Category Coordinated disinformation

Russian has not been banned in Ukraine, despite repeated claims

Ukraine has not banned the use of the Russian language in the country. A 2019 law established Ukrainian as the official language of Ukraine and strengthened its use in businesses, schools and the media. Our ruling Lavrov referenced the banning and prohibition of Russian in Ukraine, particularly in "education, the media, everyday contacts," during a press conference. Despite a language law that establishes Ukrainian as the country's official language and prioritizes its use in civil society, Russian has not been banned. We rate Lavrov's statement False.

Was a retired Canadian general captured by Russians in Ukraine? – Truth or Fake

We take a look at reports that a retired Canadian lieutenant generalÂ was captured by Russian forces at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. Also, does the Rothschild family banking dynasty own Reuters news agency? (Short answer: no!)

Three claims accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of being addicted to cocaine

In recent weeks, people have been sharing at least three videos purporting to show Ukrainian PresidentÂ Volodymyr Zelensky either using cocaine or making incoherent remarks after allegedly consuming drugs. But these videos have been cut misleadingly andÂ sometimes even digitally manipulated.

Viral videos falsely claiming Ukraine’s Zelenskyy uses cocaine are altered

Two viral videos purported to show that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy uses cocaine. One video appeared to show cocaine on Zelenskyy's desk as he spoke, while the other appeared to show him saying that he uses the drug routinely. The first video was doctored; in the original, there is no white substance on Zelenskyy's desk. The second video was deceptively edited; in the original, he denied using drugs. Our ruling Two videos claimed to show Zelenskyy either using or admitting to using cocaine. The first video purports to show a white powder on Zelenskyy's desk as he placed a video call to Musk. But the video was doctored to include the substance, which is not in the original. The second video appears to show Zelenskyy talking about using cocaine regularly, but the video was deceptively edited to reorder Zelenskyy's words. In reality, Zelenskyy denied using drugs. We rate these videos Pants on Fire!

Putin did not nationalize Russian central bank, and Rothchilds never controlled Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin was not responsible for the nationalization of the Russian centralized bank, which took place in 1917. • The Rothschild family banking business has had an office in Russia since the 1990s, but it has no oversight over the country's currency or monetary policies, which are controlled by the Bank of Russia. • The Rothschild family long has been the target of conspiracy theories, and their wealth is believed to be responsible for inspiring the anti-Semitic trope that Jewish people "control" the world's money. Our ruling A Facebook post says Putin "ended the Rothschild's control over Russia by nationalizing the Russian centralized bank." Putin did not nationalize the Russian centralized bank; that occurred in 1917. Evidence does not support the claim that the Rothschild family had control over Russia. The family's banking business has had an office in Russia since the 1990s ' though it recently suspended operations ' but it has no oversight over the country's currency or monetary policies, which are controlled by the Bank of Russia. We rate this claim False.

April 20, 2022
Antisemitism Coordinated disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Hatred and bigotry Misconceptions Putin Russia

No, this isn’t a picture of Ukrainian students celebrating Hitler’s birthday

An image of Russians forming the number 55 to celebrate the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin rocketing into space has been mischaracterized to wrongly claim that it shows Ukrainian students celebrating Hitler's birthday. Anyone confusing this shape for a swastika is mistaken. While the the numbers are made with straight lines like a swastika ' lacking the curve that's often used to write the number five ' the angles are off. The two ends of both fives point in the same direction, whereas each end of a swastika points in a different direction. But what's more, this photo wasn't taken in Lviv in 2022. It was shot in Penza, Russia, in 2016, to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Cosmonautics Day. The "55" can be seen at the 47 mark, and it's followed by an image of Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet pilot who became the first person to orbit the earth on April 12, 1961. We rate this post Pants on Fire!

Iconic photo is from Ukraine war, not Russia gas explosion

Olena Kurilo, a teacher, was injured on Feb. 24, 2022, when a Russian missile strike hit her apartment complex in Chuhuiv, Ukraine. Her photograph was taken by at least three journalists that day and she was interviewed on video. Photos in news reports that day show the apartment complex is not the building damaged by a 2018 gas explosion in Russia. Our ruling A social media user claims a photo of a Ukrainian woman that went viral after her apartment building was attacked on the first day of Russia's invasion is actually from a 2018 gas explosion in Russia. At least three photojournalists took photos of the woman on Feb. 24 and she was interviewed on camera. Multiple news reports confirmed the attack on the apartment building that day, and images show the building is not the same one damaged in the Russia gas explosion. We rate this claim False.

Fresh round of fake videos claim the Bucha massacre was staged

Several hundred bodies of civilians were discovered in Bucha, Ukraine on April 3. Since the horrific discovery, pro-Russian accounts on Twitter have been circulating images that they say prove that these bodies were fake or that the massacre was staged by Ukrainians. But we investigated and, it turns out, these images were taken out of context.

These images from Bucha do not show ‘fake corpses’ staged by the Ukrainian army

Images published on April 3 showed the bodies of more than a dozen civilians who had been killed in Bucha, a town near Kyiv that had been occupied by the Russian army. Some of the bodies had their hands tied and some were shot in the head.Â Since then, several Russian media outlets and pro-Russian social media accounts have published a video that claimsÂ to show evidence the corpses in this video were staged. The FRANCE 24 Observers team analysed its claims.

No, the infamous Canadian sniper Wali has not been killed in Ukraine

A number of viral posts on social media have claimed that a Canadian sniper, dubbed "the world's deadliest sniper", was killed within hours of arriving in Mariupol, Ukraine, where he had gone to fight. However the man, nicknamed Wali, is still alive and well. He told the FRANCE 24 Observers team that he thinks the disinformation around his death serves to dissuade foreign fighters from going to Ukraine.