Category Disinformation

China repeats false claim that U.S has biolabs in Ukraine

China's government is amplifying debunked claims about non-existent U.S. biological weapons labs in Ukraine, bringing the falsehoods back into the spotlight on social media.

Our ruling
A spokesperson for the Chinese government said the U.S. has biolabs in Ukraine.

The claim originated with the Russian government and has been previously debunked by U.S. government officials and weapons control advocates. Following Zhao's March 9 remarks, U.S. government officials strongly refuted the claims again, saying the false narrative was being used to lay the groundwork for further violence in Ukraine.

FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Volodymyr Zelenskyy And His Wife Singing ‘Endless Love’ By Lionel Richie? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The video features Boyce Avenue member Alejandro Manzano and English musician Connie Talbot. The music video does not feature Zelenskyy or mention Ukraine at any point.

March 10, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

Ukraine’s army is not using cats to spot Russian snipers

A tweet spread as a screenshot online says the Ukrainian army is using cats to locate Russian snipers via lasers attached to their rifles. But there is no evidence to corroborate the claim, a military expert dismissed it as "complete garbage," and the author of the post acknowledged it was intended as a joke.

March 10, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Doctored image of President Zelensky holding a shirt bearing a swastika

A doctored image of President Zelensky holding a shirt bearing a swastika has been spread by pro-Kremlin accounts. The real image was posted by Mr Zelensky to Instagram ahead of Euro 2020 in June.

March 9, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russian propaganda Ukraine

Old, Mislabeled Video Circulating Amid Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

A video from 2019 showing Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been circulating recently with the false claim that it shows Putin meeting with the South Korean president.

March 9, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions North Korea Putin Russia South Korea

Megachurches in U.S. Are Supporting Ukraine Relief, Contrary to Social Media Posts

Several megachurches in the U.S. are actively raising funds to support Ukrainians in light of the Russian invasion. But social media posts have falsely claimed that “we haven’t seen a single American mega church offer anything to the Ukrainians.”

March 9, 2022
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Private donations USA

Fabricated news alert falsely claims Russian president told South Africa’s ANC to keep out of its affairs

A purported screengrab posted on Facebook in South Africa and shared hundreds of times purports to show a news item published by local media house News24 according to which Russian President Vladimir Putin told the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to stop meddling in its affairs. But this is false; News24 denied the report belonged to them while the Russian embassy in South Africa dismissed the claim of a warning from Putin.

March 9, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports International community Methods Misconceptions Putin Russia South Africa

Doctored images do not show ‘Ukrainian protesters expressing support for Myanmar’

Following Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, images purporting to show Ukrainians rallying in support of people in coup-hit Myanmar have been shared hundreds of times on Facebook. Although there have been genuine reports of people in Myanmar publicly expressing support for Ukrainians, the images have been doctored. The original photos were taken during rallies held in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv before Russia's invasion of the pro-Western country.

March 9, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Myanmar Russia Ukraine

Artwork falsely shared as ‘genuine Time magazine cover’ likening Russia’s Putin to Hitler

Social media posts circulating globally following Russia's invasion of Ukraine have shared an image with the claim that it shows a genuine Time magazine cover that depicts Russian President Vladimir Putin with the nose and moustache of Adolf Hitler. However, the image shows an artwork that was created by a graphic designer, who said it was not intended as a Time cover. The magazine has also told AFP that the image "is not an authentic Time cover".

March 9, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports Methods Misconceptions Putin Russia

Video of ‘fake Ukraine casualties’ shows filming for a TV show about a pandemic

Footage of a man and woman having fake blood applied has been viewed thousands of times in posts claiming it shows Ukraine "faking" civilian casualties following the Russian invasion. In fact, the clip was filmed in 2020 on the set of a series called "Contamin".