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Fact Check: Video doesn’t show migrants fleeing Russia after Putin citizenship offer | Reuters

Posts on social media shared the video suggesting migrants were fleeing so as not to be sent to the warfront. A post on social media platform X reads, "Putin threatened to send all illegal Chinese immigrants to the front lines in Ukraine. Airports saw a sudden rush of flights back to China." Screenshots from the video were also shared on Facebook. The video, however, can be traced back to at least Dec. 30, 2023, when it was posted on Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of TikTok, as showing people traveling from Russia for New Year. The same user says in the description of a different video of the same location that it shows Heihe river port in China.
Read MoreFact Check: Video doesn’t show migrants fleeing Russia after Putin citizenship offer | Reuters

Video depicting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s belly dance is a deep fake

Claim: Video depicts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy dancing at an event. Fact: The viral video has been created using deepfake technology and the original video shows an unidentified man dancing. This video is being shared on social media since the year 2020. However, it is not known when and where this video was taken. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Read MoreVideo depicting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s belly dance is a deep fake

GOP debate live fact check: What the candidates get right — and wrong

While outlining why she would continue giving aid to Ukraine, [Nikki] Haley claimed that 11 European countries have given more in terms of GDP than the U.S. This is true. [...] Nearly a dozen European countries have provided more in terms of GDP. They include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Denmark, Netherlands, Finland, Czech Republic, Norway and the U.K. Estonia leads the way and has provided support that equates to about 1.3% of its GDP.
Read MoreGOP debate live fact check: What the candidates get right — and wrong

Fact Check: DeSantis on aid to Ukraine

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued against further US funding for Ukraine by saying that "tens of billions of dollars" have been used "to pay salaries for Ukrainian government bureaucrats," and that US taxpayers have "paid pensions for Ukrainian retirees." Facts First: This needs context. [...] The money, which is disbursed through the World Bank, has gone to pay "wages for hospital workers, government employees, and teachers as well as social assistance for the elderly and vulnerable." [...] It has also been provided to the Ukrainian government to "supply emergency services for internally displaced persons."
Read MoreFact Check: DeSantis on aid to Ukraine

Fact Check: Did Ukraine’s Zelensky Buy a $48 Million Yacht?

The Ruling: False. Volodymyr Zelensky has not bought a $48.9 million yacht, as confirmed by the broker handling its sale. There is no evidence a similar purchase has been made elsewhere. Funding to Ukraine is heavily audited and itemized, making it very difficult, if not impossible, for Zelensky to make such a purchase using U.S. contributions.
Read MoreFact Check: Did Ukraine’s Zelensky Buy a $48 Million Yacht?

FactChecking the Fourth GOP Primary Debate

Christie derided Ramaswamy's plan for ending Russia's war in Ukraine, saying it would concede to Russia "all the land they've already stolen" and keep Ukraine from joining NATO (although Christie misspoke, saying the plan would keep Ukraine out of Russia). In exchange, Christie said, Ramaswamy would trust Russian President Vladimir Putin "not to have a relationship with China." Ramaswamy shot back, "That's not my deal." But it seems to be a mostly accurate synopsis of what Ramaswamy had proposed in June and refers to as the "reasonable peace deal."
Read MoreFactChecking the Fourth GOP Primary Debate

Tucker Carlson Misrepresents Defense Secretary’s Remarks on U.S. Troops, Ukraine Aid

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III reportedly told House members that failure to provide more aid for Ukraine could lead to Russia's invasion of a NATO ally and a direct U.S. military response in accordance with the NATO treaty. A viral post by Tucker Carlson misleadingly omits Austin's explanation of why U.S. troops might be required.
Read MoreTucker Carlson Misrepresents Defense Secretary’s Remarks on U.S. Troops, Ukraine Aid

Did Zelenskyy Urge Western Countries, ‘Don’t Build Roads, Spend All of Your Money on Weapons’?

In the interview, Zelenskyy did say the words, "Do this: Not build roads for today. Don't do it. Spend all your money to the weapon, to the drones, to the society, to the pensions, and et cetera. [...] We have only one enemy, this is Putin, and that's it." However, Zelenskyy was addressing Ukrainian leaders, not Western leaders. Moreover, he did not beg Western leaders to send all their money to Ukraine, as claimed.
Read MoreDid Zelenskyy Urge Western Countries, ‘Don’t Build Roads, Spend All of Your Money on Weapons’?

Fact Check: Did Zelensky Buy $20 Million Mansion in Florida?

Although Zelensky and his business partners had several offshore companies and properties, according to financial documents leaked in 2021, none of those assets are in Florida. And the Florida home that purportedly belongs to him actually belongs to a couple who bought the property more than four years ago.
Read MoreFact Check: Did Zelensky Buy $20 Million Mansion in Florida?