The Russian Ka-52 “Alligator” helicopter is a formidable weapon capable of inflicting considerable damage. According to various estimates, before the full-scale invasion, the Russian Aerospace Forces had between 140 and 160 “Alligator” combat helicopters. Several more units were produced during the war. During the war, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed or damaged about half of this equipment.Читати українськоюText: Oleksandr Shulman, graph: Nadia Kelm, Nataliia Romanyshyn

Last week, the Russian media wrote a lot about countries on the unfriendly list. Traditionally, France was in the propaganda lens. Disinformers cannot forgive Macron`s statement about the hypothetical deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine. They wrote about hostile Finland. Finns are accused of disliking "people from the East" and Russians. The propaganda claims that Finland's industry is collapsing because of the conflict with Russia, and reminds us that the country was once part of the Russian Empire. They also mentioned Kyrgyzstan. Propaganda attacked the country after it restricted the use of the Russian payment system Mir. They claim that there is nothing to do in Kyrgyzstan except eat pilaf. In fact, the country's budget will now be left without money, as labor migrants in Russia will not be able to replenish it.Читати українськоюRead about this and more in the new issue of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative websites that target Russian disinformation.

Last week, the Russian media discussed whether the death penalty should be brought back to Russia. The propaganda lamented that criminals should be severely punished rather than allowed to live in warm Russian prisons.Читати українськоюAlso, after the terrorist attack in Crocus, there was talk of the need to tighten migration policy. And while Ukraine is accused of the terrorist attack in statements, Tajiks face physical violence. Russian law enforcement agencies have joined the anti-immigration hysteria. They even discussed the need to introduce a visa regime with Central Asian countries. We have also seen another surge in the information campaign against the Armenian leadership. Nikol Pashinyan joins the club of "Russophobes" and "traitors" to the Russian people.Read about this and more in the new issue of our monitoring of Russian state media and manipulative websites that target Russian disinformation.

The terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall was the biggest news on Russian media last week. As soon as the first reports hit the Internet, it was clear that Russian propagandists were determined to blame Ukraine. It was as if the disinformers were running a creativity contest with just one task: connect Kyiv to the terrorist attack in any way possible.Читати українськоюMargarita Simonyan, the top propagandist and the RT editor-in-chief, hurried to tweet it was the unbrotherly Ukrainians: “All evidence points to the fact that the attack was planned by our not-quite-brothers”. Former president now blogger Dmitry Medvedev called to kill the Ukrainian leadership: “All those people must be found and eliminated as terrorists without mercy including the top officials of the state that launched such an atrocious attack”.The accusations remained even after ISIS terrorists had claimed responsibility for the attack. The disinformers argued that it was Ukraine’s tactic to shift responsibility onto Islamists.According to Russian media, the United States might also had a hand in the incident: they warned about the terrorist attack which appears suspicious. Moreover, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova believes that Washington is using ISIS to undermine America’s competitors.This monitoring report covers these and other topics of the disinformation spread by Russian state media and online parajournalists to manipulate public opinion.

Last week, Russian propaganda claimed that Kyiv had deliberately shot down a Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft near Belgorod allegedly carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war. According to one of the versions offered by the propagandists, it was an attack orchestrated by the Ukrainian authorities to discourage Ukrainians from surrendering to Russian forces.Читати українською

Russian media have been claiming that Ukraine is losing the war for almost two years now, and last week’s reports were no exception. Such claims are being supported by the news of unclear prospects of continuing Western aid to Ukraine. The issue has been causing considerable internal disagreement both in the USA and within the EU. The AFU are experiencing ammunition shortages. According to the propaganda, all the above means that victory is just around the corner. Читати українською

"Inside, the ceiling and walls are completely cracked, offices, locker rooms, gyms, and a medical room are destroyed. Only the entrance is left of the gym. Some of the walls have completely crumbled," says Oleksandr Yegorov, director of the Lokomotiv sports complex in Kyiv. These are the consequences of the Russian missile attack on Kyiv on 23 January.Читати українською

Last week, the Russian media continued to insist that Ukraine was suffering defeat after defeat in the battlefield. However, the front line dynamic — or rather a lack thereof — suggests otherwise. The propagandists are trying to show that Russia is retaliating for the attack on Belgorod.Читати українською

News reports claiming Ukraine’s strikes on Russian civilians were all over Russian media last week. The strikes on Belgorod were said to be Kyiv's desperate act of retaliation caused by its military defeats. The propagandists argued that Zelensky’s commanders deliberately target civilians contrary to Russia’s focus on military targets only.They also blamed Ukraine’s air defense for the deaths of civilians. Actually, it was only the beginning of a long list. For example, Ukraine was said to be ruining the lives of German farmers whose protests were linked with their country’s support of Ukraine.Read this article in Ukrainian

Putin's “Direct Line” forum played a key role in the dictator’s election campaign. Last week, Russian media produced a flurry of news reports on its results. The propagandists once again reminded their readers who is to blame for the war against Ukraine, predicted the egg prices to go down and addressed the timeless question “which is the ultimate New Year’s dish: Olivier salad or dressed herring?”.Read this article in Ukrainian