Category Fact checks / debunkings

No, Ukraine’s military is not camouflaging tanks as houses

An October 2020 article from the news outlet RBC-Ukraine said the car was decorated to look like a Ukrainian village house. The car motor was hidden, and the driver's seat was built into the floor. Side mirrors that would normally be on a car were replaced with cameras inside the structure, RBC-Ukraine reported. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there have been numerous false and misleading claims about the war and both countries' military units. We rate the claim that a Ukrainian tank is using a house as camouflage False.
Read MoreNo, Ukraine’s military is not camouflaging tanks as houses

The war in Ukraine is real and ongoing, despite nonsense social media posts

That's because it trafficks in misinformation about the war that we've encountered before. Previous posts have falsely claimed that various photos are evidence the war is fake, that video clips prove it's staged, that it's scripted. None of that was accurate, and neither is the claim that there's no war in Ukraine. It defies more than a year of news coverage from reporters with media outlets from around the world giving dispatches from Ukraine, describing the front lines, the lives of civilians and more. We rate this post Pants on Fire!
Read MoreThe war in Ukraine is real and ongoing, despite nonsense social media posts

Claim of 1 million Ukrainian soldiers dead has no official backing

Reuters reported in April that leaked documents allegedly from U.S. intelligence agencies estimated as many as 354,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have died or been injured in the war. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the documents, and U.S. officials said some files appeared to be altered. The Facebook video's claim that 1 million Ukrainian soldiers have been "wiped out" is much higher than any official reported estimates. So we rate this claim False.
Read MoreClaim of 1 million Ukrainian soldiers dead has no official backing

Watch out, this isn’t a real American ad campaign calling for homeless people to fight in Ukraine

A call for homeless Americans to join the Ukrainian front? That"s what these advertisements shared on Twitter since April 2023 claim to show. Publications in several languages claim that a poster in the New York subway is offering financial benefits to those who are down on their luck - by fighting in Ukraine. However, there are several visual inconsistencies in the poster that point to it being fake. Plus, Ukrainian authorities have denied the existence of any such campaign.
Read MoreWatch out, this isn’t a real American ad campaign calling for homeless people to fight in Ukraine