Statements about Ukraine allegedly planning to ban conscripts from enrolling to universities are completely baseless. Currently, there are no such draft laws in Ukraine, and no initiatives of this kind have been proposed by the authorities. In comments for Focus and TSN, lawyers confirmed that such a decision is extremely unlikely as it can be recognized as unconstitutional.
An edited video apparently showing cocaine on the desk of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has circulated on social media around the world. It is the latest in a string of disinformation targeting the leader since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The suspicious, powder-like pile did not appear in the original video posted on Zelensky's Instagram account.
Verdict: False
The video was created by the non-partisan anti-corruption organization, RepresentUs. A spokesperson for the organization confirmed the footage of Putin included in the video was not real.
The Kremlin media completely distorted a recent Financial Times article, claiming British experts were predicting a crushing defeat for the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive. The FT did discuss the counteroffensive, but mostly in the context of what difficulties the Ukrainian military will face. The article's conclusion is that if the Ukrainian attack is fast and brutal, then the front line will spread and the Russians will flee, just as they did during the counteroffensive near Kharkiv last year.
Ukrainian soldiers do not use animals to clear mines. On the contrary, servicemen on the front lines are trying to remove abandoned farm animals from areas shelled by Russians.
Elon Musk promised to make Twitter the "most accurate source of information about the world," but he has repeatedly used his own account to amplify false claims from some of the most notorious disinformers on the internet, according to an AFP analysis of his online activity.
This claim is inaccurate. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a U.S. Defense Department arm that works to deter attacks and emerging threats, in November 2019 awarded a contract for non-COVID-19 training support in Ukraine, the agency said.
An agency spokesperson said the contract's description was modified in 2020, months after the virus emerged, to focus on COVID-19 research. The Defense Department typically modifies contracts over time to address emerging needs.
The Defense Department did not pay for COVID-19 research in Ukraine before the virus emerged. We rate this claim False.
A video circulating on social media shows a poster of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky apparently "snorting" cash donations from passers-by in Milan. But visual clues in the clip, and the complete lack of eye-witnesses, indicate that it is a fake.
Instead of Hungarians, propagandist sources actually wrote about the Rusyns, one of the ethnic groups populating the Eastern Carpathians. However, no such statements were made by either Hungarians or Rusyns. The claims by Petro Getsko, who is wanted internationally for violating Ukrainian territorial integrity, do not represent the position of the Carpathian Rusyns. The 'Carpatho-Rusyn Nation' noted that they do not support any of Getko's appeals and condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
If Russia refuses to voluntarily comply with the Arbitration Tribunal's decision, Naftohaz has the right to start enforcing it in those states where Russia's assets are located.