Category Fact checks / debunkings

News and other programs are broadcast live on Russian television, despite claims otherwise

An employee at state-owned Channel One in Russia recently interrupted a live news broadcast to protest the war in Ukraine.

Multiple experts say there are live news broadcasts and other live events on Russian TV.

A former employee of the station said that all Channel One news is live. An expert we spoke with said that's because of the country's many time zones.

Our ruling
A Facebook post said that a Russian journalist's protest during a state TV broadcast couldn't be real because "there are no live on air television broadcasts in Russia. None. Ever."

But experts we spoke with, including journalists who have worked in Russia, said that is not true. There are many live broadcasts, including the news show that was interrupted by an employee's protest. There has been no evidence presented that shows her actions were staged as part of a Russian propaganda effort.

We rate this claim False.

March 17, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports Methods Misconceptions Russia

News video of shot up car was filmed in Ukraine, not West Virginia

A West Virginia State Police captain confirmed that the Uber's window decal was an expired inspection sticker from the state. But that doesn't mean that the car itself wasn't in Ukraine.

The video showing the car was recorded in Irpin, Ukraine, according to Reuters, which owns the video.

It's not uncommon for cars to be exported from the U.S. to other countries, including Ukraine.

Our ruling
A Facebook post claimed that "a West Virginia inspection sticker on an Uber" proves the car was not in Ukraine.

A West Virginia State Police Captain confirmed that the decal on the car was an expired sticker from the state. However, this doesn't mean that the car wasn't in Ukraine ' a spokesperson for Reuters, which owns the video, confirmed that the video was filmed there.

It's not uncommon for cars to be exported from the U.S. to other countries, including Ukraine.

We rate this claim False.

FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A Russian KA-52 Helicopter Being Shot Down? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The video shows footage from an open-world military simulator video game. It does not depict an actual Russian helicopter being shot down.

March 17, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

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.

March 17, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings France International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine USA

Altered photo shows Ukrainian president holding jersey with swastika

Social media posts feature a picture of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holding a soccer jersey that has a swastika in place of a number. But AFP found that the posts used a digitally manipulated image superimposing the Nazi symbol on a photo taken from the leader's Instagram account.

March 17, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Hatred and bigotry Misconceptions Nazism 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.

March 17, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports International community Italy Methods Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

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.

March 17, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Spain Ukraine

Social Media Posts Misrepresent Victims of Hospital Bombed in Mariupol

Russian planes bombed a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 9, killing three people and injuring at least 17, including two pregnant women seen in photos shared around the world. Social media posts falsely claimed one woman “posed” as the two women. One of the women died of her injuries, along with her baby; the other gave birth to a daughter.

March 16, 2022
Attacks on civilians Children Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine War crimes

This video showing Ukrainians kneeling as a convoy passes was filmed before the current war

Tens of thousands of people have watched a video posted on Facebook that allegedly shows Ukrainians kneeling as a convoy carries religious relics through the streets of Kyiv to a bunker. However, this video is actually from several years ago and shows a funeral procession for fallen soldiers in another part of Ukraine.

March 16, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Religion Russia Ukraine

No, the video of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urging surrender isn’t real. It’s a deepfake

The VERIFY team confirmed a video of Ukraine President Zelenskyy telling his people to surrender is a deepfake. It was created using images from press conferences.