Truth Social ban falsehood pushed by Russian media
WHAT WAS CLAIMED: Volodymyr Zelenskiy has blocked access to Trump's Truth Social across Ukraine.
OUR VERDICT: False. Truth Social has never been available in Ukraine.
Category Misconceptions
Read MoreTruth Social ban falsehood pushed by Russian media
Fabricated audio of Trump Jr on Ukraine and Russia, spreads online
Audio purportedly of Donald Trump Jr using his podcast to say the United States should have sent weapons to Russia instead of Ukraine is spreading widely online, with an official Democratic National Committee account among those that shared and deleted it. But the clip is fake, spokesmen for the US president's son and video platform Rumble told AFP. A media forensics expert said the quote -- which is not in the original episode -- appears to be the product of artificial intelligence technology. [...]
"The audio in question, which was amplified by the official X account of the DNC, along with countless other major anti-Trump accounts, is 100 percent fake," a Trump Jr spokesman told AFP in a February 26 statement. "It appears to be an AI-generated deep fake."
No, Zelensky hasn’t bought Eagle’s Nest, it is still in ownership of Bavarian state
Russia's war against Ukraine is not only a military confrontation, but Moscow is also deliberately targetting the Ukrainian president with disinformation and narratives that seek to discredit him. In early February 2025, posts on social media falsely claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky had purchased a property known as the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden in the southern German state of Bavaria. However, the site -- which was closely associated with the Nazis during World War II and is a popular tourist destination even today -- is still owned by the state authorities. Furthermore, the false claims seem to have originated from a Russian disinformation network.
No, Zelenskyy hasn’t blocked access to Truth Social in Ukraine
Our rating: False.
A spokesperson for Truth Social's parent company said the claim is false and the social media platform has never been available in the country.
Fake video claims Trump Jr. said US should have sent weapons to Russia, not Ukraine | Snopes.com
The video was digitally created, likely using AI-powered software to generate synthetic audio mimicking Trump Jr.'s voice.
Trump rift opens floodgates of disinformation on Ukraine
Disinformation targeting Ukraine and its leader Volodymyr Zelensky is surging as US President Donald Trump's shift on the war frays relations with Kyiv and threatens to cripple support for the battle-worn nation. [...]
Joseph Bodnar, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (archived here), said the Russian influence efforts are focused "on fostering animosity between the Trump and Zelensky administrations."
"Russia wants to convince US negotiators that Ukraine is their enemy, not their partner. It's a means for the Kremlin to extract favorable terms in whatever peace settlement comes."
Dictator without elections’?: fact-checking Trump’s main criticisms of Zelensky
In mid-February 2025, Donald Trump multiplied his attacks against Volodymyr Zelensky, branding the Ukrainian president a "dictator without elections," questioning the use of American aid to Ukraine, and accusing him of "starting" the war. Here is a look back at these statements, which were false, misleading or unsubstantiated according to AFP's analysis, revealing unprecedented tensions between Washington and Kyiv.
Claims that Ukraine banned Truth Social are false
US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a rift between the two leaders as Kyiv remains locked in a three-year-old war started by a Russian invasion. However, claims that Zelensky retaliated by banning Truth Social are false -- representatives for the social network said it had not launched in Ukraine, and the government there said Trump's platform would be welcome.
Fact Check: Did Ukraine ‘Psychological Warfare’ Unit Get $140M From USAID?
False.
Audited records of Congressionally appropriated Ukrainian aid show most of what USAID manages is Kyiv's government budget, which funds its public sector workers, social services, pensions, and internally displaced persons.
For the $140 million claim to have been true, USAID would have had to have paid out more to this "Psychological Warfare" center than most of its actual spending obligations.
The image used to support the claim was based on a nonexistent article, edited from a real but unrelated story by Fox News, not about Ukraine. The claim appeared on Russian Telegram accounts before it was spread widely by English-speaking commentators on X, formerly Twitter.
Trump says Ukraine started the war that’s killing its citizens. What are the facts?
Did Ukraine start its war with Russia, as President Donald Trump said? No, Russia invaded
Media outlets worldwide covered Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged it as a "special military operation," saying the offensive would "seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine."
For years, Russia has sought to blame Ukrainian actions for its invasion.