Social media users have been sharing false claims that the Ukrainian army sold two of the heavy-duty CAESAR howitzers - given by France - to Russia for $120,000 per unit. In this edition of Truth or Fake with Vedika Bahl, we look into the source of these rumours - which are based on false posts from two years ago - and why the outlet behind them is not trustworthy.
Mark Milley was referring to actions in the occupied territories, not Russia. The USA does not encourage Ukrainian forces to strike outside their own borders
Russian disinformation has created a fraudulent report purporting to come from our sister radio station RFI, insinuating that "Ukrainian soldiers sent for tuberculosis treatment in France" are responsible for France's recent rebound in the disease. Meanwhile, French authorities have taken down a fake French armed forces website, which invited French citizens to enlist in Ukraine. We explain in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Even though the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for last week's deadly Moscow concert hall attack, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, pro-Russian social media users and bots are continuing to insist that Ukraine was involved in the atrocity. We debunk all the false claims for you in this edition of Truth or Fake.
An extract from FRANCE 24's sister French-language fact-checking show that's circulating on social media appears to support the claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has misappropriated funds to buy himself luxury yachts - an unfounded accusation that has repeatedly resurfaced. But the video has been edited: the journalist in it was in fact debunking, not affirming, the allegation.
Hours after the death of Alexei Navalny, viral posts started circulating on social media showing his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, in the arms of other men. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
No evidence of lethal Pfizer trial in Ukraine
True.
Based on a Russian transcript of Vladimir Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson, Newsweek verified Putin said Adolf Hitler was "forced" to invade Poland, an inaccurate interpretation of the circumstances leading to World War II.
While translations do not use the word "forced" or "compelled", they broadly match its meaning.
Not content with simply creating and spreading fake news, anti-Ukraine trolls are now also using a new disinformation tactic: a method dubbed "Operation Matryoshka" (or Russian doll), which has been exposed by the "Bot Blocker" collective and AFP fact checkers. It is designed to divert the attention of journalists and muddy the waters of information even more.
Military Watch Magazine regularly spreads pro-Russian propaganda. Experts note the advantages of Western tanks over Russian ones