Category Methods

No, this former Ukrainian beauty queen has not joined the Ukrainian military to fight Russians

The viral photograph shows Anastasiia Lenna, the 2015 Miss Grand Ukraine winner, posing with an airsoft gun. She confirmed that she did not join the Ukrainian military and said she posted the staged image to inspire people. Our ruling A Facebook post claims it shows a Ukrainian beauty queen fighting against the Russians invading Ukraine. That's not the case. Lenna did not join the Ukrainian military. She posted a photo in which she's posing with an airsoft gun. She said the photo was meant to inspire people. We rate this post False.
Read MoreNo, this former Ukrainian beauty queen has not joined the Ukrainian military to fight Russians

No, this woman driving an armored vehicle isn’t Ukrainian. She’s Russian and the clip is from 2021

The clip does not show a Ukrainian woman teaching people how to drive an abandoned Russian armored carrier amid the war. The TikToker is a Russian auto-blogger named Nastya Tuman and the video is from February 2021. The Facebook video is a compilation of several clips she shared on her TikTok page on Feb. 16, 2021. Tuman speaks Russian throughout the videos and excitedly describes the vehicle, saying it has 8-wheel drive, a seating shooter and a hatch for the driver-mechanic. She also discusses how to start it, instructing viewers on how to turn it on and shift into gear. The clip was made by a Russian woman and is from February 2021. It is unrelated to the current conflict in Ukraine. We rate posts claiming otherwise False.
Read MoreNo, this woman driving an armored vehicle isn’t Ukrainian. She’s Russian and the clip is from 2021

This video is from a climate change protest in Austria. It doesn’t show crisis actors in Ukraine

The people under the tarps aren't crisis actors from Ukraine trying to fool people into thinking they are dead. They were part of a protest against climate change that was held in Vienna, Austria, on Feb. 4. The clip is from a Feb. 4 demonstration against climate change in Vienna. The reporter, Marvin Bergauer, is from an Austrian news channel called OE24 TV and is speaking German in the video. An English translation of the chyron on the video says "Vienna: Demo against climate policy." The people under the tarps aren't crisis actors ' from Germany, Ukraine or anywhere else ' trying to fool people into thinking that they are dead. They're protesters from Austria in a video taken before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. We rate this False.
Read MoreThis video is from a climate change protest in Austria. It doesn’t show crisis actors in Ukraine

No, Putin didn’t say the West is controlled by Satanic pedophiles

During a 2013 speech, Vladimir Putin mentioned Satan and pedophilia, but he didn't say that the West is controlled by Satanic pedophiles. The headline that Putin said the West is controlled by Satanic pedophiles was posted on a blog five years ago and also relies on this 2013 speech, but presents it as if Putin made the comments during former President Donald Trump's tenure. The blog, like the headlines in the Faceook video, sound themes familiar among those who follow QAnon, a movement that claims without evidence that there is a global cabal of child sex traffickers that Trump is trying to thwart. The rest of the headlines that appear in the video vary in accuracy. "Putin calls Bill and Hillary Clinton 'the same Satan'" was published in PJ Media in 2016 after Putin quoted a Russian proverb while talking about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's desire to be president like her husband, former President Bill Clinton. "As we say, husband and wife are the same Satan," Putin said. "Putin: All U.S. presidents are puppets ' 'dark men in suits rule America'" appeared on blog posts in 2017 that paraphrased comments Putin made to the French publication Le Figaro. According to an English Translation of Putin's remarks that appeared on the Kremlin's website, he did not mention puppets but said: "I have already spoken to three U.S. presidents. They come and go, but politics stay the same at all times. Do you know why? Because of the powerful bureaucracy. When a person is elected, they may have some ideas. Then people with briefcases arrive, well dressed, wearing dark suits, just like mine, except for the red tie, since they wear black or dark blue ones. These people start explaining how things are done. And instantly, everything changes. This is what happens with every administration."
Read MoreNo, Putin didn’t say the West is controlled by Satanic pedophiles

Photo of children sending off Ukrainian troops is from 2016, not 2022

The viral image of children waving off troops dates back to 2016. It does not depict the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Our ruling Social media posts claim that a viral image, which shows two young children holding hands and saluting troops, was captured in Ukraine in 2022. But the photo traces back to 2016. We rate these posts False.
Read MorePhoto of children sending off Ukrainian troops is from 2016, not 2022