Category Fact checks / debunkings

Did Zelenskyy Urge Western Countries, ‘Don’t Build Roads, Spend All of Your Money on Weapons’?

In the interview, Zelenskyy did say the words, "Do this: Not build roads for today. Don't do it. Spend all your money to the weapon, to the drones, to the society, to the pensions, and et cetera. [...] We have only one enemy, this is Putin, and that's it."

However, Zelenskyy was addressing Ukrainian leaders, not Western leaders. Moreover, he did not beg Western leaders to send all their money to Ukraine, as claimed.

Read MoreDid Zelenskyy Urge Western Countries, ‘Don’t Build Roads, Spend All of Your Money on Weapons’?

Tucker Carlson Misrepresents Defense Secretary’s Remarks on U.S. Troops, Ukraine Aid

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III reportedly told House members that failure to provide more aid for Ukraine could lead to Russia's invasion of a NATO ally and a direct U.S. military response in accordance with the NATO treaty. A viral post by Tucker Carlson misleadingly omits Austin's explanation of why U.S. troops might be required.

Read MoreTucker Carlson Misrepresents Defense Secretary’s Remarks on U.S. Troops, Ukraine Aid

Fake: Ukraine Recognizes a Person With One Leg As Fit for Military Service

A person with an amputated leg was never considered fit for military service. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, a person with a diagnosis of "unilateral amputated stump of the lower limb above the level of the upper third of the lower leg" is unfit for military service. In a comment to StopFake, a territorial center of recruitment and social support representative said that the document looks like a fake.

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US celebrities tricked into recording videos urging Zelensky to go to rehab – Truth or Fake

In a new Russian disinformation campaign uncovered by Microsoft, celebrities such as Elijah Wood, Priscilla Presley and Mike Tyson have been tricked into recording a video via the Cameo app that was later doctored and used for anti-Zelensky propaganda. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Read MoreUS celebrities tricked into recording videos urging Zelensky to go to rehab – Truth or Fake

Fake: Ukraine Arrests and Tortures American Blogger Gonzalo Lira “For Criticizing Zelenskyi”

Blogger Gonzalo Lira is in custody not for criticizing Volodymyr Zelenskyi, but for violating Article 436-2 of Ukraine's Criminal Code - justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine. In particular, Lira publicly justified Russia's attack on Ukraine, denied Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and mass killings of civilians in Bucha and other cities, revealed the location and identities of Western journalists and the Ukrainian military. Additionally, there is no evidence that any torture was used against Gonzalo Lira.

Read MoreFake: Ukraine Arrests and Tortures American Blogger Gonzalo Lira “For Criticizing Zelenskyi”

Fake: Ukrainian Government Tried to Sell Scythian Gold at Sotheby’s – Bloomberg

This news is fake, and the story of the attempted sale of Scythian gold is made up. Bloomberg did not publish such stories either on its website or in its social media. Currently, the archaeological objects known as Scythian gold from Crimea, returned to Ukraine from the Netherlands, are under close guard at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.

Read MoreFake: Ukrainian Government Tried to Sell Scythian Gold at Sotheby’s – Bloomberg

Video Fake: Ukrainian Military Leaving Their Positions in Bilohorivka

The video was most likely edited. There is a discrepancy between the facial expressions of the man and the words he is saying. In addition, the landscape and weather conditions depicted in the video suggest that the original video was filmed before winter began. Additionally, the press service of the 119th separate brigade of the Military Police in the Chernihiv region stated that the person in the video does not serve in their unit.

Read MoreVideo Fake: Ukrainian Military Leaving Their Positions in Bilohorivka

Fake: German Defense Minister Refuses to Consider Ukraine an Ally

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius did not say that Ukraine is not an ally of Germany. In an interview with the German TV channel ZDF, he only emphasized that Ukraine is not a NATO partner of Germany and therefore the format of providing it with military aid is different than if the "united West" were directly at war with Russia.

Read MoreFake: German Defense Minister Refuses to Consider Ukraine an Ally