Category Misconceptions

Fake: Zelenskyy Refused to Hold Elections And Seized Power in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not refuse to hold elections in Ukraine. The Constitution of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine "On the Legal Regime of Martial Law" expressly prohibit holding any elections to the executive and legislative branches of government during wartime.
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Has Zelensky Announced 'Full General Mobilization' of Ukraine?

Has Zelensky Announced ‘Full General Mobilization’ of Ukraine?

Misleading Material. General mobilization and martial law have been imposed in Ukraine since day one of Russia's invasion. The document being shared on social media by pro-Kremlin accounts does not call for another general mobilization of the country but is a local order for residents to update their information, and for authorities to track and keep record of eligibility.
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Accounting error on military support does not mean US sent Ukraine $6.2 billion by mistake

The U.S. committed about $78 billion in humanitarian, financial and military assistance to Ukraine from January 2022 to February 2023, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German-based research organization that tracks nations' support of Ukraine, reported. The U.S. total included $47 billion in military aid. That figure ranked highest among all nations and 14th as a percentage of gross domestic product. A Pew Research Center poll in June of U.S. adults age 18 and older found that 31% of respondents said the U.S. is providing the right amount of aid to Ukraine, 28% said too much and 16% said not enough. The Pentagon did not say that it mistakenly sent Ukraine $6.2 billion in cash. We rate the Facebook post False.
Read MoreAccounting error on military support does not mean US sent Ukraine $6.2 billion by mistake
Did RFK Jr. Claim That Ukraine Has Cost U.S. $8 Trillion?

Did RFK Jr. Claim That Ukraine Has Cost U.S. $8 Trillion?

A representative for Kennedy Jr. told Newsweek via email that "the candidate misspoke." They added: "What he meant was that spending on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars totaled $8 trillion. He apologizes for the misstatement." Whatever Kennedy Jr.'s intended message was, the lack of detail does appear to have caused some to believe that the U.S. has spent $8 trillion on Ukraine which is, quite clearly, not correct.
Read MoreDid RFK Jr. Claim That Ukraine Has Cost U.S. $8 Trillion?

Claim that a Mexican cartel has weapons sent to Ukraine lacks evidence

An U.S. podcast host misrepresented a Mexican TV newscast by saying that a Javelin the United States sent to Ukraine ended in the hands of a Mexican cartel. That's not what the Spanish-speaking anchor said. Experts also say the supposed cartel member is carrying an AT4, not a Javelin. A TikTok video claimed to show a cartel member in Mexico carrying a Javelin that the U.S. sent to Ukraine. We found no evidence that a Mexican cartel obtained U.S. weapons destined for Ukraine. Experts told PolitiFact that the man in the video is carrying what appears to be an AT4 weapon, not a Javelin. We rate this claim False.
Read MoreClaim that a Mexican cartel has weapons sent to Ukraine lacks evidence

No, Ukraine’s military is not camouflaging tanks as houses

An October 2020 article from the news outlet RBC-Ukraine said the car was decorated to look like a Ukrainian village house. The car motor was hidden, and the driver's seat was built into the floor. Side mirrors that would normally be on a car were replaced with cameras inside the structure, RBC-Ukraine reported. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there have been numerous false and misleading claims about the war and both countries' military units. We rate the claim that a Ukrainian tank is using a house as camouflage False.
Read MoreNo, Ukraine’s military is not camouflaging tanks as houses

The war in Ukraine is real and ongoing, despite nonsense social media posts

That's because it trafficks in misinformation about the war that we've encountered before. Previous posts have falsely claimed that various photos are evidence the war is fake, that video clips prove it's staged, that it's scripted. None of that was accurate, and neither is the claim that there's no war in Ukraine. It defies more than a year of news coverage from reporters with media outlets from around the world giving dispatches from Ukraine, describing the front lines, the lives of civilians and more. We rate this post Pants on Fire!
Read MoreThe war in Ukraine is real and ongoing, despite nonsense social media posts
This is the ‘America First’ case for supporting Ukraine

This is the ‘America First’ case for supporting Ukraine

The lesson of the 20th century is that putting “America First” requires us to project strength and deter our enemies from launching wars of aggression — so that U.S. troops to don’t have to fight and die in another global conflagration. The invasion in Ukraine was a failure of deterrence. Only by helping Ukraine win can we prevent further deterrence failures. If we help Ukraine prevail, we can rewrite the narrative of U.S. weakness; restore deterrence with China; strike a blow against the Sino-Russian alliance; decimate the Russian threat to Europe; increase burden-sharing with our allies; improve our military preparedness for other adversaries; stop a global nuclear arms race; dissuade other nuclear states from launching wars of aggression; and make World War III less likely. The “America First” conclusion: Helping Ukraine is a supreme national interest.
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Claim of 1 million Ukrainian soldiers dead has no official backing

Reuters reported in April that leaked documents allegedly from U.S. intelligence agencies estimated as many as 354,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have died or been injured in the war. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the documents, and U.S. officials said some files appeared to be altered. The Facebook video's claim that 1 million Ukrainian soldiers have been "wiped out" is much higher than any official reported estimates. So we rate this claim False.
Read MoreClaim of 1 million Ukrainian soldiers dead has no official backing