Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation aiming to deter nations from seizing Russia’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction. This is also a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that the international sanctions against Russia are inefficient. In response to Russian aggression against Ukraine, the US, EU and several other countries froze about $300 billion in Russian assets deposited in Western banks. It was Russia’s illegal actions against Ukraine, which violate the provisions of many international laws, including the UN Charter, that led to the introduction of a long list of sanctions against Russia.

This is a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, aiming to undermine the leadership of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Also the claim is part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign concerning Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The majority of Ukrainians oppose presidential elections during martial law due to security concerns. In February 2024, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology published the results of a study according to which the vast majority of Ukrainians, i.e. 69%, believe that Volodymyr Zelenskyy should remain in the post of president until the end of martial law.

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed at defaming President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian leadership to absolve Russia from its responsibility for suspending the democratic process in Ukraine. Since 2022, Russia has waged large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and is also responsible for the outbreak of the conflict in 2014, after having illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula and engineered the creation of rebel militias in Donetsk, Luhansk and other places, with its army actively participating in military clashes. Further, Zelenskyy’s reported decision to postpone next year’s presidential poll was made in accordance with current Ukrainian legislation. Article 19 of the 2015 Ukrainian law “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” directly prohibits the holding of presidential and several other types of elections during wartime.

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed to defame President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian leadership to absolve Russia from its responsibility for the fact that Ukraine cannot hold elections for the moment. Since 2022, Russia has waged large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and is also responsible for the outbreak of the conflict in 2014, after having illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula and engineered the creation of rebel militias in Donetsk, Luhansk and other places, with its army actively participating in military clashes. Further, Zelenskyy’s reported decision to postpone next year’s presidential poll was made in accordance with current Ukrainian legislation. Article 19 of the 2015 Ukrainian law “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” directly prohibits the holding of presidential and several other types of elections during wartime.

This is a deliberate distortion of facts aiming to undermine the legitimacy of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation. This disinformation story claims that president Zelenskyy ‘cancelled the election’ to suggest a power-grabbing maneuver. However, this disingenuous formulation is not true, as a call for new elections actually never took place due to the ongoing war. Ukraine’s constitution is straightforward: no elections can be held during wartime and the President of Ukraine exercises his powers until the assumption of office by the newly-elected President. The continuity of government institutions is one of the key principles of the Constitution.

This is a distortion of actual facts, aiming to undermine Ukraine by accusing it of being linked to acts of international terrorism. Pro-Kremlin outlets have exploited the attack against Slovak president Robert Fico as part of a wider disinformation campaign. The allegation about ‘Slovak media’ is massively exaggerated, as only two sources are provided to back it, both of which are op-eds from well-known pro-Russian commentators, and one of them is an openly pro-Russian, conspiracist-prone site. There is nothing indicating any possible Ukrainian link to the attack. Existing evidence so far shows that the suspected perpetrator, a man identified as Juraj Cintula who was arrested on the spot, may belong to the far-right milieu and may have acted for ideological reasons.

Anti-Semitism and disinformation, accusing the West of the attempt on the life of Slovakian PM Robert Fico. This also pushes a conspiracy theory and disinformation narrative about global elites secretly ruling the world. There is no evidence of the involvement of any Western country in the assassination attempt on Fico.

The legislation in Ukraine regulating the use of the Ukrainian language does not apply to personal communication or religion, and does not provide for any criminal liability for violations of its norms, “language patrols” or “language inspectors”, as propaganda claims. Ukrainians themselves do not see any harassment of Russian-speaking Ukrainians, as evidenced by the results of opinion polls.

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative and a conspiracy theory claiming that Western countries support terrorism all over the world and order assassinations of political leaders who carry out independent policies. There is no evidence of the EU, the US or their allies being involved in the long list of events covered by the disinformation piece above.

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed at defaming president Zelenskyy and absolve Russia from its responsibility for suspending the democratic process in Ukraine. Ukrainian law prohibits holding presidential elections while under martial law. This was stipulated by the Ukrainian martial law passed in 2015, long before President Zelenskyy became the president of Ukraine in May 2019.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative targeting the upcoming European Parliament elections. This narrative also accuses the EU of Nazism. Both claims were made in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The widespread Russian accusations of “Nazism” against European states is a tool of political pressure, since Russia itself is trying to justify its aggression against Ukraine with the mythical need to “denazify” Ukraine. The UN has repeatedly emphasised that Russia’s actions seriously undermine the genuine attempts of the world community in the fight against neo-Nazism.

The claim that Ukraine and the US were behind the assassination attempt against Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is a baseless accusation with no supporting evidence. This is part of a broader pro-Kremlin campaign aiming to portray Ukraine as a terrorist state. Shortly after the news that Prime Minister Fico was shot, a widespread disinformation campaign accused Ukraine of being responsible for the assassination attempt. Popular pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and bot accounts played a key role in spreading this disinformation narrative. The extremely rapid response combined with such serious accusation is an indicator that this is a coordinated disinformation campaign.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Russia is not a threat. The aim of this disinformation claim appears to be deflecting attention away from Russia’s responsibility for its hostile policy and war of aggression against Ukraine. The article also accuses the West of warmongering, and of having an allegedly belligerent and hostile agenda against Russia. The West did not start the war and was not interested in war in the heart of Europe. The Russian threat is not a myth. Russia started the bloodiest war in the 21st century, violating international and humanitarian law. Russia is destroying Ukraine, its population, cities, and vital infrastructure.

Poland and NATO are repeatedly presented by pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets as an aggressive forces planning anti-Russian provocations and posing a security threat to Russia. This is in line with how pro-Kremlin outlets portray NATO and Western countries as aggressive towards Russia. See our article All roads lead to Poland. This claim was made in connection with the accusations and statements of the Polish Judge Tomasz Szmydt, who ran away to Belarus on 9 May 2024 seeking “political asylum” in this country. In Poland, he is under the suspicion of espionage in favour of Belarus and was stripped of his immunity. When in Belarus, Tomasz Szmydt appeared on the Belarus state outlet of Belta as well as RT and Sputnik with allegations against on the current Polish government.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an undemocratic EU, part of a wider campaign to discredit European democracy ahead of the European Parliament elections. The EU is not ‘NATO’s political arm’. Though EU-NATO cooperation constitutes an integral pillar of European defence and their security are inter-connected, both are independent of each other, as it is clear from the list of their nation members. NATO includes 9 states that are not members of the European Union, while 4 EU members are not part of the Atlantic Alliance. The European Union is a sovereign entity created by the voluntary initiative of European nations and it has its own, independent foreign policy.

A recurring disinformation narrative in pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that Ukraine and its allies are not interested in peace. The claim, which is also timed to smear Ukraine ahead of the international peace conference hosted in Switzerland 15-16 June 2024, is part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign in Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The claim seeks to paint the Ukrainian government as warmongering and Russia as peace-lover / peace proposer. It also attempts to portray Ukraine as a Western puppet state.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives blaming Ukraine and the West for the attempt to kill Slovakian PM Robert Fico and for the Crocus City Hall terror attack in Moscow. These baseless disinformation stories are part of a wider campaign by Russian officials and media -including by Vladimir Putin himself- to blame Ukraine, NATO and and other actors for both the attacks.

This is an pre-emptive attempt to discredit the peace summit which Switzerland will host on 15-16 June 2024. Following Ukraine’s request, Switzerland has invited over 160 delegations from around the world to join for the first Summit on Peace in Ukraine. The invitees include members of the G7, G20, BRICS, many other countries from all continents, as well as the EU, three international organisations and religious representatives. According to the Swiss government, the summit aims to create a framework favourable to comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine, as well as “a concrete roadmap for Russia’s participation in the peace process.” If the summit does not provide fruitful results, it will be because of Russia’s impossible preconditions for a peaceful settlement. Russia refuses to engage in any talks before the “unconditional surrender of the Kiev [sic] regime.”

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation Poland, Romania and Hungary as states with imperial ambitions. Apart from smearing these EU members, the aim is also to deflect attention away from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is a modification of a recurring disinformation narrative about the alleged disintegration of the EU. As our past analysis explains, the ‘imminent collapse’ narrative is often used in pro-Kremlin outlets in relation to the EU, European countries, or capitalism.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation aimed at deterring nations from seizing Russia’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction by warning of an imminent economic collapse. The narrative also aims at undermining Ukraine’s cooperation with the International Monetary Fund. The disinformation is based on a press conference by Julie Kozack, Director of the Communications Department of the International Monetary Fund, on May 16, 2024. Answering a question from journalists about the possible use of Russian assets to support Ukraine, Kozack noted that the International Monetary Fund insists on a thorough study of this decision and its consequences.