Category Fact checks / debunkings

Fake: Zaporizhzhia Rules Out Returning to Kyiv Control

Vladimir Rogov is not an official in any Zaporizhzhia administration, his statements are pure propaganda and carry no political weight. In March 2022 Ukrainian police opened a criminal case into Rogov's collaborationist activities. Part of Zaporizhzhia province is under Russian occupation, hostilities are continuing there, and Russian invaders systematically violate the rights of local residents, they impede free movement and are creating a humanitarian crisis.

Read MoreFake: Zaporizhzhia Rules Out Returning to Kyiv Control

Fake: Erdogan Says Turkey Unwilling to Get Involved in “Ukraine show”

Russian media distorted the "quote" attributed to the Turkish president, and the words about the "show" were taken out of context. President Erdogan has consistently said that Turkey opposes encroachments on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and is trying to do everything to bring the parties to a peace agreement.

Read MoreFake: Erdogan Says Turkey Unwilling to Get Involved in “Ukraine show”

Does JD Vance profit from Russia propaganda?

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.

Read MoreDoes JD Vance profit from Russia propaganda?

This clip does not show Russian missiles in Ukraine — it was taken from a video game

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple Facebook and Weibo posts alongside a claim it shows Russian troops blowing up a military convoy carrying US-supplied weapons to Ukraine. However, the claim is false; the clip in fact shows computer-generated imagery from a war video game called ARMA 3.

Read MoreThis clip does not show Russian missiles in Ukraine — it was taken from a video game

Fake: Trying to Burn Russian Flag, Ukrainian Refugees Burn Down German House

A story making the rounds online about Ukrainian refugees is false and is intentionally stylized as a Bild news story. In fact, the video is a collage of several videos from previous years.

Read MoreFake: Trying to Burn Russian Flag, Ukrainian Refugees Burn Down German House

Old footage shows soldiers of the French Foreign Legion, not Russian troops in Ukraine

A video viewed more than 300,000 times on Facebook has been shared alongside claims that it shows Russian and Ukrainian soldiers fighting in February 2022. This is false; the video, which has been online since at least 2019, shows troops of the French Foreign Legion in battle, although it remains unclear where the footage was filmed.

Read MoreOld footage shows soldiers of the French Foreign Legion, not Russian troops in Ukraine

No, this photo doesn’t show an American admiral captured by Russians in Mariupol

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.

Read MoreNo, this photo doesn’t show an American admiral captured by Russians in Mariupol

No, this photo of Ukrainians training for combat doesn’t prove the war is fake

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.

Read MoreNo, this photo of Ukrainians training for combat doesn’t prove the war is fake

Fake: Kadyrov Foundation Repairs Abandoned Hospital in Rubizhne

The Rubizhne Central City Hospital Infectious Diseases Department was restored back in 2017 with funds from the United Nations Development Program and the Government of Japan. According to Serhiy Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, before the war, the infectious diseases department of the city hospital in Rubizhne had state of the art modern equipment and was considered one of the best in Ukraine.

Read MoreFake: Kadyrov Foundation Repairs Abandoned Hospital in Rubizhne

Fake: Kyiv Lying that Russia Has Lost a Third of Its Army in Ukraine…

Ukraine is not the only country saying that Russia has incurred significant losses in its war against Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense has also said the same thing. Russian allegations that Ukraine is "producing propaganda that even the West does not believe" are simply lies. The heavy losses of the Russian army are becoming increasingly obvious not only to Ukrainians, but also to foreign analysts.

Read MoreFake: Kyiv Lying that Russia Has Lost a Third of Its Army in Ukraine…