FACT CHECK: Facebook Video Does Not Show Ukrainian Soldiers ‘Faking Combat’
Verdict: False.
The video shows a behind-the-scenes look at a music video for a song called "Brothers" by Misha Scorpion and Vitsik, not Ukrainian soldiers "faking combat."
Category Misconceptions
FACT CHECK: Did Zelenskyy Use An Expletive In Reference To Trump Ahead Of Downing Street Meeting?
Verdict: False
The video originally stems from TikTok and was likely edited with artificial intelligence (AI), according to Snopes. A video shared on X indicates Zelenskyy responded to a question from a reporter about his trip to the U.K.
Tulsi Gabbard’s Claims Questioning the Legitimacy of Ukrainian Democracy Are Misleading
In a video from June 2024, Gabbard aired false claims and elided important context.
Trump Exaggerates on U.S. and European Aid to Ukraine, Loans
Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, told us in an email that “Trump’s citation of $350 billion is double what Congress has appropriated.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Congress has passed five spending bills to provide support to Ukraine, totaling about $174.2 billion, as we’ve explained before in fact-checking this and other claims Trump has made about Ukraine and Zelenskky. Each of those five measures passed with bipartisan support. [...]
As for Trump’s claim that Europe provided its aid to Ukraine in the “form of a loan, they get their money back,” that’s an exaggeration. Only a portion of European aid is in the form of loans.
Viral Photos Of Zelenskyy In Suit Predate 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
Claim: Volodymyr Zelenskyy wore a suit while meeting Emmanuel Macron and Klaus Schwab, but opted for a non-formal sweatshirt during his visit to the Oval Office.
Fact: Photos of Zelenskyy with Macron and Schwab were taken prior to the Russian invasion of February 2022.
Video doesn’t show Zelenskyy using expletive about Trump outside 10 Downing Street
However, Zelenskyy did not use any expletives about Trump when speaking to journalists during the walk from his motorcade to greet Starmer. The claim is false. Further, the video exhibited potential signs that its originator used an artificial-intelligence tool to create many of its elements.
An unedited video (archived) showing the same moment featured an unidentified reporter asking, "Mr. President, how was the trip? How do you feel?," and Zelenskyy responding, "Ok. Thank you so much."
No, photo doesn’t show Zelenskyy and wife posing with stacks of money
Claim: A photograph authentically showed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska posing in front of stacks of money.
Rating: Fake
Trump Exaggerates on U.S. and European Aid to Ukraine, Loans
As President Donald Trump has sought to secure rights to Ukraine's minerals as compensation for U.S. aid to fight the Russian invasion, he has repeatedly overstated the amount of aid provided by the U.S. compared with Europe and exaggerated the extent to which European assistance - unlike U.S. aid - is in the form of guaranteed loans.
Fake: WSJ Reports Zelenskyy Faces Five Federal Criminal Charges in U.S
Neither the Wall Street Journal nor AMVETS have reported such information. The U.S. has no authority to prosecute a foreign leader because of sovereign immunity.
Ukraine’s army wrongly accused of staging war footage
Users are now sharing a viral video claiming to show crisis actors faking injuries for the Ukrainian army in order to "solicit" more money from allies. We debunk these claims in this edition of Truth or Fake.