Verdict: Misleading
The image is from a 2016 video that allegedly shows soldiers from the Ukrainian Azov Regiment threatening Dutch citizens over a referendum. The Azov Regiment denied the video was created by them.
The U.S. has spent $53 billion on aid to Ukraine as part of a bipartisan effort to oppose Russia's invasion of the fledgling democracy.
More than $3 billion goes toward U.S. schools safety equipment and personnel every year, according to market research analysis and federal figures.
Researchers largely agree that armed officers at K-12 schools do not prevent mass shootings or other gun-related incidents from happening.
Instead, experts recommend threat assessment programs to help school staff identify behavioral warning signs among students and intervene to provide support before violent incidents occur.
Our ruling
A Facebook post claimed that with the $53 billion spent in Ukraine aid, the U.S. "could pay five SWAT members $80,000 each and have them at EVERY school front door."
The U.S. has allocated about $53 billion in aid to Ukraine. And if one wanted to pay this amount to station five SWAT members at every public and private K-12 school in the country, it would also add up to about $53 billion over one year.
But that statement alone lacks context about current security funding for schools and what research shows about the effect of such measures.
More than $2.7 billion is already spent each year on school safety equipment and services nationwide. And this $53 billion, if spent as the claim suggested, would cover just one year of SWAT team coverage for schools.
Additionally, research shows that the presence of armed officers on campuses does not help prevent school shootings from happening.
We rate this claim Half True.
Photo claiming to show burning Ukrainian history books isn't from the current war with Russia. It actually dates back to March 2010.
Verdict: False
A CNN spokesperson denied the outlet published such an article. The man pictured has been falsely linked to similar tragedies in the past.
Verdict: False
There is no evidence that Zelenskyy has purchased the property. The house is still listed for sale online.
J.D. Vance personally invested as much as $300,000 in the video sharing platform Rumble, although the precise details remain private.
RT, a Russia state-sponsored service that amplifies Kremlin messaging, posts its videos and livestreams on Rumble.
RT generates millions of views on Rumble, which increases the platform's value to advertisers.
Our ruling
Ryan said, "Vance profits off Russia propaganda."
Ryan's claim is based on Vance's investment in Rumble, the platform where RT posts its videos.
RT amplifies Kremlin messaging, and in the past two and a half months, RT has produced nearly 2 million views on Rumble. More views mean more advertising revenues for Rumble, and RT's presence adds value to Vance's investment.
But other programs on Rumble attract many more viewers, and the details on Vance's investment in the company are not public. Rumble's CEO earlier this year said the company has yet to turn a profit.
With that caveat in mind, we rate this claim Half True.
On May 14, pro-Russia social media accounts started circulating a photo of a group of soldiers taken prisoner by the Russian army. These accounts claimed that one of the prisoners in the photo is a retired American admiral by the name of Eric Olson. That claim is false: this photo actually shows Ukrainians taken prisoner by the Russians in April 2022, well before the soldiers in the steelworks surrendered.
• A Mississippi nonprofit, Operation Ukraine, sent $10,000 worth of baby formula to Ukraine in March.
• There is no evidence that the donated formula contributed to current U.S. baby formula shortages, which are attributed to supply chain problems that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the recall of some formula that led to a manufacturing plant shutdown.
Causes of the U.S. shortage are described by Bloomberg as "long-term economic pressures collid(ing) with a sudden supply shock." The long-term issues are related to the pandemic, which led to supply chain and shipping disruptions, as well as labor shortages. And the supply shock, Bloomberg explained, came when Abbott Laboratories recalled its baby formula and shut down a Michigan manufacturing plant because of concerns about contamination.
The claim that donations of baby formula to Ukraine are related to the current U.S. shortage is unfounded. We rate it False.
• There are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink satellite service was used to facilitate the attack on the Russian ship Moskva.
• The Russian government did not order the destruction of the Starlink satellite service. That claim originated on a fraudulent website falsely identifying itself as the official website of a Russian political party.
Our ruling
A Facebook post says, "Space X's Starlink internet constellation has angered Russia as it was reported that the Starlink satellite constellation was used to guide the fire" on the Russian ship Moskva.
But there are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink service was involved in the attack on Moskva. The claim that a Russian official ordered the destruction of the Starlink satellite service originated on a fraudulent website.
We rate this claim False.
Verdict: False
There is no evidence the Rothschild family owns Reuters or AP. Reuters is owned by the Thomson Corporation and the AP is a non-profit cooperative formed by various newspapers and broadcasters.
