Category Media taken out of context

Fake translation added to French president’s UN speech about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

A TikTok video shared thousands of times claims to show President Emmanuel Macron apologising to France's former African colonies and pledging reparations during a UN speech in New York in April 2023. But the claim is false: AFP Fact Check traced the footage of the address to a speech from last September and found that the original English translation was replaced with a fake voiceover. Macron did not discuss Africa but talked about the Russian-Ukrainian invasion.

July 10, 2023

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Manipulation: Ukraine Will Join the EU Only in 20 to 30 Years

In an interview with five European publications, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she cannot say exactly when Ukraine will join the EU, as the time frame depends on two factors, internal EU processes and the progress of reforms in Ukraine. At the same time, von der Leyen emphasized that in the long run, Ukraine and the Balkans "cannot but integrate into the EU."

July 5, 2023

Disinformation Russian propaganda Coordinated disinformation Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings Methods European Union Misconceptions Ukraine Russia International community

Fake: Zaluzhny Calls Ukraine’s Counteroffensive a Clown show

The Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny did not say
that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had turned into a clown show. He only
emphasized that despite the lack of crucial weapons and equipment, the
Ukrainian military are gaining ground every day.

July 3, 2023

Disinformation Russian propaganda Coordinated disinformation Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings Counteroffensive 2023 Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia

Concert video predates Russian mercenary uprising

Tweets claim a video shows a crowd joyfully reacting to the Wagner Group's short-lived mutiny in Russia. But the clip is old; it first circulated on Telegram in February 2023 and shows a private concert that a Russian online retailer organized for its staff.

June 28, 2023

Wagner Group Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings Methods Misconceptions Russia

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.

June 27, 2023

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Manipulation: UN Accuses Ukrainian Security Forces of Torturing Civilians

The UN report on the detention of civilians during Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine focuses mainly on the atrocities committed by the Russian military on the territory of Ukraine. The report documents more than 900 cases of arbitrary detention of civilians, including children and the elderly. The "vast majority" of these cases were committed by the Russian Federation. Moreover, executions committed by Russian troops are equated with a war crime. No such executions have been recorded on the Ukrainian side.

June 27, 2023

United Nations Disinformation Faked publications: billboards ads magazines etc Russian propaganda Media taken out of context Attacks on civilians Fact checks / debunkings Disinfo threat outlook Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia War crimes International community

These images don’t show confrontations between Wagner group and Russian army – Truth or Fake

Some users on social media are sharing extremely realistic video game footage, claiming that it's real-life images coming out of the Wagner group rebellion this weekend. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

June 26, 2023

Wagner Group Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings Methods Russia

Manipulation: Kyiv is Among Top 10 Worst Cities to Live In

The drop in Kyiv's rating is not due to the rule of Zelenskyy and Klitschko, but to the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Economist study notes that Kyiv's score has dropped by 5.9 percentage points compared to 2021 because "its stability and infrastructure damaged by the war." In 2022, The Economist was forced to remove Kyiv from the ranking altogether due to the hostilities in the Kyiv region.

June 25, 2023

Disinformation Russian propaganda Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia

Manipulation: Defense Minister Reznikov Doesn’t Expect Too Much From Ukrainian Counteroffensive

Minister Reznikov did not make such statements in his interview with the Nashe Vremya media outlet, but only said that this counteroffensive would not be a lightning campaign like the Kherson and Kharkiv campaigns, and that Ukrainian commanders would gradually accomplish their tasks.

June 21, 2023

Disinformation Russian propaganda Coordinated disinformation Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings Counteroffensive 2023 Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia

No, Ukraine’s military is not camouflaging tanks as houses

An October 2020 article from the news outlet RBC-Ukraine said the car was decorated to look like a Ukrainian village house. The car motor was hidden, and the driver's seat was built into the floor. Side mirrors that would normally be on a car were replaced with cameras inside the structure, RBC-Ukraine reported.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there have been numerous false and misleading claims about the war and both countries' military units.

We rate the claim that a Ukrainian tank is using a house as camouflage False.

June 14, 2023

Disinformation Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia