Category Disinformation

Videos with false subtitles do not show Russian leader threatening war with Nigeria over Ukraine

Videos shared on Facebook claim to show Russian President Vladimir Putin warning Nigeria to stay out of the war in Ukraine or risk entering into its own conflict. But this is false: AFP Fact Check found that the clips use false subtitle translations. One video is from 2020 and shows Putin addressing Russians about the novel coronavirus. In another, he does address Russia's ongoing attack on Ukraine but makes no mention of Nigeria.

March 14, 2022

Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Putin Misconceptions Ukraine Russia International community Nigeria

This photo of a tank has been doctored to add a Ukrainian flag

Facebook posts shared hundreds of times purport to show a photo of a Ukrainian tank in Iraq. They accuse Ukraine of hypocrisy for condemning Russia's invasion, despite apparently having played a role in the Iraq War. In fact, the tank photo has been doctored to add a Ukrainian flag and coat of arms. While Ukrainian troops did serve in Iraq, the photo resembles images of American troops at the Iraq-Kuwait border during the Gulf War.

March 14, 2022

Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings USA Misconceptions Ukraine Russia International community Iraq

FactChecking Claims About the Conflict in Ukraine

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, following months of military buildup and, as we’ve written, repeated denials by Russian officials that their country planned to invade.

As is often the case with major news events, we have seen several false and misleading claims made on social media and by politicians related to the conflict.

March 11, 2022

Disinformation Russian propaganda Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions

Production footage from sci-fi film falsely shared as ‘video of staged Russian attack in Ukraine’

As the civilian death toll mounted in Ukraine following Russia's invasion, a video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows a "staged scene of the Russian military bombing of Ukrainian civilians". But the clip in fact shows production footage for a science fiction film released years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the movie's director told AFP. The scene was shot in the United Kingdom - not Ukraine.

March 11, 2022

Disinformation Media taken out of context Attacks on civilians Fact checks / debunkings Methods Narratives Misconceptions Ukraine Russia The war is a hoax War crimes

This is not a genuine listing for ‘a Russian tank on eBay’

An image that appears to show an eBay listing for a Russian tank has been shared tens of thousands of times on social media alongside a claim Ukrainians are selling armoured combat vehicles after seizing them. The posts are false; the purported listing has been created using a stock photo that has circulated online since at least 2010. A spokesperson for eBay told AFP the listing was not genuine. According to its website, the e-commerce company does not allow military equipment to be sold on its platform.

March 11, 2022

Corruption Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia

Ukraine: How a fake Russian TV report covered up a protest in Kherson

A report broadcast on March 7 by the Russian channel Vesti 92 shows a distribution of food to the residents of Kherson, a town in southern Ukraine occupied by the Russian army. ButÂ according to the town's residents, the footageÂ shot on March 4Â was actually staged andÂ concealed one important detail: residents protesting the Russian occupation in front of the distribution trucks, as revealed by three amateur videos of the same scene.

March 10, 2022

Disinformation Russian propaganda Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia

China repeats false claim that U.S has biolabs in Ukraine

China's government is amplifying debunked claims about non-existent U.S. biological weapons labs in Ukraine, bringing the falsehoods back into the spotlight on social media.

Our ruling
A spokesperson for the Chinese government said the U.S. has biolabs in Ukraine.

The claim originated with the Russian government and has been previously debunked by U.S. government officials and weapons control advocates. Following Zhao's March 9 remarks, U.S. government officials strongly refuted the claims again, saying the false narrative was being used to lay the groundwork for further violence in Ukraine.

March 10, 2022

Disinformation Chinese propaganda Russian propaganda Fact checks / debunkings USA Biolabs China Narratives Misconceptions Ukraine Russia International community

FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Volodymyr Zelenskyy And His Wife Singing ‘Endless Love’ By Lionel Richie? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The video features Boyce Avenue member Alejandro Manzano and English musician Connie Talbot. The music video does not feature Zelenskyy or mention Ukraine at any point.

March 10, 2022

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

Ukraine’s army is not using cats to spot Russian snipers

A tweet spread as a screenshot online says the Ukrainian army is using cats to locate Russian snipers via lasers attached to their rifles. But there is no evidence to corroborate the claim, a military expert dismissed it as "complete garbage," and the author of the post acknowledged it was intended as a joke.

March 10, 2022

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

Doctored image of President Zelensky holding a shirt bearing a swastika

A doctored image of President Zelensky holding a shirt bearing a swastika has been spread by pro-Kremlin accounts. The real image was posted by Mr Zelensky to Instagram ahead of Euro 2020 in June.

March 9, 2022

Disinformation Russian propaganda Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Ukraine