off from under the surface of the sea is being shared online. It is falsely claimed that it is a “secret Russian plane”. Read more here.
October 27, 2022: The United Nations Charter does not give Russia the right to “denazify” Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Claims that Articles 106 and 107 of the UN Charter give Russia the right to take military action against several countries, including Ukraine, for “attempts to revive Nazism” are not true. Read more here.
October 26, 2022: The French ambassador to Ukraine did not resign (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A claim spreading on social networks suggests that the French ambassador to Ukraine, Etienne de Poncins, has resigned and left this country. Both Poncins and the French Embassy in this country denied these allegations. Read more details in the analysis available on the link.
October 26, 2022: The Russian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina spreads misinformation about “Western propaganda” that “directs shows” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Another post is viral on social networks, which tries to prove that the Western media “directs reality”, that is, war events in Ukraine. This time, the Russian embassy in BiH also shared it on its Facebook page.
However, the BBC report to which the posts refer shows the actual situation and the evacuation of civilians during the attack on Irpin. Read more on the link.
October 24, 2022: “The West” does not “prove” the Russian attack in Ukraine using an old photo from Serbia (Faktograf.hr)
A photo taken in 1999, during the NATO bombing in Serbia, appeared as part of disinformation related to the war in Ukraine. Read more here.
October 17, 2022: The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army is not wearing a bracelet with a swastika (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The claim that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhny, is wearing a bracelet with a swastika is spreading on the Internet. The bracelet, however, does not feature a Nazi but a Celtic symbol. Read more on the link.
October 12, 2022: The video does not show the handover of the Ukrainian tank to the elite Russian troops (Faktograf.hr)
A video of the capture of the tank crew is being shared on Facebook, with the claim that they are Ukrainians who surrendered to the Russians. However, it is more likely that it is a Russian tank. Read more here.
October 12, 2022: Photo of Ukrainian soldiers raping a woman “stolen” from a pornographic movie (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A photo from a pornographic movie was altered to show the actors as Ukrainian soldiers raping a woman. It is shared with the claim that it was found in the phone of a dead Ukrainian soldier. Read more on the link.
October 12, 2022: Fake justifications – Russia does not wage war according to international rules (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, we have heard the reasons used to justify Russia’s aggression against the neighbouring country. Not infrequently, (pro)Russian propagandists create their narrative, for which they receive praise because they supposedly “unmasked” some big conspiracy or found a loophole in international law. Read more here.
October 11, 2022: Students captured by Russian, not Ukrainian armed forces (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Two hundred twenty-nine days have passed since the Russian aggression against Ukraine began. During that time, information about the development of events and misinformation appears in the public daily. Read more here.
October 7, 2022: The swastika on the floor is not the work of a Ukrainian refugee (Raskrinkavanje.me)
A video is circulating on social networks where a young man is seen cleaning a swastika from the floor of a building, most likely a shopping centre, judging by the video footage and the conversation that can be heard from it. Read more here.
October 5, 2022: The armed forces of Ukraine did not capture seven students from Sri Lanka (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
While reporting about a group of Sri Lankan students in Ukraine, several web portals from Serbia and the region conveyed information from a Russian source and incorrectly reported that the Ukrainian armed forces captured the students. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
October 4, 2022: A fictional article about Putin’s “mobilisation of the Serbs” went viral on social networks (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A screenshot of a fictional article by Informer in which Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin says he will mobilise “Serb brothers” who supported Russia, has gone viral on social networks. Although it is satire, the fictional article was also shared as fake news. Read more in the analysis on the link.
October 4, 2022: The press report from Vienna is not proof that the videos of mass graves in Ukraine are fake (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A clip of a television report from an environmental protest in Vienna was posted on Twitter as “proof” that the footage of mass graves in Ukraine was faked.
The footage was altered to resemble a television report on the dead and injured in the Russian attack on Ukraine. Read more on the link.
September 30, 2022: American officials did not admit the attack on the Nord Stream (Faktograf.hr)
Although it is unknown who is responsible for the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, a website known for publishing Russian propaganda claims that the Americans have admitted responsibility. Read more here.
September 30, 2022: The former UN Secretary-General did not say that Ukraine has no borders (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Claims are shared on social networks that the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, stated that Ukraine did not “register” its borders, from which the incorrect conclusion was drawn that it does not exist as a state. Read more on the link here.
September 29, 2022: Photoshopped Ukrainian “farewell to the Queen” (Raskrinkavanje.me)
For days, the news about the death of Queen Elizabeth II was the number one topic. The world leaders gathered in London to pay their respects. Governments, cities and many around the world have done the same. The embassy of Ukraine in London was among those who expressed their condolences. However, a scandalous mistake was attributed to the Ukrainian embassy on social networks. Read more here.
September 27, 2022: The RAND organization did not create a report in which “war and energy crisis are planned” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The RAND organization allegedly created a document outlining a plan to strengthen the USA, primarily by weakening Germany, claims an article on a web portal. Allegedly, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis in Europe are “planned” in this report. RAND, however, is not the author of such a document. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
September 23, 2022: “Nazi-newlyweds” are not holding the Ukrainian flag (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Photoshop is perhaps the favorite tool in disinformation circles because it offers numerous possibilities. It is possible to modify photos easily and put situations and people in a completely wrong context. This is the case with “Nazi-newlyweds who are claimed to be Ukrainians. Read more here.
September 22, 2022: Ukrainians are not faking the destruction of their country (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the information from pro-Russian channels says that the Ukrainians are falsifying data from the field… Read more here.
September 22, 2022: Even after two weeks, there is no confirmation that Russian General Sychevoi was arrested in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
The claim that Russian Lieutenant General Andrei Sychevoi has been arrested in Ukraine is spreading on social networks. There is no evidence that this is true. Read more here.
September 20, 2022: No, this is not a photo of Ukrainian President Zelensky (Faktograf.hr)
A photo shared on Facebook has been digitally altered so that Volodymyr Zelensky’s face is added to a photo taken at the Pride Parade, held in New York in 2006. Read more here.
September 16, 2022: Fake Serbian Sky News broadcasts Kolakusic’s unfounded claims about inflation, the energy crisis and sanctions against Russia (Faktograf.hr)
In June, Mislav Kolakusic published a video in which he interprets global events, and part of his baseless claims are now broadcast by a Serbian web portal that falsely presents itself as Sky News. Read more here.
September 15, 2022: It is not true that refugees from Ukraine in Croatia receive HRK 4,500, paid accommodation and utilities (Faktograf.hr)
An incorrect claim is spreading on Facebook that refugees from Ukraine in Croatia receive HRK 4,500, in addition to paid accommodation and utilities. Read more here.
September 9, 2022: There is no evidence that Zelensky rented the villa to the Russians (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for more than half a year, many media have tried to discredit the president of that country, Volodymyr Zelensky, and present him in the worst possible light. Read more here.
September 7, 2022: Poland is not planning the occupation of Ukraine, nor a conflict with Germany (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Pro-Russian channels are spreading the analysis of a man signed as a military analyst who predicts anything but a bright future for Eastern Europe. At the same time, he foresees retribution for the West. In the center of his projections, it seems that Poland was neither guilty nor liable. Read more here.
September 2, 2022: The counter-offensive of the Ukrainians is still going on. Zelensky did not start it to eliminate a political opponent (Faktograf.hr)
There is no evidence that Zelensky planned the failure of the offensive in advance, nor that the West considers Valerii Zaluzhnyi to be the new head of state of Ukraine. Read more here.
August 30, 2022: What actually happened in Odessa in 2014? (Faktograf.hr)
Pro-Russian propagandists from the web portal Logicno recalled the “Nazi crimes” in Odessa. The real story is much more complex. Read more here.
August 18, 2022: No, Hungary has not lifted sanctions against Russia (Faktograf.hr)
Marginal web portals spread disinformation that Hungary has lifted sanctions against Russia. That is not correct. Hungary must respect the sanctions imposed by the EU. Read more here.
August 18, 2022: Payment of aid to war-affected Ukrainians has nothing to do with their vaccination status (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
For months, social networks have been sharing claims that the Ukrainian government has announced the payment of aid to citizens, but only if they are vaccinated. This, however, is not true. It is an incorrect interpretation of the Ukrainian Prime Minister’s statement. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
August 10, 2022: Is America really leaving Ukraine and Zelensky? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Pro-Russian media do not shy away from free comments, often not supported by evidence. One such text states that Ukraine has lost the support of its most important ally – the USA and that President Zelensky’s personality has changed. Read more about it here.
August 5, 2022: Putin is not removing laboratories for biological weapons in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Conspiracy theories suggesting that Russia is removing biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine and fighting against the “New World Order” continue to be published on web portals and blogs. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
August 4, 2022: Informer denies the massacre in Bucha, uses the unproven claims of a discredited man (Raskrikavanje.rs)
“The French humanitarian exposes the lies of Kyiv”, writes Informer in Wednesday’s edition and states that the massacre in the Ukrainian town of Bucha was “set up”. They convey the claims of former French soldier Adrian Boke, who previously told European media that he was in Bucha at the time and witnessed the “directing” of this massacre at the end of March. In addition to not offering any evidence for his stories, he was caught in a lie – fact-checkers of the French Libération obtained information about his entry into Ukraine during that period and found that at that time (at the end of March), Boke was not in this country at all. Read more here.
August 3, 2022: American corporations and the Chinese did not take over 20 million hectares of Ukrainian arable land (Faktograf.hr)
A post on social media falsely claimed that “three American corporations and the Chinese have taken over 20 million hectares of agricultural land in Ukraine”. Amendments to the Ukrainian law on agricultural land, adopted in 2020, expressly state that foreign citizens and companies cannot own agricultural land in Ukraine. As additional protection that agricultural land will not end up in the hands of foreigners, this provision can be removed from the law only in a referendum. Read more here.
July 28, 2022: Putin did not send a message that he is ready to tear Moldova into pieces (Faktograf.hr)
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, did not send an open message that he is ready to start a war with Moldova because it has come too close to the EU. Read more here.
July 27, 2022: People with Nazi tattoos are not Ukrainian refugees (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the narrative about Nazism has not abated. We have often read that the president of this country, Volodymyr Zelensky, is a Nazi, and in the media that favors Russia, the same label is attached to all Ukrainians. Read more here.
July 27, 2022: No, Ukraine did not build a NATO base in Severodonetsk (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Numerous web portals in the region reported the incorrect claim that Ukraine was building NATO bases near Severodonetsk and Mariupol. What are the facts, read in our analysis available on the link.
July 25, 2022: Bild is not the source of the news about the seizure of German howitzers in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Referring to the German Bild, a number of web portals in the region announced that Russia had obtained weapons that Germany had previously donated to Ukraine. Bild, however, did not publish it. Read more on the link.
July 21, 2022: “Nazis in Rijeka” are not Ukrainian refugees (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Social media users are sharing a photo of two Nazis in Rijeka, claiming that it depicts Ukrainian refugees. Where are the people in the picture really from, find out in the analysis on the link.
July 19, 2022: The World Bank did not propose easing sanctions against Russia (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The creation of fake content favoring the Russian Federation or justifying its aggression against Ukraine is a daily occurrence in the pro-Russian media. Read more here.
July 18, 2022: Boris Johnson is an honorary citizen, not the future mayor of Odesa (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Unverified information always creates confusion on the media scene, and one sensationalist news can start an avalanche that is difficult to stop. Read more here.
July 18, 2022: “Satirical” video showing the signing of the capitulation of Ukraine used for clickbait headlines (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The “satirical” video of the Chechen leader served the Srbija Danas web portal as a means of attracting clicks. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
July 15, 2022: Contrary to claims on social networks, the war in Ukraine affects global supply and prices (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Manipulative posts are being shared on social networks, trying to show that the war in Ukraine did not affect the global increase in food and oil prices. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
July 12, 2022: How USA Today’s recognition is used for anti-Western propaganda (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian Federation’s military invasion of Ukraine, we have had the opportunity to see how the pro-Russian media have the need to characterize the articles of the Western media, in which the war is reported, as part of the campaign against the Kremlin, desperately trying to find elements of fake news in them. Read more here.
July 12, 2022: Manipulative presentation of Macron’s disagreement at the G7 summit (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
An article claiming that at the G7 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron refused to support the plan against Russia, was published on the Webtribune web portal. What are the facts, read in our analysis on the link.
July 11, 2022: No, Russia did not send an obese retired general to fight in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
British tabloids spread the “news” that Russia was forced to send an obese retired general to the war in Ukraine. That is not correct. Read more here.
July 8, 2022: “Conspiracy” journalist justifies the Russian invasion with anti-Semitic conspiracy theories (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The journalist of the “conspiracy” web portal Balkan info presented a conspiracy theory on his Facebook profile, according to which the Khazars are allegedly to blame for the war in Ukraine. Read more on the link.
July 8, 2022: The evolution of falsehood: How the Russian seizure of weapons became a sale (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Disinformation about Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, in addition to spreading very quickly, is sometimes known to spread in different formulations. Read more here.
July 8, 2022: Macron did not side with Russia and did not criticize the West (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Last week, French television France 2 aired a documentary called “The President, Europe and War”, in which the film’s authors got access to President Emmanuel Macron’s daily activities. Among other things, the film also includes a conversation in which Macron talks with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, four days before the invasion of Ukraine. Read more here.
July 8, 2022: An old photo of a Belarusian prisoner presented as a “free examination of a Ukrainian Nazi” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A photo of a man with Nazi tattoos has been shared with claims it shows a Ukrainian prisoner being examined by a Russian doctor in Donetsk. The photo in question was actually taken in 2005 in a Belarusian prison. Read more on the link.
July 7, 2022: The footage of the destruction of Russian tanks is not authentic, it was made by a filmmaker from Kyiv (Faktograf.hr)
A video claiming to show the destruction of Russian tanks is circulating on Facebook. However, it is a CGI video made by a filmmaker from Kyiv. Read more about it here.
July 7, 2022: Sanctions against Russia and the vaccine against Covid have nothing to do with monkeypox (Faktograf.hr)
It is incorrectly claimed on Facebook that monkeypox has only appeared in countries that have introduced mandatory vaccinations and imposed sanctions on Russia. Read more about it here.
July 7, 2022: No, Putin cannot leave the USA without ammunition and grenades with two phone calls (Faktograf.hr)
The web portal called Webtribune claims that the president of Russia can cut off the supply of the rare metal antimony, also used in the military industry, to the US. The data reveal that such a claim is unfounded. Read more about it here.
July 4, 2022: The former director of JAT as a megaphone of Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The well-known conspiracy theorist, former director of JAT, Velibor Vukasinovic, made a number of incorrect claims about the war in Ukraine in the show called “Interview”.
Allegations that include false claims that Russians and Ukrainians are the same people, that Ukraine planned an attack on Russia and that the Russian attack was a precaution, that only 12 percent of countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, and that Lithuania’s, Estonia’s, and Latvia’s insignia feature swastikas on a red background, as well as claims that Azovstal is a biological laboratory and that Ukraine planned a biological-chemical attack on Russia, are part of Russian propaganda that seeks to justify the Russian invasion of this country. More details are available on the link.
July 4, 2022: The G7 is considering how to limit the price of Russian oil, but the oil exporting countries do not yet have an official position on this (Faktograf.hr)
The web portal Webtribune.rs claims that the oil exporting countries rejected the G7 decision to limit the price of Russian oil. That is not correct. Read more about it here.
July 1, 2022: Four months of the war in Ukraine: Dominant narratives of propaganda (Raskrinkavanje.me)
During the four months of the war in Ukraine, we had the opportunity to witness a lot of disinformation, mainly carrying the signature of Russian propaganda. From the very start, on February 24, until today, numerous untruths have been spread through social networks and conventional media: from a claim that Ukrainians are fascists/Nazis, that it is a “special operation” of Russia, that there are laboratories in Ukraine where biological weapons are developed, to absurd accusations against the president, Volodymyr Zelensky. The four months were intense. Read more about it here.
July 1, 2022: The Russian army did not seize the weapons that France sent to Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Several web portals from the region, referring to the tweet of a French lawyer, falsely claimed that the Russian army had seized weapons sent by France to Ukraine. Read more on the link.
July 1, 2022: Orban did not say he did not want to lose the country “because of an idiot who committed a massacre in the center of Europe” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Several media have published articles claiming that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he did not want to lose his country “because of an idiot who committed a massacre in the center of Europe”. Orban’s alleged quote is also shared on social networks.
However, there is no evidence that the Hungarian Prime Minister ever uttered these words. Read more on the link.
June 24, 2022: Did Kazakhstan block more than 1,700 wagons carrying Russian coal? (Faktograf.hr)
Jutarnji list reported that 1,732 railway wagons carrying Russian coal were blocked in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan claims that this is not true. Read more about it here.
June 24, 2022: Viral video of a Russian missile explosion is computer graphics (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video is being shared on social networks, which is incorrectly stated to show the explosion of a Russian thermobaric projectile in Ukraine. Read more about this topic on the link.
June 22, 2022: Chinese delegation did not leave the hall at the summit during the speech of Volodymyr Zelensky (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Numerous web portals in the region published a claim that the Chinese delegation left the hall during the speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore. Photos from the event, however, clearly confirm that the members of this delegation did not do such a thing. Read more in the analysis available on the following link.
June 20, 2022: Viktor Orbán’s quote on Ukraine is fake (Faktograf.hr)
“I don’t want to lose my country because of the idiots who provoked a massacre in the center of Europe”, Orbán was quoted as saying, but the Hungarian government’s spokesman states that the Hungarian prime minister did not say that. Read more about it here.
June 20, 2022: Ukrainian forces did not occupy the UN office in Kramatorsk (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A number of web portals in the region reported the claim of the Donetsk People’s Republic that Ukrainian forces allegedly occupied the United Nations office in Kramatorsk. The UN representative denied such allegations. Read more about this topic on the link.
June 15, 2022: Arbitrary interpretation: What did the Washington Post write about Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Recycling has been a popular method of marketing media content in recent years, and many are accustomed to it. So often, we get into a situation of dealing with unverified content without support in the evidence and sources. The web portal IN4S copied the text of the Serbian Novi Standard, which talks about the alleged “background of the war in Ukraine”. The author refers to the Washington Post. Read more here.
June 15, 2022: Trial testing of the Sarmat II rocket and media manipulation (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Many media in our speaking area attributed words to Russian leader Vladimir Solovyov that he did not actually utter.
Solovyov did say that “one Sarmat missile means minus one Great Britain”, which could be interpreted as a threat, but he did not say that Great Britain would be “wiped off the map” with this missile. Read more here.
June 13, 2022: The Russians did not attack Zagreb, nor were the citizens of Zagreb invited to shelters (Faktograf.hr)
In its article’s title, the peripheral website Paraf.hr incorrectly claims that Russia attacked Zagreb and unjustifiably invites citizens to shelters. Read more here.
June 11, 2022: Bismarck did not say that Ukraine should be separated from Russia (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Since 2013, a fabricated quote by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck has been shared on social media. In the quote, he allegedly says that Russia’s power can be “undermined” only by separating and opposing Ukraine from Russia. Read more on the link.
June 9, 2022: Excuses for “denazification” – Who is holding the Nazi flag? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Disinformation is still being created daily regarding the war in Ukraine. Its main goal is to give legitimacy to Russian aggression and justify the intention of Russian President Vladimir Putin to “denazify” Ukraine. In an attempt to justify the invasion and “denazification” of Ukraine, a photo spread on Facebook shows a collage of two photos of a woman claiming to be the same person. One photo shows a woman in a television studio, and the other a woman holding a flag featuring a swastika, a Nazi symbol. More details are available on the link.
June 7, 2022: “Ukrainians will be the last ones to be saved”: Manipulation of the manual for marines (Raskrinkavanje.me)
“Secret files found”, “documents discovered confirming that…”, and “unmounted video published” – are just some of the phrases that primarily aim to attract our attention to read/view certain content and then to try to convince us of its truthfulness. Read more here.
June 7, 2022: Was the Ukrainian flag added to the colors of Pride? (Faktograf.hr)
The reader of Faktograf wants to know whether the claims that the flag of Ukraine has now been added to the LGBTQ flag are correct. He also provided us with a photo shared on social media as an illustration. Read more here.
June 3, 2022: The secret operation in Odessa is fake news and not a “fake flag” (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Judging by the Russian propaganda, as well as the (dis)information given to us every day, numerous attacks in Ukraine have never happened, injured and dead people are extras, pictures from the field have been edited… More details are available on the link.
June 3, 2022: Another round of misinformation about American biolabs in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, false narratives about Ukraine and its allies have been spreading on the Internet to justify Russian aggression. Among the most well-known is the one about biological weapons developed by Americans in Ukraine, constantly represented among other misinformation. Recently, the text “Empire of Bioweapon Lies” has been popular on the Internet. It was translated and published on the website IN4S and shared on Facebook. More details are available on the link.
June 3, 2022: DiCaprio has no grandmother in Ukraine and has not donated 10 million dollars (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Numerous celebrities, including actors and directors, expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Many began to raise money to help the population, but misinformation has “swum” even in these – humanitarian waters. This is evidenced by the post on Facebook, which claims that the famous American actor Leonardo DiCaprio donated 10 million dollars to help Ukraine, which is claimed to be his grandmother’s homeland. More details are available on the link.
June 2, 2022: Nuclear war in the service of clicks and spreading fear (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The possible use of nuclear weapons is often mentioned in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Even though it is difficult to predict whether such a scenario will ever come true, the media have repeatedly written in their headlines about the nuclear attack as something certain or even misled readers that it was something that had already happened. More details are available on the link.
June 1, 2022: Media in the service of propaganda: Statement of a Russian official presented as “the truth about Bucha” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
In the title of its article, the website Happy stated that the “real truth” about the crimes in Bucha had been revealed and that lies had been spread so far, referring to the accusations against the Russian army. However, several pieces of evidence indicate that the Russian army is responsible for the massacre of civilians in this small town near Kyiv. Read the details in our analysis.
June 1, 2022: Putin has been credited with a sentence uttered by Denzel Washington in an action thriller (Raskrikavanje.rs)
“Forgiveness of terrorists is on God, and it is up to me to send them to him – Vladimir Putin” – this is the text of the announcement that appeared on social networks and which is attributed to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. However, not only did Putin not utter this sentence but it is taken from an action film, “Man on Fire”, from 2004. More details are available on the link.
May 27, 2022: Russian priests do not bless “Satan” in viral photography (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Numerous websites from the region published a photo of Russian priests standing next to a giant rocket, featuring an incorrect claim that it shows blessing a rocket called “Satan”. What the photo really shows, read in our analysis.
May 27, 2022: How the media have been fooled by the text of an obscure Albanian site from Switzerland (Raskrikavanje.rs)
There is almost no media in Serbia that did not report the alleged statement of the mayor of Kyiv and former boxer Vitali Klitschko for a Swiss website that “Ukrainians will get rid of Russians as Albanians got rid of Serbs”. The news was reported by many – Tanjug, RTS, RTV, Nova.rs, Blic, Informer and other tabloids, as well as local websites such as Kossev. The Embassy of Ukraine in Belgrade also spoke out, and the Minister of Police, Aleksandar Vulin, reacted sharply. In the end, Vitali Klitschko denied that he said this. Read more here.
May 26, 2022: The wife of the Azov fighter is not in the photo with the Nazi flag (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A collage of photos is being shared on social networks, which is claimed to prove that the partner of the Ukrainian fighter from the Azov battalion openly promotes Nazism. In the photo, however, is a completely different person. Read more about this topic in the analysis available on the link.
May 26, 2022: Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute “Zhukov” in Moscow did not burn down (Faktograf.hr)
The information about the fire at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute Zhukovsky (TsAGI) was shared by Maxportal on its Facebook profile so inaccurately that the announcement looks like a fabrication. Read more here.
May 26, 2022: The photo from social networks does not feature an American general who “surrendered in Azovstal” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Unfounded claims about the capture of generals from NATO countries in Ukraine are shared on social networks to confirm the narrative that troops from NATO countries are fighting in this country. Along with such claims, a photo of the alleged surrender of former US Admiral Eric Olson on his way out of Azovstal was shared. Olson is not featured in the photo. Also, it was taken almost a month before the evacuation from the Azovstal steel plant began. More details are available on the link.
May 25, 2022: “Pumping” the numbers up: There is no evidence that 49,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
An article by an anonymous website claims that 49,000 members of the country’s army were killed in Ukraine.
The fact is that both the Ukrainian and Russian sides publish different data on military losses. The number of 49,000 soldiers killed is not stated in these reports. More details are available on the link.
May 25, 2022: Interviews with Vjekoslav Prebeg: Why the exploitation of prisoners of war is not objective information (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
An interview conducted by RTRS reporter Danijel Simic with Croatian citizen Vjekoslav Prebeg, who was captured by the Russian army in Ukraine, encouraged the spread of misinformation in the media. Read the details on the link.
May 25, 2022: What did Olena Zelenska really “reveal” about writing a speech for the President of Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
Several websites announced that Olena Zelenska “betrayed” her husband, the President of Ukraine, by “revealing what is happening behind the cameras”. This is a manipulation of clickbait titles. Read more about it here.
May 24, 2022: What did Biden actually say about World War III? (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
In sensationalist and manipulative headlines, some media stated that Biden “spoke about the Third World War and the sending of soldiers”.
Although this title leads to the conclusion that Biden spoke about the Third World War as a possible scenario, the facts are completely opposite. More details are available in the analysis on the link.
May 23, 2022: It is not true that China has announced that it will join the war in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
According to several marginal websites in the region, “China has decided not to allow Russia to fight the West on its own”. However, such a decision by the Chinese authorities does not exist. Read more here.
May 23, 2022: Russian military commander claims without evidence that pharmaceutical companies in Ukraine are developing biological weapons (Faktograf.hr)
The head of the Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces claims that Pfizer, Moderna and other Western companies in Ukraine are developing biological weapons. Read more here.
May 23, 2022: A video from Vienna does not prove that Austrian police support Russia (Faktograf.hr)
A video from a protest in Vienna, in which it looks like the police are arresting people with Ukrainian flags, is spreading on social networks. However, this did not happen. Read more here.
May 23, 2022: Gonzalo Lira is a pro-Kremlin propagandist, but his list points to real political persecution in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
The American-Chilean blogger Gonzalo Lira is spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda in Ukraine, but he also justifiably warns that people politically close to Russia have been disappearing since the beginning of the war. Read more here.
May 23, 2022: Minister of Defense did not say that Ukraine “is mobilizing a million people” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Some websites in the region manipulatively presented the statement of the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, claiming that he spoke about the alleged plans for Ukraine to mobilize a million people. However, he did not say that. He spoke about the need to provide equipment for the existing army. Read more about it on the link.
May 20, 2022: Putin’s fictional message to the “citizens of the planet Earth” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A fictional message attributed to Vladimir Putin, in which he addresses the “citizens of the planet Earth” and asks for support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has spread on social networks. The message describes the invasion as a fight against new cancer – Ukrainian Nazism. Read more on the link.
May 20, 2022: No, Zelensky did not announce Eurovision 2023 in Mariupol (Fakenews.rs)
The websites Alo, Novosti, Telegraf, Espreso, Objektiv and Happy reported that Ukrainian President Zelensky said that the next Eurovision Song Contest would be held in the city of Mariupol, which had suffered greatly since the beginning of the aggression against Ukraine. This interpretation of his statement is wrong, which you can read more about here.
May 20, 2022: The swastika on the flags of the Finnish Air Force has nothing to do with Nazism (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Photos of the Finnish Air Force flags featuring a swastika are shared on social networks, thus trying to show that Nazism as an ideology is represented in this Scandinavian country and that it is part of official policies and symbols.
The swastika symbol was used in various cultures for thousands of years before the rise of Nazism. The Finnish Air Force has used it this way since 1918, and it has nothing to do with Nazism. More details are available on the link.
May 20, 2022: Apparition of Nazi salutes at Eurovision 2022 (Raskrinkavanje.ba)The victory of the Ukrainian representatives at Eurovision, as expected, attracted the attention of the media, but some “noticed” Nazi salutes at the competition. The claims that the Ukrainian contestant and the host of the Polish television greeted the audience in that way, however, are not true. Read more here.
May 19, 2022: It is not true that “the President of Ukraine passed away” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Several anonymous websites incorrectly stated in their headlines that the President of Ukraine had passed away. Read the details on the link.
May 19, 2022: Unfounded allegations that Trevor Cadieu was captured (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of May, it has been speculated that the former Canadian general, Trevor Cadieu, was captured in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Regional media also reported news of his capture. Read more here.
May 19, 2022: The photo does not prove that the American general surrendered to the Russians (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, social media users who support Russia have been trying to prove the West’s involvement in the conflict with a series of disinformation, more precisely, the presence of NATO officers on the battlefield. One such attempt is the claim that US General, Eric Olson, surrendered in Azovstal, a steel plant around which fierce fighting is taking place. Read more here.
May 18, 2022: Helping Ukraine is not joining the neo-Nazis (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Almost every move of the government and citizens related to expressing solidarity and assistance to Ukraine, which has been defending itself from military aggression conducted by the Russian Federation since February 24, is received with an unpleasant welcome by some Montenegrin public and media that are pro-Russian. Read more here.
May 18, 2022: It is not true that Zelensky admitted to using cocaine (Faktograf.hr)
A video is spreading in which the statement of the President of Ukraine was edited so that it looks like he admits that he consumes cocaine. However, in the same interview, Zelensky actually denied such rumors. Read more here.
May 17, 2022: Did the Western media censor the testimony of a woman evacuated from Azovstal? (Faktograf.hr)
About a hundred civilians were evacuated on May 1 from the Azovstal industrial plant, the last stronghold of Ukrainian troops defending Mariupol. There were about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers in the Azovstal region, mostly members of the Azov Regiment and the 36th Brigade of Ukrainian Marines. Both Western and Russian media reported the statements of several evacuees, but the emphasis placed on their testimonies differed significantly. Read more here.
May 17, 2022: Russian propaganda in the public broadcaster’s program: How Danijel Simic reports on the war in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Reporting from the battlefield in Ukraine, the reporter of RTRS, the public broadcaster of the Republic of Srpska, often spreads Russian propaganda narratives. Read more about it in our analysis.
May 16, 2022: Kherson, can we talk? How is the propaganda war waged (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression on Ukraine, the city in the south – Kherson – was among the first to fall. The city, which once had 290,000 inhabitants, is now under the administration set up by Moscow. More on the link.
May 16, 2022: Poland does not plan to take away Ukraine’s statehood (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we have often come across disinformation that calls into question the independence and sovereignty of the country. For instance, it was written earlier that Ukraine does not have a clearly defined border and that it does not exist. Now Russian officials are placing a new narrative suggesting that Ukraine is on the way to losing its statehood. Read more here.
May 14, 2022: Unfounded allegations about the arrest of the Canadian general “while fleeing from Azovstal” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Several sources have confirmed to Canadian media that former General Trevor Cadieu, after his dismissal from the army, went to Ukraine to join the resistance against the Russian invasion. Allegations of his arrest while fleeing Azovstal, which are shared on social media, have not been confirmed, while allegations that he managed “laboratory no. 18, which worked with deadly viruses” in that country, are unfounded. You can find more details on the link.
May 13, 2022: Ukrainian President Zelensky did not die (Faktograf.hr)
Several regional websites published misleading news with a headline suggesting that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, had passed away. Read more about it here.
May 13, 2022: Finnish battle tanks in the viral video were not transported to the border with Russia but to a military exercise (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Some media and social media users published videos of the transport of Finnish army tanks, claiming that they were moving to the border with Russia. The tanks in the footage are Finnish, but they were transferred to a military exercise held in the country’s west. The border with Russia is located in the east of Finland. Read more about this topic in the analysis available on the link.
May 13, 2022: Manipulative headlines on the suspension of the transit of Russian gas in Europe through Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Numerous websites in the region have published articles claiming that “Ukraine is suspending gas transit to Europe”. The opposite can be concluded from such headlines, and it does not deal with complete suspension but of interruption of gas supply through one of the points, while transport through the others is proceeding normally. Read more about this topic on the link.
May 12, 2022: Manipulative announcements of war in Moldova (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
An article in the British The Times, which questions the possibilities of a Russian attack on Moldova, was reported manipulatively and sensationally by the domestic media. Read what The Times writes and what the domestic media claim on the link.
May 12, 2022: New disinformation package: Montenegro is not confiscating property from Russians (Raskrinkavanje.me)
From the moment Montenegro imposed sanctions on Russia due to the military aggression against Ukraine, there has been a narrative about the provocations that the Montenegrin authorities are allegedly directing to Moscow. In their own way, some media interpreted the announced reaction of the Government of Montenegro regarding joining the new package of sanctions that the EU imposes on Russia. Read more here.
May 12, 2022: Fake blood, but not for “faking” the war (Raskrinkavanje.me)
When disinformers on duty run out of inspiration, they often revive old materials. Our attention was occupied by a new (old) video published on Facebook. In about thirty seconds, the shots change and people with fake blood are shown. The video also features paint, brushes, the moment of painting their bodies, those who are patiently waiting their turn, and those who are already on an acting assignment and lying on the ground in puddles of fake blood… Read more here.
May 11, 2022: Ukraine did not “turn off” the mobile network and the Internet in the Kherson region (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A number of websites in the region published a claim that Ukraine allegedly turned off the signal of mobile communication and the Internet in the occupied territories in the south of the country. On the other hand, the Ukrainian authorities denied these allegations, and the largest telecommunication companies from Ukraine stated that the network was interrupted in this area due to equipment damage. Read the details in the analysis.
May 11, 2022: Fata Morgana: Are Soros and Zelensky really cousins? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Recently, the culprits on duty for a new world order in which there is no room for morality and who want to control us are mostly two people: Bill Gates and George Soros. At least that is the narrative of the disinformers who attribute incredible “merits” to these two billionaires, and from now on, blood relations with people who are in the center of world interest. Specifically, the focus is on Soros and Zelensky – the president of Ukraine. Read more here.
May 10, 2022: Azovstal is “hiding” tunnels, not laboratories with biological weapons (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Social networks are flooded with various disinformation and conspiracy theories that have been following the events related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the very beginning. Much of this content is centered around the existence (or subsequent discovery) of biological laboratories in Ukraine (mostly American, but allegedly also German). The Russian attack on Ukraine was justified by allegations that the real goal was to destroy these laboratories. There are also claims about the existence of various NATO facilities, captured NATO commanders, etc.… Read more here.
May 10, 2022: There is no evidence that Zelensky is “worth” 850 million dollars (Raskrinkavanje.me)
As it is not strange for us to witness situations in which politicians get rich “overnight”, then we cannot blame those who believe in such information. Read more here.
May 7, 2022: No, American soldiers are not entering Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A draft resolution authorizing the American president to use military force in the war in Ukraine if Russia uses weapons of mass destruction was presented on the websites with headlines suggesting that the American army was already entering Ukraine. Read more here.
May 6, 2022: Putin did not recognize Kosovo, nor did he “trade” it for Donetsk and Luhansk (Raskrinkavanje.me)
So far, the tabloids from the region have mostly made hymns about the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Kosovo is always a tricky topic, whoever mentions it. The glorification of the leaders of the “brotherly country” is almost always present in the narrative of ordinary citizens, political leaders, and the media. However, recent events, at least when it comes to individual media, seem to have made a complete turnaround in the context of Vladimir Putin’s perception and his policies. Read more here.
May 6, 2022: “Glory to Ukraine” is not a fascist slogan (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The thesis of “denazification” of Ukraine is deeply rooted in pro-Russian propaganda, and it has its supporters in Montenegro as well. On several occasions, domestic websites wrote about the slogan “Glory to Ukraine” and made it equal with the Nazi “Sieg heil” and “For homeland ready (“Za dom spremni”), which is associated with the Ustasha movement in Croatia. Read more here.
May 6, 2022: A new round: Joe Biden and WWIII (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The President of the USA, Joe Biden, visited the Lockheed Martin weapons factory in Alabama. On that occasion, he praised the efforts of all workers who work tirelessly to, as he says, defend democracy – alluding to the war in Ukraine. As has been the case recently, Biden is constantly targeted by disinformers and those who look for his every mistake. That’s why some websites have reversed the story and context from Alabama to get a bombastic headline. More details are available on the link.
May 6, 2022: The building of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was not demolished (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video of the alleged demolition of the building of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine by Russian missiles is being shared on social networks. The video was, in fact, made in Gaza, months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
May 5, 2022: Drug addict Zelensky: Propaganda without scruples (Raskrinkavanje.me)
False claims and manipulative videos suggesting that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, allegedly uses narcotics do not stop spreading on social networks. In addition to trying to portray Zelensky as a Nazi, following the Russian narrative of “denazification”, social media users follow another narrative initiated by Vladimir Putin – that a drug addict is at the top of the government in Ukraine and that those around him are no better. Read more here.
May 5, 2022: Volodymyr Zelensky did not say that he consumes cocaine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Another video is spreading on social networks, which allegedly proves that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky consumes cocaine. It is claimed that he admitted it in an interview. This time, too, it is an authentic recording that was subsequently manipulated. Read more about this topic in the analysis conducted by Raskrinkavanje here.
May 5, 2022: A series of incorrect statements by an American journalist Logan (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Where someone is born, where they come from and similar determinants are often used to disqualify individuals, but sometimes those geographical determinants are, unjustifiably, also used to confirm someone’s quality. If, in addition, the person in question keeps pace with a narrative “close” to him/her, geolocation is immediately used as additional evidence that it is true. Read more here.
May 5, 2022: A video from 2019 presented as Zelensky’s plan for the massacre in Bucha (Raskrinkavanje.me)
From the very beginning of the military invasion of Ukraine, Russian propaganda, aided by media close to the Kremlin regime, has skillfully pushed through the thesis of Nazi Ukraine, targeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in particular. Read more here.
May 5, 2022: Forgery: The Guardian did not admit Ukrainian guilt for Bucha (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The media in favor of Russia, when reporting on the war in Ukraine, also resort to falsifying data. Thus, the website IN4S published an article entitled “The Guardian admitted: Ukrainians are to blame for Bucha!”. The text was also published on their Facebook page. IN4S claims that the British Guardian published the first results of the forensic examination of the bodies found in Irpin and Bucha and that the results show that the armed forces of Ukraine shelled Bucha. Read more here.
May 5, 2022: Ukrainian laboratories – a lie repeated 1,000 times… (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression on Ukraine, we have been hearing about the “reasons” that the Kremlin uses to justify its actions. The propaganda started from the narrative of “denazification”. The leitmotif then became the theory that the neighbors have laboratories in which biological weapons are being developed and which, at one point, could be used against the Russians or perhaps pro-Russian separatists in Donbas. Read more here.
May 5, 2022: Art, Russia, Ukraine, Satanism and Marina Abramovic (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Conceptual artist Marina Abramovic is a real magnet for disinformation. She has been the target of conspiracy theorists on several occasions. At the end of last month, the news spread on Facebook that she invited people who support Ukraine to join her “in praying to Lucifer to destroy Russia”. Read more here.
May 4, 2022: Twitter front: wrong time, wrong person, wrong news (Fakenews.rs)
A photo of a large Russian flag set between two solitaires in New Belgrade in Block 21 went viral on Twitter, with the description “the United States is waiting to condemn the pro-Russian rebels from Block 21”. Although the photo was taken at the mentioned place, a reverse search of the photo on Google shows that it is more than eight years old. Read more here.
May 4, 2022: Seized “Ukrainian Covid drones” can only dust the orchard (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In recent years, we have witnessed numerous feats in which new technologies have been demonstrated, especially drones. The drones delivered medicines, mail and packages, as well as organs for transplantation, served for agricultural purposes. However, we didn’t know what the individuals allegedly discovered, that drones are used to spread coronavirus. Read more here.
May 4, 2022: Cocaine on Zelensky’s table was added in Photoshop (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the military aggression of the Russian Federation, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has been the target of numerous fake news which try to discredit him. Read more here.
April 29, 2022: The war in Ukraine presented as a backdrop for the imaginary establishment of a “new world order” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video in which “conspiracy theorist” Max Igan says that the current events in Ukraine are a show leading to the establishment of a “new world order”, a control system and a single digital currency has gone viral on social networks. This is another example of adapting existing “conspiracy” narratives to current events, such as the war in Ukraine. Read more about it on the link.
April 29, 2022: There is no confirmation that Russia shot down a Ukrainian plane carrying weapons from the West (Raskrinkavanje.ba)The claims of Russian officials that the forces of this country shot down a Ukrainian plane carrying weapons from the West were presented in the reports of numerous domestic-speaking media as facts, despite being denied several times – which is not mentioned in those articles. Read more here.
April 28, 2022: Violence against Roma people pushed into the pro-Russian narrative (Raskrinkavanje.me)
While the war in Ukraine continues to flare up, war propaganda is flaring up in the pro-Russian media and on social networks, which want to justify the fight against the alleged “Ukrainian Nazis”. One of those posts on Facebook featured a photo of Roma people in Ukraine tied to poles and lamps with yellow ribbon and sprayed with green paint on their faces. Read more here.
April 28, 2022: Zelensky arranges crimes in front of the cameras with the Nazis? Incorrect. (Raskrikavanje.rs)
These days, a video of the dinner and conversation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Ukrainian soldiers has become viral. The video features Bulgarian subtitles, and people claim that it shows Zelensky’s meeting with members of the controversial Azov regiment, at which they agree on “how to kill people the same way it was done in Bucha”. However, the video never mentions the town of Bucha, as suggested by the Bulgarian translation, and the video was made in 2019. Read more here.
April 28, 2022: Charges of crimes in Mariupol without evidence (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Distributing biased, unverified and pro-Russian propaganda content from the battlefield in Ukraine is a daily occurrence in some media outlets that do not respect basic reporting standards. These publications often focus on the suffering and crimes against the civilian population, which are attributed to the Ukrainian battalion of Azov, and at the same time, it is pointed out that the Western media attribute these crimes to the Russian side. Read more here.
April 27, 2022: Viral Russophobia from the section “Interesting facts” reveals nothing about Putin’s plans (Faktograf.hr)
An article featuring a photo gallery has been published on the website Dnevnik.hr, which is claimed to show what life in Russia looks like under the regime of Vladimir Putin. Read more here.
April 27, 2022: Biden did not say that he would “destroy everyone who helps Russia” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
In the headlines of their articles, several media outlets in the region attributed a statement to US President Joe Biden, claiming that the US and its allies “go after everyone” or that they will “destroy anyone who tries to help Russia”. Biden, however, did not say that. Read more about this topic in the analysis.
April 26, 2022: Marina Abramovic did not call for “prayer to Lucifer to destroy Russia” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Vague allegations about Marina Abramovic’s participation in collecting aid for Ukraine and a video of her criticism of the Russian invasion, published on the Church of Lucifer’s Twitter account, have “inspired” fake claims that the artist called for a satanic prayer to Lucifer to destroy Russia. Read more here.
April 26, 2022: “Moscow” sank in 2013, according to the video (Raskrinkavanje.me)
After the Russian cruiser “Moscow” sank in the Black Sea, two sides of the story emerged. Russian and Ukrainian, but the third, no less widespread, comes from users of social networks. Read more here.
April 26, 2022: A fake statement attributed to Trump – he did not talk about support for Russia (Raskrinkavanje.me)
We have talked about fake quotes attributed to officials and world leaders several times, and as a rule, the creation of this type of disinformation is often during crises, so this trend has not bypassed the war in Ukraine. This time, someone came up with the idea of attributing something to former US President Donald Trump. Read more here.
April 26, 2022: It is not true that a German journalist exposed Ukrainian war crimes (Faktograf.hr)
Former politician Alina Lipp is one of the most famous German disseminators of disinformation about the Russian aggression on Ukraine. The unfounded claims made by Lipp are spreading in Croatia as well. Read more here.
April 25, 2022: Cocaine featured in the video of the conversation between Zelensky and Musk was edited (Faktograf.hr)
A video has spread on social networks suggesting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is addicted to cocaine. Such accusations have been coming from the Kremlin since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Read more here.
April 24, 2022: Google denied changes in visibility on satellite images of military facilities in Russia (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Numerous websites in the region have published articles claiming that the Google Maps platform has removed the haze from military infrastructure facilities in Russia. However, Google has denied such allegations, and Russian military facilities are not the only ones visible on their maps. Read the details in the analysis.
April 22, 2022: The serial number of the rocket that hit the station in Kramatorsk is not proof that the missile is Ukrainian (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
After the footage of the rocket that hit the railway station in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk was published in the media, the claim that the serial number on the rocket proves that the rocket is actually Ukrainian began to be shared on social networks. The number, however, does not prove such a thing. Read more about this topic in the analysis.
April 22, 2022: Inverted flags in “Moraca” are part of the choreography, not a sign of disrespect for state symbols (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In addition to unfounded allegations of insulting national symbols by inverting flags, the website Borba tried to discredit Montenegrin fans by allegations of support for the “Ukrainian Nazis”. However, allegations of support for the “Ukrainian Nazis in Mariupol” are a matter of personal perception of this website. This arbitrary claim is certainly unfounded because the support given by Montenegrin fans does not refer to any Nazi organizations but to the city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, which has been hit hardest by Russian attacks since the invasion, as evidenced by a large number of civilian casualties. Read more on the link.
April 21, 2022: The cause of the war in Ukraine for Stevandic is “Nazism” (Istinomjer.ba)
The narrative that Russia is conducting a “special action of denazification” in Ukraine has been present in both foreign and regional media since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and very often, similar claims can be heard from officials in BiH. One of the last to cite the fight against Nazism as the cause of the war in Ukraine is the member of the BiH Parliament and the president of the party United Srpska, Nenad Stevandic. Read more on the link.
April 21, 2022: People forming the number 55 do not symbolize the “swastika” celebrating Hitler’s birthday (Raskrikavanje.rs)
To portray Ukraine as a pro-Nazi state and justify Russia’s attack, photos are being shared on social networks that allegedly “prove” that Nazism. The last in a series is a photograph of people arranged in the shape of the number 55, which is interpreted as a depiction of a swastika and which “marks the day of Hitler’s birth”. The photo, however, originates from Russia. It is several years old and shows people lined up at number 55 to mark the 55th anniversary of man’s first flight into space. Read more on the link.
April 21, 2022: Nonsense about “covid drones” that the Russian army “found” in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Russia’s “discovery” of agricultural drones – allegedly in barracks abandoned by the Ukrainian army – was shared on social media thus claiming that the drones belong to Ukrainian troops and are used “for causing covid and other diseases”. These unfounded posts are an example of merging and “building on” mutual propaganda and conspiracy narratives. Read the details in the analysis available on the link.
April 20, 2022: When QAnon and Ukraine are mixed together (Raskrinkavanje.me)
QAnon conspiracy theories are largely present on social media, and since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they have often been associated with the theme of war. Besides a Facebook status, a screenshot of the message signed by Juan O Savin was also shared. O Savin is one of the most influential people of the QAnon movement, known for spreading conspiracy theories. More details are available on the link.
April 20, 2022: A promise, not an increase: Putin did not raise salaries and pensions (Raskrinkavanje.me)
We often encounter promises on the political scene that are sometimes fulfilled, and sometimes only remain as promises. A quote published on Facebook claims that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, made a decision that was realized on the same day, March 18, to increase salaries, pensions and social benefits. The post was shared by more than 550 users. More details are available on the link.
April 19, 2022: Informer announced that the United States was sending an army to Ukraine, although the White House denied it yesterday (Raskrikavanje.rs)
The tabloid Informer dramatically announced the Third World War on today’s front page, claiming that “the United States is sending an army to Ukraine”. The tabloid found “arguments” for this claim in the statements of the American senator Chris Coons, who recently stated that he was afraid that Ukraine would turn into Syria without the help of the West. Informer presented Coons’ opinion as something that is certain, omitting the official decision of the White House – that America does not plan to send an army to Ukraine. More details are available on the link.
April 19, 2022: A lie just like in the movie: A doll is not a fake victim of war (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression on Ukraine in February this year, a double war has been waged – on the battlefield and on social networks, where many fake videos and photos appear, trying to present themselves as if they were created during the current conflict. And, from time to time, the occasional “fake victim of war” appears as well. More details are available on the link.
April 19, 2022: Russian army seized drones in Ukraine that are used in agriculture, not for military purposes (Raskrikavanje.rs)
Allegations that the Russian army seized drones intended for dusting with poisonous substances to harm the Russian army and civilians have recently reached the Serbian-language social networks from the Russian media. However, the drones seized by the Russian army in Ukraine a few days ago are commercial, not military, and are primarily used in agriculture. More details are available on the link.
April 19, 2022: Photo-recycling: Russia did not capture two AZOV soldiers (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The war in Ukraine entered its eighth week, and what has marked its course so far, among other things, is a vast amount of fake news and disinformation shared in the media and on various social networks. The disputed Ukrainian battalion – Azov – is often found in them. One of the most common disinformation matrices so far has been the practice of attributing descriptions and timelines to certain photographs that differ significantly from actual facts. More details are available on the link.
April 18, 2022: Putin did not pass a decree increasing all salaries, pensions and social benefits (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The claim that the President of the Russian Federation passed a decree increasing all salaries in the public sector, pensions and social benefits in this country is spreading on social networks, also claiming that the same decree came into force. Putin did announce some of these increases, but such a decree has not yet been passed. More details are available on the link.
April 16, 2022: Propaganda war: Fake news and conspiracy theories about Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Along with the war in Ukraine, which has been going on since the end of February, Russia is waging a fierce propaganda war in which the West is mostly to blame for everything. A series of conspiracy theories are published every day and shared on online websites, YouTube and social networks. More details are available on the link.
April 15, 2022: There is no confirmation that the missile system donated by Slovakia was destroyed in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
After Russia announced that it allegedly destroyed the S-300 system in Ukraine, which was donated to this country by “one European country”, some websites and Facebook users claimed that the donation of Slovakia, which was delivered to Ukraine a few days earlier, was destroyed. The Prime Minister of Slovakia, however, denied such allegations. Read the details in the analysis.
April 15, 2022: Lara Logan justifies Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a “conspiracy” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Former prominent war zone reporter and US 60 Minutes correspondent Lara Logan has made several unsubstantiated allegations supporting the narrative of the justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Allegations about “biological weapons laboratories”, Ukrainian Nazism and the American “deep state”, which played a role in the “selection” of Volodymyr Zelensky, ended in a nearly ten-minute presentation, which went viral on social media. Read more about this topic here.
April 14, 2022: Serbian websites use fake video to claim that a NATO commander was arrested in Ukraine (Raskrikavanje.rs)
These days, a video in which the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detains a man whose face is blurred was shown in the pro-regime media as the alleged arrest of NATO commander Roger Cloutier in Ukraine. The website of the national television Happy unquestionably claims that the American commander “came to Ukraine to kill”, and that he was arrested. However, Cloutier is not featured in the video they released. Read more here.
April 14, 2022: The video from the pro-Russian protest is not proof that the Germans support the invasion of Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Claims have been published on social networks and in some media that pro-Russian protesters drove thousands of cars at the protest in Berlin, with implications that the Germans support the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The video of the protest was used as “evidence”, showing a column of cars with Russian flags. However, this protest was attended by significantly fewer people than claimed, as reported by credible media. More details are available on the link.
April 14, 2022: Putin saves humanity from satanic “Kabbalah” only in QAnon fabrications (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Vesna Curguz’s “conspiracy” Facebook profile shares content in which the Russian invasion of Ukraine is presented as part of an effort to save humanity from the satanic “Kabbalah” that rules the world. Such claims are part of a broader and absurd QAnon narrative. Read more about it in our analysis.
April 14, 2022: Is Russia committing genocide in Ukraine? (Faktograf.hr)
There is no consensus among researchers whether what Russian forces are doing in Ukraine satisfies the legal qualification of genocide. Read more here.
April 14, 2022: Was Hitler a Jew? (Faktograf.hr)
American InfoWars supports the Russian narrative of the “denazification” of Ukraine. They go so far as to claim that even Hitler was a Jew. Read more here.
April 13, 2022: The video from Italy does not show a protest held against arming Ukraine (Fakenews.rs)
The website Daily dose of Belgrade (Dnevna doza Beograda) used a video featuring many citizens gathered in a square in Rome, stating that they oppose arming Ukraine. Although there were protests in Italy concerning the war in Ukraine, this viral video dates from October 2021 and has nothing to do with the war. More details are available on the link.
April 13, 2022: NATO commander, Cloutier, is not captured in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
War propaganda related to the aggression against Ukraine continues. This time, there is a “fat” story about a great Russian enemy who allegedly suffered a great defeat. The news circulating on social networks and strange websites claims that the NATO commander, Roger Cloutier, the head of the allied ground command, was allegedly captured in Mariupol. More details are available on the link.
April 13, 2022: Ukraine has not prepared medals for the occupation of Crimea (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In addition to trying to justify starting the war, Russian propaganda persistently targets Ukraine and its president. One such example is the information released on the Telegram network, which was also shared on many Facebook profiles, including some from our speaking area. More details are available on the link.
April 13, 2022: The video from 2013 is being used as “proof” that Russia utilizes mobile crematoria in the war (Faktograf.hr)
Ukrainian intelligence claims that Russia is burning civilian victims in mobile crematoria. However, they offer screenshots from 2013 as proof. Read more about it here.
April 12, 2022: America bans oil imports from Russia (Faktograf.hr)
The United States is forcing Europe to impose an embargo on Russian oil, while America is increasing the import of Russian oil and reselling it to Europe, claims the marginal website “Transformacija Svijesti” (“Transformation of Consciousness”) on its Facebook page. However, the United States banned the import of Russian energy goods. Read more here.
April 12, 2022: A fake message by Vladimir Putin is spreading on Facebook (Faktograf.hr)
A message falsely attributed to Putin is spreading on Facebook, describing the alleged war crime of the Ukrainian army. There is no evidence that such a crime happened. Read more about it here.
April 12, 2022: A photo from Yemen was taken seven years ago, not a month ago (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Recycling old photos and putting them in the current context is already a well-known activity in the media and social networks. In an attempt to justify the aggression of official Moscow, users of social networks have resorted to this propaganda method in the context of Ukraine, ever since Russia’s armed invasion began. More details are available on the link.
April 12, 2022: Government paid two million euros to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and not to Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Most of the decisions of the Montenegrin authorities so far, when it comes to helping Ukraine and its people, who have been victims of the Russian military invasion for more than a month, have caused a revolt among the part of the Montenegrin public that does not hide that it is in favor of Russia. One of these is the recent decision of the government to redirect the funds that will be spent on the reception of Ukrainian refugees in Montenegro. More details are available on the link.
April 12, 2022: April Fools’ joke about Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic presented as real news (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The website Index published an April Fools’ joke claiming that Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was chosen to lead the negotiations on stopping the war in Ukraine because of the trust she gained from the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some websites published this joke as real news. More details are available on the link.
April 12, 2022: The extreme right-wing in Ukraine and the “Great Reset” conspiracy theory (Faktograf.hr)
A thesis circulating on Facebook claims that the financing of the Ukrainian extreme right-wing is part of the plan of the globalist elite to enslave the population through the “Great Reset”. Read more about it here.
April 11, 2022: The same narrative – a different country: There is no evidence that the Germans are implementing a “military-biological program” in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The use of biological weapons permeates the history of warfare. Its great lethal efficiency is why even at the very mention of this type of weapon, we feel threatened, unprotected, and insecure… This is also an excellent starting point for many conspiracy theorists to spread their narratives about the development of biological weapons and their use. The latest events in Ukraine have “qualified” this country as a place where there are supposedly biological laboratories, a military-biological program is being developed, etc. More details are available on the link.
April 11, 2022: Dzevad Galijasevic repeats pro-Russian disinformation and old conspiracy theories (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Dzevad Galijesevic, presented by some media as an “expert”, made inaccurate allegations about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in an article for the obscure website IN4S. He called the invasion “a special military operation” aimed at “cleaning up centers for the development of weapons of mass destruction” in Ukraine. Although this is previously recognized disinformation, the article was shared by the public media RTRS and Srna. Read the details on the link.
April 9, 2022: Accusations based on authentic photography: too dark to be citizens of Ukraine (Fakenews.rs, Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Sputnik accused the Financial Times of “fake news” because of a photo in which darker-skinned people are marked as Ukrainians leaving their homes. The author of the photo, Dan Kitwood, states for Tragac that the photo was really taken in Ukraine and says that he feels a hint of racism in the ridiculous re-examination of this photo. More details are available on the link.
Raskrinkavanje.ba also dealt with this topic, and you can read their analysis on the link.
April 8, 2022: Manipulative allegations about Russia’s takeover of the “Ukrainian presidency” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
After the Russian news agency published the news that Russian soldiers occupied the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the southern city of Kherson, the media from the region reported in clickbait headlines that “Ukraine’s presidency is occupied”. They also incorrectly reported that the office is located on the Crimean peninsula. More details are available on the link.
April 8, 2022: Documents found by Russian soldiers do not prove that Kyiv planned an offensive on Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Dozens of media outlets in the region claimed in their articles that “evidence” had emerged that the Ukrainian army planned to carry out an offensive on Donbas in March this year.
Documents, however, do not prove that the offensive on Donbas was planned for March. More details are available on the link.
April 7, 2022: Manipulation of the protest: Who organized it, and to whom do the symbols belong? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
At a time of war in Europe, many media outlets are interpreting information in a misleading way. Thus, inaccurate conclusions are quickly drawn, which directs readers to wrong narratives. The website IN4S published a text claiming that the symbols of the neo-Nazi organization from Ukraine’s “Right Sector” were found on the streets of Podgorica and that Montenegro was “sliding” into fascism. More details are available on the link.
April 7, 2022: It is not true that one-third of refugees who leave Ukraine for France are not Ukrainians (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The website Nulta tacka announced that as many as 30% of refugees who leave Ukraine for France do not have Ukrainian citizenship and come from countries in Africa and the Middle East. According to official data, the share of migrants who come to France from Ukraine and are not Ukrainians is actually less than 2%. Read more about this topic on the link.
April 7, 2022: Seven-year-old video falsely portrayed as the arrest of the Azov leader (Raskrinkavanje.me)
From the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 until today, false information has been spreading on social networks through posts that have nothing to do with the current conflict. Thus, a video shared on Facebook is claimed to show the arrest of the leader of the extreme right-wing battalion Azov. More details are available on the link.
April 7, 2022: Zelensky’s fake niece and Mihailo Dedeic’s fake account (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is constantly under disinformation attack, and pro-Russian media and social media users are constantly trying to present him as a Nazi. After photo-montages with Nazi symbols and claims that he is promoting those symbols on his clothes, they are now trying to connect Zelensky with a neo-Nazi from Ukraine. More details are available on the link.
April 6, 2022: Dead people were filmed in Bucha, not extras (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Ukrainian and world media have been writing for days about crimes against the civilian population in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, from which tragic photos and footage of the victims are coming. In Bucha, from which the Russian army withdrew, killed civilians were found on the streets, as well as a mass grave. While the West condemns such a horrific crime, official Russia denies involvement and points out that this is, as it is stated, another provocation. More details are available on the link.
April 6, 2022: Kirill did not say that Ukraine should be destroyed as the Nazi Reich (Raskrinkavanje.me)
While the war in Ukraine is still raging, and the people are leaving their homes due to the Russian aggression, media speculations and the influx of fake news have not decreased. Although disinformation is mainly reserved for tabloids, credible media often spread fake news, finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish what is a lie and what is true. This time, the untruth was published at the expense of Russia, that is, their metropolitan. Several media outlets reported that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all of Russia called for the destruction of Ukraine in a speech held before the army. More details are available on the link.
April 5, 2022: Contrary to Mila Aleckovic’s claims, the war in Ukraine is not a “Covid-20 operation” against biolabs (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
As a guest on the Balkan info show, prominent conspiracy theorist Mila Aleckovic presented a series of disinformation about the war in Ukraine. She unjustifiably linked the war to the Covid-19 pandemic, calling it a “Covid-20 operation” and saying that Ukraine is not a country. More details are available on the link.
April 5, 2022: “Conspiracy” video as a means of Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video about “Nazis” in Ukraine, used as a propaganda tool to justify the Russian invasion, has become popular on social networks.
The video contains numerous inaccurate or manipulative claims. More details are available on the link.
April 5, 2022: A Nazi from Photoshop: Zelensky does not promote the swastika (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Social networks are often habitats for realistic photomontages, and it is sometimes difficult to determine the original from a fake one. The target of one such photomontage was the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom they wanted to portray as a Nazi using a collage of three photographs. One photo shows him holding a jersey with a stylized swastika. More details are available on the link.
April 5, 2022: Moving corpses and other disinformation about war crimes in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr and Raskrikavanje.rs – Russian propaganda of the website Srbija Danas: Dead bodies are moving)
Various disinformation about war crimes in Ukraine is spreading on social networks. Among the most popular is the claim that the footage shows the corpses moving. Read more here. The article written by Raskrikavanje.rs is available on the link.
April 5, 2022: Genocide in Srebrenica was not a “production” (Istinomjer.ba)
Responding to US President Joe Biden, who said that Putin must be held accountable for crimes committed in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, among other things, denied the existence of the Srebrenica genocide, which happened in July 1995. Although Russia vetoed the UN Security Council in July 2015 to pass a resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, the Russian side has never officially characterized the Srebrenica genocide as a “production”, as Zakharova recently did. More details are available on the link.
April 5, 2022: “Russian train” from Canada transports battle tanks in 2012 (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, social networks have been flooded with disinformation. Some of them are marketed by individuals, while others are the product of serious propaganda machinery. After fake soldiers, refugees and victims, now it is time for the “Russian” train transporting battle tanks. More details are available on the link.
April 5, 2022: CNN did not write about the Serbian resort as a destroyed hotel in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The fabrication of fake news about the Western media reporting regarding the Russian aggression on Ukraine does not stop spreading on social networks. A screenshot of a tweet, allegedly published by the American CNN, was shared in a Facebook post, which states the following: “These are the remains of a famous Ukrainian hotel “Mir” after the attack by Russian bombers. It is alleged that CNN published this on its Breaking news account”. What is true and what is not, read in the analysis available on the link.
April 4, 2022: “The seer Simpsons”: Photoshop on the situation in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The most famous animated family in the world has been entertaining homes worldwide for more than three decades. These days, it seems, it brings the most joy to those dealing with world events, the war in Ukraine and those who spread trivia, albeit fake ones, which accompany this horror. For over 30 years, ‘The Simpsons’ have gone through many topics, but did they really predict the horror in Ukraine and is the end of the world and the nuclear conflict near us? If the original script is to be believed – the answer is not really. More details are available on the link.
April 4, 2022: The infamous Nazi is not part of the Ukrainian police (Raskrinkavanje.me)
During the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, propaganda machines produce numerous untruths, so the new episode from this series carries the message that there are two sides to the Ukrainian police. More details are available on the link.
April 4, 2022: Residents of Cetinje did not display Nazi symbols during a rally in support of Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Although Montenegro, as a country, has sided with Ukraine, which has been the target of Russian military aggression for more than a month, a good part of the Montenegrin population still advocates pro-Russian views, including the one that serves as a justification for aggression and concerns the thesis of “denazification of Ukraine”. Those people are on one side, and on the other are the persistent Cetinje citizens. More details are available on the link.
April 4, 2022: Pregnant woman dies, another person received humanitarian aid (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Pro-Russian propagandists are not giving up on spreading disinformation regarding the hospital shelling in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. After claiming that the bombing was fake and that the injured pregnant woman was an actress wearing make-up, a new circle of untruths is spreading. “A woman who “died” last week in a maternity hospital due to the military hostilities in Mariupol and whose photo appeared in all Western media, has taken Russian humanitarian aid in Mariupol today”, states a Facebook post accompanied by a video showing several people taking bread and water. More details are available on the link.
April 4, 2022: Ukrainian medals for “capturing Crimea” are fake (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Photos of Ukrainian medals for “capturing Crimea”, allegedly found in the occupied Kherson region, are being shared as “proof” that Ukraine planned to attack Donbas and annexed Crimea. This justifies the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which “thwarted” the alleged plans to attack the Ukrainian territories under the control of Russia or pro-Russian separatists. However, the “medals” found are not authentic, and there is no evidence that Ukraine planned to take back Crimea using military means. More details are available in the analysis.
April 2, 2022: A video shows an attack on a tower in Gaza, not on the building of the Ministry of Ukraine (Raskrikavanje.rs)
A building that disappears in flames, accompanied by the sounds of demolition and a photographer who tries to capture that moment – this is a brief description of the video that reached the Viber group “With truth against the plandemic”, featuring claims that the Russians bombed the building of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The video, however, has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine. It dates back to May 2021 and shows an Israeli attack on a tower in Gaza during the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which manages Gaza. More details are available on the link.
April 1, 2022: Viral video does not show a “concentration camp” in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video about the alleged concentration camp managed by the Ukrainian battalion Aidar is shared on social networks. The video was made by the People’s Militia of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, but it was actually taken in the former base of the mentioned battalion and not in the camp. There is no evidence to suggest that anyone was “tortured and killed” in this facility. Read more about this topic on the link.
April 1, 2022: Zelensky did not blame NATO for the war in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
In an interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the war in his country would not have started if Ukraine had been a member of NATO. Some media outlets have equipped their articles about this interview using headlines in which it is incorrectly claimed that Zelensky blamed NATO for the war in Ukraine. More details are available in the analysis.
March 31, 2022: Russian propagandist presented as a “minister” who threatens with nuclear weapons (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
In a television show, Russian political scientist and propagandist Sergey Mikheyev made threats of the nuclear bombing of NATO members if they send peacekeepers to Ukraine. His threat was published in the headlines of several websites without context or information that he was a television personality known for his inflammatory rhetoric. In an article published by the anonymous website Sve za vas (All for you), Mikheyev is incorrectly presented as a “Russian minister”. More details are available in the analysis.
March 31, 2022: Australian conspiracy theorist claims that the war in Ukraine was rigged (Faktograf.hr)
The website Epoha reports the claims of an Australian who is falsely presented as a professor and who claims that the war in Ukraine was rigged and arranged. Read more here.
March 31, 2022: No, environmental activists are not to blame for European dependence on Russian gas (Faktograf.hr)
In a bizarre text about the causes of the war in Ukraine, conservative American columnist Dennis Prager also explains the war through the activities of the environmental movement. His article was shared by the website Konzerva.hr. Read more here.
March 31, 2022: There is no evidence that Ukrainians poisoned Roman Abramovich (Faktograf.hr)
Unfounded news is spreading that Ukrainians poisoned Roman Abramovich. There is no evidence that Abramovich is poisoned, and if he is, it is unknown who is behind it. Read more here.
March 30, 2022: Was a sniper from Serbia arrested in Ukraine? (Faktograf.hr)
Allegations are coming from Ukraine claiming that they have arrested the Serbian sniper Bagira. Serbia claims that she has been in prison for a long time. The photos show that the woman allegedly arrested in Ukraine does not even look like Bagira. Read more here.
March 30, 2022: Did Putin increase pensions, salaries and social benefits for Russians? (Faktograf.hr)
There are rumors among Facebook and Instagram users that Vladimir Putin has increased Russia’s salaries, pensions and social benefits due to sanctions. It is true that pensions have been increased, but not salaries and social benefits. Read more here.
March 30, 2022: The performance by “Woman in Black” is NOT dedicated to the victims of Azov from Ukraine (Raskrikavanje.rs)
A video showing women walking on a white canvas, leaving red marks behind, appeared on Twitter yesterday, claiming that it was a commemoration dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian Nazis. Although shortly after the video was published, the same Twitter profile commented that it was a “joke” and that the event was dedicated to the “fake genocide in Srebrenica”, many continued to share it in the context of the war in Ukraine. More details are available on the link.
March 29, 2022: “Recent” photos of Azov children are from 2015 (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the extreme right-wing battalion Azov has been the subject of numerous media. Today, the extremism of this battalion also serves to create various disinformation, such as that the battalion has child soldiers. More details are available in the analysis.
March 29, 2022: There is no evidence that the Azov Battalion is preparing a coup against Zelensky (Faktograf.hr)
A pro-Russian Ukrainian parliamentarian who was recently accused of high treason claims Azov is preparing a coup in Ukraine. There is no evidence on which such a claim could be based. Read more here.
March 28, 2022: How does the war affect the availability of food in Croatia? (Faktograf.hr)
Croatia produces sufficient quantities of cereals but is not self-sufficient in producing meat, fruits and vegetables. Prices will rise in all segments. Read more here.
March 28, 2022: Putin’s fictional quote about the “fight against the Nazis” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A quote in which Vladimir Putin talks about people who call him Hitler and a murderer, and in which he states that one day the “world will understand everything” about his alleged fight against the “Nazis”, has gone viral on social networks. However, there is no evidence that the quote is authentic. Read more here.
March 28, 2022: It is not true that the prime ministers of Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic faked a visit to Kyiv (Faktograf.hr)
Logicno.com, a website specializing in spreading Russian propaganda, unfoundedly claims that the prime ministers of Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland faked a trip to Kyiv, the capital of war-torn Ukraine. Read more here.
March 28, 2022: Has the Russian Ministry announced a Ukrainian plan for a military exercise or offensive on Donbas? (Faktograf.hr)
Russia claims to have evidence that Ukraine planned an offensive on Donbas in March 2022. However, the document they are referring to, and whose content Russia and Ukraine interpret differently, is not entirely clear. Read more here.
March 28, 2022: Even after Putin – there is Putin (Faktograf.hr)
For years, Russian services under the supreme leadership of the experienced Russian president have been supporting activities undermining democratic systems worldwide – they are mingling with and generously funding far-right and far-left parties. Read more here.
March 28, 2022: A new bizarre plot of the old conspiracy theory: “Chemstrails” do not exist and have nothing to do with the war in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Proponents of the decades-old “chemtrails” conspiracy theory claim that the spraying of the population from planes stopped because the Russian military destroyed biolabs in Ukraine, which allegedly produced chemicals. This is completely fabricated. The chemtrails never even existed. More details are available on the link.
March 28, 2022: Fake news about “fake CNN news” (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In addition to the mainstream media, we can often find out about current events with the help of photos or videos citizens post on social networks. The problem with these is that they are often processed and manipulated. For instance, these days, claims are spreading that CNN is deceiving the public when reporting on the events in war-torn Ukraine. More details are available on the link.
March 25, 2022: The video of Zelensky visiting the hospital is authentic, it does not show the doctor who died (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Social networks users and some websites determined that the video of the recent visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the hospital in Kyiv was fake and recorded earlier. As “evidence”, they claim that Inna Derusova, who died at the end of February, appears in the video. This statement is not true. The video shows Tatiana Ostashchenko, commander of Ukrainian military medics. Read the details on the link.
March 25, 2022: Is America trying to take away part of Siberia from Russia? (Faktograf.hr)
There is a widespread belief in Russia that the Americans are trying to take away part of Siberia. This story has rather bizarre roots and includes an alleged reading of the mind of a former US Secretary of State. Read more here.
March 25, 2022: No, Ukraine does not introduce Grand Reset amid the “conflict’s silence” (Faktograf.hr)
The popular conspiracy theory of the “Great Reset” has taken on a new dimension – it is claimed on social media that the great social experiment is quietly beginning in war-torn Ukraine. Read more here.
March 25, 2022: No, Russia did not prevent NATO from starting the third world war (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Articles from several websites claim that NATO planned to start world war III and that Russia stopped it by attacking Ukraine. More details are available in the analysis on the link.
March 24, 2022: No, ‘The Simpsons’ did not predict war in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
Inaccurate claims about the “prophecies” of the popular show ‘The Simpsons’ are common on social networks. Now, this is happening again with the war in Ukraine. Read more here.
March 24, 2022: It is not true that the Croatian Denis Seler received a high state medal from Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
The Instagram account “let’s get to know Croatia” (“upoznajmohrvatsku”), published a factually incorrect claim stating that the Croatian citizen Denis Seler received from Ukraine the People’s Hero of Ukraine award. Read more here.
March 24, 2022: It is not true that the Ukrainian woman accused Zelensky of being a murderer on French television (Faktograf.hr)
The marginal website Croativ.net unfoundedly accuses the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, of being a murderer. Read more here.
March 24, 2022: A photograph of a Ukrainian traffic sign is photoshopped (Faktograf.hr)
A photoshopped photo of a traffic sign in Ukraine is spreading on social networks, with an insulting message addressed to the Russian occupiers. Read more here.
March 24, 2022: Ukrainians did not start a war in their own country (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been guided by the rhetoric of “liberating the country from the Nazis”. How the Ukrainians became Nazis overnight is unclear to many, except to those supporting the Kremlin and the policies adopted in Moscow. There are many of them on social networks. By exchanging theses, they are trying to turn Russian propaganda into an open call for a showdown with the Ukrainian government. More details are available on the link.
March 24, 2022: Macron, Moscow, DNA – the perfect recipe for a conspiracy theory (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The war in Ukraine overshadowed the coronavirus. However, individuals remained faithful to the pandemic, so they merged both current situations into a new-old conspiracy theory.A completely fabricated video was published on the Facebook profile of Kraljevic Marko III, and it has received one thousand views in one day. In a video that lasts just over two minutes, there is mention of a “biocoded electronic weapon of directed action” that allegedly takes our DNA and broadcasts a satellite signal specialized only for our body to control it. This is called individual bio-frequency, which is a form of energy healing. More details are available on the link.
March 24, 2022: Propaganda and disinformation: Evacuated people from Mariupol went to the territory controlled by the government (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Contrary to claims shared on social networks, the evacuated residents of Mariupol did not go to the territories controlled by Russia but to Zaporizhzhia – a city controlled by Ukrainian forces. Find more details in the analysis available on the link.
March 23, 2022: The growth in food prices began even before the war in Ukraine (Raskrikavanje.rs)
While the tabloids attribute the rise in prices and shortages of goods exclusively to the war in Ukraine, they remain silent about the same problem of rising prices in Serbia. More details are available on the link.
March 23, 2022: It is not true that the photo of the President of Ukraine in bed with a girl is spreading (Faktograf.hr)
Misleading articles from marginal websites are being shared on social networks, in which it is incorrectly claimed that compromising photos of the President of Ukraine are spreading on the Internet. Read more here.
March 23, 2022: It is not true that Ukraine only financially helps citizens who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 (Faktograf.hr)
The peripheral website Epoha incorrectly claims that Ukraine gives war victims $ 2,000, but only if they are vaccinated against COVID-19. Read more here.
March 23, 2022: “Corpse” that smokes a cigarette has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine (nor with the coronavirus) (Faktograf.hr)
Ukrainian propagandists are accused of staging a mass murder, and the video proves that one of the “corpses” is alive and smoking a cigarette. However, this scene is taken from a Russian music video and does not represent scenes from Ukraine. Read more here.
March 23, 2022: Ukraine is a war site, not a “film set” (Faktograf.hr)
An anonymous man from England went to Ukraine, filmed his trip and concluded that there was no war, but Ukraine was just one big “movie set”. Read more about this disinformation here.
March 23, 2022: IKEA: Photos showing portraits of Putin in our store in Zagreb are photoshopped (Faktograf.hr)
The inaccurate claim that workers of the IKEA store in Zagreb have put out portraits of Vladimir Putin has spread on social networks worldwide. Read about it here.
March 23, 2022: How Sputnik deceives the public about the causes of the war in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
Russia’s state-run media, Sputnik, has been banned from broadcasting in the European Union, but their misinforming articles are still being spread on social networks. Read more here.
March 23, 2022: Air Serbia did not suspend flights to Moscow (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Some websites have claimed that the Serbian airline Air Serbia has suspended flights to Moscow. Certain announcements state that the alleged cancellation of flights results from “the pressure from Europe”. That, however, did not happen. Read the details in the analysis available here.
March 23, 2022: From M to B: Uncle Vanja instead of Ronald McDonald (Fakenews.rs)
The company “Rusko Polje – Logistik” is conducting an internal investigation due to the request for registration of the brand “Ujka Vanja” (“Uncle Vanja”), which – both in mimes and in the media – is presented as the successor of McDonald’s in Russia. The request has been withdrawn, and such a scenario will not happen. More details are available on the link.
March 22, 2022: Chernobyl and what the Russians did not find after capturing the nuclear power plant (Raskrinkavanje.me)
On the first day of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army occupied the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. Some social network users used this event to create fake news about “re-launched radiation” and then about crimes allegedly committed in the place where the worst nuclear catastrophe in the history of humankind occurred 36 years ago. More details are available on the link.
March 21, 2022: Disinformation by the website Borba about the aid to Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In the sea of disinformation shared on websites, it is often difficult to conclude whether something is informative news, a report or someone’s opinion and comment. Journalistic forms and rules have been forgotten, and this is supported by the fact that in some texts, the names of those being spoken about are not even mentioned. Find more details in the analysis available on the link.
March 21, 2022: There is no evidence that America was preparing a biological war against Russia (Raskrikavanje.rs)
The tabloid Informer reports that the United States financed laboratories in Ukraine with 32 million dollars, due to which 70 people died of tuberculosis in Donbas in 2018. However, as many as 1.5 million people died of tuberculosis in the world in 2020, and the United States has invested $ 200 million in Ukrainian health care since 2005. More details are available in the text on this link.
March 21, 2022: These are not fake Ukrainian victims, but a scene from the shooting of a video in Russia (Raskrikavanje.rs)
A video shared on Twitter shows bodies in plastic bags in the truck’s trailer, and the head of a man who smokes a cigarette “peeks” out of one of them, claiming that they are “fake Ukrainian victims”. As Raskrikavanje determined in the text, the video, however, has nothing to do with the attacks in Ukraine. It is a video for the song of the Russian rapper Husky, released in September 2020.
March 18, 2022: Two weeks of propaganda about the war in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
During the two weeks of the conflict in Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia, Raskrinkavanje.me conducted almost 50 analyses. We researched hundreds of posts and articles published on various websites and social networks, mainly on Facebook. Read more on the link.
March 18, 2022: YouTuber’s videos with fake claims about the “normal situation” in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Two videos are being shared on Facebook, in which a YouTuber from Ukraine claims that the situation is “normal” and that “criminals armed by Zelensky” are causing chaos. Read more on the link.
March 18, 2022: Clickbait and nonsense about the “Russian attack on New York” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The tweet, which mentions the possibility of an attack on the Ukrainian town of New York, was used for headlines from which readers can conclude that it is an attack on the American city of the same name. Read more on the link.
March 18, 2022: “NATO center” was not shelled in Yavoriv, nor are there NATO soldiers in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
After the Russian rocket attack on the military base in Yavoriv, some media claimed that Russia attacked NATO and targeted the “NATO center” or “base”. None of this is true. Read more on the link.
March 17, 2022: The work of “American biolabs” in Ukraine is not the cause of the “epidemic of dangerous diseases” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The conspiracy theory about the existence of American biolabs in Ukraine is “proven” by various, completely incorrect arguments. While laboratories whose development is partly funded by US agencies do exist in Ukraine, they are not used to develop biological weapons, neither they are controlled by the United States, and they do not “experiment” on soldiers. More details are available on the link.
March 17, 2022: A photo from the disaster film was not used in reporting on refugees from Kyiv (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
There is an incorrect claim on social networks that a scene from the movie “Deep Impact” was used in reporting on the war in Ukraine. Facebook users claim that the Italian media TMCOM24 presented the photo from this film as a picture of “an escape from Kyiv”. The media, however, denied those claims. Read the details in the analysis.
March 17, 2022: Video does not show the money seized by Chechen fighters in Ukraine (Rakrinkavanje.ba)
A video featuring boxes of money and the International Committee of the Red Cross insignia does not show the money seized by Chechen fighters in the Ukrainian bunker. It is an old video shared with various incorrect claims. More details are available on the link.
March 16, 2022: It is not true that Russia is destroying laboratories for adrenochrome production in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
The QAnon community is using the war in Ukraine to spread a conspiracy theory about a pedophile elite ruling the world and doing drugs with children’s blood. Read more here.
March 16, 2022: Davor Domazet Loso spreads insane conspiracy theory about the war in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
Retired admiral Davor Domazet Loso started spreading Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine. He blamed the “occult oligarchy” in the West for the war. Read more here.
March 16, 2022: Ukraine did not try to develop nuclear weapons before the Russian invasion (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Articles found on several websites claim that Ukraine was trying to develop nuclear weapons. However, this is the Russian narrative used to justify the invasion of Ukraine. More details are available in the analysis on the link.
March 15, 2022: An attached statement and an attached swastika (Fakenews.rs)
Vladimir Djukanovic (SNS) shared a photomontage with an attached swastika on his Twitter account, and the website Vaseljenska shared a non-existent statement by Ukrainian President Zelensky. Read the details here.
March 15, 2022: The bombing of the hospital in Mariupol is not fake, nor is the injured pregnant woman an actress wearing makeup (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In the sea of disinformation that follows the events of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, frequent targets are authentic videos and photos (taken in places across the country illustrating the scale and consequences of the conflict). These photos and videos are misused to show as fake and as part of anti-Russian propaganda, or as a means of Western powers/media to achieve personal goals by supporting Ukraine. More details are available in the analysis.
March 14, 2022: A sad story with a happy ending: A boy from Ukraine did not cross the border alone (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In the sea of shocking scenes coming from war-torn Ukraine these days, the one that stood out the most was a scene where a boy in tears crosses the border with Poland, thus leaving his country under Russian invasion like millions of his compatriots. More details are available on the link.
March 14, 2022: Economist Slavko Kulic spreads Russian propaganda on biological weapons in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
In an interview for Novi list, economist Slavko Kulic unfoundedly claims that Russia is destroying laboratories for the production of biological weapons in Ukraine. There are biological laboratories in Ukraine, but there is no evidence that weapons are produced there. Read more here.
March 14, 2022: Victims of shelling of maternity hospital in Mariupol are being falsely presented as paid actresses (Faktograf.hr)
Russian propagandists falsely claim that the women who were injured in the hospital shelling in Mariupol are actually paid actresses – even though one of them was killed. Read more here.
March 14, 2022: Humanitarian corridors in Mariupol: Disinformation on the efforts to evacuate civilians (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The civilian population in Mariupol has been in the city for days under intense Russian attacks, and the only way out for them at the moment is to establish humanitarian evacuation corridors. Following the disinformative Russian narrative, some media have repeatedly published incorrect claims about these corridors. Read more on the link.
March 12, 2022: Aggression against Ukraine and “whataboutism” (Faktograf.hr)
If in today’s world, intensified by the situation in Ukraine, we start to list and compare the military interventions carried out around the world by the Russian Federation and the United States, would we have a contentious debate? Read more here.
March 11, 2022: Does Ukraine have laboratories to develop biological weapons? (Faktograf.hr)
The website Logicno continues to spread Russian propaganda. This time, they convey the claims of Putin’s regime that the United States has laboratories for the development of biological weapons in Ukraine. Read more here.
March 11, 2022: Voting results for the UN Resolution taken out of context (Istinomjer.ba)
Since the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Russian pro-government media have been advocating the narrative that the Russian army is conducting a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine to fight Nazism. In this regard, the results of voting for the Resolution on the fight against the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to the encouragement of modern forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance are often taken out of context. This narrative was also used by the Vice President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, Denis Sulic. You can read more about this topic on the link.
March 11, 2022: A speaker from the anti-vax “Freedom festival” spreads Russian propaganda (Faktograf.hr)
Filip Slipcevic, a spokesman for the anti-vaccination “Freedom festival”, incorrectly claims that the war in Ukraine is just a cover to prevent people from talking about the Covid-19 measures. He also got involved in spreading Russian propaganda. Read more here.
March 10, 2022: It is not true that there was no fight at Ukrainian airports (Faktograf.hr)
A two-minute subtitled video of retired colonel Douglas MacGregor’s visit to Fox Business is shared on social media. In the video, the colonel claims that most of what is happening in Ukraine was exposed as a lie within 24 to 48 hours, that the airport fights were “stupid” and “did not happen”. You can read more about it here.
March 10, 2022: Can Vladimir Putin be tried for war crimes? (Faktograf.hr)
The International Criminal Court can accuse Putin of war crimes, but not of aggression, although it was undoubtedly committed. However, it is difficult to expect any trial before Putin is eventually overthrown in Russia. Read more here.
March 10, 2022: Viral photos do not show “child soldiers” in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Social media users are sharing photos of Ukrainian children in a camp run by members of the controversial Azov Battalion, claiming they were created recently and show “child soldiers”. The photos were, in fact, taken years earlier, during a two-week training held in a camp near Kyiv, and do not show “child soldiers”. Read more about this topic on the link.
March 10, 2022: Russian students are not expelled from foreign universities (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In the sea of sanctions that the West imposes on Russia due to the military aggression against Ukraine, inaccurate information is most often singled out. Such information aims to point out the alleged unjustified Russophobia. More details are available on the link.
March 10, 2022: Zelensky does not promote Nazi symbols (Raskrinkavanje.me)
For two weeks since the Russian attack on Ukraine began, persistent propaganda has been created to discredit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a series of such propaganda, the latest one claims that the Ukrainian president promotes Nazi symbols on his wardrobe. More details are available on the link.
March 10, 2022: Former President of Ukraine did not “promise” that children in Donbas would “sit in basements” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A quote from a speech given in 2014 by the former President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, is being shared on social networks and some websites. It was falsely presented as his “promise” that children in the Donbas region would “sit in basements”. However, Poroshenko did not utter such a threat. Read the details on the link.
March 10, 2022: The attack on Ukraine has nothing to do with “American biolabs” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
For years, followers of QAnon and other conspiracy theories have claimed that there are “American biolabs” in Ukraine. In the midst of the war in this country, followers of QAnon and other conspiracy theories claim that such labs are the real target of the Russian attack. Read the details in the analysis conducted by Raskrinkavanje, which is available on the link.
March 9, 2022: Twitter trolls from Serbia presented as “Ukrainian propagandists” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Twitter trolls who portrayed Serbian actors as soldiers in the Ukrainian army have been presented as “Ukrainian propagandists” in some media. Based on the accounts of these Twitter users, it is evident that this is not true. Read more on the link.
March 9, 2022: The European Union and Great Britain do not join the war in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video of a British military convoy sent to Estonia as part of a NATO mission is shared with false claims that “the EU and England are getting involved” in the war in Ukraine and that World War III is about to start. Read more in the analysis available on the link.
March 9, 2022: Russia’s UN resolution served to present the United States and Ukraine as Nazi states (Raskrikavanje.rs)
Claims shared on social networks suggest that in November 2014, at Russia’s suggestion, the United Nations adopted a resolution against the glorification of Nazism and that the United States, Canada and Ukraine voted against its adoption. Although these claims are true, Russophiles use them as an argument that the mentioned countries are pro-Nazi due to the lack of context. However, these countries condemn any glorification of Nazism. As they say, they oppose the adoption of this resolution because it is an instrument by which Russia pursues its political goals. You can find more details in the text available on this link.
March 9, 2022: How Russia lost the information war (Faktograf.hr)
Russian propaganda has managed to convince only a few of the justification of the war in Ukraine. There is no doubt that Ukraine is winning the battle in the information field. Almost the whole world is demonstrating solidarity with Ukrainians: 141 countries voted in favor of a resolution condemning Russian aggression, international sanctions have been imposed on Russia, and the European Union has announced it will work to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Read more here.
March 9, 2022: Who is tying thieves to poles in Ukraine? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The recent war in Ukraine has caused a chaotic situation across the country. This contributed to more than two million citizens fleeing the country, many of whom were left without their homes, which practically disappeared overnight during the Russian military invasion. The new situation, as some media write, has led to increased criminal activities within Ukraine, i.e., theft in cities affected by the war. This topic was also discussed on Facebook and Twitter, and one user shared the same information by adding a photo of a man tied to a street lighting pole. More details are available on the link.
March 9, 2022: A pilot who is not a pilot: Who invented Natasha Perakov? (Raskrinkavanje.me)
War disinformation often aims to relativize violence and murder. However, some try to romanticize someone’s suffering. One such example is a post widely shared on Facebook, which concerns the suffering in which, allegedly, the main role is played by the Ukrainian pilot, Natasha Perakov. More details are available on the link.
March 8, 2022: Non-ending propaganda: No, Zelensky did not flee Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Since the moment of Russia’s attack on Ukraine on February 24, propaganda discrediting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has started on social networks and in the media that support the policy of Russian President Vladimir Putin. To discredit Zelensky, fake news suggesting that he fled Ukraine is spread almost daily. Such news comes even from the highest Russian officials. More details are available on the link.
March 8, 2022: CNN did not present the explosion from 2015 as footage of the bombing of Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Claims that “the Western media is deceiving the public” regarding the war in Ukraine are widely circulating on social networks. It is now claimed that CNN used the explosion from 2015 as footage of current events. Read more on the link.
March 8, 2022: Distortion of facts: Ukraine does not prevent the evacuation of citizens (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The war in Ukraine is a major global issue, not only because it is a war in Europe but also because it is happening when the media and social networks are at the peak of disinformation sharing. This also leads to the distortion of facts becoming a lousy standard. More details are available on the link.
March 8, 2022: There is no evidence that the Ukrainian army used white phosphorus bombs (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Some media reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the Ukrainian army used banned ammunition filled with white phosphorus in the suburbs of Kyiv. There is no evidence for these claims and they have not been published by any independent source. More details are available on the link.
March 8, 2022: Photo misuse: Ukrainian soldiers did not hold civilians as a shield (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Some of the photos illustrating the tragic fate of the Ukrainian people went viral on the Internet. As is usually the case in such situations, some social media users misused them to spread various untruths and disinformation. More details are available on the link.
March 8, 2022: Recycled narratives on biological weapons in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The Russian propaganda machinery publishes a significant amount of disinformation daily, primarily directed against Ukraine, the country in which it is at war, and the West. In addition to the new disinformation, there are some recycled that correspond to the given moment. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that biological weapons were being developed in Ukraine. More details are available on the link.
March 7, 2022: There is no evidence that the “Spirit of Kyiv” exists (Faktograf.hr, Raskrinkavanje.me)
On the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian authorities boasted about the downing of five enemy planes, after which the theory about the “Spirit of Kyiv”, a fearless fighter pilot who protects the sky over the Ukrainian metropolis, began circulating on the Internet. Although there is no evidence of his existence, the anonymous pilot became a hero. Read more here.
The website Raskrinkavanje.me also dealt with this topic, and you can read their analysis on the link.
March 7, 2022: BiH has a stance on the situation in Ukraine (Istinomjer.ba)
Radovan Kovacevic, an adviser to BiH Presidency member Milorad Dodik, recently said that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country in the world that does not have a stance on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. On March 2, 2022, the UN General Assembly supported the Resolution condemning Russia’s aggression, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia were among the 141 countries that condemned the attack. Five countries voted against the Resolution, 35 abstained, and 12 did not vote. Read more about this topic on the link.
March 7, 2022: The projection of the swastika in Kyiv is older than the Ukrainian-Russian conflict (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Denazification of Ukraine is a term promoted by Russia, i.e., its president Vladimir Putin. In accordance with that narrative, disinformation spreads on social networks, aiming to present the Ukrainian authorities and Ukrainians as Nazis. One such announcement is a video taken in a Ukrainian shopping center, in which a Nazi flag with a swastika symbol can be seen on the stairs of the shopping center. However, the video dates from 2019, and you can read more about it on the link.
March 7, 2022: Manipulations from Twitter are not Western propaganda (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is accompanied by propaganda on social networks whose goal is to convince readers that the Western media is sending a false picture of the events in Ukraine, that is, to spread fake news about Russia. Actors from Serbia were also used for this disinformation campaign. After we announced that the actor Nenad Okanovic was falsely presented as a Ukrainian soldier who blew up the bridge and himself, in the new post on Facebook, “the leading role” now belongs to the famous Serbian actor and producer Dragan Bjelogrlic. More details are available on the link.
March 7, 2022: How those who spread falsehoods “check information” (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Amid a rapid spread of fake news, disinformation and conspiracy theories about the war in Ukraine, the mainstream media have a great responsibility to thoroughly verify the authenticity of recordings and photographs from the war zone. An additional problem is created by disinformers who have come up with the idea to put logos of the media they blame for disinformation on recycled, that is, old photos. In this vortex of lies, the path to truth is becoming increasingly difficult. More details are available on the link.
March 7, 2022: Putin did not threaten to cancel the World Cup in Qatar (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Just four days after the military attack on Ukraine, Russia faced punishment from the world football federation FIFA and the governing body of football in Europe UEFA, which decided to expel the Russian national team and all Russian teams from the competition under their auspices. The most impressive in this decision is the expulsion of the football team from the playoffs for this year’s World Cup, held in Qatar. As expected, this decision met with outrage from people who wholeheartedly support Russia and Vladimir Putin, so some fans began to share on social networks an alleged quote by Putin in which he says that the World Cup in Qatar will not be held without Russia in it. More details are available on the link.
March 7, 2022: “Russian armored plane” – manipulation of a video game (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Every day, we witness a large amount of disinformation and fake news about current events related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A large portion of such news include photos and videos allegedly recorded in Ukraine, which show the scale of the conflict, collapsed buildings, injured civilians… But the problem is that some of them were made decades earlier or recorded in other countries, and some content is not even realistic. More details are available on the link.
March 7, 2022: Fake news about fake news: Fabricating non-existent CNN accounts (Raskrikavanje.rs)
In the previous days, the journalists of Raskrikavanje noticed two claims on Twitter suggesting that the American television channel CNN, once on its Twitter account and once on the website, published two fake news related to the war in Ukraine. In one tweet, CNN allegedly used a picture of the dilapidated walls of the hotel in Zvonacka Banja, stating that it was a demolished building in Ukraine, while in another case, this American media “published” photos of NATO bombing of Belgrade on its website. None of this is true and these are photomontages. To help you recognize them, Raskrikavanje gives you some tips. Read more about it here.
March 7, 2022: Who is to blame for the increase in gas prices in Europe? (Faktograf.hr)
A clip from Putin’s press conference has spread on Facebook, claiming that Germany, not Russia, is to blame for rising gas prices in Europe. That is not correct. The price of gas was influenced by various factors, and you can read more about it here.
March 7, 2022: Ukrainian nationalists did not “capture about twenty OSCE’s vehicles” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Some websites published a claim that “Ukrainian nationalists” allegedly captured the vehicles of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s mission in Ukraine. The OSCE has denied the allegations. Read the details in the analysis available on the link.
March 7, 2022: This old video does not show Russian battle tanks in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video, taken in August 2021, during a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, is now being shared featuring incorrect claims that it shows Russian battle tanks in this country. Read more about this topic here.
March 5, 2022: There is no “counter-offensive” of Russia in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
In their articles, some media describe the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “counter-offensive”. Such claims are unfounded and represent another example of a narrative in which the Russian army seeks to portray itself as “liberating” and present the invasion targets as “a special operation to aid Donbas”. Read more on the link.
March 4, 2022: An investigation into possible war crimes was launched after the Russian invasion (Faktograf.hr)
Even though the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for days and domestic and foreign media are reporting about it from hour to hour, among Croatian Facebook users, there are still those who do not believe that this war is being fought and that there are casualties. They believe it is just propaganda and, as they say, lies that spread in the same ways as those about the coronavirus. Even if information about the situation in Ukraine is not sought in the mainstream media, there is ample evidence that there is a war in Ukraine and that there are casualties in that war. Read more about it here.
March 4, 2022: Montenegro has expelled a Russian diplomat, not an ambassador (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Russia’s military aggression, which recently provoked the war in Ukraine, is a move that has been condemned by many countries. One of the countries that condemned the Russian attack is Montenegro, which has adjusted its diplomatic activities to the European Union. However, the media also used this to spread disinformation and report how Montenegro expelled the Russian ambassador from the country. More details are available on the link.
March 4, 2022: Footage of alleged torture and murder was not made on the third day of the war in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video that is claimed to show a battalion of the Ukrainian army Azov brutally killing a Russian was published on one website, claiming that it was made last week, after the Russian attack on Ukraine. The recording, however, was made seven years ago, and there is no confirmation of its authenticity. More details are available on the link.
March 4, 2022: Russian armored plane is just another video from the game (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, footage of the video game Arma 3 is presented as scenes of real war events. Read more here.
March 4, 2022: A photo of the injured woman was not taken in 2018 (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A photo of a woman injured on February 24, 2022, in the Russian air strike on the Ukrainian city of Chuguiv is shared on social networks featuring an incorrect claim that it was taken in 2018. The same claim was published by several media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read the details in the analysis available on the link.
March 4, 2022: Ukraine is independent and recognized, as well as its borders (Raskrinkavanje.me)
While the war in Ukraine has been going on since last week, at the same time there is a war involving fake information in the media and on social networks. One of the examples is fake news published by some media, claiming that Ukraine does not have a state border and that, in fact, it does not exist. Read more on the link.
March 4, 2022: Viral video does not show Ukrainian soldiers dancing with their Russian attackers (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The video of the dancing soldiers is being shared on social networks featuring an incorrect claim that they are Russian and Ukrainian soldiers dancing together. More details are available on the link.
March 4, 2022: Former Miss Ukraine is not taking part in the war against Russia (Raskrinkavanje.me)
From the moment the war broke out in Ukraine between the armed forces of that country and the Russian army, we are witnessing incredible scenes every day, both on the field and on social networks. Disinformers even managed to reach the most beautiful woman – Miss Ukraine – and construct a story about her. Some media accidentally or intentionally misused the Instagram post of former Miss Ukraine Anastasia Lena to claim that she went to war along with Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers. More details are available on the link.
March 3, 2022: The photo of the wounded Ukrainian woman was taken recently, and it is not from 2018 (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The conflict between the Ukrainian and Russian armies, which has lasted for more than a week, led to a rapid spread of various information coming from the war-torn area and overwhelming us. Although the whole world is closely following the events in Ukraine, the fact is that fake information on this topic reaches every individual on a daily basis. Thus, the website In4s announced that the photo of the wounded Ukrainian woman is actually “Western propaganda” and that it dates from 2018. This is fake news, and you can read more on the link.
March 3, 2022: Putting on makeup for a TV series is not “putting on makeup for war” (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Ever since the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine last week, numerous photos and videos have been shared on social networks, some of which are true and some are fake. In one of those posts on Facebook, a video was presented featuring a make-up artist putting on fake blood on a young man and a girl. The same post was accompanied by the following description “for fake media”. It wants to point out that the media, which criticize the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fabricate fake information, i.e., use “make-up” on civilian victims in Ukraine. Find more details on the link.
March 3, 2022: Viral photos of Vitali Klitschko in a military uniform were taken in 2021 (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
After the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, said he would stay in Ukraine to fight in the war between Russia and this country, photos of him posing in a uniform began appearing on social networks and in the media. However, these photos were created last year. Read more here.
March 3, 2022: The Council does not send, nor can it send the Montenegrin army to Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Heating up the tensions in the already unstable political situation in Montenegro and in entire Europe can only cause great damage to our society. Creating panic is easily achieved by publishing fake news and disinformation when protests by political parties and some other organizations are taking place in the streets. The matter is even more difficult if someone mentions the army. The media misinformed the public that Montenegro is sending 120 soldiers to Ukraine. More details are available on the link.
March 3, 2022: Russian media propaganda justified by French citizenship (Raskrinkavanje.me)
The war between Ukraine and Russia, which has been the main topic of all media for the past seven days, is largely being waged on social networks and traditional media channels. Media propaganda means that – some support pro-Russian views, others Ukrainian, so it is increasingly difficult to recognize the truth in the content that is presented. As the primary transmitters of information, journalists are responsible for what they convey to the public. Yet some do not seem to be aware of the role entrusted to them. This was also shown by the case of the “French” journalist Christelle Néant, whom the pro-Russian media tried to present as an impartial witness to the Russian-Ukrainian war. More details are available on the link.
March 3, 2022: Popular page with adult content did not block users from Russia (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The information that PornHub has banned access to users from Russia is incorrect, but this “ban” is still interpreted as a frivolous sanction against Russia. More details are available on the link.
March 3, 2022: CNN did not report that “the same journalist was killed in Kabul and Ukraine” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Allegations shared on social media claim that CNN has twice reported on Twitter how the same journalist was killed in Kabul and then in Ukraine. These are fake profiles, and CNN never published this. More details are available on the link.
March 3, 2022: The video of “a brave girl from Ukraine” was made in Palestine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
The video, which is claimed to show a girl from Ukraine who stood against a soldier from Russia, was made in 2012 in Palestine. More details are available on the link.
March 3, 2022: Same lie, only without labeling LGBT soldiers (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Some disinformation finds a way to survive on the Internet no matter how often it is refuted and labeled untrue. One such disinformation claims that Montenegro is sending troops to Ukraine. However, Montenegro has not sent, and it is still not certain that it will send troops to Ukraine. Moreover, the issue has not been on the agenda of the Defense and Security Council or the parliament, which should decide on it. More details are available on the link.
March 3, 2022: Bizarre claims: Zelensky did not flee Ukraine disguised as a woman (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been going on for more than a week now. While Russia calls its actions in Ukraine “a special operation”, there is “a special war” in the media and on social networks, with disinformers not choosing the means to spread fake news. Some websites from our speaking area and users of social networks, referring to “diplomatic” and “well-informed sources”, have spread fake news claiming that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has left the country, and now, believe it or not, the claim suggesting that Zelensky crossed the state border disguised as a woman has been published. More details are available on the link.
March 2, 2022: In fear of radiation, citizens should not take iodine at their discretion (Faktograf.hr)
The threats of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to nuclear war are the reason why iodine has been sought in pharmacies in Croatia in recent days as prevention of radiation sickness. Read more here.
March 2, 2022: The Avala Tower was not in the colors of the Russian flag (Raskrinkavanje.me)
In many countries of the world these days, the flags of Ukraine were hoisted in support of the people and the independent country that neighboring Russia attacked. However, some support official Moscow and its leader, Vladimir Putin, which we could see in Montenegro. There is a plethora of disinformation and fake news in a huge flow of information. This time, the focus is on the famous Belgrade monument – The Avala Tower. More details are available on the link.
March 2, 2022: War propaganda: Birmingham ends up in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Terrible scenes of the conflict in Ukraine unfold every day, and disinformers do not hesitate to use their imagination to side with one another. War propaganda is already underway, and it enables incoherent things to connect. Find out how the disinformers established a movie set from Birmingham in Ukraine on the following link.
March 2, 2022: From a joke to a lie: Okanovic became Ukraine’s “hero” (Raskrinkavanje.me)
Nenad Okanovic is a popular actor, but he has undoubtedly been in the public spotlight, not only in Serbia and not of his own free will. The reason: the current situation regarding the invasion of the Russian Federation on Ukraine is accompanied by a plethora of disinformation and fake news created in the media or on social networks. This is also the case with the announcement spreading very quickly on the Internet, in which Okanovic is presented as a Ukrainian soldier who blew up a bridge and himself. More details are available on the link.
March 2, 2022: Zelensky as a Nazi: evidence was taken from Photoshop (fakenews.rs)
FakeNews Tragac analyzed several contents about the war in Ukraine, including a photo montage in which Zelensky is shown holding a jersey with a swastika. The original photo comes from the Instagram account of the President of Ukraine: he is wearing a jersey of the Ukrainian national football team with his last name and number 95. Find more details in the analysis available on the link.
March 2, 2022: There is no confirmation that the pilot Spirit of Kyiv exists, and the video that allegedly shows it is not authentic (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
There is still no confirmation whether the pilot who allegedly shot down several Russian aircraft, called the Spirit of Kyiv, is real. However, one of the recordings claimed to show it is not authentic. Find more details in the analysis available on the link.
March 2, 2022: CNN did not erase the border between Serbia and Kosovo (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Incorrect claims appeared on social networks and in some media claiming that CNN “erased” the border between Serbia and Kosovo or that this television considers that “Kosovo belongs to Serbia”. Find more details in the analysis available on the link.
March 2, 2022: The British praised the policy of Serbia in the Ukrainian crisis, but only in the Serbian Telegraph (Raskrikavanje.rs)
The tabloid called Serbian Telegraph (Srpski telegraf) took quotes favoring Aleksandar Vucic from the text of the British ambassador to Serbia regarding the Ukrainian crisis. The text was written for the daily newspaper Nova. They say that Britain “praised” Vucic’s balanced policy towards the Ukrainian crisis. However, the text omits quotes by the ambassador in which she calls on Serbia to join the sanctions against Russia. More details are available on the link.
March 2, 2022: Chain messages on Viber unnecessarily spread fear of radiation (fakenews.rs)
In the chain messages shared via Viber, it is stated that the radiation is extremely high due to the Chernobyl accident: “It was 0.50 in Kyiv last night. Today who knows how many. BG is around 0.15 today. The atomic bomb is about 0.12”. The competent institutions in Serbia and Ukraine state that the level of radiation is normal, which professor at the Department of Nuclear Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Novi Sad, Istvan Bikit confirmed to FakeNews Tragac. More details are available in the analysis on the link.
March 2, 2022: No, Ukrainian soldier did not congratulate BiH Independence Day before the attack on Russian armored vehicles (fakenews.rs)
Several thousand people watched a viral video on Twitter, which states that the pilot of the Ukrainian army congratulated Bosnians and Herzegovinians on Independence Day before “attacking the Russian armored column”. This video has been shared in the media and on social networks for six years, and it does not show a Ukrainian but a Turkish pilot. More details are available in the analysis conducted by FakeNews Tragac.
March 1, 2022: Truckers on the Ukrainian border deny Informer’s claims: Nobody is threatening us
In today’s print edition, the tabloid Informer announced that truckers from Serbia are captured along the Ukrainian border and that “Ukrainian neo-Nazis are attacking them for espionage”, cursing them and threatening they will “end up ” like Russians”. Boban Pejic, one of the drivers who gave a statement to the Informer, joined this morning’s TV Nova S program with another colleague and said that they do not have such problems. They stated that this tabloid is trying to “behead” them in an already risky and tense situation with such writing. Find more details in Raskrikavanje’s analysis.
February 28, 2022: NATO did not say it would not defend Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
A text with a manipulative title appeared on one website, claiming that NATO explicitly said it would not defend Ukraine. However, Western leaders did not leave Ukraine stranded, as stated in the text. When it comes to providing help, they decided on various types of support, although not through military intervention. Find more details in the analysis available on the link.
February 28, 2022: Putin did not “recognize genocide” in BiH (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Dozens of BiH media reported that on February 21, 2022, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, recognized the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, Putin did not mention BiH in any of his speeches held that day. More details are available on the link.
February 28, 2022: Russian flag in Kharkiv: The photo is from 2014 (Raskrinkavanje.me)
A deceptive photo was shared in a post on Facebook, featuring the Russian flag being hoisted on the administrative building of the local government in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The photo is credible, but it is fake news because it was taken in 2014 and has nothing to do with the current events in Ukraine, i.e., Kharkiv. Find more details on the link.
February 28, 2022: Russian army did not clear out the airspace of Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.me)
On Wednesday evening, February 23, the Parliament in Ukraine declared a state of emergency in the country, and this happened just a few hours before official Moscow decided to attack it. This affected numerous situations and movements, including those in the sky. However, the disinformers used it and turned the story in favor of Russia, and the main topic was the Russian army. Find more details on the link.
February 28, 2022: Zelensky was visiting the army and not fighting (Raskrinkavanje.me)
When, at dawn on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his army to conduct a military operation in Ukraine, the eyes of the whole world were focused on the war that began. A photo of Ukraine’s president, Volodymir Zelensky, was shared in one of the numerous announcements related to the war in Ukraine, alluding to the fact that the first man of Ukraine joined the armed forces to fight together against the Russian army. Find more details on the link.
February 28, 2022: The photo circulating on the web shows neither the players nor the fans of the football club Dynamo Kyiv (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A photo shared on social networks and websites allegedly features Dynamo Kyiv football players, armed and in uniform, who “borrowed war equipment to defend their country”. Some have stated that the photo shows the fans of this club. However, none of these claims are true, and you can read the details on the link here.
February 28, 2022: It is not true that Macron does not support sanctions against Russia (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
Sputnik published an article claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron is in favor of dialogue with Russia, while other EU leaders are in favor of sanctions. However, Macron has called for sanctions against Russia on several occasions. Read the details in the analysis available on this link.
February 28, 2022: German Covid disinformer spreads conspiracy theory about the war in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
German lawyer Reiner Fuellmich incorrectly claims that the war in Ukraine is a new project of the same global elite behind the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more here.
February 28, 2022: Yes, Zelensky danced in high heels – he was an entertainer for more than 20 years (Faktograf.hr)
The website Logicno used archival recordings from the entertainment career of the Ukrainian president and tried to accredit him with immorality and incompetence. Read more here.
February 28, 2022: It is not true that there are no civilian victims in Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
The pro-Russian website Logicno claims that there are no photos of civilian victims of the war in Ukraine in the media because there are no victims. That is not correct. Read more here.
February 28, 2022: The photo of the injured woman is authentic, and it has nothing to do with the gas explosion in 2018 (Raskrikavanje.rs)
Several claims have appeared on social networks in the region, suggesting that the photo of the injured woman from Ukraine is not authentic but that it features a woman injured in a gas bottle explosion in 2018. However, this turned out to be incorrect. Read more here.
February 28, 2022: People are falling for scenes from series and footage taken in Palestine, they think they were made in Ukraine (Raskrikavanje.rs)
Russia’s attack on Ukraine is accompanied by many disinformation and manipulations on social networks. Some aim to spread propaganda, some to gather clicks and followers, and for many claims, it is impossible to understand at first glance that these are lies. Read more here.
February 28, 2022: The war in Ukraine serves as inspiration for new QAnon disinformation (Faktograf.hr)
Members of the QAnon community from the region have become active in spreading Russian propaganda on social media. Read more here.
February 28, 2022: Flat-Earther Elvis Duspara spreads incorrect claims about the war in Ukraine on Facebook (Faktograf.hr)
On Facebook, Elvis Duspara, a well-known proponent of the “flat-Earth” conspiracy theory, justifies the Russian invasion using factually incorrect claims. Read more here.
February 28, 2022: No, Otto von Bismarck did not say that Ukraine should be separated from Russia (Faktograf.hr)
A quote about Ukraine and Russia incorrectly attributed to the 19th-century German “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck is shared on Facebook. The quote should serve as an argument for the claim that Western countries have always tried to “dismember” Russia by separating Ukraine from it. Read more here.
February 25, 2022: Viral video of the plane crash over Kyiv comes from a video game (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
There is a viral video on Facebook that allegedly shows the downing of a Russian military plane over Kyiv. The video, in fact, comes from a video game. Read more in the analysis here.
February 25, 2022: An old photo manipulatively presented as a peace prayer in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A photo shared on the Internet allegedly shows Christians in Ukraine praying for peace, that is, for their country “in war danger”. The photo was taken in 2019, and it does not refer to the current conflict in Ukraine. Find out more about this topic here.
25 February, 2022: BiH officials: From condemning the aggression against Ukraine to expressing open support for Russia (Istinomjer.ba)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has provoked condemnations from world countries. However, a united position could not be heard from Bosnia and Herzegovina. While some politicians in BiH condemned Russia’s aggression, politicians from the Republic of Srpska took a neutral stance. Read more about this topic on the link.
February 25, 2022: It is not true that Zelensky is currently out of the country (Raskrinkavanje.ba, Raskrinkavanje.me)
Some websites reported that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, left Ukraine. However, he refuted this claim in a speech he delivered on the evening of February 24, 2022. Read the details in the analysis conducted by Raskrinkavanje.ba, available on the link.
The same incorrect claim has spread in the rest of the region, and the website Raskrinkavanje from Montenegro wrote about it in the analysis you can find on this link.
February 25, 2022: This is not an explosion in Ukraine, the video is seven years old (Raskrikavanje.rs)
The video of the big explosion appeared on the Twitter account of the Russia Ukraine Conflict, along with the text: “The big explosion in Kyiv a few minutes ago” and “200 killed in Kyiv in the explosion”. However, this video was made in 2015 in the port city of Tianjin in China, during an explosion of chemicals in a warehouse. More details are available on the link.
February 25, 2022: “Ingenious entry” of Russians into Kyiv is a violation of the Geneva Convention (Raskrikavanje.rs)
“RUSSIANS ENTERED KYIV IN AN INGENIOUS WAY! They changed into Ukrainian uniforms and then started the assault”, the website Srbijadanas.com writes enthusiastically. However, what Srbija Danas considers to be “ingenious” is actually a violation of the Geneva Convention, which defines the rules of war.
February 25, 2022: An old video from TikTok presented as “explosions in Mariupol” (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video is circulating on social networks, and users incorrectly claim it shows night explosions in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. However, the video was published on the social network TikTok even before the beginning of the open war conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Read more in the analysis here.
February 25, 2022: An old video presented as footage of Russian troops landing in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video claiming that Russian paratroopers landed in Ukraine is also being shared on social networks and can be found in articles on several websites. However, this is a video from 2018. Read the details in the analysis you can find on the link.
February 25, 2022: Russians did not raise the flag on the Assembly building in Kyiv, nor did they conquer the capital (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A video that has gone viral on social media shows four people hoisting the Russian flag on top of a building. The same video is shared with the claim that it is the building of the “Assembly of Ukraine” and that “the Russians conquered Kyiv”. None of this is true. Read more about this topic in the analysis you can find here.
February 25, 2022: It is not true that the Russian invasion had to be carried out in order to prevent the upcoming “massacre” in eastern Ukraine (Faktograf.hr)
A website Logicno presents the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the only possible option to “prevent the massacre” by “pro-Nazi forces” over “the people of Donbas and Luhansk”. However, the Russian intervention did not focus exclusively on military objectives. The website Logicno follows the usual array of Russian propaganda. Read more here.
February 25, 2022: American (un)readiness for Ukrainian chaos (Faktograf.hr)
Biden’s government faces the difficult task of balancing information delivery to American citizens who are not yet interested in direct involvement in the war and communicating with European allies and Ukraine, who expect US leadership in a complex situation changing from hour to hour. Read more in the analysis by Velibor Mandic, Faktograf’s correspondent from San Francisco.
February 24, 2022: Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an invasion, not a “liberation from fascism” (Faktograf.hr)
The Russian army started an invasion of Ukraine. Russian propagandists claim that they are only defending the Russian people from the Ukrainian fascists, and these unfounded claims have begun to appear in the Croatian digital space. Read more here.
February 24, 2022: Lovrincevic: Energy and agricultural security are becoming issues of prime importance (Faktograf.hr)
Russia’s aggression of Ukraine will have far-reaching economic consequences. How much it will further fuel the economic crisis depends on how long Russia’s aggression will last. The uncertainty is enormous, points out Zeljko Lovrincevic from the Institute of Economics in Zagreb, and it is difficult to predict what will happen. However, Croatia will feel the main impact through the growth of prices of energy, agricultural products and all input factors that affect the price of agricultural products, but also certain types of metals. Read more in the analysis.
February 24, 2022: Greeks who were killed in Ukraine were not soldiers (Raskrinkavanje.ba, Fakenews.rs)
A number of websites in the region reported that two Greek soldiers were killed and two wounded in eastern Ukraine. However, official sources do not state that they are soldiers, but civilians, i.e., “Greeks from the diaspora”. Read more on the link. FakeNews Tragac also wrote about this disinformation. Read more here.
February 24, 2022: Russia claims and Ukraine refutes: Whose announcements about the incident on the Russian border are more important for the domestic media? (Raskrinkavanje.ba)
A few days before the open conflict began, a total of 37 websites from the region announced that Russia accused Ukraine of shelling Russian territory, along with publishing Ukraine’s denial. On the other hand, some websites, 30 of them, completely left out Ukraine’s denial of these accusations and relied only on the claims of the Russian intelligence service and news agency. Find out how the media in the region reported on this topic in the analysis available here.
February 23, 2022: Tabloids in Serbia have taken the side of Russia in its conflict with Ukraine (Raskrikavanje.rs)
“Putin decided”, “Putin beat Ukraine”, “Putin shocked the West”, and “Putin brought freedom to Donbass” – on the front pages of the tabloids, the Russian president is still presented as a leader who opposes the globalist West with radical but fair measures. More details are available on the link.
February 22, 2022: The war that starts every day: How the media in the region report on tensions in Ukraine (Raskrinkavanje.ba, Raskrinkavanje.me, Fakenews.rs)
In the months before the war started, numerous regional media repeatedly claimed that the war had already “begun”. The headlines of some media suggest that not only Russia and Ukraine are participating in the war, but also the United States, NATO, and even Montenegro, with “gay soldiers”. Raskrinkavanje from Montenegro, Raskrinkavanje from BiH and FakeNews Tragac from Serbia, have dealt with the headlines in which the war was announced and declared in the days when it had not yet begun. Read more in the analysis you can find on this link.
