Category Coordinated disinformation

Fake: France Plans to Create a PMC for Deployment to Ukraine

French Decree No. 2025-1030 - the document Russian outlets point to as proof of Paris allegedly greenlighting a private military company for Ukraine - does nothing of the sort. Instead, it outlines rules for civilian economic operators conducting training and technical missions as part of international military cooperation, with no connection to PMC deployment.

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Video Fabrication Is Circulating, Falsely Showing a 23-Year-Old Ukrainian Soldier Crying Over Being Taken to the War

The video of a Ukrainian soldier, circulating on social media, is AI-generated. It contains several flaws indicating the use of artificial intelligence. The original source of the video is a TikTok account that has posted a number of similar AI-generated videos.

Read MoreVideo Fabrication Is Circulating, Falsely Showing a 23-Year-Old Ukrainian Soldier Crying Over Being Taken to the War

Fake: Ukraine’s International Legion Is Recruiting Germans for Revenge Against Russia

The International Legion firmly denied any role in the appearance of the leaflets. Their limited distribution - confined to a single district of Berlin - points to a staged provocation designed to discredit Ukraine and its armed forces. [...] Notably, the leaflets appeared only in a single Berlin district and carried an overtly propagandistic message - an appeal to a 'sense of revenge.' [...] The press service of the International Legion of Defence of Ukraine told StopFake it had no connection to the creation, distribution, or promotion of the leaflets.

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Fake: Andriy Parubiy Behind Maidan Shootings, Odessa Trade Union Arson, and Ukraine Coup | StopFake

Kremlin outlets have amplified claims tying former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy to the Maidan shootings, the May 2014 Odessa fire, and an alleged coup in Kyiv. In reality, there is no evidence linking Parubiy to either the killings of protesters or the Odessa tragedy. Nor was there a coup in 2014: Ukraine's government was formed through a legitimate process that Moscow itself formally recognized at the time.

Read MoreFake: Andriy Parubiy Behind Maidan Shootings, Odessa Trade Union Arson, and Ukraine Coup | StopFake

Fact Check: No Proof For Zelenskyy $1.2B Real Estate Empire In ‘London Telegraph’ Story — New Website Using Stolen Profile Picture | Lead Stories

Is there any evidence for a story being spread online about "Olena K.", a Ukrainian anti-corruption official who supposedly defected to Europe and revealed real-estate corruption involving President Zelenskyy worth $1.2 billion ? No, that's not true: The story did not contain any verifiable details or documents and no media reported on the supposed events. The London Telegraph, the website where the story originated, was only registered in August 2025 and the profile picture of the journalist who supposedly wrote the story was stolen from the social media profile of a different journalist.

Read MoreFact Check: No Proof For Zelenskyy $1.2B Real Estate Empire In ‘London Telegraph’ Story — New Website Using Stolen Profile Picture | Lead Stories

How a fake story about Russia capturing British officers circulated in 13 countries

Several pro-Russian websites have reported that two British army officers were captured by Russian special forces during a raid into Ukraine. It turns out, however, that the story is false and the photos meant to show the captured soldiers were generated by artificial intelligence. But that hasn't stopped this fake news item from being spread in at least 13 countries.

Read MoreHow a fake story about Russia capturing British officers circulated in 13 countries

Manipulation: Kyiv Targets Russian Language Status in European Charter Language Protections | StopFake

In fact, the measure does not amount to a ban. Rather, it addresses a longstanding translation error in the European Charter. The treaty is designed to safeguard endangered languages, while Russian - the official language of a major state - is not considered to be in need of such protection.

Read MoreManipulation: Kyiv Targets Russian Language Status in European Charter Language Protections | StopFake

Fake: Ukraine Committed Genocide in Donbas by Cutting Off Water to Civilians | StopFake

In fact, Ukraine continued supplying water to the occupied territories for as long as the infrastructure allowed. Disruptions began only after Russian shelling and the seizure of key facilities. The damage to canals, pumping stations, and filtration units stems directly from Moscow's military actions - not from any so-called "humanitarian blockade" by Kyiv.

Read MoreFake: Ukraine Committed Genocide in Donbas by Cutting Off Water to Civilians | StopFake

Fact check: Fake claim of UK officers ‘captured’ in Ukraine – DW – 08/07/2025

A demonstrably made-up story of British military officers being "captured" during a Russian raid in Ukraine has spread online this week, even being repeated by former British lawmakers. DW takes a look.

Read MoreFact check: Fake claim of UK officers ‘captured’ in Ukraine – DW – 08/07/2025