Category Context

The picture below shows the bodies of 193 Dutch citizens being returned to the Netherlands.

On 17 July, 2014: Russia shot down a passenger airplane over Ukraine, killing everyone aboard.

On this day 9 years ago, Russia shot down Malaysia Airlines MH17 over Eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people. This picture shows the bodies of 193 Dutch citizens being returned to the Netherlands.

August 10, 2023
Attacks on civilians Context Malaysia Airlines MH17 Russia Ukraine War crimes

Are These Before-and-After Pics of the Same Location in Bucha, Ukraine?

Claim: A pair of photographs shows the same location in Bucha, Ukraine, following Russia's withdrawal in April 2022 and roughly a year after efforts to rebuild were undertaken. Rating: True

May 15, 2023
Attacks on civilians Bucha Fact checks / debunkings Ukraine War crimes

Does Video Show U.S. Senator’s ‘Confessions’ to Ukraine Coup?

There are a number of misleading elements to this tweet. Firstly, the video is not a "confession" at all. It is footage from an interview with Russian state-funded broadcaster RT. [...] The tweet did not provide the necessary context for readers to be able to judge the significance of the footage, which only contained the opinions of a retired state senator.

March 3, 2023
2014 Maidan revolution Context Democracy Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russian propaganda Ukraine USA

Five fact-checks about the war in Ukraine

Russia's invasion of Ukraine this year kept our fact-checkers very busy. We wrote 92 articles debunking false claims about information related to the war. These ranged from claims the Bucha massacre was staged to false TV reports and accusations of Nazism among Ukrainians. To mark the end of the year, we made a list of some of our top fact-checks about Ukraine.

Did Ukraine Give Up Nukes for Russia, U.S. Security Guarantees?

The Budapest Memorandum, signed in December 1994, resulted in Ukraine voluntarily handing over its nuclear arsenal, as well as other military stocks and munitions, to Russia. In exchange, Moscow vowed to respect Ukraine's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. The U.S. and the U.K. were among the co-signatories, but stopped short of providing "guarantees" (which would have entailed a direct military intervention) and instead offered "assurances," a term that left some wiggle room for a response to potential aggression from Moscow.

December 7, 2022
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings Russia Treaties & agreements Ukraine USA

No, Ukraine does not have nuclear bombs or “dirty bombs”

Ukraine does not have a nuclear bomb or a "dirty bomb," according to experts and watchdogs. The country used to have Soviet-era nuclear weapons but returned them to Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed. Ukraine also dismantled or destroyed its nuclear missiles and silos. Its nuclear materials are now used for peaceful purposes. Experts and watchdogs say Ukraine has neither a nuclear bomb nor a "dirty bomb." Ukraine used to have nuclear weapons but it transferred them to Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed and dismantled or destroyed its nuclear missiles and silos. The nation's nuclear materials are now used for peaceful purposes. We rate the post False.

October 27, 2022
Context Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Treaties & agreements Ukraine

FACT CHECK: No, Lego Did Not Create Figurines Of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False The photos show a set of custom-built Lego figures. A Lego spokesperson confirmed the images do not depict an official product.

July 26, 2022
Azov Battalion Context Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

Images of Ukrainian flag being replaced with Soviet Union flag are from 2015, not 2022

Iterations of the collage have been online since at least 2015 and appear to be screenshots of a video that shows pro-Russian forces taking control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Debaltseve. It's unrelated to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The photos are real, but they're outdated and do not appear to have been taken in Mariupol. The social media posts were miscaptioned. Our ruling A collage shared online claims to show Russian forces replacing the Ukrainian flag with the Soviet Flag in Mariupol in 2022. Iterations of the collage have been online since at least 2015 and appear to feature screenshots of a video that shows pro-Russian forces taking control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Debaltseve. It's unrelated to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. We rate this False.

No, this photo of intact windows in Bucha doesn’t prove the war in Ukraine is a hoax

The destruction in Bucha due to Russia invading Ukraine has been well-documented through news reports and photos. An image of overturned cars next to a building with intact windows doesn't disprove that. Photographer Emanuele Satolli, who took photos at the same scene pictured in the Instagram post, told the Greek fact-checking outlet Ellinika Hoaxes that he "met several citizens and everyone told me that the cars had been overturned by Russian tanks." Plenty of other photos Abd shot in Bucha show shattered windows, rubble from devastated buildings, streets in ruins, and human corpses ' all the real toll of a real war. Claims that the war in Ukraine is fake are inaccurate and ridiculous. That's our definition of Pants on Fire.

April 27, 2022
Bucha Context Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Narratives Russia Russian propaganda The war is a hoax Ukraine War crimes

Disinformation: Russia presented specific evidence to the UN on crimes committed by the Ukrainian authorities against their own citizens in Bucha

Therefore, the Kremlin’s claim that they presented a set of evidence to the UN which proves Ukraine’s crimes in Bucha is fake. That which the Russian Ambassador presented at a special press conference and the UN Security Council are impossible to be considered as “evidence.” Most of them are easily verifiable false claims and the rest is absurd allegations which are not considered as evidence in any format.