Category Poland

Fake: Ukrainian Soldiers’ Bodies Found in Polish Coal Mine Shafts

Russian news sites and Russian social media accounts are disseminating
fakes claiming that the bodies of more than 500 Ukrainian soldiers were
found in a mine shaft at the Bogdanka coal mine in Poland. Bogdanka's press
office told StopFake such claims are completely fake, and there are no
bodies anywhere on the coal mine's territory. StopFake factcheckers have
ascertained that these fake claims were originally published on an
anonymous Telegram channel, which according to Ukraine's Security Service,
is used by Russian secret services to foment and incite anti-government
sentiments in Ukraine.

Fake: Wagner Group Destroys Leopard Tank and its Polish-German Crew

Fake Russian social media posts use 2018 photo of Turkish tank destroyed in
Syria.

Here’s how we debunked these fake anti-Ukraine advertisements – The Observers

Since the end of 2022, the FRANCE 24 Observers team has seen several similar examples of fake anti-Ukraine advertisements, reportedly on billboards in the United States and Poland. But when we took a closer look, we found some clues that convinced us these ads were fake and that the videos were edited.

A year of disinformation around the war in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has been accompanied by a ferocious battle of disinformation, waged in particular by pro-Russian agitators seeking to distort and shift the blame for many atrocities on the ground. They have sought to depict the Ukrainian side as Nazis or suggest that Western support for Kyiv is evaporating. Here are some of the main narratives, false or misleading, that have been fact-checked over the past year by AFP's digital verification teams.

Photo from Biden Warsaw speech altered to add vulgar gesture

An image shared widely on social media purports to show a pair of middle fingers directed at Joe Biden after the US president's speech in Warsaw, Poland. But the picture has been digitally manipulated; the original photo shared by Biden and the White House depicts a thumbs-up gesture in the crowd.

February 23, 2023
Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Poland President Biden USA

A year of disinformation around the war in Ukraine | Fact Check

Fact check: How propaganda denigrates Ukrainian refugees

Ukrainian refugees are portrayed in some media and social media channels as ungrateful, dangerous and parasitic. DW explains why such propagandist tactics often work - and how to recognize them for what they are.

February 19, 2023
"How to" instructions Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Fact-checking tools International community Misconceptions Poland Resources Russia Ukraine

Debunked: The fake anti-Ukraine ads targeting US and Poland – Truth or Fake

The FRANCE 24 Observers team have conducted an investigation since November 2022 and have spotted a variety of fake anti-Ukraine ads throughout the globe - a product of Russian disinformation and propaganda. Find out more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

February 9, 2023
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Poland Ukraine USA

Photofake: Anti-Ukrainian Billboards Appear in Poland

The photograph circulated by Russian media and pro-Kremlin social media
users as proof of anti-Ukrainian advertising in Poland, is an example of
basic photoshop manipulation. There are scores of identical photos on the
web which containe different advertisements on the billboards. Using the
Mediamodifier website, your image can be inserted on this billboard with
the same background, completely free of charge.

February 8, 2023
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Poland Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

Fake: Ukrainians in Poland and Great Britain Issued Draft Notices

Russian media claims that draft notices are being issued to Ukrainians in
the UK and Poland are not true. According to Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers
Regulation #1487, Ukrainian diplomatic missions are obliged to inform
Ukrainian citizens of military service age about conscription campaigns and
to facilitate their return to Ukraine in times of mobilization or war. No
one is authorized to serve draft notices abroad, not even diplomatic
workers. The video being circulated online, in which a Telegram user claims
several of his acquaintances received draft notices in their places of
employment in Poland is a blatant lie. Another fake vein, in which a letter
allegedly urging Ukrainians currently living in the UK to report to the
Ukrainian embassy seemingly for military service, is also a forgery.

February 8, 2023
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Poland Russia Russian propaganda UK Ukraine