Category Faked news reports

Fact Check: U.S. Spokesperson Did NOT Justify Ukrainian Strikes On Belgorod, Russia Saying It Holds ‘Virtually No Civilians’ — Video Is AI Fake | Lead Stories

Does a 50-second video show authentic remarks by U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller discussing "military targets" in the Russian city of Belgorod, with "virtually no civilians left" in that city?

No, that's not true: The video mixes video of different briefings, during which Miller made no such remarks. The words falsely attributed to him in the video were AI-generated. The State Department labeled the video a deepfake.

The video of fake remarks was also posted by the Russian Embassy in South Africa account on X, but later that post was deleted.

FALSE: US questions Zelenskyy’s legitimacy over election cancellation

Politico did not publish this information. Zelenskyy did not lose his legitimacy due to the cancellation of the elections

Russian propaganda usurps RFI report and French armed forces website – Truth or Fake

Russian disinformation has created a fraudulent report purporting to come from our sister radio station RFI, insinuating that "Ukrainian soldiers sent for tuberculosis treatment in France" are responsible for France's recent rebound in the disease. Meanwhile, French authorities have taken down a fake French armed forces website, which invited French citizens to enlist in Ukraine. We explain in this edition of Truth or Fake.

FRANCE 24 video edited to spread fake news about Ukraine’s Zelensky – Truth or Fake

An extract from FRANCE 24's sister French-language fact-checking show that's circulating on social media appears to support the claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has misappropriated funds to buy himself luxury yachts - an unfounded accusation that has repeatedly resurfaced. But the video has been edited: the journalist in it was in fact debunking, not affirming, the allegation.

February 29, 2024
Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports France International community Methods Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

Russian disinformation campaign ‘Matryoshka’ targets Yulia Navalnaya – Truth or Fake

Hours after the death of Alexei Navalny, viral posts started circulating on social media showing his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, in the arms of other men. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

February 28, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports Methods Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda

Anti-Ukraine trolls use ‘Operation Matryoshka’ campaign to spread fake news

Not content with simply creating and spreading fake news, anti-Ukraine trolls are now also using a new disinformation tactic: a method dubbed "Operation Matryoshka" (or Russian doll), which has been exposed by the "Bot Blocker" collective and AFP fact checkers. It is designed to divert the attention of journalists and muddy the waters of information even more.

February 9, 2024
Bot farms Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports Methods Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

FAKE: Ukrainians have turned Poland into the ‘criminal capital’ of the EU

The media that spread the article regularly publishes Russian propaganda, and the material used fakes and manipulations of the Russian Federation

January 29, 2024
AI-generated images European Union Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports International community Methods Poland Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

Germany uncovers pro-Russia disinformation campaign on X – Report

DIGITAL forensic experts in Germany have uncovered a vast, pro-Russia disinformation campaign against the government using thousands of fake accounts on X.

FAKE: In 2023, Ukraine paid over $1.2 billion to British PR companies to create fakes about the successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Neither BBC News nor Bellingcat published this information. The video was edited using footage available in the public domain, and there are errors in the video's text.

January 19, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports International community Methods Misconceptions UK Ukraine

FACT CHECK: No, The New York Times Did Not Report On ‘Low Amount’ Of Civilian Casualties In Ukraine | Check Your Fact

The New York Times did not publish this article, a spokesperson for the
outlet confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact.

January 9, 2024
Attacks on civilians Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine War crimes