Category Fact checks / debunkings

DonMak eateries opened in Ukraine in 2016 after McDonald’s departure from pro-Russian cities

A Facebook post claims that Russia created its own version of McDonald's after the fast-food chain temporarily shut down operations in the country in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is misleading; DonMak opened in Ukraine's separatist-controlled cities of Donetsk and Luhansk a few years after Russia's conflict with Ukraine in 2014. The images in the post were taken in Ukraine, not Russia, several years ago.

March 24, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

This footage shows a military exercise in the Netherlands in 2018

A video of military helicopters hoisting tanks into the air has been viewed millions of times in Facebook posts that claim it shows a Russian attack on a military base in Ukraine. The clip circulated as Russia intensified attacks in Ukraine. However, the footage actually shows a military exercise in the Netherlands in 2018.

March 24, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Netherlands Russia Ukraine

No, the infamous Canadian sniper Wali has not been killed in Ukraine

A number of viral posts on social media have claimed that a Canadian sniper, dubbed "the world's deadliest sniper", was killed within hours of arriving in Mariupol, Ukraine, where he had gone to fight. However the man, nicknamed Wali, is still alive and well. He told the FRANCE 24 Observers team that he thinks the disinformation around his death serves to dissuade foreign fighters from going to Ukraine.

Yes, Russia could be expelled from the United Nations, but it’s unlikely

Yes, the U.N. General Assembly can expel a member country, but it's never happened. Russia's removal from the U.N. is unlikely, experts say.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Russia United Nations

Video appears to show Kenyan soldiers, not Russians

The soldiers seen in the video don't appear to be wearing Russian uniforms, an expert on land warfare said.

The uniforms appear to match those worn by soldiers in the Kenya Defence Forces.

A longer version of the video says the soldiers are members of the Kenyan military.

Our ruling
A video claimed to show Russian soldiers fleeing for safety after failing to fire a rocket-propelled grenade.

One expert told us the soldiers in the video don't appear to be Russian, based on their uniforms and lack of armbands. The uniforms do not seem to match ones in photos we found of Russian soldiers.

The uniforms appear to match those worn by the military in Kenya, based on images and a longer version of the video found on YouTube. We rate this claim False.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Kenya Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia

Clip of man in body bag smoking is from the set of a music video, not ‘staged’ deaths in Ukraine

A TikTok video of a man smoking a cigarette in what appears to be a truck full of body bags has been viewed thousands of times in Facebook posts suggesting that deaths are being staged in the war in Ukraine. The claim is false; the clip shows the behind-the-scenes making of a music video for a song released by Russian rapper Husky in September 2020.

Zelensky hit by false claim about ‘Nazi T-shirt’ after US Congress meeting

Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual meeting with US Congress, social media posts shared hundreds of times claimed he was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a "Nazi symbol". In fact, the symbol represents the Ukrainian military, according to an image comparison. A representative for the Ukrainian embassy in Thailand said it did not relate to Nazism.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Hatred and bigotry Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Nazism Ukraine

This photo shows a plane towed for a 2011 exhibit in Croatia

A photo of a tractor towing a military aircraft has been shared thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows a Ukrainian farmer capturing a Russian jet. While there have been reports of Ukrainian farmers making off with Russian military hardware, the picture was taken at an exhibit in 2011 to mark the anniversary of the armed forces of Croatia.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Video of crying boy at Polish border shared with misleading claim ‘he fled from Ukraine alone’

A video has been viewed millions of times online alongside a claim it shows a young Ukrainian boy crying helplessly after fleeing to neighbouring Poland "alone". This is misleading. Reuters news agency, which filmed the footage, told AFP that the boy was seen walking behind his mother in the second half of the video. The Polish Border Guard separately clarified that the boy was "with his family" when he crossed into Poland.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Poland Russia Ukraine

Marjorie Taylor Greene Parrots Russian Talking Point on Ukraine

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene parroted a Russian talking point with her claim that Ukraine is a country whose “government only exists because the Obama State Department helped to overthrow the previous regime.”

FactCheck.org presents the history of this Russian propaganda talking point, and explains why it is false.

March 22, 2022
Democracy Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine