Category Media taken out of context

The war in Ukraine isn’t ‘fake,’ and these photos don’t prove that it is

Construction workers in Ukraine have been working to repair homes damaged by missiles during the country's war with Russia. Their efforts have been captured by amateur and professional photographers, as well as multiple news organizations.

A photo of a reconstructed building is not proof the war is fake. The war is real and has left thousands of civilians dead.

Images from professional and amateur photographers captured the repair progress. European Pressphoto Agency published multiple before-and-after images of the building. One montage of images shared on Twitter on Feb. 26, 2023, appears to show the building repairs at different phases.

We rate claims that these images prove the war in Ukraine is fake Pants on Fire!

Read MoreThe war in Ukraine isn’t ‘fake,’ and these photos don’t prove that it is

Tweets distort Biden’s comments on tanks, Ukraine and World War III

President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 25, 2023, that the U.S. is sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

Earlier in the war, almost a year ago, Biden said, "The idea that we're going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews, just understand … that's called 'World War III.'"

A widely shared meme shortened Biden's quote to make it appear as if he said sending tanks alone to Ukraine would cause World War III.

A meme shared in a tweet claimed that in March, Biden said, "The idea that we're going to send in tanks to Ukraine, that's called World War III." Biden announced the U.S. will be sending M1 Abrams tanks about 10 months later.

The quote is edited to leave out the full context of Biden's comments. He said the U.S. would not be sending offensive equipment and planes, tanks and trains with U.S. pilots and crews.

We rate the claim False.

Read MoreTweets distort Biden’s comments on tanks, Ukraine and World War III

The War in Ukraine: A Collection of Fact Checks About Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Snopes.com

As the war in Ukraine raged on in early 2023, rumors about the country's president rage with it. From claims about his career, to rumors about illicit drug use, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a magnet for doctored images, misinformation, and more.

Continue below for a collection of stories about the Ukraine president's history before and after the war began.

Read MoreThe War in Ukraine: A Collection of Fact Checks About Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Snopes.com

Five fact-checks about the war in Ukraine

Russia's invasion of Ukraine this year kept our fact-checkers very busy. We wrote 92 articles debunking false claims about information related to the war. These ranged from claims the Bucha massacre was staged to false TV reports and accusations of Nazism among Ukrainians. To mark the end of the year, we made a list of some of our top fact-checks about Ukraine.

Read MoreFive fact-checks about the war in Ukraine

Photos of war makeup in Ukraine are from combat medic training in 2016

Four photos being shared on social media of a woman having war wound makeup applied to her face and body are from a medic training exercise in 2016.

At least one of the images was posted by an Instagram user whose profile describes her as a combat medic in Ukraine. The same woman appears in three of the photos.

A Twitter user with the same handle as the Instagram user tweeted Nov. 25 that "enemy propagandists" stole her photos from the 2016 training sessions to misrepresent them.

Allegations that images showing war devastation in Ukraine were staged have been shared on social media since Russia invaded the country in February.

We've debunked multiple claims about photos, including a false one that said a teacher injured on the first day of the war was a crisis actor.

Our ruling
An Instagram post claims that photos of war wound makeup being applied to a woman are fake combat photos, implying the violence in Ukraine isn't real.

But the photos can be traced to an Instagram user who described herself as a combat medic veteran. She shared at least one of the images on Instagram in 2016. A woman with the same handle on Twitter wrote that the photos were from training sessions and were being misrepresented by "enemy propagandists."

There is no evidence the photos were staged to show an injury from the current battle in Ukraine. We rate the claim False.

UPDATE, Dec. 1, 5:30 p.m. ET: The story was updated Dec. 1 to add the response from an Instagram user received after publication of this article.

Read MorePhotos of war makeup in Ukraine are from combat medic training in 2016

No, the Ukrainian president did not write a book called ‘Mein Kampf’

Is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the author of a new book entitled "Mein Kampf", or "My Struggle", using the same graphic design as Adolf Hitler's manifesto? This is what many people online have been claiming to be the case since October 19, 2022. But the photos they use as proof are actually just photoshopped using old images. While the Ukrainian president is indeed preparing to release a book, it has a totally different title and cover design.

Read MoreNo, the Ukrainian president did not write a book called ‘Mein Kampf’

Deadly floods submerge Nigeria, and misinformation accuses Ukraine of “staging” war – The Observers

A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from France 24 Observers around the world - all checked by our staff here in Paris.

Read MoreDeadly floods submerge Nigeria, and misinformation accuses Ukraine of “staging” war – The Observers

Video clips mischaracterized as showing fake Ukraine war footage

A recent Instagram post sharing a TikTok video issues a "wake up call," purportedly pointing to several clips as evidence that scenes of war in Ukraine have been staged.

Using reverse image searches and InVid, a site that helps identify the origins of video clips, we found the ones featured in the Instagram post, and neither is meant to show real footage of the war in Ukraine.

Those claims were wrong, and so is this one. We rate the claim that these clips show fake war footage in Ukraine Pants on Fire.

Read MoreVideo clips mischaracterized as showing fake Ukraine war footage