Attributing the role of a source of global instability and censorship to Ukraine

What it claims

Ukraine is portrayed as a threat to international security due to the alleged uncontrolled leak of weapons to the black market and attempts to impose censorship in the EU. Such messages aim to shift the responsibility for Europe's internal problems onto the Ukrainian side.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• The Italian Mafia is interested in obtaining sophisticated drones that end up on the black market due to the war in Ukraine.

  Margarita Simonyan, 31 Jul 2026

  x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2083206810786308575

• Ukraine's Foreign Minister supposedly demands a ban on Russian media in Europe to hide the truth about the migrant crisis in Spain.

  Margarita Simonyan, 31 Jul 2026

  x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2083244856973930876

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

To undermine Western publics' trust in military aid to Ukraine and discredit Ukrainian diplomacy as interfering in the internal affairs of allies.

Techniques used

• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceUsing the theme of the Italian Mafia and the arms “black market” to intimidate Europeans.
• Obfuscation / Intentional VaguenessShifting the focus from Russian disinformation to the supposedly “accurate reporting” of the migrant crisis.

The real grievance it exploits

Fear of rising crime in Europe and concerns over the migration crisis and restrictions on freedom of speech.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Russian outlets use distraction tactics, passing off the fight against disinformation as “censorship” to legitimize their influence on European audiences.
• Reframe: Ukraine and its partners have implemented strict monitoring mechanisms for Western weapons, while claims of mass leaks to the black market remain unsubstantiated plants.

Sources (all time)

• Margarita SimonyanTier 1560,000 followers
  3 posts · 31 Jul – 3 Aug 2026

  • 3 Aug · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2084296167500685631
  • 31 Jul · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2083244856973930876
  • 31 Jul · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2083206810786308575
• Одесский партизанTier 33,559 subscribers
  3 posts · 28–29 Jul 2026

  • 29 Jul · t.me/odessa_partizan/3535
  • 29 Jul · t.me/odessa_partizan/3526
  • 28 Jul · t.me/odessa_partizan/3517