Category NATO

Social media posts share false claim about ‘NATO-supplied fighter jets arriving in Ukraine’

A claim that NATO has sent fighter jets to Ukraine to help the country fight invading Russian forces was shared by multiple social media posts in August 2022. The claim, however, is false. While there was a proposal in March to supply Ukraine with Soviet-era jets through a US air base, Washington rejected the idea over fears it could escalate the conflict. Separately, NATO's press office told AFP that the claim was "not accurate".

September 13, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions NATO Poland Russia Ukraine USA

Photo shows tourists at Russian amusement park, not ‘Chinese soldiers going to Ukraine’

A photo of several people wearing military uniforms with Chinese and Russian flags has been shared hundreds of times in social media posts that claim it shows Chinese soldiers joining the Russian army to fight in Ukraine. This is false. AFP traced the photo to the website of a military-themed amusement park in Russia. The photographer who took pictures of the event said the people in the photo were "tourists".

August 22, 2022
China Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions NATO Russia Ukraine

FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Dancers Performing At A NATO Event? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The footage was taken during a 2017 event at the University of Ghent. The event was not affiliated with NATO.

July 28, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions NATO

Fake: NATO Chief says Alliance Preparing for War with Russia for Eight Years

Jens Stoltenberg has never said anything about any eight-year preparation for war with Russia, nor about NATO's plans to "attack" Russia. The NATO Secretary General talked about the foundations of European security, which the Kremlin undermined in 2014 by occupying Ukrainian Crimea and seizing parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

July 11, 2022
Context Fact checks / debunkings International community NATO Russia Russian propaganda Treaties & agreements

Fake: Politico: West Wants Urgent Peace Treaty with Russia Because Ukraine Is In for…

The Politico newspaper, which Russian media claims published a story about an imminent peace treaty between the West and the Russian Federation, does not have a single article on this topic. Quite the contrary, the publication quotes many Western politicians who say that the United States and the European Union are committed to long-term support for Ukraine and do not see a possible to end the war in the near future.

FACT CHECK: Did A Pentagon Spokesperson Demand Lithuania Be Expelled From NATO? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
There is no evidence to suggest the organization is planning to remove any members. Representatives for the Pentagon and NATO confirmed the claim is false.

June 29, 2022
Disinformation European Union Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions NATO Russia Russian propaganda USA

Fact-checking Putin’s Victory Day speech

A nuclear threat from Ukraine? A Ukrainian invasion of Crimea? Ukrainian neo-Nazis? Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 9 speech contained new and familiar accusations amid the war in Ukraine. Most of them are false.

May 9, 2022
Context Fact checks / debunkings International community NATO Putin Russia Treaties & agreements Ukraine

Senior US military officer was not captured by Russian forces in Ukraine

As Russian strikes pounded the besieged port city of Mariupol in Ukraine, Facebook posts shared in various languages claimed US General Roger L. Cloutier was captured by Russian forces there. However, NATO said the rumour was "completely false" and that Cloutier, who leads NATO's Allied Land Command, had not been to Ukraine since July 2021. Cloutier was in Turkey when the false claims about his whereabouts circulated online.

No, a U.S. Army officer was not captured by Russian military forces in Ukraine

Online users claimed Lt. Gen. Roger Cloutier, an American NATO officer, was recently captured in Ukraine. That's false. He hasn't been in Ukraine since July 2021.

No, NATO Allied Land Command leader wasn’t captured by Russians in Ukraine

Lt. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier Jr., commander of NATO's Allied Land Command, has not been captured by Russian forces in Mariupol, the Allied Land Command confirmed.

Cloutier posted photos from a recent event in Turkey to his LinkedIn profile, where he disputed the internet rumors alleging that he had been captured.

April 5, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions NATO Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine USA