Latest fact checks & sources

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives portraying the war in Ukraine as a proxy war and blaming NATO and the so-called “Collective West” for it, accusing the EU of Nazism and claiming that Europe’s aim is to invade and destroy Russia in the long run. These claims are made in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and aim to deflect Russia’s responsibility for its aggression against this country.

Unsubstantiated claim about the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. This claim was made in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. No evidence is provided to support the claim. Fico was shot as he was speaking to people in the small town of Handlová after a government meeting there on 15 May 2024. The suspected gunman, identified by Slovak media as 71-year-old former security guard and amateur poet Juraj Cintula, was charged with attempted premeditated murder and was put in pre-trial detention by a special penal court on 18 May 2024. Fico is out of immediate danger now but remains in intensive care. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned the attack on the prime minister of Slovakia.

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.

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.

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.”

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 message is a part of a wider narrative about the lack of democracy in Western countries, in this case, it promotes the idea that “aggressive” Poland and other democratic countries order political murders of the run-away “dissidents”. No evidence is provided to support this claim, which is part of a classic “whataboutism” along the line “you blame me for bad things, but you do the same yourself”. It is a whataboutism attempt to deflect attentiona away from Russia’s assignations made in UK (like Alexander Litvinenko), Germany (the Tiergarden murder) and other attempts on political opponent such as former rusisan agent Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia which were targeted with a Novichok chemical nerve critical in Salisbury, UK. 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.

There is no evidence of the involvement of any Western country in the assassination attempt on Fico. Slovakian media identified the shooter as 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, a self-described writer who previously worked as a security guard and is allegedly linked to pro-Russian group Slovački branci. Slovakia’s interior minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, told reporters that Cintula was a “lone wolf, whose actions were accelerated after the presidential election since he was dissatisfied with its outcome.”

This message is a part of a wider narrative about the lack of democracy in Western countries, in this case, it promotes the idea that an “aggressive” Poland persecutes its citizens for their political views. No evidence is provided to support this claim. 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.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU violating freedom of speech and press. On 15 May 2024, EU ambassadors agreed in principle to place an additional four Russian media outlets on the sanctions list, accusing them of propaganda. These are Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestiya and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The decision was based on the fact that these media outlets are used as a tool of Russian propaganda and disinformation. See here for the list of outlets sanctioned previously. The EU countries are considered free and democratic by Freedom House. In contrast, Russia is considered one of the least free countries in the world. This is the reason why pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives strongly attack democracy and the EU as a viable model to Russia’s autocratic system.

Intensively repeated disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets attempting to discredit the EU mission in Armenia, accusing it of espionage, anti-Russian, anti-Iranian and anti-Azerbaijani activities. From the very beginning, this exclusively civilian mission has been fully transparent about its plans to operate from six hubs. It has no links to NATO or troops from its member countries. From the moment of its launch, EUMA was a target for disinformation, as discussed in our analysis The wrong the wicked and the wacky. Claims about the EU mission in Armenia. The mission was launched in Armenia in response to a request by Armenia. EUMA conducts routine patrolling and reports on the situation, which strengthens the EU’s understanding of the situation on the ground.

This is an often used pro-Kremlin narrative according to which the West is interested in prolonging the war in Ukraine. The assertion that Western countries harbour a desire for the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine lacks any substantial foundation and is devoid of factual support. Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have a track record of pretending negotiations which are, in fact, just blunt demands for Ukrainian unconditional surrender. We have analysed and exposed this disinformation tactic in several articles, especially: “Prepare for winter” (30 Nov. 2023), “Russian so-called ‘peace proposals’ are empty PR stunts” (18 Jan. 2023) , “What He Said and What it Really Means – Vol. 2: “Negotiations” (1. March 2022) and “The Kremlin security demands” (21 Dec. 2021).