Post shows video game footage, not the war in Ukraine // PolitiFact
Source published on: July 6, 2022 /
What’s being described as footage of the war in Ukraine is seen through a scope, with faint chatter in the background and the blast of weapons obliterating tanks on the ground.
“In Saturday Russian artillery tanks was completely destroyed by Bayraktar TB2 drones,” reads a grammatically problematic July 3 Facebook post sharing the video.
But if you watch long enough, the clip is clearly glitchy and the aesthetics might seem familiar ‘ we’ve previously fact-checked videos like it that mischaracterize video game footage to make it seem like it’s a recording of live combat in Eastern Europe.
Searching for the video’s description online, we found a YouTube post that gives more context, informing the reader that this isn’t real war footage. We rate claims that this is real war footage False.
Indexed on 2022-07-06 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Russia, Russian propaganda, and Ukraine
No, Moscow was not targeted in a missile attack // PolitiFact
Source published on: June 30, 2022 /
The video does not show a missile attack against the city of Moscow.
Footage used in a social media video claiming to be from the attack was taken from unrelated incidents.
Our ruling
A Facebook video shared images claiming to be from a missile strike on Moscow, implying Ukraine launched the attack against the Russian capital.
There appears to be no basis to the claim as there has been no reporting or corroborating evidence that missiles were launched at the city.
The video misrepresented footage from a separate incident several years ago as being from the attack and falsely claimed a fire at a Russian facility was part of a Ukrainian military strike.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire!
Indexed on 2022-06-30 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Russia, and Ukraine
FACT CHECK: Did A Pentagon Spokesperson Demand Lithuania Be Expelled From NATO? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: June 29, 2022 /
Verdict: False
There is no evidence to suggest the organization is planning to remove any members. Representatives for the Pentagon and NATO confirmed the claim is false.
Indexed on 2022-06-29 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, European Union, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Misconceptions, NATO, Russia, Russian propaganda, and USA
Did Ukrainians really place anti-Russian stickers around Auschwitz? Nope. // France 24
Source published on: June 27, 2022 /
Several pro-Russian accounts have been circulating photos that they say show how Ukrainians put anti-Russian stickers in different places in Auschwitz, the former death camp run by the Nazis. The stickers say: “Russia & Russians – The only gas you and your country deserve is Zyklon B”, a reference to the toxic gas used by Nazis to kill prisoners in the on-site gas chambers.
Indexed on 2022-06-27 12:00 // Categories: “Genocide” vs Russian-speakers, Coordinated disinformation, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Misconceptions, Narratives, Russia, Russian propaganda, and Ukraine
Did Video Show Russian Missile ‘Boomerang’ in Ukraine, Striking Troops Who Launched It? // Snopes
Source published on: June 24, 2022 /
Several videos did appear to show a Russian missile landing short of where other missiles had been launched in the minutes prior, likely due to a malfunction of some sort. However, there’s no evidence that it flew back directly into the area from which it was launched, nor was there any data that showed it injured or killed Russian troops. An alternate angle of what appeared to be the same missile being fired showed that it did not land on its own launch site.
Indexed on 2022-06-24 12:00 // Categories: Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, and Russia
FACT CHECK: Did Denmark Open Fire On Russian Warships? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: June 23, 2022 /
Verdict: Misleading
While Russian warships did enter Denmarkâs territorial waters, no such exchange took place. A spokesperson for Denmarkâs Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the claim.
Indexed on 2022-06-23 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, European Union, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, and Russia
Source published on: June 20, 2022 /
A viral image appearing to show Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing a pro-Ukraine shirt that says “I’ll be back” is fake.
Indexed on 2022-06-20 12:00 // Categories: AI-generated images, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, and Ukraine
FACT CHECK: Did Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Say He Does Not Care About Ukraine? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: June 20, 2022 /
Verdict: False
There is no record of Orban making such a statement. A spokesperson for the Hungarian government denied the claim.
Indexed on 2022-06-20 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, European Union, Fact checks / debunkings, Hungary, International community, Misconceptions, and Ukraine
Did Polish police open fire on African refugees fleeing Ukraine? – Fact or Fake // France 24
Source published on: June 17, 2022 /
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, over 7 million people have fled the country. Multiple reports have outlined the specific difficulties that African refugees faced as they attempted to cross the Polish border and enter the European Union. Georgina Robertson and Sophie Samaille take a look at a Facebook post falsely claiming that refugees from Africa were shot at by Polish police.
Indexed on 2022-06-17 12:00 // Categories: Coordinated disinformation, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Minorities in Ukraine, Misconceptions, Poland, and Ukraine
The Pentagon didn’t ‘admit’ that there are 46 US-funded biolabs in Ukraine // PolitiFact
Source published on: June 15, 2022 /
The United States government didn’t admit that there are 46 U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.
The document referenced by far-right and socialist websites repeats known information about 46 Ukrainian-owned and -operated laboratories, health facilities and diagnostic sites that have received support from the U.S.
The government fact sheet specifically states that Ukraine “has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs.”
Our ruling
A Gateway Pundit article said, “US Department of Defense Finally Comes Clean – Admits in Public Document that There Are 46 US Military-Funded Biolabs in Ukraine.”
There was no “coming clean” ‘ and the government made no such admission.
The document referenced in the stories repeated known information about 46 Ukrainian-owned-and-operated laboratories, health facilities and diagnostic sites that have received support from the U.S. The document specifically states that Ukraine “has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs.”
We rate this claim False.
Indexed on 2022-06-15 12:00 // Categories: Aid to Ukraine, Biolabs, Coordinated disinformation, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Military aid, Misconceptions, Narratives, Russia, Russian propaganda, Ukraine, and USA
No, the Ukrainian colors were not added to an official pride flag // PolitiFact
Source published on: June 10, 2022 /
An image of a flag that incorporated the Ukrainian colors originated as satire. This particular image isn’t affiliated with any official LGBTQ organizations.
Snopes reported that Dublin’s LGBTQ Pride Festival designed a flyer that used a different image of a flag that incorporated Ukrainian colors as a signal of welcome displaced Ukrainian refugees.
Our ruling
Greene and others shared an image that showed the pride flag altered to incorporate the colors of the Ukrainian flag as if it were real.
This isn’t a genuine flag used by the LGBTQ community. It originated as satire.
We rate this False
Indexed on 2022-06-10 12:00 // Categories: Fact checks / debunkings, Hatred and bigotry, Incitement & hate speech, International community, Minorities in Ukraine, Misconceptions, Ukraine, Ukrainian culture, and USA
Russian has not been banned in Ukraine, despite repeated claims // PolitiFact
Source published on: June 8, 2022 /
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.
Indexed on 2022-06-08 12:00 // Categories: “Genocide” vs Russian-speakers, Coordinated disinformation, Cultural genocide, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Misconceptions, Narratives, Russia, Russian propaganda, Ukraine, Ukrainian culture, and War crimes
FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Ukrainian Soldiers Mistakenly Burning A Dutch Flag? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: June 7, 2022 /
Verdict: Misleading
The image is from a 2016 video that allegedly shows soldiers from the Ukrainian Azov Regiment threatening Dutch citizens over a referendum. The Azov Regiment denied the video was created by them.
Indexed on 2022-06-07 12:00 // Categories: European Union, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Netherlands, and Ukraine
Video clip of military helicopter crash is from a video game, not the war in Ukraine // PolitiFact
Source published on: June 6, 2022 /
This isn’t a real video showing the Ukrainian military shooting down Russian helicopters. It’s a simulation from the Arma 3 video game.
Using keyword searches we found the same video on YouTube, which described the scene as a simulation from Arma 3, a military tactical shooter video game that’s been used several times in false claims about the fighting in Ukraine.
The same Facebook account posted another video titled “Rus_sian Helicopter Convoy firing at U_kraine Military Base.” It, too, is from the same game and doesn’t depict real-life combat.
We rate these posts False.
UPDATE, June 7, 2022: We updated this fact-check to include another Facebook video misrepresenting video game footage.
Indexed on 2022-06-06 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Russia, and Ukraine
Claim suggests billions should go to SWAT in schools. But there’s more to consider // PolitiFact
Source published on: June 3, 2022 /
The U.S. has spent $53 billion on aid to Ukraine as part of a bipartisan effort to oppose Russia’s invasion of the fledgling democracy.
More than $3 billion goes toward U.S. schools safety equipment and personnel every year, according to market research analysis and federal figures.
Researchers largely agree that armed officers at K-12 schools do not prevent mass shootings or other gun-related incidents from happening.
Instead, experts recommend threat assessment programs to help school staff identify behavioral warning signs among students and intervene to provide support before violent incidents occur.
Our ruling
A Facebook post claimed that with the $53 billion spent in Ukraine aid, the U.S. “could pay five SWAT members $80,000 each and have them at EVERY school front door.”
The U.S. has allocated about $53 billion in aid to Ukraine. And if one wanted to pay this amount to station five SWAT members at every public and private K-12 school in the country, it would also add up to about $53 billion over one year.
But that statement alone lacks context about current security funding for schools and what research shows about the effect of such measures.
More than $2.7 billion is already spent each year on school safety equipment and services nationwide. And this $53 billion, if spent as the claim suggested, would cover just one year of SWAT team coverage for schools.
Additionally, research shows that the presence of armed officers on campuses does not help prevent school shootings from happening.
We rate this claim Half True.
Indexed on 2022-06-03 12:00 // Categories: Aid oversight, Aid to Ukraine, Children, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Military aid, Misconceptions, Protected groups & minorities, and USA