Category Corruption

No evidence Ukraine aid ‘laundered’ to Democrats through FTX

An article shared thousands of times on social media claims FTX, a now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, funneled US aid meant for Ukraine to Democratic candidates running in the midterm elections instead. This is unproven; public records show no evidence supporting the allegation, which Kyiv, the Pentagon, FTX partners and experts have said is inaccurate.

Read MoreNo evidence Ukraine aid ‘laundered’ to Democrats through FTX

Social media post critical of Zelenskyy came from Kid Rock fan account, not the artist

A screenshot of a Gettr post critical of U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine has been attributed to Kid Rock, but it originated on a fan account.

We couldn't find a Gettr account for Kid Rock, and it's not listed among the social media accounts on his website. Kid Rock's website links to his YouTube account and his verified Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

We've previously debunked claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy owns a $35 million home in Florida. We couldn't find any credible sources to corroborate the claim in this Gettr post, either.

As for the claim that Kid Rock authored it, we rate that False.

Read MoreSocial media post critical of Zelenskyy came from Kid Rock fan account, not the artist

Fake: Arms Supplies to Ukraine Are a Black Hole, Americans Say

Russian media have taken one reader comment to a magazine article about military aid to Ukraine and presented it as the opinion of all Americans. Recent opinion polls continue to show high levels of support for Ukraine as well as support for the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

Read MoreFake: Arms Supplies to Ukraine Are a Black Hole, Americans Say

Fake: Ukrainians Selling Switchblade 300 Drones on Darknet

The alleged Switchblade 300 sale ads use photos of two different Switchblade drones, both of which were damaged and shot down in Syria in the past decade. These photographs first appeared on the web six and seven years ago, respectively.

Read MoreFake: Ukrainians Selling Switchblade 300 Drones on Darknet

Fake: Ukrainians ‘Choose Russia Because of Kyiv’s Atrocities’

A recent article in the American conservative online magazine The Federalist is made up of a series of manipulative theses that in their totality eventually compose a propaganda narrative about civil war in Ukraine. According to a May 2022 opinion poll conducted by the respected Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on the perceptions of the Russia-Ukraine war among Ukrainian citizens, only 1% of Ukrainians were found to have a "predominantly pro-Russian position". Another May 2022 survey also conducted by KIIS showed that only 2% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude towards Russia, while an overwhelming 92% have a negative attitude.

Read MoreFake: Ukrainians ‘Choose Russia Because of Kyiv’s Atrocities’

There’s no evidence that Ukraine’s president has a net worth of $596 million

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.

Read MoreThere’s no evidence that Ukraine’s president has a net worth of $596 million

Land documents claiming Ukrainian officials bought fancy properties in Switzerland are forged

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.

Read MoreLand documents claiming Ukrainian officials bought fancy properties in Switzerland are forged

Altered magazine cover featuring Ukrainian president spreads online

Social media posts share an image that purportedly shows Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky riding a horse made of banknotes on the cover of Money, a US magazine. But no such cover was published; the image was altered from a 2016 issue, according to the magazine, which is now only available online.

Read MoreAltered magazine cover featuring Ukrainian president spreads online

No proof that Ukraine President Zelenskyy owns a $35 million home in Florida I

There is no proof that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy owns a $35 million home in Florida.
The claim originated from a source that appears to be backed by the Russian government.
The Pandora Papers leak did show Zelenskyy owned several offshore companies and other assets, but nothing that could corroborate the claim made on social media.

Our ruling
A now-deleted Facebook post shared the claim that Ukraine President Zelenskyy owned a $35 million home in Florida among several other assets.

The claim appears to have originated from a Russian-backed source, and no other corroborating evidence for the claim could be found.

While leaked financial documents showed Zelenskyy owned several offshore companies and other assets like cars and property, they made no mention of a Florida home.

We rate this claim False.

Read MoreNo proof that Ukraine President Zelenskyy owns a $35 million home in Florida I