Category Misconceptions

Dilapidated train track is in years-old image and isn’t close to East Palestine derailment site

The image in the widespread photo is from a 6-year-old video that showed an old railway in Ohio. It had already been fixed by the time the Feb. 3 derailment happened in East Palestine.

The Biden-Harris administration announced plans to help railway infrastructure in Ohio, including managing $4 billion to improve rail safety.

A Facebook post said a photo of a dilapidated railroad track shows "what railways in Ohio look like while we send $40 billion to Ukraine."

The image used in the post comes from a 6-year-old video, and that railway has since been fixed.

We rate this claim False.

February 23, 2023
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Palestine USA

Don’t fall for this promise of a ‘leaked’ recording of Biden and Zelenskyy

We found no evidence to corroborate a claim that an audio recording was leaked documenting a private conversation between the presidents. A social media post claims otherwise.

We requested to follow the account where the supposed leaked audio of Biden and Zelenskyy was posted but as of publication time, that request hadn't been granted.

However, we searched for news reports and other sources to corroborate this latest post's claim, and found none.

We rate it False.

February 22, 2023
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions President Biden Ukraine USA

Photo of Biden, Zelenskyy holding hands was altered

President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to Ukraine on Feb. 20, and he was photographed walking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside of a monastery in Kyiv.

Multiple news outlets have published the picture. But an altered version of the photo is spreading on social media....Biden announced more military aid for Ukraine on the trip, but the image, taken for The New York Times by photographer Daniel Berehulak, is doctored.

We rate claims the photo is authentic False.

February 22, 2023
AI-generated images Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Methods Misconceptions President Biden Ukraine USA

Video of Biden saying some U.S. aid could support Ukrainian pensions is from April 2022

President Biden did say some U.S. aid to Ukraine could go to social support, like helping with pensions. The viral video clip is from 2022.

Is Putin Ally’s Son Dodging Ukraine Draft as Model in London?

Unverified. At least one of the photos shared regularly online about Vladimir Solovyov's son is misleading and of somebody else; the Irish model Tommy Solovyov.

But there is also no definitive evidence to show that his actual son is currently based in London modeling or elsewhere. Another photo frequently shared online indicates that he has modeled or is modeling; however, that agency is based in Russia.

February 17, 2023
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia

Vladimir Putin didn’t intercept shipment of chemical compound adrenochrome

Adrenochrome features heavily in QAnon conspiracy theories, which purport the baseless idea that a global cabal of pedophiles is harvesting the chemical from the blood of children to stay young and healthy.
That's false, and so is the claim that Putin foiled a shipment of it.

We found no credible news reports or other sources to corroborate the claims in this post.

Real Raw News has a disclaimer saying it contains "humor, parody and satire," though the author has defended his stories as truth. The website also regularly publishes false, fantastical stories authored by someone using a pseudonym.

We rate this baseless post Pants on Fire!

Posts Misquote Biden’s Year-Old Remarks on Tanks for Ukraine

President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 25 that the U.S. would provide Ukraine with 31 tanks. After the announcement, a meme on social media misquoted Biden’s remarks from March 2022, suggesting he said that sending tanks to Ukraine would cause World War III. Biden said sending weapons “with American pilots and American crews” would cause a world war.

February 13, 2023
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Escalation / WWIII Fact checks / debunkings Military aid Misconceptions Ukraine USA

Have Over 150K Ukraine Troops Been Killed in Russia Conflict?

Unverified. The figures quoted in Twitter come from a Turkish website that does not link to its sources, nor does it provide any other authenticated evidence.

The claim that it received its data from Israeli security services is also highly dubious.

While we cannot verify the actual number of soldiers killed on either side of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the estimates quoted in the tweet and the article do not match anywhere near the figures cited by Western intelligence services and senior officials.

February 10, 2023
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russian propaganda Ukraine

Has Ukraine Banned 19 Million Russian Books From its Libraries?

The tweet suggests that all 19 million books have been banned, which the details of this story do not clarify. It may also imply incorrectly that only books by Russian authors or about Russia are being removed. Although books such as these may well be removed, the tweet does not summarize the details of this story, or lack thereof, correctly.

February 7, 2023
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russian propaganda Ukraine

Did Zelensky Order Destruction of Docs Linked to Hunter Biden?

False. The tenuous link between Hunter Biden, Rosemont Seneca, Metabiota, and the Ukrainian government notwithstanding, the "letter" from the Ukrainian government has been debunked.

The letter, which was circulated on Russian social media in 2022, was littered with mistakes that indicated it was translated to Ukrainian from Russian.

February 6, 2023
Corruption Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russian propaganda Ukraine USA