Despite Putin’s claim, Russia has lost plenty in Ukraine invasion // PolitiFact
Source published on: September 9, 2022 /
Russia has lost as many as 25,000 soldiers in its invasion of Ukraine, with tens of thousands more injured, according to estimates from U.K. and U.S. officials.
Russia’s economy will contract as much as 6% this year mostly because of international sanctions, the country’s central bank predicted.
Thousands of educated professionals have fled the nation after the war began, according to news reports.
Our ruling
Putin stated that Russia has lost nothing since the country invaded neighboring Ukraine in February.
Russia has suffered many losses. As many as 25,000 Russian soldiers are estimated to have died. Indicators from within Russia show the Russian economy has been damaged by international sanctions resulting from the war. And experts say thousands of Russians from many professional backgrounds, including tech and academia, have fled the nation.
We rate Putin’s claim False.
Indexed on 2022-09-09 12:00 // Categories: Coordinated disinformation, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Misconceptions, Putin, Russia, and Russian propaganda
Biden didn’t threaten to kill a former Ukrainian president // PolitiFact
Source published on: August 31, 2022 /
A phone call recording from 2016 between then-Vice President Joe Biden and then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was leaked in 2020, but as it recirculates in 2022, it’s wrongly being used to claim Biden threatened to kill the former head of state.
Biden, among other presidents, has used the term “physical security” regularly. In August, for example, Biden talked in a speech to the Democratic National Committee about the United States’ need to plan its direction wisely to ensure “economic, political and physical security.” As in the leaked phone call, Biden, speaking June 30 at a press conference in Madrid after a NATO summit, tied funding from the U.S. to aid Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion to the country’s physical security.
“But for it to end, they have to be in a position where … the Ukrainians have all that they can reasonably expect, we can reasonably expect to get to them, in order to … provide for their physical security and their defenses,” he said.
We rate claims Biden threatened to assassinate a former Ukrainian president Pants on Fire!
Indexed on 2022-08-31 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, President Biden, Ukraine, and USA
No, U.S. Army forces aren’t in Ukraine // PolitiFact
Source published on: August 24, 2022 /
U.S. Army members aren’t in Ukraine, according to the Department of Defense.
The Pentagon relocated National Guard members in February who were training Ukrainian military members in February.
There were 160 Florida National Guard troops training Ukraine’s military when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin temporarily relocated them to Europe in February. And 3,000 more American troops from the 82nd Airborne were also deployed to Europe from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The National Guard has continued to support Ukrainian soldiers remotely, according to the Army. For example, a June article on the Army’s website shares how a Ukrainian soldier called a member of the Washington Army National Guard for help with a failed anti-tank missile.
But we rate claims that U.S. Army forces are stationed in Ukraine False.
Indexed on 2022-08-24 12:00 // Categories: Aid to Ukraine, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Military aid, Misconceptions, Ukraine, and USA
Environmental conditions and bodily decomposition: Implications for long term management of war fatalities and the identification of the dead during the ongoing Ukrainian conflict // Forensic Science International: Synergy
Source published on: August 23, 2022 /
In this paper, the authors provide an overview of the deaths incurred during the early weeks of the war and will attempt to illustrate the range of variables which will inform the practical response to recover and identify those killed, before they receive their final burial. It will introduce some of the organisations which have provided forensic support and will also identify emerging ethical considerations which should be monitored for the remainder of the conflict.
Indexed on 2023-09-19 12:50 // Categories: Attacks on civilians, Bucha, Genocide, Genocide vs Ukraine (2022-), Russia, Ukraine, and War crimes
Fake: In 1943, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army Crucified Four Children // StopFake.org
Source published on: August 23, 2022 /
This photo has nothing to do with the Ukrainian national movement and with the events of the 1943 Volyn tragedy. The children in the photo were killed by their own mother Marianna Dolinska on the night of December 11-12, 1923, in the village of Antoniowka near the Polish city Radom.
Indexed on 2022-08-23 12:00 // Categories: Children, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Poland, Protected groups & minorities, and Ukraine
Dig deeper with these advanced verification tools // France 24
Source published on: August 15, 2022 /
If you’ve been brushing up on the FRANCE 24 Observers’ verification guide, then you now have the know-how to verify images with a reverse image search or check for edits with some forensic tools. You should also have the basic instincts needed to be wary when scrolling through social media. This guide will show you some more advanced verification techniques that can help you dig a bit deeper into the origins of a post or a page.
Indexed on 2024-01-05 02:54 // Categories: “How to” instructions, Fact checks / debunkings, Fact-checking tools, General, Image search, Images, Media formats, Other, Other analysis tools, Resources, Text, Web history, and Web pages
How to verify a photo online and fight the spread of misinformation // France 24
Source published on: August 13, 2022 /
You just received a photo on WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter. The image makes you angry, sad or joyful, and the caption encourages you to share it as widely as possible. You’re a little cautious, however, because the story seems too good to be true. You are right to be careful. Here are a few tips for verifying images and tracing a photo’s origin on your own.
Indexed on 2024-01-05 02:54 // Categories: “How to” instructions, Fact checks / debunkings, Fact-checking tools, Image search, Images, Media formats, and Resources
FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Dancers Performing At A NATO Event? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: July 28, 2022 /
Verdict: False
The footage was taken during a 2017 event at the University of Ghent. The event was not affiliated with NATO.
Indexed on 2022-07-28 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, and NATO
FACT CHECK: No, Lego Did Not Create Figurines Of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: July 26, 2022 /
Verdict: False
The photos show a set of custom-built Lego figures. A Lego spokesperson confirmed the images do not depict an official product.
Indexed on 2022-07-26 12:00 // Categories: Azov Battalion, Context, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, and Ukraine
There’s no evidence that Ukraine’s president has a net worth of $596 million // PolitiFact
Source published on: July 21, 2022 /
There is no proof that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a net worth of $596 million or receives a monthly income of $11 million.
Leaked financial documents showed Zelenskyy had several assets like real estate property and cars, but not enough to corroborate the claim made on Facebook.
A report by Forbes found the Ukrainian president’s net worth was closer to $20 million to $30 million.
Our ruling
A Facebook post shared a screenshot from a website claiming to show Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s net worth as being $596 million while receiving a monthly income of $11 million and a salary of $780,000.
The website featured in the Facebook post offered no corroborating evidence for the claim.
Leaked financial documents showed Zelenskyy did have some assets, but nowhere near what’s being claimed on the website and Facebook post.
A report by Forbes found his net worth to be much smaller, around $20 million to $30 million.
We rate this False.
Indexed on 2022-07-21 12:00 // Categories: Corruption, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Misconceptions, Narratives, Outrageous luxuries, and Ukraine
Clip shows video game, not Ukrainian victory in Sievierodonetsk // PolitiFact
Source published on: July 19, 2022 /
But a video being shared on social media a few weeks later perhaps buoyed Ukraine’s supporters. The description in the July 17 post said “Sievierodonetsk’s air defenses shot down 55 Ka 52 helicopters.”
Dozens of comments cheered on Ukraine, with Ukrainian flags and GIFs congratulating the country.
That’s because anyone who watches the video can clearly see that the footage isn’t authentic. It’s a video game.
We rate claims of this footage’s veracity False.
Indexed on 2022-07-19 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Russia, and Ukraine
No, these people with Nazi tattoos are not Ukrainian refugees // France 24
Source published on: July 19, 2022 /
A new hoax has been targeting Ukrainian refugees. These two men covered in Nazi tattoos, wearing beach shorts, have been presented as Ukrainian refugees in Croatia by pro-Russian Twitter accounts. In reality, the images show Hungarian members of a neo-Nazi group.
Indexed on 2022-07-19 12:00 // Categories: Coordinated disinformation, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Hatred and bigotry, Hungary, International community, Misconceptions, Nazism, and Ukraine
Land documents claiming Ukrainian officials bought fancy properties in Switzerland are forged // PolitiFact
Source published on: July 13, 2022 /
A Swiss land registry official said that documents claiming to show purchases of luxury properties by Ukrainian officials are forged.
The documents contain errors, such as the wrong digit count in numbers identifying the property.
A Swiss newspaper said the false claims were the work of a blogger loyal to the Kremlin.
Our ruling
A website claimed that three high-ranking Ukrainian officials had purchased luxury property in the resort town of Gstaad, Switzerland.
A Swiss land registry official said the documents cited as evidence were forged; errors in them prove that they did not come from the registry, the official said.
We rate this claim False.
Indexed on 2022-07-13 12:00 // Categories: Coordinated disinformation, Corruption, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Misconceptions, Narratives, Outrageous luxuries, Russia, Russian propaganda, and Ukraine
No, a Ukrainian attack didn’t destroy a Moscow skyscraper // PolitiFact
Source published on: July 7, 2022 /
A fire broke out on the roof of a Russian skyscraper, according to state news, and was extinguished with minimal damage.
We found no evidence to support the suggestion that the incident is connected to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
A Polish news organization, also citing the Tass agency, said “the fire affected one square meter of space.”
We didn’t see any credible reports tying the fire to a Ukrainian attack, or any attack.
We rate this post False.
Indexed on 2022-07-07 12:00 // Categories: Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Russia, and Ukraine
FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A Ukrainian Soldier Covered In Nazi Tattoos? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: July 6, 2022 /
Verdict: False
This photo is miscaptioned. It was taken in 2005 and shows a prisoner from Belarus, not a soldier from Ukraine.
Indexed on 2022-07-06 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Hatred and bigotry, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Nazism, Russia, and Ukraine