Category Methods

Fake: Ukraine’s Defense Minister Declares WWIII, Calls on West Not to Be Afraid to…

Russian propagandist media distorted the meaning of Ukrainian Defense Minister's point. He did not declare WWIII, he said that it had already begun on February 24, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. [...]

Minister Reznikov, of course, did not declare WWIII. In a tried-and-true fashion, Russian media took a phrase out of context, and distorted its meaning to make a mendacious claim.

Read MoreFake: Ukraine’s Defense Minister Declares WWIII, Calls on West Not to Be Afraid to…

Did Video Show Russian Missile ‘Boomerang’ in Ukraine, Striking Troops Who Launched It?

Several videos did appear to show a Russian missile landing short of where other missiles had been launched in the minutes prior, likely due to a malfunction of some sort. However, there's no evidence that it flew back directly into the area from which it was launched, nor was there any data that showed it injured or killed Russian troops. An alternate angle of what appeared to be the same missile being fired showed that it did not land on its own launch site.

Read MoreDid Video Show Russian Missile ‘Boomerang’ in Ukraine, Striking Troops Who Launched It?

Did Polish police open fire on African refugees fleeing Ukraine? – Fact or Fake

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, over 7 million people have fled the country. Multiple reports have outlined the specific difficulties that African refugees faced as they attempted to cross the Polish border and enter the European Union. Georgina Robertson and Sophie Samaille take a look at a Facebook post falsely claiming that refugees from Africa were shot at by Polish police.

Read MoreDid Polish police open fire on African refugees fleeing Ukraine? – Fact or Fake

The Pentagon didn’t ‘admit’ that there are 46 US-funded biolabs in Ukraine

The United States government didn't admit that there are 46 U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.

The document referenced by far-right and socialist websites repeats known information about 46 Ukrainian-owned and -operated laboratories, health facilities and diagnostic sites that have received support from the U.S.

The government fact sheet specifically states that Ukraine "has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs."

Our ruling
A Gateway Pundit article said, "US Department of Defense Finally Comes Clean - Admits in Public Document that There Are 46 US Military-Funded Biolabs in Ukraine."

There was no "coming clean" ' and the government made no such admission.

The document referenced in the stories repeated known information about 46 Ukrainian-owned-and-operated laboratories, health facilities and diagnostic sites that have received support from the U.S. The document specifically states that Ukraine "has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs."

We rate this claim False.

Read MoreThe Pentagon didn’t ‘admit’ that there are 46 US-funded biolabs in Ukraine

FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Ukrainian Soldiers Mistakenly Burning A Dutch Flag? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: Misleading
The image is from a 2016 video that allegedly shows soldiers from the Ukrainian Azov Regiment threatening Dutch citizens over a referendum. The Azov Regiment denied the video was created by them.

Read MoreFACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Ukrainian Soldiers Mistakenly Burning A Dutch Flag? | Check Your Fact

Video game clip shared as genuine footage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Footage that appears to show helicopters obliterated by missiles has racked up tens of thousands of views in social media posts that claim it shows combat between Russian and Ukrainian forces. While some social media users appeared to believe the clip was genuine, it was taken from war video game series Arma.

Read MoreVideo game clip shared as genuine footage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

German daily Bild did not produce report about ‘Ukrainian refugees burning down a house’

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in social media posts that claim it is a report by German tabloid newspaper Bild about Ukrainian refugees who burned down a house while attempting to set fire to a Russian flag. However, the claims are false; AFP found the video had been fabricated using unrelated old clips to look like a real Bild production. A spokesperson for the newspaper confirmed the report was not genuine.

Read MoreGerman daily Bild did not produce report about ‘Ukrainian refugees burning down a house’

Video clip of military helicopter crash is from a video game, not the war in Ukraine

This isn't a real video showing the Ukrainian military shooting down Russian helicopters. It's a simulation from the Arma 3 video game.

Using keyword searches we found the same video on YouTube, which described the scene as a simulation from Arma 3, a military tactical shooter video game that's been used several times in false claims about the fighting in Ukraine.

The same Facebook account posted another video titled "Rus_sian Helicopter Convoy firing at U_kraine Military Base." It, too, is from the same game and doesn't depict real-life combat.

We rate these posts False.

UPDATE, June 7, 2022: We updated this fact-check to include another Facebook video misrepresenting video game footage.

Read MoreVideo clip of military helicopter crash is from a video game, not the war in Ukraine