International community

Did Polish police open fire on African refugees fleeing Ukraine? – Fact or Fake

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, over 7 million people have fled the country. Multiple reports have outlined the specific difficulties that African refugees faced as they attempted to cross the Polish border and enter the European Union. Georgina Robertson and Sophie Samaille take a look at a Facebook post falsely claiming that refugees from Africa were shot at by Polish police.

Read MoreDid Polish police open fire on African refugees fleeing Ukraine? – Fact or Fake

The Pentagon didn’t ‘admit’ that there are 46 US-funded biolabs in Ukraine

The United States government didn't admit that there are 46 U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.

The document referenced by far-right and socialist websites repeats known information about 46 Ukrainian-owned and -operated laboratories, health facilities and diagnostic sites that have received support from the U.S.

The government fact sheet specifically states that Ukraine "has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs."

Our ruling
A Gateway Pundit article said, "US Department of Defense Finally Comes Clean - Admits in Public Document that There Are 46 US Military-Funded Biolabs in Ukraine."

There was no "coming clean" ' and the government made no such admission.

The document referenced in the stories repeated known information about 46 Ukrainian-owned-and-operated laboratories, health facilities and diagnostic sites that have received support from the U.S. The document specifically states that Ukraine "has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs."

We rate this claim False.

Read MoreThe Pentagon didn’t ‘admit’ that there are 46 US-funded biolabs in Ukraine

Unproven claims of US-funded Ukraine bioweapons labs spread online

Online articles and social media posts claim US-funded labs in Ukraine are developing biological warfare weapons, saying this is part of the justification for the Russian attack on its eastern European neighbor. But former US officials and non-proliferation experts say the labs are working to detect and prevent the spread of bioweapons, and have also helped in containing disease outbreaks.

Read MoreUnproven claims of US-funded Ukraine bioweapons labs spread online

No, the Ukrainian colors were not added to an official pride flag

An image of a flag that incorporated the Ukrainian colors originated as satire. This particular image isn't affiliated with any official LGBTQ organizations.

Snopes reported that Dublin's LGBTQ Pride Festival designed a flyer that used a different image of a flag that incorporated Ukrainian colors as a signal of welcome displaced Ukrainian refugees.

Our ruling
Greene and others shared an image that showed the pride flag altered to incorporate the colors of the Ukrainian flag as if it were real.

This isn't a genuine flag used by the LGBTQ community. It originated as satire.

We rate this False

Read MoreNo, the Ukrainian colors were not added to an official pride flag

Fake: Ankara Considers Crimea Turkish and Wants to Take the Peninsula from Russia

Turkey has often stated that Ankara does not support Russia's annexation of Crimea, but rather supports Ukraine's territorial integrity. Turkey has absolutely no pretensions towards the Ukrainian peninsula and has often supported and helped the Crimean Tatars, whose rights Russia violates on a massive scale.

Read MoreFake: Ankara Considers Crimea Turkish and Wants to Take the Peninsula from Russia

Fake: Turkey Wants to Seize Part of Russia, Crimea and Donbas

Russian media continue to actively propagate disinformation about Ukrainian-Turkish relations and the relationship between Ankara and the Kremlin. On February 12 several pro-Kremlin publications announced that Turkey has unveiled a plan to seize parts of Russia. The publications claim that a Turkish state television channel showed a map with neighboring states marked up to indicate which territories Turkey would seize. Among the marked areas were Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. [...]

There was absolutely no discussion about seizing neighboring territory in the Turkish television program Russian media refer to, in fact the discussion explored ways of expanding Turkey's political influence to neighboring countries. The map, which Russian media presented as "Ankara's secret plan" was in fact published in the Next 100 Years, a forecast for the 21st century, a 2009 book by George Friedman, an American geopolitical forecaster and international affairs strategist and the founder of the Stratfor research group. Friedman believes that by 2050 Turkey will become the strongest regional geopolitical player and will extend its spheres of influence both to the Arab world and to European countries - this is the forecast that is shown on the map (see video from 00:25:40). Friedman's forecast does not include any Turkish territorial expansion.

Read MoreFake: Turkey Wants to Seize Part of Russia, Crimea and Donbas

FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Ukrainian Soldiers Mistakenly Burning A Dutch Flag? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: Misleading
The image is from a 2016 video that allegedly shows soldiers from the Ukrainian Azov Regiment threatening Dutch citizens over a referendum. The Azov Regiment denied the video was created by them.

Read MoreFACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Ukrainian Soldiers Mistakenly Burning A Dutch Flag? | Check Your Fact

German daily Bild did not produce report about ‘Ukrainian refugees burning down a house’

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in social media posts that claim it is a report by German tabloid newspaper Bild about Ukrainian refugees who burned down a house while attempting to set fire to a Russian flag. However, the claims are false; AFP found the video had been fabricated using unrelated old clips to look like a real Bild production. A spokesperson for the newspaper confirmed the report was not genuine.

Read MoreGerman daily Bild did not produce report about ‘Ukrainian refugees burning down a house’

Health Agencies Deny US-Funded Biolabs | Africa Check

Four days after the Tass articles, on 31 May, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control director-general Ifedayo Adetifa released a statement debunking Russia's claims.

"Nigeria has no laboratories where monkeypox virus is generated," he says in the statement, adding that the claims are "not backed by any evidence". On 30 May the US consulate in Nigeria also issued a statement, dismissing Russia's claims as "pure fabrication". And in a press briefing on 2 June, the WHO said the organisation hadn't received any request from Russia to investigate "US biolabs" in Nigeria.

Read MoreHealth Agencies Deny US-Funded Biolabs | Africa Check

Fake: Ukrainian Military Seize UN Kramatorsk UN Office

The United Nations does not currently have an office in Kramatorsk. There are no UN employees in the city and all UN vehicles are registered with the proper Ukrainian offices. UN representatives told StopFake that no UN offices have been seized by Ukrainian troops anywhere.

Read MoreFake: Ukrainian Military Seize UN Kramatorsk UN Office