Category Narratives

Fabricated story falsely claims Vladimir Putin destroyed an adrenochrome lab in Ukraine

This story was fabricated. It appeared on Real Raw News, a site that regularly publishes false, fantastical stories authored by someone using a pseudonym. Real Raw News stories are authored by someone using a pseudonym and the site has a disclaimer saying it contains "humor, parody and satire," though the author has defended his stories as truth. We found no credible news reports or other sources to corroborate the claims in this post. QAnon promotes a number of conspiracy theories that invoke pedophilia and a Democratic cabal. QAnon adherents were present during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. These ideas also infiltrated political discourse as recently as the 2022 midterm elections. We rate this claim Pants on Fire!

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.

FACT CHECK: Were Thousands Of Children Rescued From A Biden-Owned Property In Ukraine? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False There is no evidence suggesting any children have been rescued from Bidenâs properties. There is also no evidence suggesting Biden himself owns any properties in Ukraine.

Deadly floods submerge Nigeria, and misinformation accuses Ukraine of “staging” war – The Observers

A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from France 24 Observers around the world - all checked by our staff here in Paris.

Were these Ukrainians staging a fake battle scene? Nope, it’s a music video

Pro-Russian social media accounts have been widely circulating a video over the past few weeks that shows a man dressed as a Ukrainian soldier acting out a scene in front of a camera. These accounts have claimed this video is proof that people are staging scenes of theÂ war in Ukraine. Turns out, however, the video was filmed during the shooting of a music video by a Ukrainian artist whose music represents the "pain of war".

There’s no evidence that Ukraine’s president has a net worth of $596 million

There is no proof that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a net worth of $596 million or receives a monthly income of $11 million. Leaked financial documents showed Zelenskyy had several assets like real estate property and cars, but not enough to corroborate the claim made on Facebook. A report by Forbes found the Ukrainian president's net worth was closer to $20 million to $30 million. Our ruling A Facebook post shared a screenshot from a website claiming to show Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's net worth as being $596 million while receiving a monthly income of $11 million and a salary of $780,000. The website featured in the Facebook post offered no corroborating evidence for the claim. Leaked financial documents showed Zelenskyy did have some assets, but nowhere near what's being claimed on the website and Facebook post. A report by Forbes found his net worth to be much smaller, around $20 million to $30 million. We rate this False.

July 21, 2022
Corruption Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Narratives Outrageous luxuries Ukraine

Land documents claiming Ukrainian officials bought fancy properties in Switzerland are forged

A Swiss land registry official said that documents claiming to show purchases of luxury properties by Ukrainian officials are forged. The documents contain errors, such as the wrong digit count in numbers identifying the property. A Swiss newspaper said the false claims were the work of a blogger loyal to the Kremlin. Our ruling A website claimed that three high-ranking Ukrainian officials had purchased luxury property in the resort town of Gstaad, Switzerland. A Swiss land registry official said the documents cited as evidence were forged; errors in them prove that they did not come from the registry, the official said. We rate this claim False.

Did Ukrainians really place anti-Russian stickers around Auschwitz? Nope.

Several pro-Russian accounts have been circulating photos that they say show how Ukrainians put anti-Russian stickers in different places in Auschwitz, the former death camp run by the Nazis. The stickers say:Â "Russia & RussiansÂ - The only gas you and your country deserve is Zyklon B", a reference to the toxic gas used by Nazis to kill prisoners in the on-site gas chambers.

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.

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.