Category Children

There is no evidence that Putin invaded Ukraine to fight child trafficking

This claim originated in an article published by a website known for sharing misinformation, including one previous false claim on Ukraine.

• Russia's president stated many reasons for the invasion. Ending child trafficking was not among them.

• According to the U.S. State Department, Russia is failing to deal with human trafficking within its own borders.

Our ruling
A post on Facebook alleged that Russia started its invasion of Ukraine to fight child trafficking.

The claim originates in an article published by a website known for fabricating stories and sources.

There is no evidence that ending child trafficking is a goal of the war in Ukraine. Russia itself is failing to deal with human trafficking within its own borders, according to a report by the U.S. State Department.

And while Putin has been very descriptive about his reasons for invading Ukraine, child trafficking has never been mentioned.

We rate the post False.

Read MoreThere is no evidence that Putin invaded Ukraine to fight child trafficking
Social Media Posts Misrepresent Victims of Hospital Bombed in Mariupol

Social Media Posts Misrepresent Victims of Hospital Bombed in Mariupol

Russian planes bombed a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 9, killing three people and injuring at least 17, including two pregnant women seen in photos shared around the world. Social media posts falsely claimed one woman “posed” as the two women. One of the women died of her injuries, along with her baby; the other gave birth to a daughter.

Read MoreSocial Media Posts Misrepresent Victims of Hospital Bombed in Mariupol

Story that claims Putin bombed a Biden-owned villa and ‘hammered’ biolabs, pedophile rings is bogus

A story that claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin bombed a villa in Ukraine owned by President Joe Biden is bogus. It was created by a misinformation website that regularly publishes made-up stories. We found no evidence that Biden has a villa in Ukraine.

Claims about nefarious biolabs in Ukraine ' some supposedly "U.S. owned" ' are also fabricated, and part of disinformation efforts by Russians.

It's unclear what the blog is talking about in its reference to "pedophile rings," but it claims that Putin is wiping out "child trafficking covens" in Ukraine, and we found no evidence that these exist.

Read MoreStory that claims Putin bombed a Biden-owned villa and ‘hammered’ biolabs, pedophile rings is bogus

Photo of children sending off Ukrainian troops is from 2016, not 2022

The viral image of children waving off troops dates back to 2016. It does not depict the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Our ruling
Social media posts claim that a viral image, which shows two young children holding hands and saluting troops, was captured in Ukraine in 2022. But the photo traces back to 2016.

We rate these posts False.

Read MorePhoto of children sending off Ukrainian troops is from 2016, not 2022