Category Fact checks / debunkings

DISINFO: EU ban on Russian media is Russophobia and murder of free speech

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU violating freedom of speech and press. On 15 May 2024, EU ambassadors agreed in principle to place an additional four Russian media outlets on the sanctions list, accusing them of propaganda. These are Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestiya and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The decision was based on the fact that these media outlets are used as a tool of Russian propaganda and disinformation. See here for the list of outlets sanctioned previously. The EU countries are considered free and democratic by Freedom House. In contrast, Russia is considered one of the least free countries in the world. This is the reason why pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives strongly attack democracy and the EU as a viable model to Russia's autocratic system.
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DISINFO: The Polish special services fabricated documents against the Polish judge for his pro-peace position

This message is a part of a wider narrative about the lack of democracy in Western countries, in this case, it promotes the idea that an "aggressive" Poland persecutes its citizens for their political views. No evidence is provided to support this claim. This claim was made in connection with the accusations and statements of the Polish Judge Tomasz Szmydt, who ran away to Belarus on 9 May 2024 seeking "political asylum" in this country. In Poland, he is under the suspicion of espionage in favour of Belarus and was stripped of his immunity.
Read MoreDISINFO: The Polish special services fabricated documents against the Polish judge for his pro-peace position

DISINFO: The attempt on Slovak PM Robert Fico’s life was political terrorism in retaliation for his pro-Russian position

There is no evidence of the involvement of any Western country in the assassination attempt on Fico. Slovakian media identified the shooter as 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, a self-described writer who previously worked as a security guard and is allegedly linked to pro-Russian group Slovački branci. Slovakia's interior minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, told reporters that Cintula was a "lone wolf, whose actions were accelerated after the presidential election since he was dissatisfied with its outcome."
Read MoreDISINFO: The attempt on Slovak PM Robert Fico’s life was political terrorism in retaliation for his pro-Russian position

DISINFO: The Polish, American, British and Ukrainian secret services may hunt the Polish run-away judge down

This message is a part of a wider narrative about the lack of democracy in Western countries, in this case, it promotes the idea that "aggressive" Poland and other democratic countries order political murders of the run-away "dissidents". No evidence is provided to support this claim, which is part of a classic "whataboutism" along the line "you blame me for bad things, but you do the same yourself". It is a whataboutism attempt to deflect attentiona away from Russia's assignations made in UK (like Alexander Litvinenko), Germany (the Tiergarden murder) and other attempts on political opponent such as former rusisan agent Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia which were targeted with a Novichok chemical nerve critical in Salisbury, UK. This claim was made in connection with the accusations and statements of the Polish Judge Tomasz Szmydt, who ran away to Belarus on 9 May 2024 seeking "political asylum" in this country. In Poland, he is under the suspicion of espionage in favour of Belarus and was stripped of his immunity.
Read MoreDISINFO: The Polish, American, British and Ukrainian secret services may hunt the Polish run-away judge down

DISINFO: Ukrainian government is planning to relocate to Lviv

The article contains baseless speculation devoid of any factual basis. It serves the pro-Kremlin aim of eroding morale and a narrative of a disintegrating Ukraine that is in retreat militarily. The article references a Reuters article, which states that foreign investment and the increase in internally displaced people are most noticeable in the western regions (Lviv and Transcarpathia). However, this fact, which is a consequence of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, has no bearing on the claim that the Ukrainian government is planning a resettlement to western Ukraine, specifically Lviv. Ukraine has no intention of abandoning Kyiv, the capital city. Even during the height of the war in spring 2022, the government and the president remained in Kyiv.
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DISINFO: International law expert Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt assesses Ukraine’s war crimes

False claim made in connection with the case of Polish Judge Tomasz Szmydt, who fled to Belarus seeking "political asylum". For several months, he was observed by the Polish special services who suspected him of espionage in favour of Belarus and Russia. Tomasz Szmydt is not an expert in International Public Law and has limited professional authority to accuse Ukraine of war crimes (see previous accusations in our database). In 2019, as explained by DW: "Szmydt made headlines when he was identified as being a member of a group of judges waging a smear campaign on social media against other judges"
Read MoreDISINFO: International law expert Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt assesses Ukraine’s war crimes

DISINFO: In Ukraine, Russia defends traditional values for the benefit of the whole world

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on the morally corrupt West which is presented as a justification for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and serves to deflect responsibility for Moscow's illicit actions. Russia's brutal war against Ukraine is absurdly portrayed as a war against the West and as a noble cause of fighting for the benefit of mankind against the "culture of degeneracy, perversion, and pathology." Western values as well as concepts which are not necessarily linked with Western values and policies but nevertheless attributed to the West in the article are intended to present the West as pernicious, immoral, degenerate, and a threat to traditional values. The narrative about threatened values is one of the most common pro-Kremlin narratives. It portrays the Russian civilisation as morally superior to the Western. Russia uses this narrative to proclaim itself the defender of traditional social and spiritual values all over the world. Progressive Western attitudes about a variety of normative issues, including the rights of women, ethnic and religious minorities, and LGBTQ groups, among others, are often undermined and distorted in pro-Kremlin outlets. Respect for individual choices is often falsely portrayed in the pro-Kremlin media as state policies aimed at propagating and imposing specific actions, such as sex changes on the population.
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Fact Check: Putin Defends Hitler’s Invasion of Poland in Carlson Interview

True. Based on a Russian transcript of Vladimir Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson, Newsweek verified Putin said Adolf Hitler was "forced" to invade Poland, an inaccurate interpretation of the circumstances leading to World War II. While translations do not use the word "forced" or "compelled", they broadly match its meaning.
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Fact Check: Is Tucker Carlson on Ukraine ‘Kill List’ Over Putin Interview?

False. The claim that the Mirotvorets list, which Alex Jones and Infowars refer to as a "kill list," is inaccurate, as is the claim that Tucker Carlson was added to it following reports he had interviewed Vladimir Putin. The list does not advocate violence toward those on it, which is part of an NGO, non-state-funded effort by Ukrainian activists to list "enemies of Ukraine." Carlson has been listed on the site since mid-2023.
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FACT CHECK: Viral Video Shows Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Belly Dance? – YouTube

A social media post claims that an accompanying video shows a belly dance performed by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We check the veracity of the claim in this video. [Verdict: False. The video is a deep fake.]
Read MoreFACT CHECK: Viral Video Shows Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Belly Dance? – YouTube