Category Misconceptions

Did Video Show Russian Missile ‘Boomerang’ in Ukraine, Striking Troops Who Launched It?

Several videos did appear to show a Russian missile landing short of where other missiles had been launched in the minutes prior, likely due to a malfunction of some sort. However, there's no evidence that it flew back directly into the area from which it was launched, nor was there any data that showed it injured or killed Russian troops. An alternate angle of what appeared to be the same missile being fired showed that it did not land on its own launch site.

June 24, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia

FACT CHECK: Did Denmark Open Fire On Russian Warships? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: Misleading
While Russian warships did enter Denmarkâs territorial waters, no such exchange took place. A spokesperson for Denmarkâs Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the claim.

A viral image appearing to show Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing a pro-Ukraine shirt that says “I’ll be back” is fake.

A viral image appearing to show Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing a pro-Ukraine shirt that says "I'll be back" is fake.

June 20, 2022
AI-generated images Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

FACT CHECK: Did Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Say He Does Not Care About Ukraine? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
There is no record of Orban making such a statement. A spokesperson for the Hungarian government denied the claim.

June 20, 2022
Disinformation European Union Fact checks / debunkings Hungary International community Misconceptions Ukraine

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.

No, the Ukrainian colors were not added to an official pride flag

An image of a flag that incorporated the Ukrainian colors originated as satire. This particular image isn't affiliated with any official LGBTQ organizations.

Snopes reported that Dublin's LGBTQ Pride Festival designed a flyer that used a different image of a flag that incorporated Ukrainian colors as a signal of welcome displaced Ukrainian refugees.

Our ruling
Greene and others shared an image that showed the pride flag altered to incorporate the colors of the Ukrainian flag as if it were real.

This isn't a genuine flag used by the LGBTQ community. It originated as satire.

We rate this False

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.

FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Ukrainian Soldiers Mistakenly Burning A Dutch Flag? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: Misleading
The image is from a 2016 video that allegedly shows soldiers from the Ukrainian Azov Regiment threatening Dutch citizens over a referendum. The Azov Regiment denied the video was created by them.

Video clip of military helicopter crash is from a video game, not the war in Ukraine

This isn't a real video showing the Ukrainian military shooting down Russian helicopters. It's a simulation from the Arma 3 video game.

Using keyword searches we found the same video on YouTube, which described the scene as a simulation from Arma 3, a military tactical shooter video game that's been used several times in false claims about the fighting in Ukraine.

The same Facebook account posted another video titled "Rus_sian Helicopter Convoy firing at U_kraine Military Base." It, too, is from the same game and doesn't depict real-life combat.

We rate these posts False.

UPDATE, June 7, 2022: We updated this fact-check to include another Facebook video misrepresenting video game footage.

June 6, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine