Category Russian propaganda

No, the video of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urging surrender isn’t real. It’s a deepfake

The VERIFY team confirmed a video of Ukraine President Zelenskyy telling his people to surrender is a deepfake. It was created using images from press conferences.

A pre-recorded video? The pro-Russian hoax suggesting that Volodymyr Zelensky has left Ukraine

Russian media outlets, including Russia Today, are falsely claiming that the video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to a KyivÂ hospital on March 13 was recorded last month, fuelling speculation that he has fled the country.

March 14, 2022
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

No, this document doesn’t show classified Ukrainian military orders to attack the Donbas region

The document isn't classified, and there are no direct statements in it about an attack on the Donbas. It makes references to a training camp on the opposite side of the country. Our ruling Russian officials shared a Ukrainian document on Twitter with claims that it showed secret, classified orders for a military offensive on the Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine. This is wrong. There is no proof that the document is classified, and there are no direct statements in it about an attack on the Donbas. The document makes references to a training camp on the opposite side of the country. We rate claims about a document showing a planned military offensive in the Donbas False.

FactChecking Claims About the Conflict in Ukraine

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, following months of military buildup and, as we’ve written, repeated denials by Russian officials that their country planned to invade. As is often the case with major news events, we have seen several false and misleading claims made on social media and by politicians related to the conflict.

March 11, 2022
Disinformation Fact check websites Fact checks / debunkings Fact-checking tools Misconceptions Resources Russian propaganda

Ukraine: Russian troops flying Soviet flag, symbol of ‘re-establishing Russian domination’

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, thousands of images showing Russian soldiers and vehicles have emerged online. Some of these images shocked viewers when they saw the flag of the Soviet Union waving on some Russian military equipment. For residents of Ukraine, a former part of the Soviet Union, the flag may represent "an expression of a desire to repress them", according to a post-Soviet politics specialist who spoke to the FRANCE 24 Observers team.

March 11, 2022
Context Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine USSR (Soviet Union)

Ukraine: How a fake Russian TV report covered up a protest in Kherson

A report broadcast on March 7 by the Russian channel Vesti 92 shows a distribution of food to the residents of Kherson, a town in southern Ukraine occupied by the Russian army. ButÂ according to the town's residents, the footageÂ shot on March 4Â was actually staged andÂ concealed one important detail: residents protesting the Russian occupation in front of the distribution trucks, as revealed by three amateur videos of the same scene.

March 10, 2022
Disinformation Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

China repeats false claim that U.S has biolabs in Ukraine

China's government is amplifying debunked claims about non-existent U.S. biological weapons labs in Ukraine, bringing the falsehoods back into the spotlight on social media. Our ruling A spokesperson for the Chinese government said the U.S. has biolabs in Ukraine. The claim originated with the Russian government and has been previously debunked by U.S. government officials and weapons control advocates. Following Zhao's March 9 remarks, U.S. government officials strongly refuted the claims again, saying the false narrative was being used to lay the groundwork for further violence in Ukraine.

Doctored image of President Zelensky holding a shirt bearing a swastika

A doctored image of President Zelensky holding a shirt bearing a swastika has been spread by pro-Kremlin accounts. The real image was posted by Mr Zelensky to Instagram ahead of Euro 2020 in June.

March 9, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russian propaganda Ukraine

Ukraine invasion: False claims the war is a hoax go viral

Nearly two weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the flow of false or misleading information about the war hasn't let up and now there are some outlandish theories being shared online. Some have begun to circulate claims the war is a hoax, a media fabrication, or has been exaggerated by the West in terms of its scale. We've examined some of them.

March 8, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

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.