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Tulsi Gabbard falsely claims US ‘not so different’ from Russia on freedom of speech

Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has restricted dissenting voices, independent news reporting and public discourse on social media platforms.

A new law in Russia threatens up to 15 years of prison time for spreading information about the war that authorities consider to be "false."

There are no parallels in the U.S., where freedom of speech, expression and the press are safeguarded by the Constitution. Gabbard alleged censorship by social media companies, but experts say those claims are not supported by evidence.

Our ruling
Gabbard said, "What is happening here is not so different from what we're seeing happening in Russia, where you have got state TV and controlled messaging across the board."

Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia ' a country with a long history of suppressing free speech and access to information ' has restricted dissenting voices, independent news reporting and public discourse on social media platforms, including with a new law threatening prison time for spreading "false" information about the war. Those measures are without parallel in the U.S., where freedom of speech, expression and the press are enshrined in the Constitution.

We rate Gabbard's claim Pants on Fire!

Viral image of helicopter lifting tractor does not show NATO ‘resupplying Ukrainian farmers’

A viral photo of a helicopter airlifting a tractor predates Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. An Indian tractor manufacturer posted it on Twitter in November 2020.

The helicopter in the photo is labeled "Indian Air Force." India is not a member of NATO.

There is no evidence that Putin invaded Ukraine to fight child trafficking

This claim originated in an article published by a website known for sharing misinformation, including one previous false claim on Ukraine.

• Russia's president stated many reasons for the invasion. Ending child trafficking was not among them.

• According to the U.S. State Department, Russia is failing to deal with human trafficking within its own borders.

Our ruling
A post on Facebook alleged that Russia started its invasion of Ukraine to fight child trafficking.

The claim originates in an article published by a website known for fabricating stories and sources.

There is no evidence that ending child trafficking is a goal of the war in Ukraine. Russia itself is failing to deal with human trafficking within its own borders, according to a report by the U.S. State Department.

And while Putin has been very descriptive about his reasons for invading Ukraine, child trafficking has never been mentioned.

We rate the post False.

No, this military choir in Russia was not arrested for singing anti-war songs

Posts shared online claim to show members of a Russian military choir being arrested for singing anti-war songs. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has indeed cracked down on people spreading "false information" about the war in Ukraine, leading to many people's arrests, this video is not an example of that. In fact, it shows an incident from 2015 when the choir performed a song from a James Bond film.

These images were taken in Melilla, and do not show African migrants fleeing Ukraine

Facebook posts published in Ethiopia and Nigeria have claimed that Africans trying to flee the war in Ukraine have been mistreated and racially discriminated against based on images showing black men with visible injuries being held in captivity. There have been widespread reports about the mistreatment of Africans trying to leave the country, but these images were taken at a refugee camp in Melilla, a Spanish enclave on the north coast of Morocco - not in Ukraine.

Doctored Italian TV screenshot shared to discredit Ukraine war coverage

An image comparing what appears to be an Italian television network's coverage of the war in Ukraine to a shot from a movie has spread online in posts claiming the media is lying about Russia's invasion. But the network's parent company rejected the claim, a word is missing from the TGCOM24 logo used in the posts, and AFP found no evidence of the footage being broadcast on the channel.

Photo shows Ukrainian flag on French Statue of Liberty replica

Online posts claim the Statue of Liberty in New York City was adorned with a Ukrainian flag as a sign of solidarity following the Russian invasion. But a reverse image search found that the photo shows a replica Statue of Liberty located in Colmar, France, that was also photographed on March 2, 2022 by AFP.