Category USA

Lloyd Austin was not killed in Ukraine on Jan. 3 | Fact check

The claim: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was killed in Ukraine on Jan. 3. Our rating: False Austin is alive. [...] Austin resumed his full duties as secretary of defense on Jan. 5 and released a statement on Jan. 6. The report comes from a publication that routinely publishes fabricated stories.

January 11, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Ukraine USA

Fact Check: DeSantis on aid to Ukraine

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued against further US funding for Ukraine by saying that "tens of billions of dollars" have been used "to pay salaries for Ukrainian government bureaucrats," and that US taxpayers have "paid pensions for Ukrainian retirees." Facts First: This needs context. [...] The money, which is disbursed through the World Bank, has gone to pay "wages for hospital workers, government employees, and teachers as well as social assistance for the elderly and vulnerable." [...] It has also been provided to the Ukrainian government to "supply emergency services for internally displaced persons."

January 11, 2024
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings USA

Fact Check: Haley’s math comparing clean energy tax credits to national security

Making a point about spending on national security, Haley said that the US supporting Ukraine, Israel and securing the southern border would cost "less than 20% of Biden's green subsidies." Facts First: This math from Haley is largely true.

January 11, 2024
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings Military aid USA

Fact Check: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Was NOT Killed In Kyiv On January 3, 2024 | Lead Stories

Was Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin killed by Russian cruise missiles in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 3, 2024? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer confirmed to Lead Stories that this claim is false. On January 1, 2024, Austin was hospitalized in Washington, D.C., due to complications from surgery and remained there as of January 10, 2024. Also, this claim is from a website that regularly publishes fabricated content often mistaken for real news.

January 10, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Ukraine USA

No, Ukraine is not taking money from Hawai’i relief

In the wake of the devastating wildfires on Hawai’i in August 2023, viral posts falsely claimed that the US government would only provide $700 in aid each to affected households. In fact, the federal government responded quickly to the horrific disaster in Maui, conducting extensive rescue operations and providing aid far in excess of $700 per household.

Online claims misrepresent White House remarks on Ukraine military aid | Fact Check

[T]he president did not threaten to deploy US troops to fight Russia if the budget was not approved. Instead, he was warning of what may happen if Russian forces were to expand into any of the NATO territories neighboring Ukraine, which the United States is bound by treaty to help.

January 9, 2024
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Military aid Misconceptions USA

How pro-Russian ‘yacht’ propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid

A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money. Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending. It was an incredible assertion - using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts. But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.

December 20, 2023
Aid oversight Aid to Ukraine Corruption Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine USA

No, Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t buy a villa in Florida

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky buy a house in Florida? And did he get American citizenship? Those are the rumors circulating on social media along with a couple of photos. However, the villa that appears in the photos is still up for sale and the certificate of nationality is fake, making this the latest example of fake news stories implying that Ukrainian officials are using international aid money for personal purposes.

Fake: Elon Musk Wants to Receive Russian Passport and Thinks Putin Is “Not a…

An excerpt from a broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), in which Elon Musk praises Putin and Russia, was generated by a neural network and shared initially by Russian sources. The original recording of the broadcast with Musk, where he says no such thing, is available online.

Manipulation: Former NATO Commander Praises Russian Army and Give Up on Ukrainian Forces

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis did not say that the Russian army is significantly superior to the Ukrainian army, and certainly did not "give up on the Ukrainian army." He only noted that the Russian army currently has a significant advantage in aviation. In his column on the Bloomberg website, Stavridis emphasizes the importance of further military support for Ukraine from its Western partners. The ex-military officer also notes that, with sufficient means, Ukraine "will at a minimum be able to hold off further significant Russian land gains."