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.
Several 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. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.
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.
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."
False and misleading information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine has spread rapidly on social media since Russian forces launched a military assault in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 24.
Here’s a roundup of claims related to the Ukraine-Russia conflict analyzed by the USA TODAY Fact Check team.
Putin claims:
“Does Ukraine need to be denazified” - false,
“Is Russia’s attack a defense case under the UN Charter?” - false,
“Was there a ‘genocide” in Ukraine?” - false.
Russia has so far failed to provide any evidence in their claims.
Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance said the State Department's focus on transgender rights is inflaming the conflict with Russia in Ukraine.
Russia has placed as many as 150,000 troops near Ukraine's borders.
Russia has said Ukraine's ties to NATO are a key threat to Russia's national security.
Our ruling
Vance said that Biden risks war with Russia because Putin doesn't "believe in transgender rights."
There is a risk of war, but it is because of Russia's focus on Ukraine's ties to the west and the buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine's border.
The State Department noted the threats against transgender people as one issue among many in a report on human rights. It gave much more space to the danger posed by Russia's military policies in its most recent annual threat assessment.
The risk of war in Ukraine is not affected by Putin's attitude toward transgender rights.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire.
Update: This story has been updated to include a response we received from the Vance campaign shortly after initial publication.
