Category Aid to Ukraine

Claim suggests billions should go to SWAT in schools. But there’s more to consider

The U.S. has spent $53 billion on aid to Ukraine as part of a bipartisan effort to oppose Russia's invasion of the fledgling democracy. More than $3 billion goes toward U.S. schools safety equipment and personnel every year, according to market research analysis and federal figures. Researchers largely agree that armed officers at K-12 schools do not prevent mass shootings or other gun-related incidents from happening. Instead, experts recommend threat assessment programs to help school staff identify behavioral warning signs among students and intervene to provide support before violent incidents occur. Our ruling A Facebook post claimed that with the $53 billion spent in Ukraine aid, the U.S. "could pay five SWAT members $80,000 each and have them at EVERY school front door." The U.S. has allocated about $53 billion in aid to Ukraine. And if one wanted to pay this amount to station five SWAT members at every public and private K-12 school in the country, it would also add up to about $53 billion over one year. But that statement alone lacks context about current security funding for schools and what research shows about the effect of such measures. More than $2.7 billion is already spent each year on school safety equipment and services nationwide. And this $53 billion, if spent as the claim suggested, would cover just one year of SWAT team coverage for schools. Additionally, research shows that the presence of armed officers on campuses does not help prevent school shootings from happening. We rate this claim Half True.

Baby formula donations to Ukraine not linked to U.S. shortage

• A Mississippi nonprofit, Operation Ukraine, sent $10,000 worth of baby formula to Ukraine in March. • There is no evidence that the donated formula contributed to current U.S. baby formula shortages, which are attributed to supply chain problems that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the recall of some formula that led to a manufacturing plant shutdown. Causes of the U.S. shortage are described by Bloomberg as "long-term economic pressures collid(ing) with a sudden supply shock." The long-term issues are related to the pandemic, which led to supply chain and shipping disruptions, as well as labor shortages. And the supply shock, Bloomberg explained, came when Abbott Laboratories recalled its baby formula and shut down a Michigan manufacturing plant because of concerns about contamination. The claim that donations of baby formula to Ukraine are related to the current U.S. shortage is unfounded. We rate it False.

May 17, 2022
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation International community Misconceptions Ukraine USA

No credible reports indicate that Starlink was used in Russian ship attack

• There are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink satellite service was used to facilitate the attack on the Russian ship Moskva. • The Russian government did not order the destruction of the Starlink satellite service. That claim originated on a fraudulent website falsely identifying itself as the official website of a Russian political party. Our ruling A Facebook post says, "Space X's Starlink internet constellation has angered Russia as it was reported that the Starlink satellite constellation was used to guide the fire" on the Russian ship Moskva. But there are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink service was involved in the attack on Moskva. The claim that a Russian official ordered the destruction of the Starlink satellite service originated on a fraudulent website. We rate this claim False.

No, a U.S. Army officer was not captured by Russian military forces in Ukraine

Online users claimed Lt. Gen. Roger Cloutier, an American NATO officer, was recently captured in Ukraine. That's false. He hasn't been in Ukraine since July 2021.

CNN Video Shows Canadian Fire Gear Donated to Ukraine, Not ‘Fake Footage’

A recent Facebook post falsely claims that CNN footage from the war in Ukraine was faked, citing a firefighter’s jacket bearing the name of a Canadian city. But the footage was shot in Ukraine. The jacket was donated by a Canadian organization.

March 30, 2022
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Ukraine

No, this Edmonton jacket isn’t proof CNN staged a fire as part of its Ukraine coverage

A Canadian charity has for years donated firefighter gear to Ukrainians. A jacket bearing the name of the city Edmonton that appeared in live CNN coverage in Ukraine came from the group, the charity said. An April 2019 Instagram post from the group shows piles of jackets bound for Ukraine. A 2018 post says: "Sharing more gear outside Lviv." The second photo in this post shows someone holding up a jacket that says "Edmonton" that resembles the one that appears in the CNN broadcast. We rate claims that this jacket is evidence that CNN staged the scene, or that Lemon isn't in Ukraine, False.

Viral image of helicopter lifting tractor does not show NATO ‘resupplying Ukrainian farmers’

A viral photo of a helicopter airlifting a tractor predates Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. An Indian tractor manufacturer posted it on Twitter in November 2020. The helicopter in the photo is labeled "Indian Air Force." India is not a member of NATO.

American megachurches are offering support to Ukraine, despite claims on social media

Multiple megachurches around the United States have been raising funds to help Ukrainians during Russia's invasion. Gateway Church, another megachurch in Texas, has set up a crisis relief fund to support people in Ukraine and the surrounding region. Saddleback Church, a megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, has an advance relief team connecting with local pastors in Ukraine and Poland who are caring for hundreds of Ukrainian refugees. The church's website features ways people can help and has provided multiple updates on its efforts in the region. The Rock Church, a megachurch in San Diego, California, is directing people to its partner organization, Crisis Response International, and told PolitiFact that it's in the process of establishing a Ukraine relief fund. Crossroads Church, an Ohio-based megachurch, partners with humanitarian and disaster relief organizations Convoy of Hope and World Vision, which both have operations on the ground in Ukraine. Other church networks, like the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Catholic Relief Services, are collecting donations and deploying staff and resources. We rate posts that say no megachurches are raising money for Ukraine relief False.

March 16, 2022
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Private donations Religion Ukraine USA

Megachurches in U.S. Are Supporting Ukraine Relief, Contrary to Social Media Posts

Several megachurches in the U.S. are actively raising funds to support Ukrainians in light of the Russian invasion. But social media posts have falsely claimed that “we haven’t seen a single American mega church offer anything to the Ukrainians.”

March 9, 2022
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Private donations USA

There are no US-run biolabs in Ukraine, contrary to social media posts

There are no U.S.-run biological weapons labs operating in Ukraine. The U.S. Defense Department and the Ukraine Ministry of Health have had a partnership since 2005 to improve public health laboratories and prevent the threat of outbreaks of infectious diseases. That effort is part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which began in 1991 to reduce the threat of existing weapons of mass destruction programs in former Soviet Republics. Our ruling A social media user tweeted that Russia was targeting U.S.-run biolabs in its invasion of Ukraine. That account was soon suspended by Twitter. There are no U.S.-run biolabs in Ukraine. The country is one of many former Soviet Union republics, and other countries, partnering with the Defense Department as part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. It's the latest claim in a series of disinformation efforts by the Russians, an expert told PolitiFact. While the U.S. may provide funding to upgrade or build labs in other countries, the labs are run by the partnering nations and the program's goal is to prevent biological threats, not create them. We rate this claim False.