Category Fact checks / debunkings

No, this document doesn’t show classified Ukrainian military orders to attack the Donbas region

The document isn't classified, and there are no direct statements in it about an attack on the Donbas. It makes references to a training camp on the opposite side of the country. Our ruling Russian officials shared a Ukrainian document on Twitter with claims that it showed secret, classified orders for a military offensive on the Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine. This is wrong. There is no proof that the document is classified, and there are no direct statements in it about an attack on the Donbas. The document makes references to a training camp on the opposite side of the country. We rate claims about a document showing a planned military offensive in the Donbas False.

FactChecking Claims About the Conflict in Ukraine

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, following months of military buildup and, as we’ve written, repeated denials by Russian officials that their country planned to invade. As is often the case with major news events, we have seen several false and misleading claims made on social media and by politicians related to the conflict.

March 11, 2022
Disinformation Fact check websites Fact checks / debunkings Fact-checking tools Misconceptions Resources Russian propaganda

China repeats false claim that U.S has biolabs in Ukraine

China's government is amplifying debunked claims about non-existent U.S. biological weapons labs in Ukraine, bringing the falsehoods back into the spotlight on social media. Our ruling A spokesperson for the Chinese government said the U.S. has biolabs in Ukraine. The claim originated with the Russian government and has been previously debunked by U.S. government officials and weapons control advocates. Following Zhao's March 9 remarks, U.S. government officials strongly refuted the claims again, saying the false narrative was being used to lay the groundwork for further violence in Ukraine.

FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Volodymyr Zelenskyy And His Wife Singing ‘Endless Love’ By Lionel Richie? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False The video features Boyce Avenue member Alejandro Manzano and English musician Connie Talbot. The music video does not feature Zelenskyy or mention Ukraine at any point.

March 10, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

Doctored image of President Zelensky holding a shirt bearing a swastika

A doctored image of President Zelensky holding a shirt bearing a swastika has been spread by pro-Kremlin accounts. The real image was posted by Mr Zelensky to Instagram ahead of Euro 2020 in June.

March 9, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russian propaganda Ukraine

Old, Mislabeled Video Circulating Amid Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

A video from 2019 showing Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been circulating recently with the false claim that it shows Putin meeting with the South Korean president.

March 9, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions North Korea Putin Russia South Korea

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

Ukraine invasion: False claims the war is a hoax go viral

Nearly two weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the flow of false or misleading information about the war hasn't let up and now there are some outlandish theories being shared online. Some have begun to circulate claims the war is a hoax, a media fabrication, or has been exaggerated by the West in terms of its scale. We've examined some of them.

March 8, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

Rothschild & Co. Has Office in Russia, Contrary to Conspiracy Claim on Social Media

Rothschild & Co. has an office in Moscow and has been operating in Russia since the mid-1990s. Yet posts on social media falsely claim that Russia has barred the Rothschild banking family from doing business in the country. The claim is an adaptation of an old conspiracy theory about the family.

March 8, 2022
Antisemitism Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia

Story that claims Putin bombed a Biden-owned villa and ‘hammered’ biolabs, pedophile rings is bogus

A story that claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin bombed a villa in Ukraine owned by President Joe Biden is bogus. It was created by a misinformation website that regularly publishes made-up stories. We found no evidence that Biden has a villa in Ukraine. Claims about nefarious biolabs in Ukraine ' some supposedly "U.S. owned" ' are also fabricated, and part of disinformation efforts by Russians. It's unclear what the blog is talking about in its reference to "pedophile rings," but it claims that Putin is wiping out "child trafficking covens" in Ukraine, and we found no evidence that these exist.