Category Fact checks / debunkings

Did Putin Promote Drug Smuggler U.S. Exchanged for Ex-Marine?

True. Konstantin Yaroshenko was convicted in 2011 for his involvement in a major drug smuggling operation. It is also true that he was part of a prisoner exchange that also included Trevor Reed, a former U.S. marine. In October 2022, Yaroshenko was indeed appointed to civic office by the Russian president's decree, having earlier expressed an interest in "human rights advocacy" and "social work."

October 28, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Russia USA

Are Stray Dogs ‘Lining Up’ for Pet Food in War-Torn Kramatorsk?

The dogs in the photo were pictured lined up near a feeding station in Kramatorsk, as confirmed by photos and film clips taken by volunteers in the city. While there have been other recorded instances of dogs queueing, they were often highly trained. It's not clear whether these dogs were patiently waiting their turns or it was simply a well-timed photo, but the image is deeply heart-warming nonetheless.

October 28, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Ukraine

Russia’s Claim That Photo Shows ‘Dirty Bomb’ in Ukraine

The images in the graphic, shared by the Russian Ministry of Defence, are not of a Ukrainian dirty bomb facility or evidence of the creation of a dirty bomb. Some are photos of Russian and Siberian research facilities. Another, according to the Slovenian government, is from a 2010 Radioactive Waste Management presentation by a Slovenian non-profit. One of the images has been used several times over on different websites since 2010.

October 27, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

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

Is Red Cross Funding Families of Mobilized Russians?

As stated on its website the Russian Red Cross, an organization making up the international network of Red Cross societies, has been fundraising and providing support for Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine and their families. However, this does not mean that other Red Cross societies or its international organizing bodies have any part in its fundraising. The International Federation of Red Cross says it is guided by "impartiality", among its guiding principles.

October 26, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community NGOs Russia

Video clips mischaracterized as showing fake Ukraine war footage

A recent Instagram post sharing a TikTok video issues a "wake up call," purportedly pointing to several clips as evidence that scenes of war in Ukraine have been staged. Using reverse image searches and InVid, a site that helps identify the origins of video clips, we found the ones featured in the Instagram post, and neither is meant to show real footage of the war in Ukraine. Those claims were wrong, and so is this one. We rate the claim that these clips show fake war footage in Ukraine Pants on Fire.

October 26, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

CNN didn’t report that Uganda’s president said it would be ‘disgusting’ to support Ukraine

Uganda's president came out as an early supporter of russia but this is not a real CNN headline. The post appears to be an altered screenshot of a 2014 story on CNN's website. The story features a paused video of Museveni in which he appears wearing the same outfit and in front of the same background as the image of him in the Instagram post. We found no credible news reports or other sources documenting Museveni as saying it would be disgusting to support Ukraine. We rate that claim False.

October 24, 2022
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine USA

Did Putin Suggest Russia Would Use Ukrainians as Human Shields?

True. The video of Putin saying Russian troops would "stand behind the people," and dare Ukrainian troops to "shoot their own people" is genuine. The statement was made during his 2014 press conference. While it is unclear if he implied using them as human shields, he did specify "not in front of them, but behind," further supporting that interpretation.

October 21, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Russia Ukraine War crimes

Were these Ukrainians staging a fake battle scene? Nope, it’s a music video

Pro-Russian social media accounts have been widely circulating a video over the past few weeks that shows a man dressed as a Ukrainian soldier acting out a scene in front of a camera. These accounts have claimed this video is proof that people are staging scenes of theÂ war in Ukraine. Turns out, however, the video was filmed during the shooting of a music video by a Ukrainian artist whose music represents the "pain of war".

Photo of Zelenskyy holding a jersey with a swastika was altered

This photo was altered. In the original, Zelenskyy is holding a jersey that has the number 95, not a swastika. The original image was distributed by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service in June 2021. According to a caption on Agence France-Presse's website, it shows him "posing with a jersey of Ukraine's national football team." Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed the idea that the effort is one of "denazification," a narrative historians have decried as "false and destructive." We rate claims Zelenskyy was holding a jersey with a swastika False.