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No, Elijah Wood did not urge Volodymyr Zelensky to seek treatment for alleged addictions

A video has been circulating online that allegedly shows "Lord of the Rings" actor Elijah Wood giving the Ukrainian president advice on how to tackle his alleged drug and alcohol addictions. He can be seen recording himself and talking to a so-called "Vladimir". However, the video has been heavily edited and his agent has confirmed it was not published by the actor.
Read MoreNo, Elijah Wood did not urge Volodymyr Zelensky to seek treatment for alleged addictions
Did Elijah Wood Tell Zelensky via Instagram to Go to Rehab?

Did Elijah Wood Tell Zelensky via Instagram to Go to Rehab?

Apart from the fact that the video has been bizarrely edited, it does not mention Zelensky, only someone named Vladimir, and is attributed to an Instagram account with no web presence. Elijah Wood does not have a public Instagram account and the video being shared of him online, allegedly asking Zelensky to seek treatment, is the only recording available. The video appears to have been spread as a Russian propaganda effort and to promote a dubious documentary that falsely credits Tom Cruise as its star. Although Newsweek is yet to hear from Wood's representatives for comment, we are confident that the video and claims surrounding it are, respectively, inauthentic and false.
Read MoreDid Elijah Wood Tell Zelensky via Instagram to Go to Rehab?

These videos do not show clashes between the Wagner Group and Russian forces

In the aftermath of the armed rebellion attempt by Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group against the Russian army command on Saturday June 24, people began sharing images online purporting to show the two sides fighting. But at least two of these videos were taken from the video game Arma 3 - and it's not the first time this military video game has been used to spread misinformation.
Read MoreThese videos do not show clashes between the Wagner Group and Russian forces

No, Ukraine’s military is not camouflaging tanks as houses

An October 2020 article from the news outlet RBC-Ukraine said the car was decorated to look like a Ukrainian village house. The car motor was hidden, and the driver's seat was built into the floor. Side mirrors that would normally be on a car were replaced with cameras inside the structure, RBC-Ukraine reported. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there have been numerous false and misleading claims about the war and both countries' military units. We rate the claim that a Ukrainian tank is using a house as camouflage False.
Read MoreNo, Ukraine’s military is not camouflaging tanks as houses

Claim of 1 million Ukrainian soldiers dead has no official backing

Reuters reported in April that leaked documents allegedly from U.S. intelligence agencies estimated as many as 354,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have died or been injured in the war. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the documents, and U.S. officials said some files appeared to be altered. The Facebook video's claim that 1 million Ukrainian soldiers have been "wiped out" is much higher than any official reported estimates. So we rate this claim False.
Read MoreClaim of 1 million Ukrainian soldiers dead has no official backing

Parties in Kyiv nightclubs in the midst of war? Watch out for these misleading images

A video compilation that has been circulating since May 3 claims to show that - despite the war - the party is in full swing in Kyiv's nightclubs, taking advantage of foreign donations to Ukraine's war effort. Most of these images date from before the war, however, and some of the establishments where they were filmed have been closed since the conflict began in February 2022.
Read MoreParties in Kyiv nightclubs in the midst of war? Watch out for these misleading images

Putin didn’t ‘shut down’ all Russian oil to the U.S. It’s already banned.

This isn't accurate. The U.S. banned all imports of Russian oil, natural gas and coal in March 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. A caption on an April 26 viral Facebook video claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin "just SHUTDOWN All Oil To The US, Collapsing The US Economy!" Oil prices have dropped in recent days, but market experts credit that largely to weak demand and economic jitters over banking. This is the opposite of what would be expected with prices if this claim were accurate. It's not. This claim is Pants on Fire!
Read MorePutin didn’t ‘shut down’ all Russian oil to the U.S. It’s already banned.

Russian embassy shares AI-generated image of Julian Assange in prison

The Russian Embassy in Kenya shared an image on Twitter on April 6 showing an exhausted-looking Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, who has been incarcerated in the United Kingdom since 2019. However, it turns out that one of his supporters generated the image using artificial intelligence.
Read MoreRussian embassy shares AI-generated image of Julian Assange in prison