Category Coordinated disinformation

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 theÂ 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.

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.

Were these Ukrainians staging a fake battle scene? Nope, it’s a music video

Pro-Russian social media accounts have been widely circulating a video over the past few weeks that shows a man dressed as a Ukrainian soldier acting out a scene in front of a camera. These accounts have claimed this video is proof that people are staging scenes of theÂ war in Ukraine. Turns out, however, the video was filmed during the shooting of a music video by a Ukrainian artist whose music represents the "pain of war".

No, these photos don’t prove that Zelensky is filming his videos in front of a green screen

Pro-Russian social media accounts have been circulating photos and a video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky standing in front of a green screen, claiming that this image offers proof that the videos that he publishes on social media are filmed in a studio and not on the ground as claimed. However, these pictures don"t prove anything of the sortÂ -Â they were taken during a forum where the president appeared as a hologram.

Despite Putin’s claim, Russia has lost plenty in Ukraine invasion

Russia has lost as many as 25,000 soldiers in its invasion of Ukraine, with tens of thousands more injured, according to estimates from U.K. and U.S. officials. Russia's economy will contract as much as 6% this year mostly because of international sanctions, the country's central bank predicted. Thousands of educated professionals have fled the nation after the war began, according to news reports. Our ruling Putin stated that Russia has lost nothing since the country invaded neighboring Ukraine in February. Russia has suffered many losses. As many as 25,000 Russian soldiers are estimated to have died. Indicators from within Russia show the Russian economy has been damaged by international sanctions resulting from the war. And experts say thousands of Russians from many professional backgrounds, including tech and academia, have fled the nation. We rate Putin's claim False.

September 9, 2022
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Putin Russia Russian propaganda

No, these people with Nazi tattoos are not Ukrainian refugees

A new hoax has been targetingÂ Ukrainian refugees. These two men covered in Nazi tattoos, wearing beach shorts, have been presented as Ukrainian refugees in Croatia by pro-Russian Twitter accounts. In reality, the images show Hungarian members of a neo-Nazi group.

Land documents claiming Ukrainian officials bought fancy properties in Switzerland are forged

A Swiss land registry official said that documents claiming to show purchases of luxury properties by Ukrainian officials are forged. The documents contain errors, such as the wrong digit count in numbers identifying the property. A Swiss newspaper said the false claims were the work of a blogger loyal to the Kremlin. Our ruling A website claimed that three high-ranking Ukrainian officials had purchased luxury property in the resort town of Gstaad, Switzerland. A Swiss land registry official said the documents cited as evidence were forged; errors in them prove that they did not come from the registry, the official said. We rate this claim False.

Did Ukrainians really place anti-Russian stickers around Auschwitz? Nope.

Several pro-Russian accounts have been circulating photos that they say show how Ukrainians put anti-Russian stickers in different places in Auschwitz, the former death camp run by the Nazis. The stickers say:Â "Russia & RussiansÂ - The only gas you and your country deserve is Zyklon B", a reference to the toxic gas used by Nazis to kill prisoners in the on-site gas chambers.

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

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

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.