The Ukrainian army is not shelling temporarily occupied Kherson. Information about powerful explosions in the city center on May 12 were not confirmed by local media nor was any evidence of such explosions provided by Russian journalists or authorities. The Russian invading army continues to shell the Kherson region with phosphorous shells and it continues shooting at convoys of civilians trying to leave the occupied territories.
By Zviad Adzinbaia, for CEPA
Russia's failed invasion of Ukraine can pave the way to ending the Kremlin's weaponized disinformation against the West.
Twitter limited more than 300 Russian government accounts last month, including that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The move followed the European Union's (EU) 27 February ban on Russia's two state-run propaganda outlets, RT and Sputnik, three days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Meta followed by "restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU."
These measures set a precedent to clear Russia's disinformation networks from Western media and social media space.
Despite jitters over the Ukraine war in many countries and Finland's decision to seek NATO membership, tanks have not been sent to the Finnish border with Russia, despite a viral video suggesting just that. We also look at false claims surrounding a recent protest in Paris.
Germany is not conducting any kind of selection of Ukrainian refugees. Germany continues to receive all refugees from Ukraine. Ukrainians do not have to apply for asylum, they are granted temporary protection status which includes all social benefits provided for in Germany's Residence Law Article 24. Once registered with the authorities, these protections are valid for one year and may be extended for up to three years.
We take a look at reports that a retired Canadian lieutenant general was captured by Russian forces at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. Also, does the Rothschild family banking dynasty own Reuters news agency? (Short answer: no!)
Verdict: False
The footage is from a military-based video game. It does not show a genuine Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian warship.
Social media posts claim a photo shows cars damaged by a Russian bomb near a building with intact windows in Bucha, suggesting it proves violence in the Ukrainian town was staged. But there is no evidence of a strike near the building, and residents said military vehicles were used to upend the cars -- accounts confirmed by media reports and other images from the town.
After Russia pressed on with its invasion of Ukraine, a video surfaced in social media posts in various languages claiming it shows a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian tanks. But the footage -- which has been viewed tens of thousands of times -- has been shared in a false context. It has circulated since March 2020 in reports about a Turkish drone assault on Syrian forces.
• There are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink satellite service was used to facilitate the attack on the Russian ship Moskva.
• The Russian government did not order the destruction of the Starlink satellite service. That claim originated on a fraudulent website falsely identifying itself as the official website of a Russian political party.
Our ruling
A Facebook post says, "Space X's Starlink internet constellation has angered Russia as it was reported that the Starlink satellite constellation was used to guide the fire" on the Russian ship Moskva.
But there are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink service was involved in the attack on Moskva. The claim that a Russian official ordered the destruction of the Starlink satellite service originated on a fraudulent website.
We rate this claim False.
There is no proof that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy owns a $35 million home in Florida.
The claim originated from a source that appears to be backed by the Russian government.
The Pandora Papers leak did show Zelenskyy owned several offshore companies and other assets, but nothing that could corroborate the claim made on social media.
Our ruling
A now-deleted Facebook post shared the claim that Ukraine President Zelenskyy owned a $35 million home in Florida among several other assets.
The claim appears to have originated from a Russian-backed source, and no other corroborating evidence for the claim could be found.
While leaked financial documents showed Zelenskyy owned several offshore companies and other assets like cars and property, they made no mention of a Florida home.
We rate this claim False.