No, Ukrainian refugees were not banned from shops in Prague – Truth or Fake // France 24
Source published on: June 2, 2022 /
A photoshopped picture is circulating online of two shops in Prague that allegedly refused entry to Ukrainians. The owners of the shop has denied these claims. Meanwhile, some social media users claim that Ukrainian refugees were evicted from a hotel in Bulgaria. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Indexed on 2022-06-02 12:00 // Categories: Fact checks / debunkings, Hatred and bigotry, and Ukraine
FACT CHECK: No, The Colors Of Ukraine’s Flag Have Not Been Added To The Pride Flag | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: May 28, 2022 /
Verdict: False
The image originated as satire. There is no evidence the colors of Ukraineâs flag have been added to the pride flag.
Indexed on 2022-05-28 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Hatred and bigotry, Incitement & hate speech, Misconceptions, and Ukraine
No, a photo of burning books was not taken during current war in Ukraine // VERIFY
Source published on: May 27, 2022 /
Photo claiming to show burning Ukrainian history books isn’t from the current war with Russia. It actually dates back to March 2010.
Indexed on 2022-05-27 12:00 // Categories: Cultural genocide, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian culture, and War crimes
FACT CHECK: Did CNN Report That A Man Named ‘Bernie Gores’ Was Killed In The Uvalde, Texas School Shooting? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: May 26, 2022 /
Verdict: False
A CNN spokesperson denied the outlet published such an article. The man pictured has been falsely linked to similar tragedies in the past.
Indexed on 2022-05-26 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Faked news reports, Hatred and bigotry, Incitement & hate speech, International community, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, and USA
FACT CHECK: Did Volodymyr Zelenskyy Buy This Florida Residence For $35 Million? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: May 26, 2022 /
Verdict: False
There is no evidence that Zelenskyy has purchased the property. The house is still listed for sale online.
Indexed on 2022-05-26 12:00 // Categories: Corruption, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Misconceptions, Narratives, Outrageous luxuries, Ukraine, and USA
Did Russian soldiers really burn Ukrainian history books? // France 24
Source published on: May 24, 2022 /
Politicians and experts shared a photo of burning books on May 21, claiming that the Russian army had begun getting rid of Ukrainian books in occupied areas. While Ukrainian authorities have reported cases of Russian soldiers destroying books, the photo actually shows a book burning organised by pro-Russian protesters in Crimea in 2010.
Indexed on 2022-05-24 12:00 // Categories: Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Russia, and Ukraine
Does JD Vance profit from Russia propaganda? // PolitiFact
Source published on: May 24, 2022 /
J.D. Vance personally invested as much as $300,000 in the video sharing platform Rumble, although the precise details remain private.
RT, a Russia state-sponsored service that amplifies Kremlin messaging, posts its videos and livestreams on Rumble.
RT generates millions of views on Rumble, which increases the platform’s value to advertisers.
Our ruling
Ryan said, “Vance profits off Russia propaganda.”
Ryan’s claim is based on Vance’s investment in Rumble, the platform where RT posts its videos.
RT amplifies Kremlin messaging, and in the past two and a half months, RT has produced nearly 2 million views on Rumble. More views mean more advertising revenues for Rumble, and RT’s presence adds value to Vance’s investment.
But other programs on Rumble attract many more viewers, and the details on Vance’s investment in the company are not public. Rumble’s CEO earlier this year said the company has yet to turn a profit.
With that caveat in mind, we rate this claim Half True.
Indexed on 2022-05-24 12:00 // Categories: Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Misconceptions, Russia, Russian propaganda, and USA
No, this photo doesn’t show an American admiral captured by Russians in Mariupol // France 24
Source published on: May 19, 2022 /
On May 14, pro-Russia social media accounts started circulating a photo of a group of soldiers taken prisoner by the Russian army. These accounts claimed that one of the prisoners in the photo is a retired American admiral by the name of Eric Olson. That claim is false: this photo actually shows Ukrainians taken prisoner by the Russians in April 2022, well before the soldiers in the steelworks surrendered.
Indexed on 2022-05-19 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Misconceptions, Russia, Russian propaganda, Ukraine, and USA
No, this photo of Ukrainians training for combat doesn’t prove the war is fake // PolitiFact
Source published on: May 19, 2022 /
A Reuters photo of Ukrainians training for combat is being used as supposed evidence that the war there is fake. It’s not.
A screenshot of a tweet by conservative activist Jack Posobiec is spreading on social media as evidence that the war in Ukraine is staged.
Trudy Rubin, a foreign affairs columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote from outside of Kyiv in February that civilian trainees were “practicing with cardboard guns or plastic paintball guns or hunting rifles from home until they are provided military weapons.”
Even members of the U.S. military have used paintball guns for training exercises.
The war in Ukraine is real, and it has been well-documented by reporters and citizens on the ground in the country.
We rate claims that this photo proves it’s being staged Pants on Fire.
Indexed on 2022-05-19 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, Narratives, The war is a hoax, and Ukraine
No, this isn’t a recent photo of Russian priests blessing ‘Satan’ // PolitiFact
Source published on: May 18, 2022 /
A photo being shared amid the war in Ukraine shows Russian priests blessing a missile before a parade in 2015. It doesn’t show them blessing the so-called “Satan 2” missile that was unveiled a year later.
Indexed on 2022-05-18 12:00 // Categories: AI-generated images, Disinformation, Methods, Misconceptions, Religion, Russia, and Ukraine
Baby formula donations to Ukraine not linked to U.S. shortage // PolitiFact
Source published on: May 17, 2022 /
• A Mississippi nonprofit, Operation Ukraine, sent $10,000 worth of baby formula to Ukraine in March.
• There is no evidence that the donated formula contributed to current U.S. baby formula shortages, which are attributed to supply chain problems that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the recall of some formula that led to a manufacturing plant shutdown.
Causes of the U.S. shortage are described by Bloomberg as “long-term economic pressures collid(ing) with a sudden supply shock.” The long-term issues are related to the pandemic, which led to supply chain and shipping disruptions, as well as labor shortages. And the supply shock, Bloomberg explained, came when Abbott Laboratories recalled its baby formula and shut down a Michigan manufacturing plant because of concerns about contamination.
The claim that donations of baby formula to Ukraine are related to the current U.S. shortage is unfounded. We rate it False.
Indexed on 2022-05-17 12:00 // Categories: Aid to Ukraine, Disinformation, International community, Misconceptions, Ukraine, and USA
No, Finland is not sending tanks to its border with Russia – Truth or Fake // France 24
Source published on: May 12, 2022 /
Despite jitters over the Ukraine war in many countries and Finland’s decision to seek NATO membership, tanks have not been sent to the Finnish border with Russia, despite a viral video suggesting just that. We also look at false claims surrounding a recent protest in Paris.
Indexed on 2022-05-12 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, and Russia
Was a retired Canadian general captured by Russians in Ukraine? – Truth or Fake // France 24
Source published on: May 11, 2022 /
We take a look at reports that a retired Canadian lieutenant general was captured by Russian forces at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. Also, does the Rothschild family banking dynasty own Reuters news agency? (Short answer: no!)
Indexed on 2022-05-11 12:00 // Categories: Coordinated disinformation, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Misconceptions, Russia, Russian propaganda, and Ukraine
FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A Ukrainian Drone Sinking A Russian Warship? | Check Your Fact // Check Your Fact (The Daily Caller)
Source published on: May 10, 2022 /
Verdict: False
The footage is from a military-based video game. It does not show a genuine Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian warship.
Indexed on 2022-05-10 12:00 // Categories: Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, Media taken out of context, Methods, Misconceptions, and Ukraine
No credible reports indicate that Starlink was used in Russian ship attack // PolitiFact
Source published on: May 5, 2022 /
• There are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink satellite service was used to facilitate the attack on the Russian ship Moskva.
• The Russian government did not order the destruction of the Starlink satellite service. That claim originated on a fraudulent website falsely identifying itself as the official website of a Russian political party.
Our ruling
A Facebook post says, “Space X’s Starlink internet constellation has angered Russia as it was reported that the Starlink satellite constellation was used to guide the fire” on the Russian ship Moskva.
But there are no credible government or media reports that indicate the Starlink service was involved in the attack on Moskva. The claim that a Russian official ordered the destruction of the Starlink satellite service originated on a fraudulent website.
We rate this claim False.
Indexed on 2022-05-05 12:00 // Categories: Aid to Ukraine, Disinformation, Fact checks / debunkings, International community, Military aid, Misconceptions, Russia, Ukraine, and USA