Don’t Let Russia Fool You About the Minsk Agreements
The deals reached several years ago are far from perfect, but they nonetheless offer a way to talk to Russia while pressing it not to invade further.
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How to verify a photo online and fight the spread of misinformation
You just received a photo on WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter. The image makes you angry, sad or joyful, and the caption encourages you to share it as widely as possible. You're a little cautious, however, because the story seems too good to be true. You are right to be careful. Here are a few tips for verifying images and tracing a photo’s origin on your own.
Dig deeper with these advanced verification tools
If you've been brushing up on the FRANCE 24 Observers' verification guide, then you now have the know-how to verify images with a reverse image search or check for edits with some forensic tools. You should also have the basic instincts needed to be wary when scrolling through social media. This guide will show you some more advanced verification techniques that can help you dig a bit deeper into the origins of a post or a page.
Zelenskyy belly dancing video is a deepfake – Full Fact
WHAT WAS CLAIMED: A video shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy belly dancing at an event.
OUR VERDICT: The footage is not genuine. It has been digitally altered, and President Zelenskyy's face has been imposed onto the dancer's using deepfake techniques.
FACT CHECK: Kim Jong Un And Vladimir Putin Video Edited To Show The Two Refusing To Drink From Glasses After Toasting | Check Your Fact
The caption reads, "When Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong UN met and none of them was willing to drink first."
The claim is inaccurate. The video has been edited to remove the moment that they drink. The full video shows that they did drink. The video shows the two toasted each other and then the other people at the table and then were clearly seen drinking.
Russia did not invade Ukraine to stop a NATO genocide in eastern regions
The Verdict: False.
There is no evidence that the people of eastern Ukraine were subject to systematic extermination. [...]
The claim was spread widely after [Russian Foreign Affairs official] Maria Zakharova [...] stated in February 2022 that there was a "systematic extermination of the Donbas population." However, an OSCE monitoring mission active in Ukraine since 2014 has found no evidence of mass targeted killings of civilians in the Donbas region. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not provided any proof to back up Zakharova's claim.
Russian Nationalist Channels Fabricate YouTube Data to Claim Ukrainians Don’t Listen to Ukrainian Musicians
"It's just that YouTube Music published the TOP artists
in Ukraine. Not a single performer in Ukrainian."
That is false.
Musicians singing in Ukrainian dominated all of YouTube's weekly charts of top artists in Ukraine in 2023 as shown in YouTube's own data.
How pro-Russian ‘yacht’ propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid
A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money. Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending.
It was an incredible assertion - using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts. But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.
Photo of Hawaiian park falsely shared as ‘Putin’s private villa’
A photo of a building complex inside a massive volcanic crater has been repeatedly shared in social media posts that falsely claim it shows a private villa owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In fact, the picture shows the Diamond Head Crater in Hawaii, a state park owned and maintained by the US government.
Fake: Ukrainian Serviceman Sent to Avdiyivka to Die for Posting a Tik Tok
The author of the TikTok video is alive and was never sent to the frontlines in Avdiyivka. StopFake managed to track him down and the serviceman refuted the information spread by propaganda.