Category Hatred and bigotry

No, Zelenskyy and Soros are not cousins

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and billionaire philanthropist George Soros are not cousins. The claim is "entirely false," said a spokesperson for Soros' Open Society Foundations.

A viral Facebook post falsely says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and billionaire philanthropist George Soros are related by birth ' one in a series of baseless claims about links between the two.

Soros has been at the center of many debunked claims about his connections to Ukraine, including that he wanted to run the country and that he was using the Ukraine "as a playing field to undermine (former President Donald) Trump's campaign," NBC News reported in 2019.

More recently, false claims have said that Soros admitted on television that he helped overthrow the former Ukrainian president in order to help Zelenskyy take office.

The NBC News story noted that Soros "has long been the target of conspiracy theorists about Jews controlling the world." Soros and Zelenskyy are both Jewish.

We rate the claim that Zelenskyy is a cousin of Soros Pants on Fire!

April 7, 2022
Antisemitism Fact checks / debunkings Hatred and bigotry International community Misconceptions Ukraine USA

This video shows a TikTok creator using a green screen, not a protester interrupting a TV show

An image of a woman apparently bursting onto a TV set has been shared hundreds of times in posts claiming she crashed a Ukrainian news broadcast to urge President Volodymyr Zelensky to "surrender". However, the picture was taken from a video made by a TikTok creator using a green screen. The original news broadcast shows no interruption from a protester.

The Facts on ‘De-Nazifying’ Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia’s talk of “de-Nazifying” Ukraine is a non-starter in peace negotiations. We’ll explain what these claims are all about and why experts say they are misleading.

FACT CHECK: Is This Alleged Neo-Nazi The Deputy Commander Of The Kyiv Police? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
There is no evidence Bonov is the deputy commander of the Kyiv police.

March 28, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Hatred and bigotry Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Nazism Ukraine

Zelenskyy’s shirt bears emblem of Ukraine armed forces, not Nazi cross

An Iron Cross visible on some of Zelenskyy's military green T-shirts is not a Nazi symbol. It represents the official emblem of Ukraine's armed forces and includes the country's coat of arms in the center.

The Iron Cross is a commonly used, famous German military medal. It's not a hate symbol on its own. It was turned into a Nazi symbol when the regime superimposed a swastika in the center.

Our ruling
Social media posts claim that a Nazi symbol can be seen on Zelenskyy's T-shirts.

This is wrong. The symbol visible on Zelenskyy's shirt is the official emblem of Ukraine's military and doesn't represent a Nazi Iron Cross.

We rate the claim False.

March 25, 2022
AI-generated images Disinformation Hatred and bigotry International community Methods Misconceptions Nazism Ukraine USA

Zelensky hit by false claim about ‘Nazi T-shirt’ after US Congress meeting

Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual meeting with US Congress, social media posts shared hundreds of times claimed he was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a "Nazi symbol". In fact, the symbol represents the Ukrainian military, according to an image comparison. A representative for the Ukrainian embassy in Thailand said it did not relate to Nazism.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Hatred and bigotry Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Nazism Ukraine

Photos of Nazi symbols in Ukraine are shared out of context – Truth or Fake

SeveralÂ videos and photos are circulating online, lending credibility to Russian claims of a serious neo-Nazi problem in Ukraine. The problem here though is that the images and videos are a distortion of reality and, in some cases, completely fictional.Â We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Altered photo shows Ukrainian president holding jersey with swastika

Social media posts feature a picture of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holding a soccer jersey that has a swastika in place of a number. But AFP found that the posts used a digitally manipulated image superimposing the Nazi symbol on a photo taken from the leader's Instagram account.

March 17, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Hatred and bigotry Misconceptions Nazism 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

No, Putin didn’t say the West is controlled by Satanic pedophiles

During a 2013 speech, Vladimir Putin mentioned Satan and pedophilia, but he didn't say that the West is controlled by Satanic pedophiles.

The headline that Putin said the West is controlled by Satanic pedophiles was posted on a blog five years ago and also relies on this 2013 speech, but presents it as if Putin made the comments during former President Donald Trump's tenure. The blog, like the headlines in the Faceook video, sound themes familiar among those who follow QAnon, a movement that claims without evidence that there is a global cabal of child sex traffickers that Trump is trying to thwart.

The rest of the headlines that appear in the video vary in accuracy.

"Putin calls Bill and Hillary Clinton 'the same Satan'" was published in PJ Media in 2016 after Putin quoted a Russian proverb while talking about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's desire to be president like her husband, former President Bill Clinton. "As we say, husband and wife are the same Satan," Putin said.

"Putin: All U.S. presidents are puppets ' 'dark men in suits rule America'" appeared on blog posts in 2017 that paraphrased comments Putin made to the French publication Le Figaro.

According to an English Translation of Putin's remarks that appeared on the Kremlin's website, he did not mention puppets but said: "I have already spoken to three U.S. presidents. They come and go, but politics stay the same at all times. Do you know why? Because of the powerful bureaucracy. When a person is elected, they may have some ideas. Then people with briefcases arrive, well dressed, wearing dark suits, just like mine, except for the red tie, since they wear black or dark blue ones. These people start explaining how things are done. And instantly, everything changes. This is what happens with every administration."

March 4, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Hatred and bigotry Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Putin Russia