Category Misconceptions

Chinese influencer impersonates Russian soldier using deepfake filter – Truth or Fake

An man posing as "Paul Kochadie" fooled over 400,000 followers on his Douyin account (TikTok's equivalent in China) by using artificial intelligence to pretend to be a Russian soldier on the Ukrainian frontline. This man, who sent "daily" updates about the war in Ukraine, was neither Russian nor a soldier, but instead a resident of Henan, China. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

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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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Fake: US Should Pay Reparations to Ukraine

Russian aggression is aimed at Ukraine, not the so-called "collective West." And since this war has nothing to do with the West, the damage to the Ukrainian economy and the destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure is solely Russia's responsibility, having launched an unprovoked, large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Fake: Ukrainians Сriticize Passengers of Sunken Titan Bathyscraper Says Al Jazeera

The international television company Al Jazeera denied the information that this story was created by its correspondents. A spokesperson for the TV company said that the video, as well as the information in it, is fake and was fabricated by a third party.

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Manipulation: Amid Huge Losses Ukraine Regions Begin General Mobilization

Martial law and general mobilization continue in Ukraine. The orders from individual territorial recruitment centers is not something new, their purpose is to re-notify persons liable for military service for further reporting to the recruitment centers.

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Manipulation: Kyiv is Among Top 10 Worst Cities to Live In

The drop in Kyiv's rating is not due to the rule of Zelenskyy and Klitschko, but to the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Economist study notes that Kyiv's score has dropped by 5.9 percentage points compared to 2021 because "its stability and infrastructure damaged by the war." In 2022, The Economist was forced to remove Kyiv from the ranking altogether due to the hostilities in the Kyiv region.

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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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Manipulation: IAEA Denies Russian Troops Mined Zaporizhzhia NPP

In fact, the IAEA did not deny, but confirmed the fact that the Zaporizhzhia NPP was mined by Russian troops. A press release on the organization's website said that Zaporizhzhia NPP was mined around the perimeter and in some places inside the plant, which does not meet safety standards. The organization could not confirm the fact that the cooling pond on the territory of the plant was mined as of June 15, when IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi was visiting the plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency called the situation with nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant extremely unstable.

Read MoreManipulation: IAEA Denies Russian Troops Mined Zaporizhzhia NPP