War in Ukraine: Latest news, analysis, video interviews, video reports

DISINFORMATION: Zelenskyy is no longer a legitimate president and his administration is illegal
DISINFORMATION: Zelenskyy is no longer a legitimate president and his administration is illegal

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is no longer a legitimate president, and his regime is illegal and led by foreigners, pro-Kremlin media write, citing a politician who fled to Russia.

Marin Gherman
22 May 2024
Reporting from Ukraine: the city where bombing has become routine
Reporting from Ukraine: the city where bombing has become routine

Alarmele aeriene s-au activat de 4000 de ori în Zaporojie în ultimii doi ani. Orașul revendicat de ruși se confruntă și cu riscul unor inundații catastrofale și a unui dezastru nuclear. Alex Craiu scrie cum arată o zi „obișnuită” în Zaporojie.

Alex Craiu
21 May 2024
How the Kharkiv offensive is seen on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels
How the Kharkiv offensive is seen on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels

Ukraine has been abandoned by the West and is being led by Zelensky to disaster, according to narratives about the Russian offensive in Kharkiv that are being promoted on Telegram. The offensive is presented as "unstoppable", and the purpose of the narratives is to strengthen Russian support for the war and demoralize the Ukrainians.

Marin Gherman
20 May 2024
Russia is recruiting Poles for its war against the West
Russia is recruiting Poles for its war against the West

As a new Cold War gathers steam, Poland finds itself on the frontline. Russian intelligence is recruiting agents in the country and it’s even using some for attacks against Kremlin opponents.

WAR PROPAGANDA: In Ukraine, Russia is fighting for traditional values
WAR PROPAGANDA: In Ukraine, Russia is fighting for traditional values

The war in Ukraine is being waged by Russia to save traditional values and the family from the debauchery and perversion of the West, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Marin Gherman
16 May 2024
Dispatch from Odesa: “Curse be they for such a «liberation »!”
Dispatch from Odesa: “Curse be they for such a «liberation »!”

Odesa, the main port-city of Ukraine, has been the target of Russian bombings since 2022. The attacks intensified after Russia withdrew from the grain agreement. Tatsiana Ashurkevich spent a few days in the city and found among its residents a mix of fatalism, fatigue, and determination against the Russians.

FAKE NEWS: Ukraine may attack the Republic of Moldova
FAKE NEWS: Ukraine may attack the Republic of Moldova

Ukraine will intensify its “unintentional” bombing of the territory of the Republic of Moldova if it advances further on the path of European integration, leaving Kyiv behind, according to the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel “Smuglyanka”.

Veridica
15 May 2024
FAKE NEWS: France sent the Foreign Legion to the Ukrainian front
FAKE NEWS: France sent the Foreign Legion to the Ukrainian front

Thousands of French Foreign Legion soldiers are already fighting on the Ukrainian front, according to a pro-Russian and anti-Western publication.

Cezar Manu
14 May 2024
The (R)evolution of Drones in the war in Ukraine
The (R)evolution of Drones in the war in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has turned drones into one of the most formidable weapons in the arsenal of both warring factions, while innovations in this field advanced at great speed.

War Propaganda: In 1945 Russia defeated the collective West for the first time
War Propaganda: In 1945 Russia defeated the collective West for the first time

Russia defended itself against the invasion of collective Europe in World War II and can do it again now, in the context of the war in Ukraine, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Marin Gherman
09 May 2024
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia is liberating territories from Ukrainian occupation
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia is liberating territories from Ukrainian occupation

Ukrainians are not an indigenous population, but rather the occupiers of Ukraine, and Russia is liberating its historical provinces, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims.

Marin Gherman
07 May 2024
FAKE NEWS: Ukraine forbids Orthodox Christians from attending the Easter Vigil
FAKE NEWS: Ukraine forbids Orthodox Christians from attending the Easter Vigil

Kyiv is using the war against Russia to forbid citizens from coming to church on Easter ad to attack Orthodox traditional values, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes.

Reporting from Ukraine: “We’re already used to death”. Life in Kharkiv under Russian missile fire
Reporting from Ukraine: “We’re already used to death”. Life in Kharkiv under Russian missile fire

Kharkiv has been a target for the Russian army ever since the war broke out. Its inhabitants refuse to leave their homes and carry on with their lives, trying to preserve some sense of normalcy despite the constant shelling.

Putin's Russia is preparing for a long, large-scale war
Putin's Russia is preparing for a long, large-scale war

Beyond Ukraine, Moscow is working on three fronts: strengthening the regime by "shaking up" its own elite, establishing governments-in-exile in former Soviet satellites, and promoting a pro-Russian discourse in the West.

Cosmin Popa
30 Apr 2024
Latvia’s tough stance towards Russia is undermined by business connections
Latvia’s tough stance towards Russia is undermined by business connections

From hardliner Dmitri Medvedev’s wine to raw materials for the arms industry, Russian imports are transiting Latvia in spite of the latter’s hawkish stance towards Moscow.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine, a Russian invention now run by non-Ukrainians
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine, a Russian invention now run by non-Ukrainians

According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, Ukraine cannot exist without Russia, and the political elites in Kyiv are made up of non-Ukrainians who want to destroy the country.

Marin Gherman
26 Apr 2024
DISINFORMATION: The US military package for Ukraine will only bring destruction and casualties
DISINFORMATION: The US military package for Ukraine will only bring destruction and casualties

The US aid to Ukraine only means destruction, bloodshed and increasing Kyiv's debt, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Marin Gherman
23 Apr 2024
WAR PROPAGANDA: NATO might occupy Ukraine, and Russia is defending its sovereignty
WAR PROPAGANDA: NATO might occupy Ukraine, and Russia is defending its sovereignty

Whereas Ukrainian politicians need the war to stay in power, Russia contributes to preserving the sovereignty of Ukraine in the face of threats caused by NATO.

Marin Gherman
19 Apr 2024
WAR PROPAGANDA: Kyiv is using a possible nuclear disaster to blackmail the West
WAR PROPAGANDA: Kyiv is using a possible nuclear disaster to blackmail the West

Ukraine is blackmailing the West to cause a nuclear disaster in Europe, unless it receives support for its war effort, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Marin Gherman
17 Apr 2024
The war with Russia puts pressure on Ukrainian democracy
The war with Russia puts pressure on Ukrainian democracy

The decision to postpone the elections is used by Russian propaganda to question the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelensky and divide Ukrainian society from within.

Marin Gherman
15 Apr 2024
The Stoltenberg proposal: a turning point for NATO. And for Ukraine
The Stoltenberg proposal: a turning point for NATO. And for Ukraine

A 100-billion-euro fund for Ukraine means a precise, long-term commitment with more offensive connotations than the support offered so far by the West.

WAR PROPAGANDA: The West wants to concede Ukrainian territories to Russia
WAR PROPAGANDA: The West wants to concede Ukrainian territories to Russia

The West is pressing Ukraine to concede certain territories to Russia, but this is a ruse, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes, adding that Zelenskyy will be put on trial for war crimes.

Marin Gherman
11 Apr 2024
Where the birds frightened me. A report from Ukraine
Where the birds frightened me. A report from Ukraine

The Ukrainian borderlands close to the Russian border resemble a no man’s land, scarred by war, where death comes from above.

Alex Craiu
05 Apr 2024
For the first time in 30 years, Chisinau has the advantage in the Transnistria case
For the first time in 30 years, Chisinau has the advantage in the Transnistria case

Isolated from Russia and marked by an economic crisis, Transnistria is forced to accept measures from Chisinau that it would have otherwise ignored. Tiraspol clings to an aggressive rhetoric, but doesn't really have many options at hand.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukrainians and Russians are one and the same people and Russia is fighting a holy war
WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukrainians and Russians are one and the same people and Russia is fighting a holy war

Ukrainians and Russians are one and the same people and Russia is waging a holy war in Ukraine, reads a false narrative promoted by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Marin Gherman
01 Apr 2024
The Estonian city where people still believe old Soviet lies
The Estonian city where people still believe old Soviet lies

An exhibition in Narva, dedicated to the Soviet bombing of this Estonian city in 1944 and comparing it to Russian bombardments of Ukraine, has outraged some local residents and politicians. The reactions are at least partly influenced by overexposure to Soviet and Russian propaganda.

Ukraine attacked Russia with “ISIS’ hand”. The story of an FSB/ex-KGB branded narrative
Ukraine attacked Russia with “ISIS’ hand”. The story of an FSB/ex-KGB branded narrative

Ukraine has been accused of being responsible for the terrorist attack in Moscow. Originally published on Telegram, the thesis was developed by Vladimir Putin and his close siloviki, the current and former head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov and Nikolai Patrushev, both ex-KGB, like Putin. The narrative rids the Russian authorities of all responsibility, plays well into the rhetoric about the Ukrainian-Western aggression and can be used to escalate the war. Arguments in its defense include falsehoods and an older conspiracy theory.

The fear of a Russian invasion is taking a psychological toll in Latvia
The fear of a Russian invasion is taking a psychological toll in Latvia

The fear of war with Russia is taking a psychological toll on Latvians. Authorities are trying to reassure them, pointing that Moscow lacks the capacity to wage war against NATO.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia, superior to the West in technological and military terms
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia, superior to the West in technological and military terms

The West cannot defeat Russia because it is inferior in technological and military terms, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes, trying to minimize Western support for Ukraine.

Marin Gherman
25 Mar 2024
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia needs a buffer-zone to protect itself from Ukraine
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia needs a buffer-zone to protect itself from Ukraine

Russia will create a buffer zone on Ukrainian territory to protect its civilians from Kyiv's bombings, according to pro-Kremlin media developing an idea voiced by the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Marin Gherman
20 Mar 2024
FAKE NEWS: Moldova will deploy troops in Ukraine under French flag
FAKE NEWS: Moldova will deploy troops in Ukraine under French flag

Moldovan servicemen might fight in Ukraine under French flag, the Russian media writes, commenting on the signing of a French-Moldovan security agreement.

Veridica
18 Mar 2024
WAR PROPAGANDA: Peace, achievable only by annexing Ukraine
WAR PROPAGANDA: Peace, achievable only by annexing Ukraine

The capitulation of Ukraine and its reunification with Russia is the only viable peace plan, says former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, cited by the pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Marin Gherman
15 Mar 2024