Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Paul Cézanne

Another wave of foul-smelling lies from the russian disinformation factory swept through the media landscape in April. We have documented hundreds of new disinformation stories of varying scale and geographical scope. In our digest, read about attacks on France, Moldova, the EU, Latvia, Italy, Sweden, Hungary, Israel, the UK and, as usual, Ukraine. putin’s regime continues to rely on chaos, stoking hostility and undermining democratic institutions.

Based materials from Stopfake.org, Spravdi.ua, EuVsDisinfo.eu

Fake: Zelenskyy recorded an address against the backdrop of a stolen painting by Paul Cézanne, which proves his links to the mafia.
In reality, the russians created a fake video styled to look like a BBC news report. The BBC confirmed that the video is fake. Propagandists used a genuine address by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy from his official YouTube channel (19 January), but edited the image of the painting: instead of a work by Ukrainian artist Andriy Chebotaru, they inserted Cézanne’s ‘Still Life with Cherries’.
The fake video spread rapidly on X – a single account alone garnered over 400,000 views in a matter of hours. According to researchers, the ‘Storm-1516’ network, which the US Department of the Treasury links to Russian intelligence, was involved in its dissemination.
The hoax is based on a real incident: on the night of 22 March, four armed men in masks robbed the Magnani Rocca Foundation’s villa near Parma, Italy, stealing three paintings with a total value of around €9 million. Among them was Paul Cézanne’s ‘Still Life with Cherries’. This crime is already being called one of the most high-profile art heists in Italy in recent years, particularly against the backdrop of the high-profile robbery at the Louvre in Paris last October (incidentally, the Russians also wrote about a ‘Ukrainian connection’ at the time). The investigation is being conducted by the Italian Carabinieri in conjunction with the cultural heritage protection unit.

Fake: The King of Sweden ‘humiliated’ Ukraine and President Zelenskyy.
russian media are spreading disinformation about the visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to the city of Lviv on 17 April. Allegedly, the Swedish monarch humiliated Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by “demonstratively refusing to shake his hand” during the meeting. 
King Carl XVI Gustaf and a Swedish government delegation did indeed visit Lviv. This visit was the first since the start of russia’s large-scale invasion and “is yet another demonstration of broad and unwavering support” for Ukraine, the monarch emphasised: https://www.government.se/press-releases/2026/04/hm-the-king-and-minister-for-foreign-affairs-visit-ukraine/ . In fact, during his meeting with the President of Ukraine, Carl XVI Gustaf did not decline a handshake and conversed warmly with the Ukrainian president, as confirmed by numerous videos and photos published both on the website of the Royal Court of Sweden (https://www.kungahuset.se/arkiv/pressmeddelanden/2026-04-17 -h.m.-konungen-i-ukraina) and by the press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy laid flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers at the Field of Mars in Lychakiv Cemetery, where Ukrainian defenders have been buried since April 2022. The monarch also visited a rehabilitation centre where Ukrainian servicemen and women are undergoing treatment and receiving prosthetics. For his part, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Sweden is one of the largest donors providing aid to Ukraine. In other words, all the narratives of russian propaganda are shattered by the facts.

russian disinformation. Eurostat. flight tickets. European Union

Fake: The EU has launched a ‘surveillance system’ targeting Ukrainians.
russian media are spreading manipulative news claiming that, from April 2026, the European Union has “launched a new digital surveillance system for Ukrainians”. In reality, propagandists are manipulating information about the introduction of the European Entry/Exit System (EES) in the European Union. This is not a ‘surveillance system’ for Ukrainian citizens – it is a border control system for citizens of all non-EU countries making short-term trips to Schengen Area countries. Thanks to the system’s implementation, border control during travel within the European Union is simplified and automated for visitors.
The system, which became fully operational on 10 April 2026, records a person’s name, travel document details, biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images, as well as the date and place of entry and exit, in full compliance with fundamental rights and data protection. 
The automated system eliminates the need for EU border officials to manually stamp travellers’ passports. For holders of biometric passports, this will greatly simplify the border control process, as citizens will be able to process their own entry and exit using a self-service system.

Fake: Ukrainian cybercriminals are defrauding Europeans out of their flight tickets.
A video bearing the Euronews logo is circulating online, claiming that Microsoft has allegedly recorded a sharp rise in cases of fraud linked to flight bookings. The authors of the fake news attribute this trend to the activities of Ukrainian criminal groups, who are allegedly creating fake websites that mimic popular booking services. It is also claimed that the French police have already received over 50,000 reports from victims.
In reality, this video is a fake. The perpetrators used a genuine Euronews report from 7 April 2024 and superimposed a fabricated audio track onto it. The original report deals exclusively with rising airfare prices and a reduction in the number of flights due to the conflict in the Middle East.
There is no mention whatsoever on the official Euronews website or on its verified social media accounts of any involvement of Ukrainians in such schemes.
Microsoft does indeed conduct research into cyber threats and the spread of phishing websites. However, in its reports for 2025–2026, Ukraine is primarily cited as one of the main targets of cyberattacks, rather than as a source of global threats, particularly fraudulent schemes. Indeed, the Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025 highlights that Ukraine is among the most targeted countries, with a significant proportion of threats originating from russian state-backed groups, including Midnight Blizzard, which use phishing for cyber espionage.
Similar hoaxes are part of a systematic information campaign aimed at discrediting Ukraine abroad. Their aim is to portray Ukrainians as a threat to European society, undermine trust in Ukrainians, and divert attention from the real sources of cyber threats, including those linked to the activities of russian groups. 
Fake: Ukrainians commit a third of all sexual offences against women in Europe.
The russian disinformation machine has concocted yet another shameful story about Ukrainians. This time, it cites Eurostat — the European Commission’s official statistical agency. kremlin propagandists claim that Ukrainians are responsible for a third of all sexual offences committed in Europe and the UK. Furthermore, they add the lie that 64% of European women allegedly consider Ukrainians to be the group they fear most in public places. 
In reality, Eurostat has never published such data, nor has any other reliable source. It is worth noting that pro-russian propagandists have repeatedly appropriated the Eurostat brand to lend an air of institutional authority to fabricated statistics.
The latest Eurostat report, ‘Statistics on gender-based violence’, confirms that gender-based violence remains a widespread and systemic phenomenon in the EU: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Gender-based_violence_statistics Approximately one in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence in adulthood. Younger women report such experiences more frequently than older women, which may indicate both the actual level of risk and a greater willingness to speak openly about violence. This study covers various types of violence — ranging from acts by partners or family members to attacks by strangers — as well as sexual harassment in the workplace and stalking. The survey was conducted in accordance with the standards of the Istanbul Convention and took place between 2020 and 2024 in all EU member states. 
However, the report does not treat migration as an explanation or a key factor in gender-based violence. The study does not draw conclusions regarding the ‘role of migrants’ as a distinct group of perpetrators. Instead, the focus is on types of violence and the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, referring primarily to partners, relatives or acquaintances, rather than ‘strangers’. The overall logic of the report shows that most incidents occur within close social circles and often go unnoticed by the state.

Latvia. russian language. putin’s regime

Fake: Latvia has banned the russian language in everyday life and is already punishing schoolchildren.
russian government spokesperson zakharova accused Latvia of displaying Nazi tendencies by banning the use of russian in schools. In reality, the ‘news’ about the ban was fabricated by a pro-russian local politician who has fled the country. 
‘Banning Latvian schoolchildren from communicating with each other in Russian is the behaviour of Nazis, who forbade people from using their own language on the basis of ethnicity or nationality,’ stated maria zakharova.
Earlier, Riga City Council deputy Alexei Roslikov told russian news agency RIA Novosti in an interview that schoolchildren in Latvia had been banned from speaking russian to one another on school premises, even during their free time. But in reality, no such law exists in Latvia. Roslikov appears to have been inspired to make this statement by a high-profile incident in 2024, when a school in the city of Jūrmala adopted internal regulations that included a requirement for pupils to speak only Latvian on school premises.
The then Minister of Education, Anda Čakša, described the restriction as excessive. The Latvian Ombudsman’s Office ruled the ban unlawful, and the office’s representative, Ruta Silina, explained: “The school has a duty to draw up internal regulations. But there is a certain limit; there are areas they cannot regulate, such as private communication between two pupils. The law does not allow them to interfere in this sphere.”
In accordance with the Ombudsman’s Office’s recommendations, the school amended its internal regulations. The story of the ban on the russian language would have ended there, had the fugitive Roslikov not brought it up again a year and a half later at the behest of russian propagandists.
Roslikov was the leader of a party that relies mainly on the votes of russian-speaking voters who sympathise with putin’s regime. A case has been brought against Roslikov on charges of inciting national and ethnic hatred. The court hearing in Roslikov’s case was due to take place in early April, but in March he received permission from the court to travel to a conference in Switzerland, after which he did not return to Latvia, settling instead in Belarus.

Israel’s missile defence system. Donald Trump’s fake. NATO aircraft

Fake: China has sold Iran supersonic anti-ship missiles capable of taking out a US aircraft carrier.
A video that went viral claims that China allegedly sold Iran supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles and that, as a result, a US aircraft carrier was completely neutralised. Fact-checking revealed that this video is from a so-called ‘content farm’ and was created using AI. 
According to CNA, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated at a briefing that reports of Iran purchasing Chinese supersonic anti-ship missiles are false. And although the Chinese authorities deny providing military aid to Iran, the sale of supersonic anti-ship missiles is entirely possible, as Iran is a partner of China and Beijing is seeking to expand its influence.
However, given the current international situation, even if China did indeed intend to sell missiles to Iran, delivering them in the near future would be difficult, as they could be intercepted en route — at an airport or a seaport.Moreover, there is no evidence that Iran has already used missiles of this class against American aircraft carriers. 
Donald Trump’s fake news: NATO is a ‘paper tiger’ with no ships.
kremlin media are enthusiastically reporting on Donald Trump’s statement in an interview with ABC. The US President made the following remarks regarding NATO allies’ unwillingness to support the US in military action against Iran: ‘I did it as a test. I didn’t need it, did I? They’re paper tigers. Paper tigers. They don’t have any ships. They’ve got nothing, and putin isn’t afraid of them at all.”
How Trump obtains information about who and what putin fears remains a mystery. However, something is known about the naval forces of NATO countries. The navies of NATO countries, excluding the US, comprise five aircraft carriers: two British, one French, one Italian and one Spanish. Moreover, the European carriers are more modern.
European NATO countries have a total of 70–80 submarines — roughly the same number, or even slightly more, than in the entire US fleet. However, all 70 American submarines are nuclear-powered, whereas in Europe only the UK and France have such vessels (10 and 9 submarines respectively).Therefore, the claim about a ‘paper tiger’ that has no ships is, to put it mildly, untrue.
Fake: Israel’s missile defence system is unable to cope with Iranian missiles.
russia’s ‘Vesti Nedeli’ claims: ‘Neither side is prepared to back down. Iran is raining missiles down on its enemies. “David’s Shield” and “Iron Dome” are failing. The interceptors seem to fly at an angle and crookedly. Missile nozzles are falling on Haifa. At night, the Iranians constantly use warheads with a split warhead. Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport has been reduced to ashes.”
In reality, the ‘reduced to ashes’ Ben Gurion Airport continues to operate, albeit with restrictions. Foreign airlines have suspended flights to Israel for safety reasons; there are no commercial flights, but the Israeli carriers El Al, Israir and Air Haifa are operating repatriation flights. 
On 18 March, debris from a downed Iranian missile fell onto the airport grounds and seriously damaged three private aircraft on the tarmac; one of them caught fire. Debris also landed on the runway.
Over the past month, Iran has fired approximately 400 ballistic missiles at Israel. Most of them were successfully intercepted, but there were still several hits in populated areas. According to an IDF report dated 22 March, Israeli missile defence systems intercepted 92% of the missiles. However, the IDF notes that even when a missile with a cluster warhead is successfully intercepted, not all submunitions can be completely neutralised. Furthermore, it is impossible to prevent some debris from the downed missiles from falling on populated areas, as happened in Haifa. 

terrorist attack in Paris. Prime Minister Meloni. russian ambassador

Manipulation: Italians are outraged by Zelenskyy’s visit.
russian websites are spreading reports that during Zelenskyy’s visit to Rome, Italians allegedly expressed widespread ‘outrage’ at his motorcade, from whose vehicles armed bodyguards ‘aimed their weapons at passers-by’, and that, as a result, there are even alleged calls online for a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Meloni. 
In reality, this information is yet another instance of russian manipulation. On 15 April 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid an official visit to Rome. He met with the Prime Minister at the Palazzo Chigi and with the President at the Quirinale Palace. Following the talks, both sides announced plans to conclude a ‘Drone Deal’ and to deepen joint defence production.
As for the ‘outrage’ that this visit caused in Italian society, the attitude of the Italians is best characterised by Meloni’s own stance. The Prime Minister confirmed her full support for Ukraine and stated that Italy stands by Kyiv ‘without any conditions’. Interestingly, the real outrage in Italy following this visit was caused not by Zelenskyy’s motorcade, but by the crude insults directed at Meloni herself by russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov. Rome officially summoned the russian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The reaction to these insults united both the ruling coalition and the opposition.
So, russian social media accounts and websites once again took a routine video recording of a standard protocol event, added propaganda rhetoric (‘drug cartel’ and the like) and passed it off as ‘public outrage’ in Italy — whereas in reality, the Italian authorities summoned the russian ambassador because it was the kremlin that had insulted their prime minister.

Fake: Le Figaro reported on the involvement of Ukrainian refugees in organising a terrorist attack in Paris.
russian media are reporting that the French publication Le Figaro allegedly reported on the involvement of Ukrainian refugees in organising a terrorist attack at the Bank of America headquarters in Paris. The report is accompanied by a one-minute video clip styled as a news report featuring the publication’s logo.
In reality, this information is untrue, and the video was most likely created using artificial intelligence tools. There are no publications or mentions of such an incident on Le Figaro’s official resources. The video itself merely imitates the visual style of news reports but has no connection to the publication’s actual content. It is also noteworthy that the video is being circulated in English, whereas Le Figaro publishes content in French.
Furthermore, no reputable international media outlet, French state bodies or official representatives have reported on the involvement of Ukrainian citizens in the planning of this terrorist attack. The lack of confirmation from reliable sources is one of the key signs of disinformation.
On the contrary, the French anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office stated that the four suspects arrested in connection with the attempted terrorist attack are linked to the pro-Iranian group HAYI: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/four-suspects-foiled-bofa-paris-bombing-put-pre-trial-detention-2026-04-02/ 

US contractor. April Huggett. Ukrainian army

Fake: One in three Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers who received treatment in France did not return to Ukraine.
russian propaganda, citing the French publication Le Point, is circulating a video claiming that 20,000 people did not return to Ukraine from France. In reality, this video is fake. Le Point has not published such a story either on its website or on social media. 
The video merely imitates the media outlet’s style: it uses stock footage, lacks the names of journalists and image sources, and features English subtitles – whereas the publication’s actual content is published in French, according to the fact-checking project Vox Check: https://voxukraine.org/fejk-shhonajmenshe-20-tysyach-ukrayinskyh-vijskovyh-ne-povernulysya-v-ukrayinu-pislya-likuvannya-u-frantsiyi-le-point
No reputable media outlets or official bodies have reported on the ‘20,000’ Ukrainian soldiers who allegedly remained in France. This is a fabricated figure.

Fake: A US contractor has admitted that the Ukrainian army command is failing in its operations to evacuate the wounded.
Pro-russian media and bloggers are circulating a video message purportedly from “April Huggett, a US contractor serving as a medic in the Ukrainian army’s 93rd Separate Mechanised Brigade”. In the video, the woman claims that “for six months, it has been impossible to evacuate the wounded; soldiers are drinking water from puddles and dying, and the command is not responding to this situation”.
In reality, this video was created using AI. The original video is an appeal by April Haggett asking for support for a fundraiser for anti-drone guns for the ‘Alcatraz’ battalion. russian propaganda took the real clip and, using artificial intelligence, replaced the volunteer’s audio track, facial expressions and pronunciation, superimposing a fabricated text.
April Haggett is a Canadian, not an American, volunteer who has signed a contract and serves as a combat medic in the Alcatraz battalion of the 93rd ‘Kholodny Yar’ Brigade and was recently promoted to the rank of junior sergeant. She also acts as the battalion’s PR manager and regularly raises funds for its needs.
The fake story emerged against the backdrop of russia’s systematic attacks on the civilian population of Kramatorsk, which it attempts to justify or cover up. For example, on the night of 18 March, the occupiers struck a residential area with two FAB-250 bombs. Dozens were injured, including two children. On 29 March, the russians launched another strike: three civilians were killed, including a 13-year-old child, and 12 people were injured. And on 3 April 2026, the russian army killed six more civilians in this way, with a further eight wounded. And this, unfortunately, happens regularly.
The aim of this fake news is to demoralise both the military and the civilian population, and to undermine trust between society and the army. 

France 24 journalists in Kyiv. Trust in the EU

Fake: Trust in the EU among Ukrainians has fallen to 9%.
russian propagandists are spreading the claim that ‘Ukrainians’ trust in the EU has fallen to 9%’. According to the authors of the fake news, this allegedly jeopardises reforms and the continued receipt of financial aid from Europe.
But this claim is pure fiction and has nothing to do with reality. In fact, in Ukraine, the level of trust in the EU stands at 53%, with 41% tending not to trust it and 6% undecided. The ‘Rating’ group notes that Ukrainians trust the EU more than citizens of France, Cyprus, Greece, Slovenia, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
Ukrainians’ support for Ukraine’s accession to the EU is even higher. According to the Razumkov Centre (survey conducted 31 January – 4 February 2026), 83% of Ukrainians support accession to the EU — this is the highest figure for the entire period of observation since 2021: https://www.dw.com/uk/opituvanna-pidtrimka-vstupu-ukraini-do-es-e-rekordno-visokou/a-75918655 Thus, support for European integration is not falling but, on the contrary, is growing.
Fake: Euronews reported that France 24 journalists had been beaten in Kyiv.
russian propagandists created a fake video featuring Euronews branding, claiming that a group of journalists from the French channel France 24 were allegedly beaten and robbed whilst working in Ukraine – “equipment worth 24,000 euros was stolen from them”. 
The fake video merely imitates the style of Euronews reports, yet there are no posts or mentions of such an incident on the channel’s official website or its verified social media accounts.
To create the video, the propagandists used images from open sources that have no connection to the events described. Unlike the fake, in real Euronews reports, the editorial team uses verified photos and video footage from the scene, accompanied by reliable facts and references to sources.
The fact that this story is a fabrication is also evidenced by the absence of any confirmation from reputable media outlets. No Ukrainian or European publication, including France 24 itself, has reported such an attack. According to the analytical service Osavul, this fake video was first published on 2 April on the pro-russian Telegram channel ‘Republic of Odessa’, after which it began to spread across other propaganda sources and social media.

Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar. kirill dmitriev

Fake: To save fuel, the EU and the UK are imposing travel restrictions on their citizens.
kirill dmitriev, head of the russian Direct Investment Fund, stated on his X account that travel restrictions would be imposed on EU and UK citizens. This was his response to calls from European governments to use cars and planes less in order to save energy resources. He also added that the EU and the UK will soon be asking for russian energy resources to be returned to the market. The post itself contains a link to a report that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has declared a state of emergency in the energy sector. Dmitriev does not explain what connection the Philippines has to the EU and the UK. However, in another post on the same topic, he quotes the publication Politico.
Here is the original quote from the article: “In a letter addressed to all EU energy ministers, the Commissioner called on EU countries to ensure good coordination and to consider promoting voluntary fuel-saving measures, with a particular focus on the transport sector, as recommended by the IEA in its 10-point plan to reduce oil consumption.”
Among these measures is the point: “Restrict the use of private cars on roads in major cities”. The IEA plan elaborates:
‘Restricting the use of private cars on roads in major cities to only those with even-numbered plates on certain weekdays and those with odd-numbered plates on other weekdays is a measure with a long track record of successful implementation. During the first oil crisis, the Italian government replaced car-free Sundays with an even/odd number plate policy. Since the 1980s, similar schemes have been introduced in many cities to combat traffic congestion and peaks in air pollution, including Athens, Madrid, Paris, Milan and Mexico City. <…>
The result: in the short term, a reduction in oil production of approximately 210,000 barrels per day, provided that in large cities with a well-developed public transport system, alternative use of cars is organised two days a week.
As we can see, there is nothing here resembling travel restrictions. Encouraging the use of public transport and car-sharing instead of private cars, or even rail travel instead of flights, cannot be considered as such. Nor do either the European Commission or the IEA mention any coercive measures that could be compared to a lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. And it is completely unclear why dmitriev mentions the UK in this context.

Fake: Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar plans to revive the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Pro-russian media, citing Politico, are spreading a fake story claiming that Hungary’s newly elected Prime Minister Péter Magyar allegedly plans to ‘revive the Austro-Hungarian Empire’ and occupy the Ukrainian part of Transcarpathia. 
In reality, the Politico article with the somewhat provocative headline “Péter Magyar wants to put the Austro-Hungarian Empire back on the map” focuses primarily on strengthening economic and political unity in Central Europe, and the occupation of Transcarpathia or any other territories is not considered a potential scenario at all. The author of the article, Nette Nöstlinger, writes that Péter Magyar has stated his intention to significantly deepen cooperation with neighbouring countries — primarily with Austria — building on a shared imperial heritage and strong economic ties. Austria is the second-largest investor in the Hungarian economy after Germany, and over 130,000 Hungarians work in Austria. Magyar plans to make his first foreign visit as prime minister to Warsaw and Vienna — as a symbolic signal of a new foreign policy course. Thus, the idea of the ‘revival of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’ in the text serves more as a metaphor to attract attention than as a literal interpretation of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s future policy. The elections in Hungary provided an opportunity for russia to spread a series of disinformation narratives.