transit of drugs. Poland Ukraine. russian government

The Union of Journalists of russia was officially expelled from the International Federation of Journalists. The decision was made by the 32nd Congress of the Federation in Paris. This concludes a process that lasted 4 years. But the criminal russian government of dictator putin continues to spend millions of dollars on lies, manipulation, and propaganda. Read the digest of russian fake news for June. The focus (apart from Ukraine) is on Latin America, the EU, the USA, France, Poland, Armenia, Lithuania, Brazil, and the World Cup.
Based materials from Stopfake.org, Spravdi.ua, EuVsDisinfo.eu

Fake: Ukraine deliberately facilitates the transit of drugs from Latin America to Europe.
"The Ukrainian government uses this as a source of income, and the ports of the Odesa region are key hubs for drug trafficking." This was stated by the Foreign Intelligence Service of russia. In reality, this statement is built on anonymous "sources" and typical propaganda generalizations.
Ukraine cooperates (https://lb.ua/society/2025/03/12/665223_ukraini_zatrimali_narkotorgovtsya.html) with international anti-drug structures – including Interpol, Europol, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Control over borders and ports is also carried out in coordination with EU partners, which makes the described "large-scale transit schemes" impossible.
Claims about a "lack of control" or "using Ukraine as a corridor" contradict the actual work of customs and law enforcement agencies, which operate under an intensified regime in wartime conditions. Such statements by russians are an element of information operations: they mix various criminal topics, use emotional labels, and fail to confirm their accusations with independent sources.

Fake: Poland is preparing for war with Ukraine.
This thesis is being spread by pro-russian resources, citing a publication in the marginal Polish outlet Myśl Polska. In reality, blogger Andriy Petrenko drew attention (https://x.com/PetrenkoAndryi/status/2069855912039231725) to the manipulative nature of this publication. He noted that Myśl Polska is a marginal pro-russian outlet that has been promoting kremlin narratives for years and represents neither the position of the Polish authorities nor Polish society.
The author of the article uses typical propaganda techniques: speculating on historical topics, calling the russian threat "mythical," and portraying Ukraine as allegedly Poland's main enemy. Following this, russian media scale up such a publication, presenting it as the stance of the entire Poland.
In fact, official Warsaw considers russia to be the main threat to security, remains one of Ukraine's key allies, and continues to support Kyiv with military, political, and humanitarian aid.
Such materials are part of a kremlin information operation aimed at inciting distrust between Ukrainians and Poles and undermining the strategic partnership between the two states.

Ukrainian drones. G7 summit

Manipulation: France rejected Ukrainian drones in favor of Latvian ones.
In reality, russian propagandists are presenting the results of a single tender as France's alleged rejection of the Ukrainian defense industry, while withholding information about the large-scale military-industrial partnership between the countries, StopFake reports.
The procurement of BLAZE drones is a separate tender for the needs of the French air defense, rather than a rejection of Ukrainian technologies. France was the first to launch joint UAV production with Ukrainian companies. Delair, Thales, and Turgis & Gaillard are already implementing localization and production projects. The thesis regarding Ukraine's "inability" to enter the European market is also untrue. In 2026, Ukraine received its first military export licenses, launched the Drone Deals program, signed the CORPUS memorandum, and concluded a number of defense contracts with European partners. Ukrainian drones are already being produced in the UK and Germany.

Fake: The French press writes after the G7 summit that "Zelenskyy demanded money again."
Information is being spread on social media claiming that following the G7 summit, which took place on June 17, 2026, in France, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, demanded money from partners once again. This is allegedly reported by major French media outlets. "Another summit. Another meeting. Zelenskyy begs for money yet again," russian public pages write. As proof, they publish screenshots of the covers of the French newspapers Le Figaro, Le Monde, and Libération, which allegedly came out with such headlines.
In reality, this information is a fake. Neither Le Figaro, Le Monde, nor Libération published news stating that Volodymyr Zelenskyy "demanded money again" from partners. The screenshots of the covers of these publications were intentionally altered with a photo editor and distributed on pro-russian resources.
Speaking of the G7 summit issue of Le Figaro, which featured a photograph of Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its cover, the original headline under this article reads: "À Évian, Donald Trump et Volodymyr Zelenskyy renouent le dialogue." This literally means: "In Évian, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy restored dialogue." The original of this cover can be viewed on the official website of Le Figaro. russian public pages radically changed the aforementioned headline. The rest of the information in the forgery—page layout, captions, photo, advertisements—is completely identical to the real issue of Le Figaro.
As for the covers of Le Monde and Libération, they were also intentionally edited to include the favorite russian narrative about Zelenskyy constantly needing money. Through such fakes, propagandists attempt to present the G7 summit as a failure for Ukraine and discredit its leader in the eyes of both Ukrainian and foreign audiences.
In fact, the G7 summit in France proved to be productive for Kyiv. Specifically, agreements were reached on strengthening Ukrainian air defense, increasing pressure on russia to end hostilities, and supporting the country's energy resilience.

russian news. Bryansk region. Ukrainian military

Fake: The Ukrainian military set fire to a church with civilians inside in Kostiantynivka.
This was reported by the russian state propaganda agency TASS. In reality, this information has no independent confirmation and originates exclusively from russian state media. TASS is a state agency subordinate to the criminal russian government, which systematically spreads unverified or manipulative reports about the war against Ukraine.
The claim is based on an anonymous or unverified "testimony" without names, details, or any evidence. There are no photos, videos, or confirmations from independent sources or international organizations.
Such reports carry the typical hallmarks of an information operation: emotional phrasing, appeals to religious themes, and the use of unverified "witnesses" to create the impression of authenticity. Sizable plants of this kind are part of the Kremlin's information operations aimed at discrediting Ukraine and shifting the responsibility for the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Reference: Kostyantynivka is a Ukrainian city in the Donetsk region, which the russian army has been trying to capture since 2022. The city has now turned into a combat zone.
Fake: Ukraine attacked a bus carrying a children's football team with a drone in the Bryansk region.
Such accusations were spread by russian officials and propaganda resources. In reality, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces refuted this information. During the specified period, the Ukraine's Defense Forces did not deploy drones against targets in the Bryansk region.
Therefore, this is yet another information provocation by the kremlin. Unable to achieve its stated goals on the battlefield and suffering significant losses, russia increasingly resorts to fabricating accusations against Ukraine.
It is russia that systematically violates the norms of international humanitarian law by launching strikes at Ukrainian cities, residential areas, hospitals, schools, and other civilian objects. The Defense Forces of Ukraine strike exclusively legitimate military targets and do not conduct combat operations against the civilian population.
Subsequently, the Security Service of Ukraine intercepted a document that refutes russian claims about a "bus strike" in the Bryansk region. The document in question is an information briefing from the monitoring center of the state institution "Bezopasny Region" (Safe Region) of the Bryansk region. This document notes that at the moment of the incident, no Ukrainian drones were detected in the area of the event.
Thus, even domestic russian structures do not confirm the version of the "Ukrainian drone." The obtained data may indicate that the russians themselves create information pretexts for further accusations against Ukraine and for conducting disinformation operations.  

russian courts. Euroclear depository

Fake: A russian lawsuit against the Euroclear depository will paralyze the EU.
russian media state: "The decision of the Moscow Arbitration Court on the Central Bank's lawsuit against the Belgian Euroclear will paralyze the EU. This was stated by the leader of the French right-wing party 'The Patriots', Florian Philippot. 'This court decision will simply cause paralysis for the European Union. So, this is a very smart move by Russia, and it increases tension between European countries,' the politician said."
In reality, the decision of the russian Arbitration Court will not pose any risks for the EU—neither legal nor economic. Moreover, any decisions of russian courts against the Euroclear depository will not be taken into account—neither in the EU nor in the UK. After all, there is a ban in the EU on the execution of decisions made by russian courts. This is enshrined in Article 11 of Regulation 833/2014, which was expanded within the framework of the 15th package of EU sanctions against russia.
Furthermore, in the case of the Central Bank's assets, a separate EU Immobilization Regulation applies. Article 4 explicitly states this: Russian courts do not have jurisdiction in the EU.
Any proceedings in a russian court that were initiated contrary to an agreement between the parties to resolve disputes in another jurisdiction can be stopped by a judicial anti-suit injunction or an anti-enforcement injunction, and any decision of a russian court issued in violation of such a ban will not be recognized.
In addition, such agreements primarily protect investors from the actions of a state, rather than vice versa. And the Central Bank in this case acts precisely as a state body, not a private investor.
Decisions of russian courts contradict the public policy exception—this is a fundamental principle of international law that allows the courts of one state to refuse to recognize or enforce decisions of foreign courts if they clearly violate the basic values and foundations of their legal system.
The public policy of the EU and the UK includes guarantees of a fair trial, enshrined in Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights – "Right to a fair trial." Given the significant volume of evidence that foreign companies cannot obtain a fair trial in russian courts when it comes to the interests of russia, the decision against Euroclear will not be recognized or executed in the EU.
It was precisely because of russian aggression that russian assets worth approximately €210 billion were frozen in Europe, the majority of which are held in the Euroclear depository.
Florian Philippot, who claimed an "EU paralysis", is a regular mouthpiece for the kremlin. In 2012, he was elected to the European Parliament. Later, he founded his party "The Patriots"—of a national-populist and Euroskeptic direction. The party does not enjoy particular popularity in France: it has failed to elect a single candidate to any government body in any election. In contrast, Philippot is popular among russian propagandists, who regularly reproduce his statements.  

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

Fake: Zelenskyy agreed with Pashinyan to place drone production in Armenia for strikes on Iran.
A video formatted as Reels is circulating on the X social network, styled as material from the Middle East Eye outlet. The clip claims that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, allegedly plans to place production facilities for manufacturing drones and launch pads on the territory of Armenia. According to the video, the agreement between the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and Zelenskyy was signed during the EU–Armenia summit in early May, and the drones themselves will supposedly be intended for strikes against military production facilities in Iran.
However, the video is fabricated. Middle East Eye did not publish it on any of its official social media accounts. A keyword search on the outlet's website also yields no results regarding such news. No other reputable international or regional media outlet has reported the signing of such an agreement between Ukraine and Armenia either.
Original video content from Middle East Eye in this format is typically accompanied by the voiceover of a journalist whose name is indicated in the credits—and often the journalist is present in the frame, narrating directly to the camera. In the forgery, authorship and sources of the video-photo materials are absent.
The appearance of this fake is not accidental—it fits into a large-scale information campaign directed against the elections in Armenia, which took place on June 7, 2026. According to publications by The Insider and Agentstvo, the kremlin deployed at least three coordinated disinformation networks to influence voters in Armenia. They all push a common narrative: portraying Armenia under Pashinyan's leadership as the "next Ukraine"—a country that a pro-Western leader is guiding toward war with russia and catastrophe.
Fake: The United States sent an official delegation to the st. petersburg International Economic Forum.
russian news websites are spreading reports that the US has sent an official delegation to the st. petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) for the first time in several years. This was announced by presidential aide yuri ushakov.
In reality, this statement does not correspond to facts. On June 3, 2026, during hearings in the US Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Dick Durbin asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio why the United States was allegedly dispatching an official delegation to the st. petersburg International Economic Forum.
Rubio replied: "I am not aware of a delegation that went there. I know about this event, I know they are holding it, but I don't think we are talking about high-ranking officials."
Among the SPIEF participants there were indeed individual American citizens, but this does not mean they represented the US government. Actor Steven Seagal is indeed a US citizen, but he is not an official representative of the American government. Moreover, he also holds russian citizenship, and since 2018, he has been a special representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of russia for humanitarian ties with the US and Japan. In addition to this, he publicly joined a pro-Kremlin party and supports russia's war against Ukraine.
Among the Americans whose presence at SPIEF was mentioned by the media were also the chairman of the US Commission of Fine Arts, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., and conservative commentator Candace Owens. Cook himself, according to Reuters, said that he represented the US "as a minister of culture and as a Christian, not as a politician." 
The US Commission of Fine Arts, headed by Cook, does not deal with foreign policy. According to the official description, it is an independent federal agency that advises the president, Congress, federal bodies, and the authorities of the District of Columbia on matters of design and aesthetics related to federal interests and the appearance of the US capital. This structure is not a state department and does not shape the foreign policy position of the United States. Consequently, the participation of its chairman in the event does not prove that Washington sent an official state delegation to the forum.  

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

Fake: A Ukrainian drone struck a spent nuclear fuel storage facility near Chornobyl.
russian media are spreading reports that "Zelenskyy's drone" allegedly struck a spent nuclear fuel storage facility near Kyiv. Such publications claim that as a result of the strike, a technical structure on the territory of the Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility near the Chornobyl NPP was damaged, and the fire was extinguished. At the same time, the authors of the reports state that Ukraine itself stands behind the "provocation."In reality, this is an unproven accusation. russian publications do not provide any evidence of the drone's Ukrainian origin: neither flight path data, nor forensic results, nor links to independent sources.
The event occurred on June 7, 2026. As a result, the container reception building was partially destroyed. Spent nuclear fuel was not stored in the damaged building. The fire covering an area of nearly 40 sq.m was liquidated, there were no casualties among the personnel, and the radiation levels on site remained within the normal range. The Security Service of Ukraine qualified the strike as a war crime. According to the investigative team, the russian armed forces launched the strike using an unmanned aerial vehicle of the "Geran-2" type. Certain elements of the drone were found at the impact site. Later, photos of the engine and other parts were published, proving their belonging to the russian "Geran-2" strike UAV.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that the incident causes deep concern because it took place at a facility where large volumes of nuclear materials are stored near the strike site. The IAEA also sent a team to the facility to assess the consequences of the strike.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasized in its commentary that the strike on the spent nuclear fuel storage facility is yet another deliberate attack by russia on Ukraine's nuclear infrastructure and poses a threat to nuclear and radiation safety not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe.
This is not the first instance where russia attacks facilities related to the Chornobyl NPP and then denies its responsibility or attempts to shift it onto Ukraine. In February 2025, a drone damaged the New Safe Confinement—the protective arch over the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chornobyl NPP. The IAEA later reported that the damage did not lead to a release of radioactive substances, but caused significant structural damage and affected the confinement's function. At that time, the kremlin also denied involvement in the strike and called Ukraine's accusations a "provocation." 
Fake: According to poll results, 70% of Ukrainians are ready to end the war immediately.
russian websites are spreading information that 70% of Ukrainians want the fastest possible end to the war. A significantly lower percentage (21%) considers preserving territories and state independence a priority. russian virtual communities are also distributing a chart illustrating "data from the latest poll of Ukrainians."
In reality, this is a fake. The graphic being circulated is false and was edited using a photo editor. This is confirmed by the fake image detection tool Fake Image Detector—showing a probability of 78%.
Regarding recent sociological research, an analysis of the latest KIIS poll (May–June 2026) demonstrates that Ukrainian society is not inclined toward compromises. But the key factor determining acceptance or rejection is the issue of security. Ukrainians do not wish to capitulate to the russian Federation merely for the sake of ceasing hostilities and "saving lives." 61% of Ukrainians are categorically against a ceasefire without strong security guarantees: https://www.kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=reports&id=1615&page=1.
Society has learned a lesson from the experience of the Minsk Agreements and the Budapest Memorandum and perceives this as a temporary pause before a new attack by russia. At the same time, if the possibility of international troops participating directly on the line of contact is accepted, then 60% are ready to agree to "freezing" the conflict on the current line of demarcation, while 33% are against. Another untalented attempt by the russians to engage in wishful thinking.
Fake: The commander of the "Azov" corps, Denys Prokopenko, called to "change the Zelenskyy regime."
russian media are circulating a video in which Denys Prokopenko allegedly calls to "change the Zelenskyy regime." The publications claim that the "Azov" commander criticizes the actions of the President of Ukraine and his Office, accusing the current authorities of "ruining the country." Propagandists also add their own interpretations to the video—alleging that a struggle for power has intensified in Kyiv.
In reality, this video has all the signs of artificial generation. Even upon visual inspection, it is noticeable that the image looks unnaturally "glossy" and smoothed out. Facial expressions are limited and do not always match the words, and lip movements in some places do not coincide with articulation. Unnatural intonations and incorrect stresses on individual words can also be heard in the audio track. Such signs are characteristic of videos created or altered using artificial intelligence technologies.
StopFake also verified the clip using the DeepFake-o-meter tool developed by the University at Buffalo. For reliability, the video was checked by several algorithms. The results showed a high probability that the clip was artificially generated or modified: LIPINC – 100%, SBI – 99.7%, LSDA – 61.1%, CFM – 42.8%.
Additionally, StopFake checked the video using the scanner.deepware.ai resource. This tool also marked the clip as suspicious: the avatarify model showed a "suspicious" result of 71%. Detectors on their own are not absolute proof, but combined with the visual signs of AI generation and the absence of the original on official platforms, they confirm a high probability that the video is a deepfake.
Another important sign of the fake is the absence of such an address on the official resources of Denys Prokopenko and "Azov." The video is distributed exclusively through propaganda Telegram channels. According to the Osavul monitoring system, the Telegram channel "Takticheskiy galstuk" (Tactical Tie) was the first among tracked sources to publish it.The purpose of such a video fake is to create an impression of an internal split in Ukraine and a conflict between the military and political leadership.  
Fake: 67% of Ukrainians want Zelenskyy to leave office.
kremlin media write that, according to a recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 67% of Ukrainian citizens favor the impeachment of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A link to a real study by sociologists is provided as "proof." However, in reality, propagandists grossly distorted the essence and context of the KIIS study conducted in May–June 2026: https://www.kiis.com.ua/?lang=ukr&cat=reports&id=1620&page=1.
Sociologists asked respondents questions regarding the need to refresh government bodies exclusively after the end of the war, and not at this time. This is clearly stated in the text of the KIIS press release itself. Furthermore, according to the previous study, 61% of surveyed Ukrainians trust Volodymyr Zelenskyy (34% do not trust), and for the absolute majority of citizens, he remains the completely legitimate head of state for the duration of martial law.
KIIS Executive Director Anton Hrushetskyy, commenting on the poll, explained that the figure of 67% reflects a natural public demand for a global renewal of political elites in peacetime, rather than a demand for immediate reshuffles. The demand for change concerns not only the President, but the entire vertical of state structures. Thus, propagandists intentionally removed the key condition "after the end of the war" from the phrasing, turning a democratic demand for future peacetime elections into a mythical "spontaneous rebellion" against the current authorities.  

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

Fake: Ukrainian fans attacked Israelis during the 2026 World Cup in Toronto.
Anonymous Telegram channels are spreading videos formatted with the logo of the Canadian TV channel CTV News. According to these videos, after the first match of the FIFA World Cup in Canada, certain Ukrainian fans launched a brutal attack on citizens of Israel in Toronto. According to the authors of the fake, two Israelis are in a coma, eight more have been hospitalized with moderate injuries, and at least 20 people were affected overall. Among the detainees, according to the publication, are former fighters of the "Azov" military unit.
However, the video is fake. There are no materials about such an incident either on the website or on the social media accounts of CTV News. Other Canadian, international, and Ukrainian media have also not reported any attacks by Ukrainian fans on Israelis in Toronto or any other Canadian city.
Portraying Ukrainians as anti-Semites is one of the most persistent narratives of russian disinformation. According to a special report by the Global Engagement Center of the US Department of State titled More than a Century of Antisemitism (January 2024), russian authorities—from the Tsarist regime to the Soviet regime and to the current one—have been using anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and disinformation to discredit, divide, and weaken their opponents both domestically and abroad for over a hundred years.
However, sociology refutes this image of Ukrainians. According to data in the ADL Global 100—the largest global survey of anti-Semitic attitudes conducted by the Anti-Defamation League in 103 countries—Ukraine has a score of 36 out of 100, while russia has 62, where a higher score indicates a higher level of anti-Semitism. russia has the highest index in all of Europe.
Fake: Drunk Ukrainians attacked a Pope's guard in the Vatican for refusing to take a photo.
Information is being circulated on social media claiming that drunk Ukrainians allegedly attacked a guard of the Pope in the Vatican for refusing to take a photo with them. As proof of the truthfulness of this news, users publish a 21-second English-language video clip featuring the logo of the Vatican News outlet, which supposedly tells the story of this incident. "This is literally the first case in the history of the Pope's Guard," users comment on this report.
In reality, this information is a fake. Neither on the official website of Vatican News, nor on the social media channels of this media outlet, is there any similar story or even a mention of the incident with "drunk Ukrainians." A search for any information about the "attack by Ukrainians on a Pope's guard" in other reliable media in English, Italian, or Ukrainian also yields no results. The only source distributing such "news" is russian Telegram channels and pro-russian users on social networks.
Pro-russian propaganda resources regularly fabricate fictional crime chronicles involving Ukrainians in European cities. Such narratives are created artificially to cause irritation in European society, provoke a negative attitude toward Ukrainian asylum seekers, and reduce the level of support for Ukraine.  

European Commission. President of Brazil Lula da Silva

Manipulation: Lula stated that "Ukraine's sponsors are tired of supporting it."
russian media are circulating reports that the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, allegedly stated after the G7 summit that "Ukraine's sponsors are already tired of supporting it," so the West has for the first time expressed a desire to "put an end to the conflict in Ukraine."
This is a manipulation. Lula did indeed speak about "fatigue" from the war and the need for a diplomatic solution. However, russian channels took his words out of context and presented them as evidence that Ukraine's Western partners supposedly no longer want to support it. In reality, Lula spoke not only about Ukraine or its partners, but about a broader fatigue from the war—including among putin's supporters.
After meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Évian, France, on June 17, Lula told journalists that it was the "best conversation" with the Ukrainian president: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mundo/2026/06/lula-diz-que-teve-a-melhor-conversa-com-zelenski-em-encontro-no-g7-e-que-voltara-a-buscar-paz-na-ucrania.shtml According to him, for the first time he felt that Zelenskyy was determined to seek a solution and discuss a ceasefire. Brazilian media quote his words: "...Ukraine's supporters are tired, putin's supporters are tired, those who financed are also tired – so everyone wants it to stop."
Lula spoke about the need for diplomatic efforts and the role of permanent members of the UN Security Council, rather than about stopping aid to Ukraine. In Lula's official statement (https://www.band.com.br/noticias/lula-diz-que-zelensky-quer-cessar-fogo-e-defende-fim-da-guerra-na-ucrania-202606171538) about the meeting with Zelenskyy, there is also no thesis that Ukraine's partners are tired of supporting it. Lula supports achieving peace in Ukraine and will continue efforts to help end the war.
In addition, the claim that the "G7" allegedly demonstrated a desire to "put an end to the conflict" in the context of refusing to support Ukraine does not correspond to the official outcomes of the summit. In a joint statement, the G7 leaders reaffirmed their "unwavering support" for the freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, agreed to increase supplies of air defense systems, interceptors, and long-range capabilities, as well as to strengthen sanctions pressure on the russian war economy.
Fake: Perhaps the financial revenge of the European Commission against Bulgaria has begun.
russian media: "Are the punishments and revenge of the European Commission against Bulgaria beginning? Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that the European Commission is launching a case against his country for an excessive budget deficit. It is clear that the European Commission uses European funds as a weapon of political pressure."
In reality, no evidence has been provided to support this statement, which is aimed at promoting a constant pro-kremlin disinformation narrative about an "aggressive and unfair" European Union that targets governments it dislikes.
The excessive deficit procedure is a decision of an economic nature, rather than political (https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-governance-framework/stability-and-growth-pact/corrective-arm-excessive-deficit-procedure_en). The report of the European Commission where this decision was announced also mentioned Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia. This is another important piece of information that was intentionally omitted in this disinformation story, as it turns the claim that this move is a certain political retribution against Bulgaria into a false one.
According to Bulgarian Finance Minister Galab Donev, it is estimated that the country's budget deficit will likely reach 7.4% of the gross domestic product this year. This will bound to lead to EU disciplinary measures, as countries that violate the block's fiscal rules are subject to closer budgetary monitoring by the European Commission.