Category NATO

Fake: Zelensky Urges Americans to Fight for Ukraine

An out of context excerpt from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's
press conference is being circulated online by Russian and US social media
users, claiming that he is calling on Americans to fight for Ukraine.
Answering questions during a press conference dedicated to the first
anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky said that
if Ukraine fails to stop Russia, then NATO countries will have to do it,
because capturing Ukraine will not stop Russia's expansionist policies
regarding its neighboring countries, including NATO members.

March 1, 2023

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Chinese social media users share edited Putin speech video with false subtitles about Ukraine

Chinese social media users have repeatedly shared a doctored clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin giving a speech with false subtitles that claim he said he will not step down from power until "the problem in Ukraine is settled". However, the video contains clips taken from two different addresses and audio from one of the speeches. The Chinese and English language subtitles are false translations of the speech. As of February 17, 2023, AFP has found no official reports about Putin making such an announcement.

February 17, 2023

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Fact check: Russia’s disinformation campaign targets NATO

In the battle for influence running parallel to Russia's war on Ukraine, the Kremlin has consistently taken aim at NATO. DW asked experts how the propaganda machine works.

February 13, 2023

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Did Volodymyr Zelensky call for ‘preventive nuclear strikes’ against Russia? Not exactly

Social media users have been circulating a video of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that the footage shows him calling on NATO to launch preventive nuclear strikes against Russia. It turns out, however, that this footage isn't new - Zelensky made these statements back in October 2022. Moreover, the translation of his statement, originally in Ukrainian, leaves out some nuance.

February 10, 2023

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Debunking claims that Zelensky asked NATO for ‘pre-emptive’ nuclear strikes against Russia – Truth or Fake

A speech made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been quickly misinterpreted by many, in a video circulating on Twitter where he allegedly asks for pre-emptive nuclear strikes against Russia. Zelensky was referring to economic "strikes", not nuclear strikes. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

February 8, 2023

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Elon Musk tweet amplifies false Ukraine casualty numbers

Online articles and social media posts claim almost 2,700 NATO soldiers and military trainers have died during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is false; the military alliance has not deployed personnel to Ukraine and an official confirmed to AFP that none have been killed in the conflict.

February 8, 2023

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Fabricated quote about defeating Russia to ‘avenge Napoleon, Hitler’ attributed to EU diplomat

As Western countries pledged to step up deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, social media users in Thailand shared a fabricated quote that the European Union's most senior diplomat Josep Borrell called to "keep using Ukrainians as our bait" in order to defeat Russia and "avenge Napoleon and Hitler". While Borrell mentioned Napoleon and Hitler in a speech about the war in Ukraine, he was speaking in the context of Russia's past military victories and did not say they should be "avenged".

February 7, 2023

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NATO and U.S. troops and trainers have not died in Ukraine war

There are no NATO troops or trainers in Ukraine, and no NATO personnel have been killed in Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022, NATO said.

The U.S. has sent troops to countries surrounding Ukraine that are NATO members, but the U.S. has not sent troops into Ukraine.

The Pentagon announced in December that Ukrainian troops would travel to a U.S. base in Grafenwöhr, Germany for military training from soldiers from the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command's 7th Army Training Command.

It's unclear how many Russian or Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded so far.

U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in January that Russia alone has had more than 100,000 killed or wounded.

We rate the claim that in Ukraine, 2,458 NATO soldiers and 234 NATO military trainers have died, some of whom are from the U.S., Pants on Fire!

February 6, 2023

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Fake: President Zelensky Ð¡alls for a “Preemptive Nuclear Strike” on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not called for a nuclear strike on Russia. Speaking online at the Australian Lowy Institute in October of last year, Zelensky pointed out that NATO needs to reconsider its pressure on Russia in order to deter Moscow from using nuclear weapons. The "preemptive actions" the Ukrainian President referred to are additional sanctions and military assistance to Ukraine, something Zelensky has insisted on well before Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2023.

February 4, 2023

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Manipulation: Ukraine and the West Preparing Terrorist Acts in Crimea

Russian unleashed a full-scale war against Ukraine, occupied Crimea and other territories, thus making Russian military bases located in occupied Crimea legitimate targets for the Ukrainian military. The narrative that "NATO is fighting against Russia" is one of the most widespread Kremlin fakes that Stopfake has repeatedly debunked. Ukraine is standing up to Russian aggression and fighting the Russian invading forces, and not some "collective West".

January 30, 2023

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