FACT CHECK: Did Ukraine Kill 12 Generals In A Single Day With HIMARS? | Check Your Fact
Verdict: Misleading
Ukraine did not kill 12 generals in a single day, though they claimed the deaths of several Russian officers in December 2022.
Category Misconceptions
Is this blonde woman with Putin a ‘paid extra’ for photo-ops? Nope
Social media users have noted that the same blonde woman has appeared behind Russian President Vladimir Putin on three different occasions - proof, they say, that he used "paid extras" during his address marking the start of 2023. However, it turns out that these images do feature different women. One is a soldier who was given a prize by Putin on December 31, 2022 while the two other images show a regional deputy (local politician) from Novgorod, and a supporter of the Russian president. This politician has been previously accused of being an extra.
Did Vladimir Putin use paid actors in his New Year’s speech? – Truth or Fake
Internet sleuths are setting social media alight with claims that the Russian president used "paid extras" in his New Year's Eve address, after they found previous official photographs featuring a blonde woman with a striking resemblance to one pictured during the speech. These claims have made media headlines across the globe. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake with Vedika Bahl.
FACT CHECK: Did This Satirical Magazine Feature An Image Of Zelenskyy Stealing From Jesus? | Check Your Fact
Verdict: False
The image is digitally fabricated. There is no evidence that Charlie Hebdo published this cover.
Five fact-checks about the war in Ukraine
Russia's invasion of Ukraine this year kept our fact-checkers very busy. We wrote 92 articles debunking false claims about information related to the war. These ranged from claims the Bucha massacre was staged to false TV reports and accusations of Nazism among Ukrainians. To mark the end of the year, we made a list of some of our top fact-checks about Ukraine.
Manipulated photo of Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky spreads online
On the heels of Volodymyr Zelensky's December 21, 2022 trip to Washington, social media users are claiming an image shows US President Joe Biden placing his hand on the Ukrainian leader's buttocks. But the picture has been digitally manipulated; the original photo and other shots from the visit show Biden's hand on Zelensky's back, and a White House spokesperson confirmed the version circulating online is "doctored."
Did Biden Grab Zelensky’s Butt in Viral White House Photo?
False. No, Biden did not place his hand on Zelensky's buttocks. The viral image is a digitally manipulated version of an official photo shared by the White House press team.
Was Putin’s Spokesman Caught Wearing $6 Million Watch?
False. While Dmitry Peskov possesses a number of expensive watches by designer Richard Mille, including one estimated to be worth more than $600,000, the watch in the photo shared on social media is not worth $6 million.
Reports by Russian independent media claimed the watch in the photo was worth 6 million rubles, which appears to have been misinterpreted or mistranslated into a dollar value.
Did Zelensky’s Wife Go on $40K Shopping Spree in Paris?
Claims that the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska went on a shopping spree during her visit to Paris this month are not supported by credible evidence.
They appear to stem from a single tweet posted by an unverified and low-engagement Twitter account, which provided scant details about the alleged purchases, simply citing an anonymous "source."
Additionally, the location of the U.S.-based account and its posting history raise significant doubts about the veracity of the claims.
This video was filmed years before the 2022 Ukraine-Russia crisis
A video that shows a military tank hurtling down the street has been viewed thousands of times in social media posts that claim it was filmed in Ukraine in January 2022, after Western leaders sounded the alarm over a potential Russian invasion. The posts are misleading; the footage was filmed in May 2014, when deadly clashes erupted between Ukrainian troops and separatists in the city of Mariupol.