Category Disinformation

Have U.S. Taxpayers Sent Over $200B to Ukraine?

Have U.S. Taxpayers Sent Over $200B to Ukraine?

False. Congress has only approved $113 billion for spending in Ukraine. Researchers tracking spending suggest that only around $77 billion has gone directly to Ukraine, a combination of financial, military and other forms of aid.

It's not clear where the $200 billion figure has come from. A Fox News report in February 2023 attributed it to a Ukrainian government statement that Newsweek could not find. Another estimate broadcast on Tucker Carlson Tonight the same month was presented without evidence and upon inspection appears dubious.

Read MoreHave U.S. Taxpayers Sent Over $200B to Ukraine?

Fake: Surrender of Bakhmut Will Collapse The Front to Western Borders of Ukraine

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov did not say that surrendering Bakhmut will lead to the collapse of the front to the western borders of Ukraine.

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Fake: Kyiv Announces Attacks on Russian Nuclear Power Plants

In an interview with the Ukrainian Channel Five television network, former Ukrainian Special Forces Deputy commander Serhiy Kryvonos said that Ukrainians knew how to penetrate into and seize a nuclear power plant in peacetime and therefore, hypothetically, are capable of trying to seize a Russian nuclear plant in response to Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant. Kryvonos was not speaking in any official capacity, he was speaking hypothetically, and his words do not convey any real intent on the part of Ukraine to seize or attack Russian nuclear power stations.

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Fake: Corruption up by 500% in Ukraine Over Past Year, US Aid Not Reaching…

This claim about corruption levels in Ukraine is false. During a March 29 hearing in the US House of Representatives on Ukraine aid transparency and accountability oversight mechanisms, the inspectors general of three US government agencies involved in the delivery and distribution of aid to Ukraine stated that "there is no evidence that support for Ukraine has been used improperly". One year after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, international organizations tracking corruption have not recorded an increase in corruption in Ukraine. According to the Transparency International Corruption Index, Ukraine received 33 points in the 2022 rating, one point higher than 2the previous year.

Read MoreFake: Corruption up by 500% in Ukraine Over Past Year, US Aid Not Reaching…

Manipulation: Ukraine To Ban Conscripts From Enrolling to Universities

Statements about Ukraine allegedly planning to ban conscripts from enrolling to universities are completely baseless. Currently, there are no such draft laws in Ukraine, and no initiatives of this kind have been proposed by the authorities. In comments for Focus and TSN, lawyers confirmed that such a decision is extremely unlikely as it can be recognized as unconstitutional.

Read MoreManipulation: Ukraine To Ban Conscripts From Enrolling to Universities

Video edited to show ‘white substance’ on Zelensky’s desk

An edited video apparently showing cocaine on the desk of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has circulated on social media around the world. It is the latest in a string of disinformation targeting the leader since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The suspicious, powder-like pile did not appear in the original video posted on Zelensky's Instagram account.

Read MoreVideo edited to show ‘white substance’ on Zelensky’s desk

Fake: Ukrainian Counteroffensive Will Suffer a Crushing Defeat

The Kremlin media completely distorted a recent Financial Times article, claiming British experts were predicting a crushing defeat for the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive. The FT did discuss the counteroffensive, but mostly in the context of what difficulties the Ukrainian military will face. The article's conclusion is that if the Ukrainian attack is fast and brutal, then the front line will spread and the Russians will flee, just as they did during the counteroffensive near Kharkiv last year.

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No, Defense Department didn’t award COVID-19 contract in Ukraine before virus emerged

This claim is inaccurate. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a U.S. Defense Department arm that works to deter attacks and emerging threats, in November 2019 awarded a contract for non-COVID-19 training support in Ukraine, the agency said.

An agency spokesperson said the contract's description was modified in 2020, months after the virus emerged, to focus on COVID-19 research. The Defense Department typically modifies contracts over time to address emerging needs.

The Defense Department did not pay for COVID-19 research in Ukraine before the virus emerged. We rate this claim False.

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No, there is no poster of Volodymyr Zelensky ‘snorting’ donations in Milan – Truth or Fake

A video circulating on social media shows a poster of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky apparently "snorting" cash donations from passers-by in Milan. But visual clues in the clip, and the complete lack of eye-witnesses, indicate that it is a fake.

Read MoreNo, there is no poster of Volodymyr Zelensky ‘snorting’ donations in Milan – Truth or Fake