Category Ukraine

5 fakes of the war in Ukraine

5 fakes of the war in Ukraine including:
#1. "Celebrating the war". Video claims to show Russian soldiers dancing before heading to the frontline in Ukraine. In reality, dancing was in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
#2. "Russian jets launching attacks" - False. Video is from video game "Arma-3".
#3. "Formation of jets over an urban areas" - Not from war in Ukraine. Video is from a 2020 Moscow air show.
#4. "German news shows hundreds of Russian soldiers allegedly parachuting over the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv" - False. Old video from Russia (2016).

February 27, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

FAKE: Ukrainian forces shelled Vesela Hora on 23 February 2022

There is no evidence of Vesela Hora being shelled by the Ukrainian army

February 27, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Russia Ukraine

FAKE: All calls will be recorded, social media will monitor communication

This claim has been shared in several waves in at least three countries, but it is nothing more than an attempt at inducing panic

February 26, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Ukraine

FAKE: Ukrainian commando group crossed the Russian border in Rostov region

Ukraine haven't trespassed Russian border and didn't send commandos or APS's across the border

February 26, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports Methods Russia Ukraine

Vladimir Putin’s false war claims

Putin claims:
“Does Ukraine need to be denazified” - false,
“Is Russia’s attack a defense case under the UN Charter?” - false,
“Was there a ‘genocide” in Ukraine?” - false.
Russia has so far failed to provide any evidence in their claims.

February 25, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Genocide Misconceptions NATO Nazism Putin Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine United Nations

War in Ukraine: Disinformation about invasion abounds on social media – Truth or Fake

Many posts on social media claiming to pertain to the current conflict in Ukraine are in fact videos and photos of different events in other regions that happened several years ago. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

February 25, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

There are no US-run biolabs in Ukraine, contrary to social media posts

There are no U.S.-run biological weapons labs operating in Ukraine.

The U.S. Defense Department and the Ukraine Ministry of Health have had a partnership since 2005 to improve public health laboratories and prevent the threat of outbreaks of infectious diseases.

That effort is part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which began in 1991 to reduce the threat of existing weapons of mass destruction programs in former Soviet Republics.

Our ruling
A social media user tweeted that Russia was targeting U.S.-run biolabs in its invasion of Ukraine. That account was soon suspended by Twitter.

There are no U.S.-run biolabs in Ukraine. The country is one of many former Soviet Union republics, and other countries, partnering with the Defense Department as part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. It's the latest claim in a series of disinformation efforts by the Russians, an expert told PolitiFact.

While the U.S. may provide funding to upgrade or build labs in other countries, the labs are run by the partnering nations and the program's goal is to prevent biological threats, not create them. We rate this claim False.

Vladimir Putin repeats false claim of genocide in Ukraine

Despite multiple claims of a Ukrainian genocide against ethnic Russians, there is no evidence to support it.

International bodies that include Russian representatives report that civilian deaths have plummeted since 2014.

Russia's ambassador to the U.S. relied on misleading and outdated evidence to back the claim.

Our ruling
Putin said ethnic Russians in Ukraine face genocide.

His ambassador provided misleading evidence, and international observers found no activities to support the claim. Civilian deaths have plummeted to less than 1% of what they were in 2014.

We rate this False.

February 25, 2022
"Genocide" vs Russian-speakers Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Genocide Misconceptions Narratives Putin Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine War crimes

Photo shows Syrian child, not victim of Russia’s Ukraine invasion

Social media posts claim a photo of a wounded child shows a victim of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is false; the picture is from 2018 and was taken in Syria.

February 25, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Syria Ukraine

Photo does not show Japanese ambassador staying to fight in Ukraine

Social media posts claim a photo of a man in samurai regalia shows Japan's ambassador to Ukraine, saying he chose to stay and fight invading Russian forces. This is false; the image pictures Ukraine's ambassador to Japan, who tweeted it prior to the invasion.

February 25, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Japan Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine