In Germany’s capital, Berlin, a new project called “Filter It!” — aimed at fighting disinformation — is launching on TremBEATS.FM, the city’s only Ukrainian-language radio station, which broadcasts every Wednesday from 16:00 to 17:00 on 91 FM. 

 The project features a series of short podcasts that explain essential skills for recognizing and dealing with disinformation. Using clear and accessible language, they cover topics such as the history of disinformation, its impact mechanisms, key terms, and how to react appropriately and counteract it. As the author of the texts, radio host and media expert Svitlana Vasylenko, says: “So you don’t end up as a pawn in this manipulative game.” 

 The “Filter It!” project is primarily aimed at Ukrainians and Ukrainian speakers living in Germany. However, it’s also valuable for anyone who wants to understand how disinformation works, the threats it poses, how to detect it, and how to respond appropriately. According to fact-checkers, fake news spreads on average six times faster than real news. Just imagine! Data from Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council shows that Russian intelligence services spread more than 150 million pieces of disinformation about Ukraine every week. Hybrid warfare today has no borders or common sense. Ukrainians, wherever they live, are extremely vulnerable to such content. 

 “We decided to explain the basic concepts of information hygiene in simple terms, to help protect mental health and prevent the spread of harmful messages,” adds Svitlana Vasylenko, the author and voice of the “Filter It!” project. 

 The first series of five short podcasts is already available on Spotify under “Фільтруй!” and on the 100% Life YouTube channel. (Links and materials are at the end of the text.) The “Filter It!” project also airs every Wednesday at 16:30 on the Ukrainian-language radio station in Berlin, TremBEATS.FM, frequency 91.0 (broadcast via the ALEX KOSMOS BERLIN platform). 

 The “Filter It!” project helps people understand, in simple language, why disinformation spreads so quickly and how not to get caught in its trap. It teaches how to identify fake news and explains in plain terms who a “troll” is and how to recognize a “deepfake.” From the podcast series, listeners will also learn what Egyptian pharaohs, the Mongol-Tatar yoke, and the most notorious dictators of the 20th and 21st centuries have in common. It also provides practical advice and arguments to counter the most common Russian narratives and propaganda. 

 Tune in to “Filter It!” on Spotify and YouTube. 

 The “Filter It!” project was created as part of the project ProjektFlügel: Empowerment gegen Desinformation, implemented by the organizations CRISP e.V. and Open Platform e.V., with financial support from the Berlin State Agency for Civic Education. The initiative is carried out in partnership with the NGO “100% Life” in Germany and the Ukrainian-language radio station in Berlin, TremBEATS.FM. 

Texts and narration by Svitlana Vasylenko. 

Sound and mastering by Valerii Kyrychenko. 

Coordinator — Yuliia Chechotkina.