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Fact Check: U.S. Spokesperson Did NOT Justify Ukrainian Strikes On Belgorod, Russia Saying It Holds ‘Virtually No Civilians’ — Video Is AI Fake | Lead Stories

Does a 50-second video show authentic remarks by U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller discussing "military targets" in the Russian city of Belgorod, with "virtually no civilians left" in that city? No, that's not true: The video mixes video of different briefings, during which Miller made no such remarks. The words falsely attributed to him in the video were AI-generated. The State Department labeled the video a deepfake. The video of fake remarks was also posted by the Russian Embassy in South Africa account on X, but later that post was deleted.

Fact Check: Putin Defends Hitler’s Invasion of Poland in Carlson Interview

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.

Fact Check: Is Tucker Carlson on Ukraine ‘Kill List’ Over Putin Interview?

False. The claim that the Mirotvorets list, which Alex Jones and Infowars refer to as a "kill list," is inaccurate, as is the claim that Tucker Carlson was added to it following reports he had interviewed Vladimir Putin. The list does not advocate violence toward those on it, which is part of an NGO, non-state-funded effort by Ukrainian activists to list "enemies of Ukraine." Carlson has been listed on the site since mid-2023.

August 6, 2024
Democracy Fact checks / debunkings Freedom of speech Hatred and bigotry Incitement & hate speech Misconceptions Ukraine

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.

Fact Check: Haley’s math comparing clean energy tax credits to national security

Making a point about spending on national security, Haley said that the US supporting Ukraine, Israel and securing the southern border would cost "less than 20% of Biden's green subsidies." Facts First: This math from Haley is largely true.

January 15, 2024
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings Military aid USA

Fact Check: Orban Did NOT Tell Zelenskyy In Argentina: ‘Putin Knows Something Special About Me’ | Lead Stories

Did Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the inauguration of Javier Milei as Argentina's new president, that Russian President Vladimir Putin knew something "special" about him? No, that's not true: Orban and Zelenskyy exchanged a few words in front of cameras during the ceremony, as shown by footage shared by major international media. Their conversation, though, cannot be heard. According to the Hungarian Prime Minister's press office and a post on X by Zelenskyy, the two leaders discussed European affairs. [...] The video is dubbed: The words spoken in the TikTok audio don't match the movement of Orban's lips as shown in the footage.

January 15, 2024
Corruption Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Hungary Misconceptions Ukraine

Zelenskyy belly dancing video is a deepfake – Full Fact

WHAT WAS CLAIMED: A video shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy belly dancing at an event. OUR VERDICT: The footage is not genuine. It has been digitally altered, and President Zelenskyy's face has been imposed onto the dancer's using deepfake techniques.

January 15, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Ukraine

FACT CHECK: Kim Jong Un And Vladimir Putin Video Edited To Show The Two Refusing To Drink From Glasses After Toasting | Check Your Fact

The caption reads, "When Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong UN met and none of them was willing to drink first." The claim is inaccurate. The video has been edited to remove the moment that they drink. The full video shows that they did drink. The video shows the two toasted each other and then the other people at the table and then were clearly seen drinking.

January 15, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions North Korea Putin Russia

Russia did not invade Ukraine to stop a NATO genocide in eastern regions

The Verdict: False. There is no evidence that the people of eastern Ukraine were subject to systematic extermination. [...] The claim was spread widely after [Russian Foreign Affairs official] Maria Zakharova [...] stated in February 2022 that there was a "systematic extermination of the Donbas population." However, an OSCE monitoring mission active in Ukraine since 2014 has found no evidence of mass targeted killings of civilians in the Donbas region. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not provided any proof to back up Zakharova's claim.

Russian Nationalist Channels Fabricate YouTube Data to Claim Ukrainians Don’t Listen to Ukrainian Musicians

"It's just that YouTube Music published the TOP artists in Ukraine. Not a single performer in Ukrainian." That is false. Musicians singing in Ukrainian dominated all of YouTube's weekly charts of top artists in Ukraine in 2023 as shown in YouTube's own data.

January 15, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine Ukrainian culture