Category Coordinated disinformation

Video depicting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s belly dance is a deep fake

Claim: Video depicts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy dancing at an event. Fact: The viral video has been created using deepfake technology and the original video shows an unidentified man dancing. This video is being shared on social media since the year 2020. However, it is not known when and where this video was taken. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Read MoreVideo depicting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s belly dance is a deep fake

Russian fake news: Ukrainians allegedly disconnected from public utilities for not appearing in military commissariat

In a commentary to Ukrinform, the representative of Rivne Regional State Administration confirmed that the above 'announcement' was another fake story. By spreading fake narratives, Russian propagandists pursue two objectives at once. Firstly, they make attempts to sow panic within Ukraine against the background of the adoption of a decision on the draft bill on mobilization. Secondly, they try to discredit Ukraine's military and political leadership before international partners, as if the Ukrainian authorities were conscripting citizens against the law, allegedly shutting them out even in routine matters.
Read MoreRussian fake news: Ukrainians allegedly disconnected from public utilities for not appearing in military commissariat

Fact Check: German magazine Titanic ‘s cover on celebrating Christmas in Ukraine is fake | Reuters

German satirical magazine Titanic did not publish a Christmas-themed cover depicting the severed legs of four Ukrainian soldiers hanging over a fireplace, and an image of this circulating online is fake, the editor-in-chief of the publication said to Reuters. [...] VERDICT: False. No such cover was published by German satirical magazine Titanic.
Read MoreFact Check: German magazine Titanic ‘s cover on celebrating Christmas in Ukraine is fake | Reuters

Fact Check: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Was NOT Killed In Kyiv On January 3, 2024 | Lead Stories

Was Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin killed by Russian cruise missiles in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 3, 2024? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer confirmed to Lead Stories that this claim is false. On January 1, 2024, Austin was hospitalized in Washington, D.C., due to complications from surgery and remained there as of January 10, 2024. Also, this claim is from a website that regularly publishes fabricated content often mistaken for real news.
Read MoreFact Check: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Was NOT Killed In Kyiv On January 3, 2024 | Lead Stories

Lloyd Austin was not killed in Ukraine on Jan. 3 | Fact check

The claim: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was killed in Ukraine on Jan. 3. Our rating: False Austin is alive. [...] Austin resumed his full duties as secretary of defense on Jan. 5 and released a statement on Jan. 6. The report comes from a publication that routinely publishes fabricated stories.
Read MoreLloyd Austin was not killed in Ukraine on Jan. 3 | Fact check

Fact Check: Video does not show Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy belly dancing | Reuters

A clip of a man belly dancing in a red costume has been digitally altered to make it appear as if the dancer is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to the man who is featured in the original clip and experts who said the altered version shows signs of being a deepfake.
Read MoreFact Check: Video does not show Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy belly dancing | Reuters

Fact Check: Image of NYT headline on ‘low’ civilian casualties in Ukraine is fake | Reuters

The New York Times did not publish a headline saying Western military experts were bewildered by low civilian casualties in Ukraine. The headline in the circulating screenshot has been altered from an authentic article published by the outlet in late December on Russian airstrikes on Ukraine.
Read MoreFact Check: Image of NYT headline on ‘low’ civilian casualties in Ukraine is fake | Reuters

Russian Nationalist Channels Fabricate YouTube Data to Claim Ukrainians Don’t Listen to Ukrainian Musicians

"It's just that YouTube Music published the TOP artists … in Ukraine. Not a single performer in Ukrainian." That is false. Musicians singing in Ukrainian dominated all of YouTube's weekly charts of top artists in Ukraine in 2023 as shown in YouTube's own data.
Read MoreRussian Nationalist Channels Fabricate YouTube Data to Claim Ukrainians Don’t Listen to Ukrainian Musicians