NewsGuard has identified 258 Russia-Ukraine disinformation sites and is tracking the top false narratives that they are publishing about the war in Ukraine
By Madeline Roache, Sophia Tewa, Alex Cadier, Chine Labbe, Virginia Padovese, Roberta Schmid, Edward O’Reilly, Marie Richter, Karin König, McKenzie Sadeghi, Chiara Vercellone, Zack Fishman, Natalie Adams, Valerie Pavilonis, Shayeza Walid, Kelsey Griffin, Coalter Palmer and Andie Slomka.
Last updated: Aug. 17, 2022
Russia-Ukraine Disinformation Tracking Center - NewsGuard (newsguardtech.com)
Months before Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, false narratives about Ukraine and its allies, many promoted by the Kremlin’s disinformation apparatus, were already proliferating online. From false claims of Ukrainian genocide directed at Russian-speaking Ukrainians, to assertions that Nazi ideology is driving Ukraine’s political leadership, these claims were used to justify Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
As support for the Ukrainian government rose, Kyiv has made use of social media platforms and messaging apps to push back against the Kremlin’s disinformation machine. However, a growing stream of anti-Russia misinformation has also spread online. Some pro-Ukrainian sites and scores of social media users have shared false posts about the war, ranging from manipulated images of the mythical Ghost of Kyiv to misleading footage of alleged Russian attacks.
Tracking 258 Top Russia-Ukraine Disinformation Sites
English-language websites: 119
French-language websites: 42
German-language websites: 22
Italian-language websites: 28
Other: 47
To date, NewsGuard’s team has identified and is tracking 258 domains some with a history of publishing false, pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation — that have promoted false claims about the Russian-Ukraine conflict. These websites include official Russian state media sources of the kind that some of the digital platforms have temporarily sanctioned since the onset of the Russian invasion. But many websites that are not official propaganda arms of the Russian government and are not being sanctioned by the platforms also promote false claims supporting the government of Vladimir Putin. These sources include anonymous websites, foundations, and research websites with uncertain funding—at least some of which may have undisclosed links to the Russian government.
The three most influential among websites known to be funded and operated by the Russian government are the state media sources RT, TASS, and Sputnik News. Below are links to NewsGuard’s Nutrition Labels for these three sources:
NewsGuard’s team is monitoring these and the dozens of other sites that we have identified as those that spread Russia-Ukraine disinformation narratives, including the top myths cited in this report. As noted above, as new myths and disinformation sources are identified, we will update this report accordingly.
Russia employs a multi-layered strategy to introduce, amplify, and spread false and distorted narratives across the world — relying on a mix of official state media sources, anonymous websites and accounts, and other methods to distribute propaganda that advances the Kremlin’s interests and undermines its adversaries. Its government-funded and operated websites use digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to launch and promote false narratives. NewsGuard has been tracking these sources and methods since 2018. and licenses its data about Russian propaganda efforts to the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Cyber Command, and other government and defense entities.
In 2020, the U.S. Department of State’s Global Engagement Center, citing NewsGuard’s reporting and data, outlined key components of these efforts in its report, “Pillars of Russia’s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem.”
While Russia’s disinformation firepower has meant that pro-Russia disinformation remains dominant, anti-Russia or pro-Ukraine disinformation, occasionally shared by Ukrainian authorities, has also started to emerge. These narratives tend to paint a triumphant picture of Ukrainian armed forces while making unsubstantiated anti-Russia claims.
For example, videos of the “Ghost of Kyiv”, a Ukrainian fighter pilot alleged to have shot down six Russia military jets, were spread to millions on TikTok and other platforms. Days later, it emerged that the footage originated from a video game and that there is no evidence to support the existence of the “Ghost of Kyiv”.
Researchers, platforms, advertisers, government agencies, or other institutions interested in accessing the full list of domains can contact us here: Request domain list.
Top Russia-Ukraine war myths:
These myths are listed in the order in which NewsGuard’s analysts disproved them, with newest entries at the top.
Please refer to this link for the following articles:
MYTH: Ukrainian anti-war protestors obstructed traffic in Italy, causing major backups
MYTH: A video shows Ukrainian farmers in a field set on fire by the Russian military during the Russia-Ukraine war
MYTH: Video shows a Russian missile destroying a Ukrainian weapons depot
MYTH: Dashcam footage shows that Russia deployed nuclear missiles to its border with Finland
MYTH: Vladimir Putin plans to reveal the West’s plans to “depopulate” the world
MYTH: Russia is not stealing grain from Ukraine or blocking shipments, as the West has charged
MYTH: To mark the anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Ukrainian activists put anti-Russian stickers on walls and fences at the Auschwitz concentration camp
MYTH: NATO is establishing a military base at the Severodonetsk airport in Ukraine
MYTH: A video shows the Russian warship Moskva exploding
MYTH: Deutsche Welle reported that German police arrested a Ukrainian refugee for blackmailing women
MYTH: The Ukrainian Orthodox Church canonized nationalist leader Stepan Bandera
MYTH: The Red Cross in Ukraine is involved in children’s organ trafficking
MYTH: A Russian strike on a munitions depot led to a fire at a defunct mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine
MYTH: The Ukrainian army seized a United Nations office in Kramatorsk, Ukraine
MYTH: Ukraine asked Poland to deport Ukrainian men of military age for them to join the frontlines
MYTH: A video showed a Ukrainian girl injured by a Russian missile singing the national anthem
MYTH: Ukraine’s Azov Battalion used explosives to blow up the Mariupol Drama Theater
MYTH: Zelensky used a green screen to fake appearances in Ukraine
MYTH: Ukraine is requiring women to register for military service
MYTH: Ukrainian refugees burned down a house in Germany where they were staying while attempting to burn the Russian flag
MYTH: Hunter Biden helped finance a bioweapons research program in Ukraine
MYTH: A French man who was killed in Ukraine’s Donbas region was not a journalist, but a mercenary
MYTH: Kateryna Prokopenko, the wife of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment commander, is a neo-Nazi.
MYTH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Russian and therefore is an illegitimate president
MYTH: The U.S. is recruiting ISIS mercenaries to fight in Ukraine.
MYTH: Residents of the city of Tampere, Finland, filmed a Finnish train transporting hundreds of tanks and military equipment to its eastern border with Russia in May 2022, following the country’s move toward NATO membership.
MYTH: Putin used a green screen to record a fake TV appearance.
MYTH: Poland is preparing to invade Western Ukraine.
MYTH: Ukraine is selling surplus weapons to African countries.
MYTH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has an estimated net worth of $850 million. He accumulated his wealth after he was elected.
MYTH: Google Maps revealed uncensored satellite images of Russian military sites in April 2022 during the Russia-Ukraine war, which were previously blurred. The change was meant to help Russia’s enemies better assess the Russian military’s capabilities and advances.
MYTH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to surrender.
MYTH: NATO military advisors are hiding out in a subterranean NATO bioweapons laboratory called PIT-404, which is financed by Metabiota, a company affiliated with Hunter Biden. The lab is located underneath the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, Ukraine.
MYTH: A secret document called the “Chancellor’s File” proves that NATO planned a war against Russia decades ago.
MYTH: Russia does not use the type of missile that was employed to attack the Kramatorsk train station.
MYTH: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helped carry out forced evacuations of Ukrainians to Russia.
MYTH: Classified documents show Ukraine was preparing an offensive operation against the Donbas.
MYTH: The massacre of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, was staged.
MYTH: The U.S. is developing bioweapons designed to target ethnic Russians.
MYTH: Photos show Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky fighting in combat after Russia invaded Ukraine.
MYTH: Videos show the “Ghost of Kyiv” shooting down Russian planes.
MYTH: Ukraine threatened Russia with invasion.
MYTH: U.S. paratroopers landed in Ukraine.
MYTH: Russian missiles hit a nuclear waste facility in Kyiv.
MYTH: Ukrainian “nationalists” seized about 20 OSCE vehicles in eastern Ukraine.
MYTH: Ukraine staged the attack on the hospital in Mariupol.
MYTH: European universities are expelling Russian students.
MYTH: A man named “Bernie Gores” was the first American casualty of the Ukraine crisis.
MYTH: Ukraine is training child soldiers.
MYTH: The war in Ukraine is a hoax.
MYTH: The U.S. has a network of bioweapons labs in Eastern Europe.
MYTH: Russia was not using cluster munitions during its military operation in Ukraine.
MYTH: NATO has a military base in Odessa.
MYTH: Russia did not target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
MYTH: Modern Ukraine was entirely created by communist Russia.
MYTH: Crimea joined Russia legally.
MYTH: Polish-speaking saboteurs attempted to bomb a chlorine plant in Donbas.
MYTH: Ukrainian forces bombed a kindergarten in Lugansk on Feb. 17, 2022.
MYTH: The U.S. and U.K. sent outdated and obsolete weapons to Ukraine.
MYTH: Nazism is rampant in Ukrainian politics and society, supported by the authorities in Kyiv.
MYTH: The West staged a coup to overthrow the pro-Russia Ukrainian government in 2014.
MYTH: Russian-speaking residents in Donbas have been subjected to genocide.
Correction: An earlier version of this tracker inaccurately referred to Mimikama as a German fact-checking organization. In fact, Mimikama is Austrian. NewsGuard apologizes for the error.
Russia-Ukraine Disinformation Tracking Center - NewsGuard (newsguardtech.com)
