transit of drugs. Poland Ukraine. russian government

The kremlin is in no way getting closer to its declared goals, which is why putin’s dictator regime is intensifying terror against civilians and aggressive disinformation campaigns. In July, russians attacked (in addition to Ukraine) France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland, the G7, and the UN. In response, the global community must increase pressure on russian criminals and their accomplices—in all spheres. Unfortunately, every day of insufficient determination in the fight against Ruscism costs human lives and the health of our planet. Please share our materials in your communities.
Based materials from Stopfake.org, Spravdi.ua, EuVsDisinfo.eu

Fake: Law Enforcement Discovered $11 Million in Zelenskyy’s Parents’ Account. 
Information is circulating online alleging that employees of Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Bureau searched the apartment of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s parents in connection with suspected tax evasion and found $11 million in their bank accounts. As proof, in a video featuring the Euronews logo, propagandists cite a screenshot with news from Ukrainska Pravda (a Ukrainian media outlet). 
However, the story, as well as the news item within it, is completely fabricated: in reality, neither Euronews nor Ukrainska Pravda (which is cited in the video) reported on a "search and detention of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s parents". An elementary keyword search on the websites of both outlets revealed nothing. Likewise, neither NABU nor other law enforcement agencies commented on the news. The video itself is a low-quality compilation of random footage with AI voiceover, in which even basic Ukrainian words are mispronounced. There is no information in the public domain regarding significant wealth or property assets belonging to the Ukrainian President's parents.  
Fake: Ukraine Introduces Criminal Liability for Public Disrespect Toward Zelenskyy.
russian propagandists are spreading news that Ukraine is allegedly introducing criminal liability for public disrespect toward Zelenskyy. At the same time, the authors of the fake provide no details about the bill. In reality, this is a fabrication. The account that first published the post deliberately spreads provocations regarding the president. Thus, the profile bears the ironic name "zelenskybog", and the description states that the author "lives in Warsaw" and is an "LGBT representative". Obviously, the account owner intentionally broadcasts controversial views in Ukrainian society and exaggerated praise toward Volodymyr Zelenskyy to provoke a negative reaction from the audience.  
Likely, the "inspiration" for the fake was Draft Law No. 15186, registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which proposes amendments to Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine to introduce separate liability for Ukrainophobia. This concept encompasses: public calls to deny Ukraine’s agency as a state and nation, justification of the assimilation of the Ukrainian people, as well as public contempt for the Ukrainian language, culture, and traditions—specifically in media, literature, or art. For such actions, the bill provides for a fine ranging from 119 to 170 thousand hryvnias or imprisonment for up to 3 years. However, the draft law does not provide punishment for criticizing the actions of the government or the president.  

Ukrainian drones. G7 summit

Fake: G7 Statement: "Ukraine Will Fall in Winter."
Against the backdrop of its own failures at the front, russian propaganda is spreading yet another piece of disinformation about "Ukraine’s inevitable capitulation". In particular, russians invented a statement by G7 leaders alleging they are "confident" that Ukraine "will not last long" in its confrontation with russia and "will not survive the coming winter". In reality, the leaders of the Group of Seven countries made no statements regarding Ukrainian capitulation: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/g7-leaders-statement-on-geopolitical-issues-17-june-2026. On the contrary, the G7 heads of state noted in a joint statement the increasingly visible difficulties faced by the russian army on the battlefield—alongside Ukraine’s growing capabilities to strike targets deep inside russian territory.  
"We commend Ukraine’s resilience and its battlefield progress in recent months and emphasize that a new momentum is now observed. To support and accelerate this new momentum, we agreed to increase the supply of air defense systems, additional systems and interceptors, as well as long-range capabilities. We are also ready to consider granting licensing relief to Ukraine that enables an increase in Ukraine’s military production," reads the joint statement from the G7 nations.  
G7 leaders spoke about the winter threat to Ukraine solely in the context of russia’s terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure.  
Ukraine’s international partners emphasize the intensification of barbaric russian attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure before the onset of cold weather—to increase pressure on the peaceful Ukrainian population. According to a joint report by the UN, Ukraine, the World Bank Group, and the European Commission, the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment for Ukraine at least doubles with every new year of the russian invasion.  
Fake: Italy Blocks NATO Assistance to Ukraine Because the Overwhelming Majority of Italians Are Against It.
On russian TV, Italian publisher and political analyst Sandro Teti commented on the Italian government's refusal to approve a €70 billion military aid package for Ukraine for 2027:"This is dictated by the elections that will take place in a year, and the government can no longer ignore the opinion of the overwhelming majority of Italians, who have always been and remain even more opposed to supporting Ukraine. There is another threat to the government—the emergence of a new party by General Roberto Vannacci, who not only openly criticizes support for Ukraine, but also considers Ukraine a criminal state. And here one must also take into account that Italy faces a major crisis and inflation. Therefore, if on one hand there is not enough money for healthcare and other needs, it is sacrilege to give tens of billions of euros once again to Ukraine."  
Indeed, during preparations for the NATO summit, Italy did not approve a draft military assistance package for Ukraine worth €70 billion for 2027, although it confirmed the same volume of support for 2026. kremlin media rushed to declare this a blocking of aid, but the Italian government stated its readiness to continue support at previous levels, merely opposing the rigid fixing of specific long-term commitments without discussion. In a situation where Italy faces a budget deficit, the government considers it inadvisable to issue "blank checks" years in advance without careful consideration.  
Most likely, this stance is indeed connected to the upcoming elections, but Sandro Teti’s statement about an "overwhelming majority" of opponents to military support for Ukraine appears more than strange. According to a survey conducted by the reputable Italian public opinion service SWG for the La7 TV channel in February 2026, 44% of respondents favored continuing arms supplies to Ukraine, while 38% were opposed. Supporters of military support for Ukraine actually increased compared to the previous survey in May 2025.  
General Roberto Vannacci, mentioned by Teti, is a far-right politician, critic of liberal values, and opponent of feminism, immigration, LGBT, and environmental activists. Vannacci, who once served as a military attaché at the Italian Embassy in moscow, believes that russia is waging war not against Ukraine, but against the West, which "responded harshly" instead of discussing russia’s conditions (Ukraine's neutral status, non-expansion of NATO, and a ban on long-range weapons).  
Sandro Teti is known for his pro-russian and anti-Ukrainian stance. His publishing house, Sandro Teti Editore, has released Italian translations of books by russian propagandists and officials vladimir medinsky, Alexey pushkov, and zakhar prilepin. Consequently, his stance is biased and deliberately pro-russian, meaning it should not be taken as true.  

russian news. Bryansk region. Ukrainian military

Fake: Finnish Government Admits the EU Does Not Seek to End the War in Ukraine.
Pro-russian media distributed another piece of disinformation, distorting a quote from the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland: "Elina Valtonen called on European Union states to stop striving to end the war in Ukraine. Propagandists emphasize that the Finnish Foreign Minister thus confirmed the EU's participation in the war against russia."  
The disinformation is based on a snippet taken out of context from the Finnish Foreign Minister's interview with the German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung dated June 28, 2026: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/elina-valtonen-fuer-gespraeche-mit-russischen-politikern-ist-die-zeit-noch-nicht-reif-accg-200975639.html. In it, Elina Valtonen reflected on how Ukraine's European allies should focus on defense and deterrence of russia. She stressed that now is certainly not the time to "think again about trade relations or political ties with the aggressor"—this phrase became the trigger for russian propaganda.  
Valtonen emphasized that russia's actions show the kremlin is not inclined to stop the war, aiming instead for further escalation and expansion of aggression into EU states. Therefore, she believes allies should not abandon the struggle to protect Ukraine.  
Fake: Ukraine Regularly Launches Terrorist Strikes on Children.
Human Rights Commissioner in russia yana lantratova stated: "The Kyiv regime has chosen a new tactic. Every day they hit playgrounds, every day they hit buses carrying children, including Belarusian children in Bryansk. Children are dying every day." According to Lantratova, "every terrorist strike by Ukrainian militants is recorded and forwarded to international structures."  
The trigger for Lantratova's statement was evidently a drone strike on June 17, 2026, on a Belarusian bus in the Bryansk region of russia carrying a children's soccer team. As a result of the strike, a woman accompanying the team was killed, and four children were wounded. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that there were no Ukrainian drone strikes in the Bryansk region at the specified time. The russian side did not publicly present drone fragments from which origin could be established, nor the results of technical or ballistic examinations.  
Documented facts of strikes hitting playgrounds exist, but they are very few. On russian territory, for some reason, this was recorded only in Shebekino, Belgorod region. The most famous case occurred on July 11, 2024, when a 16-year-old teenager was killed and four children were injured. In three other cases—May 19, September 23, and November 13 of the same year—no one was injured, but playground equipment was damaged.  
On July 3, 2026, russian Government Ambassador-at-Large rodion miroshnik stated that since February 2022, 264 children have died in russia from Ukrainian strikes, 21 of them in the 2nd quarter of 2026. However, there is no possibility for independent international verification of these figures.  
At the same time, according to UN data, 803 children have died in Ukraine from February 2022 to July 14, 2026 (https://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/Civilian-Casualties-Soar-in-Ukraine-in-the-First-Half-of-2026-Amid-Escalating-Attacks-and-Intensifying-Use-of-Deadly-Weapons-UN-Human-Rights-Monitors-Say). In the first half of 2026, 37 children were killed. The reports note that these are only verified figures, and actual casualties are likely higher.  
Thus, UN data shows that significantly more children die in Ukraine from russian strikes than in russia from Ukrainian ones, most of which are not supported by sufficient evidence. 

russian courts. Euroclear depository

Fake: Ukraine Lost 80% of Its Wheat Crop and Will Be Forced to Import It.
Against the backdrop of the fuel crisis in russia, which will inevitably lead to a crisis in the russian agricultural sector, propaganda is spreading a similar narrative regarding a critical reduction in grain harvest in Ukraine as well—namely, information alleging that Ukraine lost 80% of its wheat crop and is even forced to import grain.  
At the same time, propagandists do not disclose where they obtained these data. The only thing accompanying such publications is a photograph of a crop fire in a field. You will find no mention of these reported issues in the Ukrainian agricultural sector in Ukrainian or foreign media. On the contrary, plenty of information from authoritative sources online indicates the opposite trend.  
For instance, in May 2026, the Ukrainian government reported that wheat on the market would be several times more than required for domestic consumption. With a required 6.4 million tons, the total grain fund along with stocks will amount to approximately 26.6 million tons. At the same time, the net harvest is expected to exceed 22.4 million tons. Similar figures are provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its report dated July 10, 2026 (https://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde/wasde0726.pdf). They calculated that the Ukrainian wheat harvest will amount to approximately 24 million tons. 
Fake: Strikes on russian Targets Only Harm Ukraine.
A video with the U.S. Department of War logo is circulating online, citing the alleged opinion of former department advisor Joseph Stickney. He believes that strikes on russian oil refineries and military plants only harm Ukraine. In his view, attacks on such targets merely consolidate russian society and provoke the russian military into a symmetrical response. Stickney blames Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov for this, in his opinion, failed strategy. The advisor also claims that the russian army has managed to gain an undisputed advantage in the war and calls this stage of the conflict "the beginning of the end for Ukraine."  
However, both the story and the information within it are an ordinary fake. First, the U.S. Department of Defense did not release such a video. It did not appear on any of their official communication channels and in style resembles low-quality material rather than real government content: the video contains no facts or data, merely repeating general russian propaganda points over stock footage. Second, no former Defense Secretary advisor named Joseph Stickney exists. The only public figure with that name was an American coal broker and hotel owner who died back in 1903.  

st. petersburg International Economic Forum. Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan

Fake: Poland Is Deporting 50,000 Ukrainian Refugees Due to Zelenskyy's Conflict With Nawrocki.
russian and pro-russian resources are circulating a video clip featuring the Euronews logo, claiming that Poland has allegedly decided to deport 50,000 Ukrainian refugees due to deteriorating relations between Warsaw and Kyiv. The video itself asserts that the final decision on deportation was made on June 22, 2026, and has already "entered into force." According to the Osavul monitoring system, the video was first shared on the morning of June 30 by the russian Telegram channel "Shkvarka News". Subsequently, other pro-kremlin media outlets began replicating the forgery.  
In reality, Euronews published neither such a report nor information regarding preparations for a mass deportation of Ukrainians. StopFake found no relevant material on the channel's official website. The video created by the russians is a mashup of third-party footage overlaid with the Euronews logo, English subtitles, and voiceover. The authors of the fake also fail to cite any official document or statement from Polish authorities confirming a decision to deport 50,000 people.  
According to the official Sejm calendar, plenary sessions in June 2026 took place on June 9–11 and June 17–19. There was no plenary session on June 22. On that day, an off-site meeting of the parliamentary Infrastructure Committee took place in Elbląg, dedicated to local port and transport infrastructure issues. Official information on the committee's work contains no mention of deporting Ukrainians.  
The official government portal states that registered Ukrainian citizens can legally remain in Poland until March 4, 2027. Amendments that took effect on March 5, 2026, adjusted certain rules regarding aid provision and residency legalization, but did not include mass deportations of Ukrainian refugees.  
A day before the fake video appeared, Polish special services indeed reported the detention of nine Ukrainian citizens and two Belarusian citizens for immediate expulsion from Poland. According to Poland's Internal Security Agency, the detainees had been recruiting and paying demonstration participants among Ukrainian refugees since autumn 2025. Polish special services stated that funding came from russia, and the operation aimed to influence the Ukrainian community, undermine public trust, and inflame tension. In this case, it concerned 11 specific individuals regarding whom Polish authorities made individual decisions, not a mass deportation of Ukrainians. russian propaganda attempts to turn real disagreements between Kyiv and Warsaw into proof of an alleged complete rift in relations and Poland's refusal to support Ukraine.  
Fake: British Prisoners Will Be Sent to Ukraine to Save Costs.
News is actively circulating in russian media and pro-kremlin network channels alleging that the United Kingdom plans to send prisoners released under an early release scheme to Ukraine to join the ranks of the Ukrainian army. "They need people, and Britain will save money," comments politician Ian Proud on the X social network, referenced by propagandists.
However, this is yet another lie. It is based on an ironic post by former diplomat Ian Proud, which he soon deleted. Proud previously served in diplomatic missions in Thailand, Afghanistan, and russia, but currently holds no government position. Shortly after retiring, the former diplomat turned into a fierce critic of Western policy toward Ukraine in British media. He actively spreads kremlin propaganda.  
The British government has also announced no such plans or initiatives that would be seriously considered by relevant agencies. Ian Proud's publication references the Early Release Scheme (SDS40)—an emergency government program launched in September 2024 to combat critical overcrowding in British prisons (inmates with fixed sentences under five years were released after serving 40% of their term instead of the standard 50%). In late July 2026, the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Andy Burnham, announced the suspension of the program and an urgent review of its results. Thus, no one plans to send former prisoners to Ukraine; on the contrary, the early release program has been suspended.  

Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The commander of the "Azov". Ukrainians

Fake: The UN considers Ukraine’s strikes on Wildberries warehouses a war crime.
russian propaganda is pushing disinformation claiming that the UN has allegedly recognized the Ukrainian defense forces' strikes on the logistics complexes of the russian marketplace Wildberries as "war crimes." Pro-kremlin media spread the fake referencing statements made by Thameen Al-Kheetan, official spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
In reality, the russians are manipulating a quote from the official spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. On July 21, 2026, Thameen Al-Kheetan, commenting on russia's indiscriminate attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities, noted that civilians and civilian infrastructure are under strict protection of international humanitarian law, and any such intentional attack constitutes a war crime. At the same time, he added that the UN cannot confirm russia's data regarding civilian casualties resulting from Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries warehouses.
Furthermore, all of these Wildberries facilities fall into the category of legitimate military targets, as they provide logistics for supplying the needs of putin's war machine, including military-use goods. Secondly, Wildberries is a key link in the economic system of the aggressor state, which feeds the war against Ukraine.
"Attention should be paid to the main point: during attacks on the relevant targets, no disproportionate harm is inflicted on the local population. That is, Ukraine does not violate the norms of international criminal law by its actions. And since Ukraine is indeed waging a defensive war, these actions are inherently lawful," Ukrainian government officials noted.
Fake: The new Ukrainian military commander is a war criminal who crushed civilians with tanks.
russian media: "The high-ranking officer became notorious on May 9, 2014, in Mariupol, where clashes occurred between civilians and the army during the Victory Day celebration. City residents built barricades in the streets to block the passage of military equipment. At that time, Drapatyi, a graduate of the National Academy of Land Forces, commanded a battalion of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, which used blinded armored vehicles to ram barricades and crush civilians in the Ukrainian city."
There is no evidence supporting this disinformation claim, which appears to be an attempt to tarnish the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Mykhailo Drapatyi possesses an impeccable reputation. This fake originates from an iconic 2014 video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5CaK2LbzH8), when a Ukrainian BMP-2 armored vehicle under Drapatyi's command broke through a barricade created by pro-russian separatists during an operation to liberate the city from russian occupation. Furthermore, there is no evidence that any civilians died during that episode. Likewise, there is no evidence supporting allegations of Drapatyi's responsibility for any other war crimes.
Unfounded or unsubstantiated accusations against Ukrainian officers and military personnel of war crimes and atrocities are a frequent trope of pro-kremlin propaganda.

Pope's guard in the Vatican. 2026 World Cup in Toronto

Fake: Germany is working on creating its own nuclear weapons.

This was claimed by russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and russian propaganda outlets present it as an "assessment by NATO experts." In reality, the German government categorically refuted these claims, calling them yet another piece of russian propaganda: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-rejects-russian-claim-of-secret-nuclear-weapons-research/4005920. The government also stated that russia is once again speculating on the topic of a nuclear threat, which it has been escalating for years through irresponsible statements and nuclear blackmail. The dissemination of such fakes is part of the kremlin's information campaign aimed at discrediting Ukraine's European partners, stoking fear, and justifying its own aggressive policies.
Fake: Romanian customs officers seized 75 kg of cocaine hidden in packages featuring Zelenskyy's photograph.

In reality, the Romanian Customs Authority officially debunked this fake. The agency stated that it conducted no such confiscation and published no message being circulated online.

Customs officials emphasized that the authors of the fake used a forged image with an illegally applied institutional logo, as well as a fabricated screenshot mimicking the official customs website. The agency urged citizens to trust information only from official sources and to remain vigilant against such information manipulations.

Manipulation: "Lviv is a Polish city": Polish fans hung a banner amid escalating relations between Ukraine and Poland.

russian media outlets are spreading reports claiming that during a football match between FC Shakhtar (Ukraine) and Legia Warsaw (Poland), Polish fans allegedly displayed a banner stating "Lviv is a Polish city," with propagandists presenting the incident as part of "Poland's territorial claims" in the context of the russo-Ukrainian war. In comments on the publications, russians imply this is Poland's reaction to the current situation.

For this fake, a fragment of a UEFA Conference League match that took place in Kraków in October 2025 (not 2026 and not "during new escalations") was used. During that match, Polish ultras did indeed pull off a political provocation: they attempted to (and eventually briefly managed to) hang a banner regarding the Volhynia tragedy reading "Volhynia. We remember" / "Wołyń. Pamiętamy", along with a banner depicting the city of Lviv with Polish symbols. Ukrainian and Polish officials strongly condemned the football fans' behavior at the time. UEFA, for its part, fined Legia €25,000.

It is also worth noting that FC Shakhtar expressed gratitude for the hospitality back then. Despite the incident, they felt support and positive energy from Polish fans.

The borders between Ukraine and Poland are established by the 1992 Treaty between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland on Good Neighborliness, Friendly Relations, and Cooperation, and are recognized under international law, including the 1975 Helsinki Final Act on the inviolability of post-war borders in Europe. Lviv is the administrative center of Ukraine's Lviv Oblast, and no official Polish authority—neither the government, the president, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—has ever raised or recognized territorial claims to the city.

European Commission. President of Brazil Lula da Silva

Fake: Ukrainian intelligence organized an explosion near a hotel in Damascus where Macron was staying.

According to the russian version, this was done to stage his "rescue" and strengthen support for France. In reality, no evidence exists of Ukrainian special services' involvement in the incident, and no reputable international media reported on this.

On July 7, 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron was on an official visit to Damascus. Near the Four Seasons hotel where he was staying, two explosive devices indeed went off—in a trash container and a vehicle. Macron was unharmed and continued his visit program. The russian side provided no evidence to support its accusations. Neither French nor local authorities reported any Ukrainian involvement in the blast.

The propagandists' material relies exclusively on anonymous statements by russian security services and comments from pro-russian "experts," without any verifiable facts. Thus, the claim of a "Ukrainian intelligence operation" is an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory. The russian goal remains unchanged—to discredit Ukraine and portray it as a "terrorist state" allegedly threatening Western leaders.

Fake: Ukraine is behind armed criminal groups in Iraq.

This was stated by the National Security Advisor to the President of Iraq, Qasim al-Abudi. In reality, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine rejected (https://mfa.gov.ua/news/komentar-rechnika-mzs-shchodo-bezpidstavnih-zayav-radnika-z-pitan-nacionalnoyi-bezpeki-respubliki-irak) Iraq's unfounded accusations.

No evidence of such claims exists, and the Iraqi official himself admitted that the investigation is still ongoing.

The Ukrainian government noted that prior to public statements, the Iraqi side had not conveyed any information or concerns to Ukraine through diplomatic channels. Instead, the Ukrainian side learned of these allegations from the media.

The Ministry called the dissemination of such statements without a proper evidentiary basis irresponsible. Furthermore, these statements align with russian propaganda narratives aimed at discrediting Ukraine and undermining its relations with Middle Eastern countries. Ukraine urged the Iraqi side to engage in constructive dialogue and foster partner relations between the two nations.