Category USA

No, Tucker Carlson didn’t say this about Ukraine staging dead bodies

Some people have interpreted a tweet about Tucker Carlson and Ukraine to mean that he suggested the country staged dead bodies. But he didn't say that.

Russia has said without evidence that "fake dead bodies" were "staged" in Bucha after its troops left the town. Carlson, meanwhile, has been criticized for echoing Russian talking points. On March 9, for example, Carlson said a Russian claim that Ukraine has bioweapon labs was "totally and completely true," but there's no evidence that's the case, PolitiFact reported.

But this talking point, about staged bodies, wasn't one Carlson made.

We rate claims that he said the words that appeared in Wash's tweet False.

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

Footage has circulated online since 2010 in posts about US and Iraqi forces retaking Iraqi shrine

After Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine, a video was viewed millions of times in multiple Facebook posts that claimed it shows fighting between soldiers from the two countries. In fact, the video has circulated online since 2010. A visual analysis of the clip found it corresponds with a raid by American and Iraqi troops on a shrine in Iraq in 2004.

Fictional video shared in posts falsely claiming ‘Eiffel Tower was bombed’

A video that appears to show explosions in the French capital of Paris has been viewed thousands of times in misleading social media posts that claim it shows a real attack on the Eiffel Tower. The posts suggest the attack was carried out by Russian forces in response to sanctions from foreign powers following its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. The footage, however, has been shared in a false context: it shows a fictional film created by a French director that was then shared online by Ukrainian officials in a bid to urge European authorities to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Claim that Putin beheaded bioweapon engineers, called Trump to tell him has no basis in fact

There is no evidence Putin beheaded 12 bioweapon engineers in Ukraine.

This claim comes from Real Raw News, a blog that has shown a pattern of fabricating news about politicians being executed or arrested by the military.

Though the story claims Putin told former President Donald Trump about the alleged beheading, a spokesperson for Trump said the account is baseless.

March 29, 2022
Biolabs Disinformation International community Misconceptions Narratives Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine USA

The Space Foundation didn’t revoke honors from Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin

The Space Foundation removed Yuri Gagarin's name from an upcoming fundraising event after it received derogatory and anti-Russia comments on its social media accounts.

The organization did not revoke any formal honors from the cosmonaut. Exhibits related to Gagarin are still on display at the foundation's gallery in Colorado, and his accomplishments will still be celebrated at the annual event, the group said.

Our ruling
A Facebook post claims, "the Space Foundation has erased the honors previously bestowed on Yuri Gagarin, the first man to ever be in space. His name was stripped 'in light of current events.'"

This is misleading.

The Space Foundation removed Gagarin's name from an event after it received derogatory and anti-Russian comments on its social media accounts due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the organization did not revoke any formal honors from the cosmonaut. Gagarin's exhibits are still on display at the foundation and his accomplishments will still be celebrated at the event.

The post contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.

March 29, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia USA

No, this Edmonton jacket isn’t proof CNN staged a fire as part of its Ukraine coverage

A Canadian charity has for years donated firefighter gear to Ukrainians. A jacket bearing the name of the city Edmonton that appeared in live CNN coverage in Ukraine came from the group, the charity said.

An April 2019 Instagram post from the group shows piles of jackets bound for Ukraine. A 2018 post says: "Sharing more gear outside Lviv." The second photo in this post shows someone holding up a jacket that says "Edmonton" that resembles the one that appears in the CNN broadcast.

We rate claims that this jacket is evidence that CNN staged the scene, or that Lemon isn't in Ukraine, False.

Fake: Biden Quote Criticizing Ukraine’s Government

Some social media accounts circulated this text, claiming it was a real quote from a speech that President Biden gave in Warsaw on Saturday, March 26.

President Biden however, did not say these words, not during his Warsaw speech, nor during any of his other public appearances. StopFake analyzed his public speeches as well as transcripts of meetings with media for the period of Februarty 24 through March 26, 2022. We did not find this criticism or any similar criticisms to have been uttered by the American President regarding the Ukrainian government.

On the contrary, an analysis of Biden's speeches shows that the statements circulated on the Internet contradict the position of the White House and what the US President has actually said.

March 28, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports International community Methods President Biden Russia Ukraine USA

Viral Photo of Russian Bomber Shows Incident from 2020

Amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, a misleading photo posted March 22 on Facebook shows an American fighter jet intercepting a Russian bomber near Alaskan airspace. But the incident was not related to the current situation in Ukraine; the photo appeared in an article published in Aero Magazine in June 2020.

March 25, 2022
Disinformation Escalation / WWIII Misconceptions Russia USA

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