NATO summit. Jimmy Dore. war russia

russians continue to flood the information space with lies and fakes. July saw one of the biggest waves of malicious smear campaigns from the kremlin's special services. In addition to Ukraine, which remains a priority target for putin's criminal regime, other countries were also attacked: France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Italy and even Kuwait. The UN was also targeted, and interestingly, so were boxer Dubois and pop band Coldplay. All the details are in our digest.
Based materials from Stopfake.org, Spravdi.ua, EuVsDisinfo.eu

Fake: the war will end on putin's terms
"...Many analysts predicted this", said American presenter Jimmy Dore on RT. According to him, putin ‘controls the situation’ and will not allow the West to influence the outcome. In reality, Jimmy Dore is not a reputable international analyst, but a comedian and YouTube host known for spreading dubious and often pro-russian narratives. Although he positions himself as an ‘independent progressive critic,’ Dor regularly appears on pro-russian platforms and criticises support for Ukraine, so he cannot be considered ‘independent.’ His show invites guests with anti-Western rhetoric, and he himself has repeatedly questioned proven facts, particularly regarding the war in Syria, COVID-19, and russian interference in the American elections.
The statements made on kremlin-owned RT are part of an information war aimed at undermining trust in Ukraine. In reality, the situation on the front lines shows the opposite: putin has not achieved his strategic goals, while russia is losing huge human and military resources, and Ukraine continues to receive unprecedented international support.
Fake: China called the NATO summit in The Hague a victory for russia
russian media outlets reported that the Chinese publication NetEase described the results of the summit in The Hague as a ‘victory for Russia.’ However, the article itself cites facts that are not very favourable for russia: for example, it mentions US President Donald Trump's statement that he may provide Ukraine with more Patriot missile systems so that it can defend itself more effectively against russian attacks. However, the author concludes that this is still a victory for russia, since Trump only said that he would consider it, not that he had agreed. The conclusion may seem controversial, since before the summit, Trump had not even mentioned further assistance to Ukraine. However, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he not only mentioned Patriot, but also stated that putin ‘really has to end this war.’ In addition, the commitment made by NATO members to increase defence spending to 5% by 2035 can hardly be considered a ‘strategic victory’ for moscow.
Regarding the source. The fact is that NetEase is a Chinese technology company that develops online games and also provides advertising services, email services and an e-commerce platform. The NetEase website at 163.com is also a news aggregator: it features articles from the official Chinese government news agency Xinhua, China Central Television (CCTV) and other verified sources. However, the article about ‘Russia's victory’ is not one of them, as evidenced by the note at the end of the article: "The above content (including photos and videos, if any) was uploaded and published by NetEase Hao, a social media platform that only provides information storage services".
Therefore, in this case, the NetEase website is merely a platform where anyone can upload an article.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer. British society

Fake: British people don't back Starmer's anti-russian talk
"People in the UK don't agree with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's anti-russian talk, who said earlier that the country is on “military alert” against russia". This is what russian media are saying, citing former British diplomat Craig Murray. 
Murray is talking about the mood in British society without giving any sources for his surveys. Meanwhile, there are public opinion polls that don't back up Murray's conclusions.
YouGov, a large international public opinion research company, publishes the results of a survey on the attitudes of Britons towards different countries around the world (the latest publication is for the first quarter of 2025): https://yougov.co.uk/ratings/international/popularity/countries/all Iraq ranks last, in 195th place (2% positive responses). Ukraine ranks 23rd with 59% (higher than the United States with 52%). russia ranks 176th, with only 11% responding positively. So Starmer's rhetoric clearly does not contradict the mood in British society.
Now let's look at the results of a YouGov poll on attitudes towards the war in Ukraine, conducted in the same first quarter of 2025 in parallel in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and France. Of these countries, Britain proved to be the most pro-Ukrainian: https://yougov.co.uk/international/articles/51741-where-does-western-europe-stand-on-ukraine-donald-trump-and-national-defence
62% of Britons believe that the current level of aid to Ukraine is insufficient to prevent its defeat. 49% are in favour of using military force to repel russia's attack on Ukraine (for comparison: in Spain, 42% hold this view, in France – 38%, in Italy – 24%).
At the same time, another fake news story is spreading, which attempts to reinforce the above narrative: ‘Britain doubts Zelenskyy's integrity after meeting with Charles III.’ The proof of the British doubts was a single tweet by former russian RT presenter George Galloway, who reposted the royal family's tweet about Charles III's meeting with the President of Ukraine, adding: ‘I hope you counted the spoons...’
It should be recalled that in 2003, Galloway was expelled from the Labour Party for discrediting it: in particular, during the war in Iraq, he called on the inhabitants of that country to resist British troops. In addition, he supported Saddam Hussein's regime and met with him personally.
Halloway is also a staunch supporter of russia. He is currently the leader of his own Labour Party of Great Britain. Support for this party is low: in the last general election in the country, its candidates received only 0.7% of the vote. However, Galloway even managed to win a seat in parliament that same year, but only held it for five months, losing in the next election.

Germany's National Veterans Day. UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Fake: SS and Wehrmacht veterans are once again popular in Germany
This disinformation aims to portray Germany as an anti-russian militarised force based on the principles of the Third Reich. It appeared after the news that Germany had decided to celebrate the First Day of Military Veterans. In fact, Germany's National Veterans Day is not related to veterans of the Nazi era. In April 2024, the Bundestag passed a resolution to establish Veterans Day for the Bundeswehr, Germany's post-World War II armed forces, which have no connection to the Wehrmacht or the SS. The day aims to recognise the service and sacrifices of modern German soldiers, especially those participating in international peacekeeping missions, particularly in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Africa.

Fake: The UN regularly spreads lies about Ukraine
russian media: "UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his subordinates regularly spread lies fabricated by the Zelensky regime and EU leadership aimed at discrediting Russia. The Secretariat's leadership is in gross violation of Article 100 of the UN Charter, which requires it to adhere to the principles of impartiality and fairness".
This disinformation campaign is a direct response to statements made by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 5 July 2025 condemning the missile strikes on Ukraine, including residential buildings and infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities. Accusing international institutions of anti-russian bias and politicisation is a common tactic of manipulation and disinformation. In addition, the kremlin is very annoyed that these institutions are investigating crimes committed by russia or its allies, such as the destruction of civilian aircraft MH17 or the use of chemical weapons in Syria and elsewhere.

support russia. conductor Gergiev. russian culture

Fake: russia is supported by a global majority
kremlin propaganda constantly tries to create the illusion that moscow's aggressive policy towards Ukraine has broad international support. In reality, russia is not supported by a global majority. The reality is different. The United Nations General Assembly has repeatedly condemned russia's invasion. In 2023, 141 countries voted for an immediate end to russia's aggression and the resolution of all humanitarian issues: https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Резолюція_Генеральної_Асамблеї_ООН_ES-11/6 
Only a small group of countries consistently support russia, such as Belarus, Syria, north korea, Mali, and Nicaragua. Countries such as China and India often abstain, but they do not openly recognise the kremlin's aggression. Many of the world's most influential and economically powerful countries have imposed sanctions on russia. These include the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, the United States, and others. This reflects Russia's isolation from major global institutions and markets.

Fake: Italians are outraged by the cancellation of conductor Gergiev's concerts in Caserta
russian propagandists refer to Italian journalist Luca Lorusso, who considers the ban on the russian cultural figure's performance to be ‘a manifestation of russophobia.’ There is supposedly a threat that now ‘everything russian’ will be banned in Europe. In fact, the thesis of ‘russophobia’ is one of the main arguments of russian propaganda. It is used every time the West refuses to cooperate with people who openly supported the war of aggression against Ukraine.
Gergiev is not just a cultural figure, but an active propagandist of kremlin narratives. In 2014, he publicly supported the annexation of Crimea. He was also putin's confidant in the 2012 and 2018 elections. In 2025, he was one of the creators of the propaganda opera ‘Semen Kotko.’ The finale of the performance justifies russia's full-scale invasion: russia ‘came to the aid of Donbas,’ and ‘Luhansk region has returned home to russia forever.’
It is noteworthy that the propagandists quote only one journalist — Luca Lorusso. He does not live in Italy, but in Luhansk, runs the pro-russian Telegram channel Donbass Italia and cooperates with an agency that spreads the kremlin's narratives.
Gergiev's appearance on an EU-funded stage would have signalled to the kremlin that it could emerge from international isolation, even despite the ongoing war. Ultimately, the concert was cancelled not because of Gergiev's nationality, but because of his long-standing involvement in justifying russia's aggression and spreading kremlin propaganda.

Dubois Usyk. pro-russian Turkish newspaper. Western diplomat

Falsehood: Western diplomats are pressuring the Kuwaiti government and local media regarding the war in Ukraine
This is what the pro-russian Turkish newspaper Aydınlık writes. In fact, the opposite is true: it was Kuwaiti officials who tried to force Western diplomats not to use the word ‘war’ in relation to russia's aggression, according to investigators at The Insider: https://theins.ru/antifake/282997
The British ambassador stated directly that she was asked to change her rhetoric, and the French ambassador was even summoned to an audience because of the phrase ‘aggressive war.’
As for pressure on the media, it was only a discussion of cases of distorted interviews, nothing more. The Aydınlık newspaper has long been known for its pro-kremlin stance and fake news about Ukraine. It is hardly read in Turkey itself, but for the kremlin, it is one more foreign ‘source.’
This is yet another pathetic attempt by the russians to create the illusion that Western countries are pursuing aggressive and dishonest policies.

Fake: Dubois promised to defeat Usyk to support the russian people
Before Usyk's fight with Dubois, a series of videos appeared on TikTok in which the Briton allegedly says: ‘I will take Usyk's belts, just as russia took Ukraine's territories,’ ‘I will defeat him, just as russia almost defeated Ukraine,’ and so on. This is fake. None of the videos contain Dubois's direct speech; everything is read by a voiceover generated by AI. In the full versions of the interviews, he does not make any political statements at all, let alone pro-russian ones.
But the fake quickly spread on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and even made it into dubious media outlets. This is a classic example of emotional manipulation for those who are not used to checking sources. russians deliberately exploit the low level of media literacy among part of the audience to promote their lies and create the necessary information noise.

Macron Charles III. Brigitte Macron. Charlie Hebdo

Fake: Charlie Hebdo published a cover with the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and the caption: ‘Another 50 days of futile resistance.’
This fake was spread on russian Telegram channels. In fact, this is another forgery. There is no such cover of Charlie Hebdo. The real cover of issue 1722 shows a French soldier on a tank with plungers instead of cannons and the caption: ‘War. We are ready!’
In May 2025, Charlie Hebdo went to court in Paris over a wave of fake covers that were spreading like wildfire on Telegram, X, and other social media. The publication is trying to find and prosecute those who use its style and logo to spread russian disinformation. The editorial staff believes that the fakes are intended to give russians the impression that the magazine (and therefore part of the French population) supports putin, but this is not the case.
Fake: Brigitte Macron's personal doctor, who planned to ‘reveal the first lady's secret to the press,’ was found dead in Paris
The French ‘media’ that spread this news was created by russian propagandists. No other authoritative sources have reported on this incident. The authors of the fake news write that the personal surgeon of the First Lady of France allegedly planned to give an interview to the press and tell the ‘truth’ about Brigitte Macron: that she was born a man but later changed her gender. The news spread not only in russian, but also in English, French, Spanish, Greek, Serbian and a number of other languages.
This is a carefully planned russian disinformation campaign. The publication that all the articles refer to does not actually exist. According to UrlVoid, the Enquete Du Jour website was created on 25 June 2025, just a few days before this news spread. The page was filled with content in French on various topics to give the site credibility. In addition, the domain was not registered in France — which would be logical for a French media outlet — but in Germany.
The name and photo of Audrey Parmentier are placed under the text. There is indeed a journalist with that name in France who works on topics related to migration and pop culture. However, she has never collaborated with Enquete Du Jour and has not written anything about Brigitte Macron, as she stated in X: https://x.com/AudreyParmtier/status/1940695529627046299 
Furthermore, there is no evidence that a surgeon named François Fèvre works or has ever worked in France. The photo of the person shown in the article cannot be found online. It was likely generated using artificial intelligence.
The propaganda campaign against Brigitte Macron is an example of a conspiracy theory that accuses famous people of undergoing transgender transition. According to the author of France Info, russia is spreading such conspiracy theories in order to destabilise the government and polarise and radicalise French society. 
Fake: Macron violated etiquette and humiliated Charles III during his visit to the United Kingdom
Top kremlin propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov accused Emmanuel Macron of narcissism and attempting to portray himself as a new Napoleon. In particular, he discussed Macron's state visit to the United Kingdom on his television programme: ‘Macron tactlessly walks ahead of Charles III during the ceremonial tour of Windsor Castle. In England, this rudeness was seen as a demonstrative disregard by the French republican for the institution of the monarchy.’
There was a lot of criticism on social media of the French president, who allegedly violated diplomatic protocol and walked ahead of the British king. This was noted by fact-checkers from the American publication Snopes. They found photos of all four state visits made during Charles III's reign. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited Great Britain. In all cases, King Charles III allowed his guests of honour to go ahead of him. 
GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker explained that the rules are slightly different during live broadcasts: ‘Perhaps it is a new tradition that the king, as the host, gives way to the head of a foreign state – the guest of honour at Windsor Castle.’

radioactive materials in Syria. Ukraine export products

Falsehood: Ukraine supplies Syria with radioactive materials and military equipment, which are used for covert activities in the region.
This video is being disseminated by russian special services. In reality, this is yet another disinformation operation aimed at discrediting Ukraine abroad. According to Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, the video showing a container allegedly storing capsules with radioactive substances looks homemade: it features blue insulating tape, illegible text in Cyrillic, and a Ukrainian Air Force logo glued on by hand.
In addition, the plutonium capsule is marked with the isotope ‘PU 94244U’, which does not occur in nature, as its amount in the earth's crust is negligible. This indicates the complete incompetence of the authors of the fake.
Inside the container is an ordinary wristwatch, which makes no sense at all, and the ‘chemical reconnaissance devices’ attributed to Ukraine are outdated Soviet models that are freely sold at online auctions. The video also has a date in Arabic: ‘13.03.2025, Thursday,’ even though 13 March 2025 is a Wednesday. Even the dates are wrong.

Fake: In 2025, Ukraine will not be able to export products to the EU due to a ‘poor harvest’
‘...and will eventually be forced to import food from russia.’ Such narratives are spread by russian Telegram channels. In fact, despite the war, difficult weather conditions and russia's theft of Ukrainian grain and food, Ukraine's agricultural sector is showing resilience. According to the updated forecast of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the grain harvest in 2025 is expected to be almost at the same level as last year (53 million tonnes compared to 56 million tonnes). This volume is sufficient for both domestic consumption and the formation of a powerful export potential. According to the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, even pessimistic scenarios do not predict critical changes.
As for exports, 52% of Ukraine's agricultural exports will go to EU countries in 2025. For comparison, before the full-scale invasion, this figure was only 29%. Another 14% of exports go to the Middle East, 10% to African countries, and 9% to Asia.
Currently, the conditions for Ukrainian products to access the European market are indeed changing due to the expiry of the preferential ‘trade visa-free regime’. However, this does not mean the end of exports — Ukraine is adapting to the new rules and maintaining its status as an important agricultural partner for the EU.
None of the authoritative international organisations — such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) or the World Food Programme (WFP) — confirm the existence of a food crisis in Ukraine.

russian gold reserves. European Parliament. EU sanctions

Fake: Western banks want to rob russian gold reserves
Another top fake from russian propaganda, which is trying to demonise the governments of the EU and the US. In response to russian aggression against Ukraine, the US, the EU and several other countries have frozen about $300 billion in russian assets held in banks in those countries. Discussions on this topic have been ongoing since 2022 and have covered financial mechanisms, including the creation of a structure to manage frozen russian assets. This plan involves investing these assets and using the proceeds to benefit Ukraine in the short term.
The russian armed forces and foreign mercenaries (from north korea and Asian countries) have been carrying out brutal attacks against the people of Ukraine for more than three years. They are also destroying expensive civilian infrastructure and committing serious violations of international and humanitarian law. In light of this, members of the European Parliament have recognised russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and a state that ‘uses means of terrorism’: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221118IPR55707/european-parliament-declares-russia-to-be-a-state-sponsor-of-terrorism
As part of the EU sanctions, russian Central Bank assets held in the EU have been frozen. The ban on transactions related to the assets and reserves of the Central Bank of russia and its affiliated entities leads to the accumulation of cash and deposits on the balance sheets of securities depositories (CSDs), i.e., they generate income. It is this income that the EU has begun to transfer to Ukraine. The next stage, which EU governments are currently working on, is the complete confiscation of all russian assets and their transfer to the Ukraine Recovery Fund.

Coldplay supporting Ukraine

Fake: Coldplay deleted posts supporting Ukraine due to criticism from fans
A video with the logo of the British music magazine New Musical Express (NME) is circulating online, claiming that the members of Coldplay allegedly deleted all posts supporting Ukraine from their social media accounts. The video claims that, under pressure from negative comments, the musicians decided it would be better to remove all references to their support for Ukraine.
In fact, this information is completely fabricated, and the video circulating online is fake. It only imitates the style of NME videos. There are no mentions or posts with such content on the official NME website or on its social media accounts. Moreover, the publication posts its videos without logos in the frame.
StopFake journalists also checked Coldplay's official pages – the band has not deleted any posts in support of Ukraine. This is confirmed by the Instagram page archives saved via the Wayback Machine service from the Internet Archive.