Category Methods

No, this video doesn’t show Ukrainian soldiers ‘giving up without a fight’

Pro-Russian social media accounts have been widely sharing a video that they claim shows Ukrainian soldiers surrendering to the Russian army en masse. The video, however, actually shows a prisoner swap between the Russian state-funded paramilitary group, the Wagner Group, and the Ukrainian army in May 2023.

October 15, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine Wagner Group

No, Elijah Wood did not urge Volodymyr Zelensky to seek treatment for alleged addictions

A video has been circulating online that allegedly shows "Lord of the Rings" actor Elijah Wood giving the Ukrainian president advice on how to tackle his alleged drug and alcohol addictions. He can be seen recording himself and talking to a so-called "Vladimir". However, the video has been heavily edited and his agent has confirmed it was not published by the actor.

These videos do not show clashes between the Wagner Group and Russian forces

In the aftermath of the armed rebellion attempt by Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group against the Russian army command on Saturday June 24, people began sharing images online purporting to show the two sides fighting. But at least two of these videos were taken from the video game Arma 3 - and it's not the first time this military video game has been used to spread misinformation.

October 15, 2024
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Wagner Group

Parties in Kyiv nightclubs in the midst of war? Watch out for these misleading images

A video compilation that has been circulating since May 3 claims to show that - despite the warÂ - the party is in full swing in Kyiv's nightclubs, taking advantage of foreign donations to Ukraine's war effort. Most of these images date from before the war, however, and some of the establishments where they were filmed have been closed since the conflict began in February 2022.

October 15, 2024
Aid to Ukraine Coordinated disinformation Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

This video is not an Israeli advertisement to ‘recruit Ukrainian soldiers’

Is the Israeli army trying to recruit Ukrainian soldiers into its ranks? This is what some pro-Russian accounts are suggesting by sharing a video they say is an Israeli advertisement, in which a young Ukrainian soldier talks about his decision to join the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). However, the original video actually shows an Israeli soldier, and the Ukrainian voice has been added digitally.

October 15, 2024
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Israel Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

Three claims accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of being addicted to cocaine

In recent weeks, people have been sharing at least three videos purporting to show Ukrainian PresidentÂ Volodymyr Zelensky either using cocaine or making incoherent remarks after allegedly consuming drugs. But these videos have been cut misleadingly andÂ sometimes even digitally manipulated.

Fresh round of fake videos claim the Bucha massacre was staged

Several hundred bodies of civilians were discovered in Bucha, Ukraine on April 3. Since the horrific discovery, pro-Russian accounts on Twitter have been circulating images that they say prove that these bodies were fake or that the massacre was staged by Ukrainians. But we investigated and, it turns out, these images were taken out of context.

The suspicious Twitter accounts claiming to be run by journalists in Ukraine

The FRANCE 24 Observers team has launched an investigation into three Twitter accounts that claim to be run by journalists on the frontlines in Ukraine. The suspicious accounts were originally spotted byÂ Conspirador NorteÃ±o, an account that specialises in studying misinformation on social media. But before that, they were thought to be authentic - one even appeared in an article in a British newspaper. We found several clues that raise concernsÂ aboutÂ whether theseÂ three people exist.

October 15, 2024
AI-generated images Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

No, Finland is not sending tanks to its border with Russia – Truth or Fake

Despite jitters over the Ukraine war in many countries and Finland's decision to seek NATO membership, tanks have not been sent to the Finnish border with Russia, despite a viral video suggesting just that. We also look at false claims surrounding a recent protest in Paris.

October 15, 2024
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia

Were these Ukrainians staging a fake battle scene? Nope, it’s a music video

Pro-Russian social media accounts have been widely circulating a video over the past few weeks that shows a man dressed as a Ukrainian soldier acting out a scene in front of a camera. These accounts have claimed this video is proof that people are staging scenes of theÂ war in Ukraine. Turns out, however, the video was filmed during the shooting of a music video by a Ukrainian artist whose music represents the "pain of war".