Category Fascism

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.

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April 20, 2022

Russian propaganda Coordinated disinformation Media taken out of context Nazism Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia Hatred and bigotry

This video shows a TikTok creator using a green screen, not a protester interrupting a TV show

An image of a woman apparently bursting onto a TV set has been shared hundreds of times in posts claiming she crashed a Ukrainian news broadcast to urge President Volodymyr Zelensky to "surrender". However, the picture was taken from a video made by a TikTok creator using a green screen. The original news broadcast shows no interruption from a protester.

April 6, 2022

Disinformation Russian propaganda Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Narratives Substance abuse Misconceptions Ukraine Russia Hatred and bigotry

The Facts on ‘De-Nazifying’ Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia’s talk of “de-Nazifying” Ukraine is a non-starter in peace negotiations. We’ll explain what these claims are all about and why experts say they are misleading.

March 31, 2022

Antisemitism Disinformation Incitement & hate speech Russian propaganda Nazism Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Misconceptions Ukraine Russia Hatred and bigotry

Cross on Ukrainian president Zelenskyy’s shirt a symbol of the Ukraine defence ministry, not the Nazi Iron Cross – Africa Check

The photos of Zelenskyy are authentic and were taken during a video conference with the US Congress on 17 March. But the cross on his T-shirt is not the Iron Cross. It is the symbol of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and appears on the ministry's website.

March 28, 2022

Disinformation Antisemitism Fact checks / debunkings Nazism Fascism Misconceptions Ukraine Hatred and bigotry

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

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

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 Nazism Fascism Misconceptions Ukraine Hatred and bigotry