Category Misconceptions

Article screenshot on CNN website

Newly declassified US intel claims Russia is laundering propaganda through unwitting Westerners

CNN reports: Russian intelligence is operating a systematic program to launder pro-Kremlin propaganda through private relationships between Russian operatives and unwitting US and western targets, according to newly declassified US intelligence. [...]

The official stressed that the Western voices that eventually became mouthpieces for Russian propaganda were almost certainly unaware of the role they were playing.

“At the end of the day, this unwitting target is disseminating Russian influence operation, Russian propaganda to their target public,” the US official said. “Ultimately, a lot of these are unwitting people — they remain unaware who is essentially seeding these narratives.”

Read MoreNewly declassified US intel claims Russia is laundering propaganda through unwitting Westerners

Video shows Putin at judo coach’s burial in 2013, not Wagner leader’s funeral

Days after Wagner commander Yevgeny Prigozhin was confirmed dead in a plane crash, a video emerged on social media with claims that it showed Russian President Vladimir Putin attending his funeral. However, these claims are false; the footage dates back to 2013, and shows Putin at the funeral of his long-time judo trainer.

Read MoreVideo shows Putin at judo coach’s burial in 2013, not Wagner leader’s funeral

DISINFORMATION THAT AMERICAN GENERAL DIED IN MISSILE ATTACK IN UKRAINE

The American General died in a plane crash while on board of a single-engine plane (Piper PA-28 Cherokee) on July 25, 2023. The plane crashed in Havre de Grace, Maryland. The cause of the crash is still unknown. The accident is being investigated by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

Read MoreDISINFORMATION THAT AMERICAN GENERAL DIED IN MISSILE ATTACK IN UKRAINE

No, these videos do not prove Russia is demolishing Wagner fighters’ graves – Truth or Fake

As Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was laid to rest after a fatal plane crash, videos purportedly showing graves of the group's fighters being demolished went viral on social media channels. But despite claims to the contrary, this footage does not show a large-scale effort by the Russian state to erase all traces of the mercenary group.

Read MoreNo, these videos do not prove Russia is demolishing Wagner fighters’ graves – Truth or Fake

FALSE: Zelenskyi replied that he did not know who attacked the Kerch Bridge – video

The "Angry Birds" demo was held in the Chernihiv Drama Theater, not a meeting of officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and NATO. Russian propaganda also contradicts itself: first they indicate that the goal was the exhibition, then they write about the meeting as the goal. Later, propagandists of the Russian Federation say that the meeting took place near the drama theater, then they put forward information that it was in the drama theater itself.

Read MoreFALSE: Zelenskyi replied that he did not know who attacked the Kerch Bridge – video

These photos do not show Ukrainian ‘children’ being sent to the front

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, some have claimed that "children" are being recruited into the Ukrainian army. Three viral photos, purporting to show graves of very young soldiers, have been shared since mid-August as evidence of this phenomenon. However, two of these three photos have been manipulated, and actually show the burial sites of adult men.

Read MoreThese photos do not show Ukrainian ‘children’ being sent to the front

FAKE: Ukraine is the world leader in ‘black transplantology’ – article

The OSCE did not confirm the facts of illegal transplantologists operating in Ukraine in 2014 and generally lacks evidence regarding possible organ removal in eastern Ukraine. On October 30, 2014, the organization issued an official refutation. It states that during one of the sessions of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meetings (HDIM), two Russian non-governmental organizations quoted reports of possible organ removal and sale of human organs in eastern Ukraine.

Read MoreFAKE: Ukraine is the world leader in ‘black transplantology’ – article