Category Fact checks / debunkings

Video claiming ‘Ukraine responsible for train station attack’ was not produced by BBC

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in social media posts that claim it is a report from the BBC that states Ukraine was responsible for a deadly missile attack on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. The British broadcaster's press team said it did not produce the "fake" video and was "taking action" to get it removed from social media. AFP identified various visual features in the video that indicated it has been fabricated to imitate a report from the BBC.

Read MoreVideo claiming ‘Ukraine responsible for train station attack’ was not produced by BBC

Doctored photo shared alongside claims that ‘Putin Pub in Jerusalem renamed after Zelensky’

Social media posts shared multiple times claim a bar in Jerusalem called "Putin Pub" was renamed "Zelenskiy Pub" -- using an alternative spelling of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's surname -- following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late-February 2022. However, the image shared alongside the posts was doctored to add the Ukrainian president's surname in place of where the Russian president's surname had been. One of the bar's operators told AFP on March 9 they had taken down the sign that said "Putin". On March 10, the bar was renamed "Generation Pub".

Read MoreDoctored photo shared alongside claims that ‘Putin Pub in Jerusalem renamed after Zelensky’

AFP photo from West Bank falsely shared as ‘Ukrainian child throwing stones at Russian tank’

A photo of a child throwing a stone at a tank has been shared repeatedly in Chinese-language posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Weibo alongside a claim it shows the Ukrainian resistance against Russia's invasion. This is false: the photo was taken by an AFP journalist in 2002 and actually shows a Palestinian child throwing a stone at an Israeli tank.

Read MoreAFP photo from West Bank falsely shared as ‘Ukrainian child throwing stones at Russian tank’

Putin did not nationalize Russian central bank, and Rothchilds never controlled Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin was not responsible for the nationalization of the Russian centralized bank, which took place in 1917.

• The Rothschild family banking business has had an office in Russia since the 1990s, but it has no oversight over the country's currency or monetary policies, which are controlled by the Bank of Russia.

• The Rothschild family long has been the target of conspiracy theories, and their wealth is believed to be responsible for inspiring the anti-Semitic trope that Jewish people "control" the world's money.

Our ruling
A Facebook post says Putin "ended the Rothschild's control over Russia by nationalizing the Russian centralized bank."

Putin did not nationalize the Russian centralized bank; that occurred in 1917.

Evidence does not support the claim that the Rothschild family had control over Russia. The family's banking business has had an office in Russia since the 1990s ' though it recently suspended operations ' but it has no oversight over the country's currency or monetary policies, which are controlled by the Bank of Russia.

We rate this claim False.

Read MorePutin did not nationalize Russian central bank, and Rothchilds never controlled Russia

No, this isn’t a picture of Ukrainian students celebrating Hitler’s birthday

An image of Russians forming the number 55 to celebrate the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin rocketing into space has been mischaracterized to wrongly claim that it shows Ukrainian students celebrating Hitler's birthday.

Anyone confusing this shape for a swastika is mistaken. While the the numbers are made with straight lines like a swastika ' lacking the curve that's often used to write the number five ' the angles are off. The two ends of both fives point in the same direction, whereas each end of a swastika points in a different direction.

But what's more, this photo wasn't taken in Lviv in 2022. It was shot in Penza, Russia, in 2016, to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Cosmonautics Day.

The "55" can be seen at the 47 mark, and it's followed by an image of Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet pilot who became the first person to orbit the earth on April 12, 1961.

We rate this post Pants on Fire!

Read MoreNo, this isn’t a picture of Ukrainian students celebrating Hitler’s birthday

No, Putin didn’t free 35,000 children from Ukraine

This unfounded claim originated on a website known for publishing misinformation.

Putin has freed 35,000 children in Ukraine, a country he's invaded, or anywhere else. There are no credible sources nor news reports to support this.

Searching for evidence that Putin saved thousands of children, we only found articles reporting that Russian police jailed several children for leaving flowers at Ukraine's embassy in Moscow.

We rate this post Pants on Fire!

Read MoreNo, Putin didn’t free 35,000 children from Ukraine

FACT CHECK: Did Time Magazine Feature Volodymyr Zelenskyy On Its Cover? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The cover is digitally fabricated. A Time Magazine spokesperson confirmed the outlet did not publish such a cover.
[Note: This article is dated April 2022. Zelensky was featured on the 26 Dec., 2022 cover of Time Magazine, as its 'Person of the Year']

Read MoreFACT CHECK: Did Time Magazine Feature Volodymyr Zelenskyy On Its Cover? | Check Your Fact

Fake: “Armed Forces of Ukraine Used OSCE Video Camera Data for Artillery Fire Correction”

Accusations that the OSCE provided Ukrainian Armed Forces with coordinates of military targets obtained through its video cameras are unfounded. StopFake found obvious inconsistencies in Russian media stories on the subject. For one, the video footage offered as "material evidence" was taken in a different area long before the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In addition, the OSCE cameras in question were incapable of recording video at long distances; for this purpose UAVs would have been used.

Read MoreFake: “Armed Forces of Ukraine Used OSCE Video Camera Data for Artillery Fire Correction”