Category Narratives

Fact check: 78 times Zelensky has expressed gratitude to the US

President Donald Trump claimed on social media on Sunday that "UKRAINE 'LEADERSHIP' HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS" in relation to the war there.

Trump's claim is not even close to accurate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed gratitude to the United States on dozens of occasions - 78 examples are listed below - since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of his country in early 2022. And Zelensky has repeatedly expressed gratitude to Trump personally since Trump was elected again last fall.

Read MoreFact check: 78 times Zelensky has expressed gratitude to the US

Fact Check: NO EVIDENCE Zelenskyy Invested $500 Million, $1.5 Billion ‘Of His Own Money’ In Ski Resort In Western Ukraine — Project’s Developer Denies His Involvement

Did President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy invest $500 million or $1.5 billion "of his own money" in "a ski resort in Western Ukraine"? No, that's not true: Social media posts misattribute publicly known investment amounts about such a project. Talking to Lead Stories, the project's developer denied not only Zelenskyy's participation but also the presence of any direct government funding. Investment firm BlackRock, named in social media posts as one of the key investors, denied any involvement, too. Lead Stories found no credible sources linking Zelenskyy's personal money to the Ukrainian ski resort project.

Read MoreFact Check: NO EVIDENCE Zelenskyy Invested $500 Million, $1.5 Billion ‘Of His Own Money’ In Ski Resort In Western Ukraine — Project’s Developer Denies His Involvement

Fake: Ukrainian Gang Stole Chairs from Spanish Restaurants

Claim by Viral social media post:
Ukrainian Gang Stole Chairs from Spanish Restaurants
StopFake rating:
The story is true. Yet none of the media publications mention the nationality of the perpetrators. [No indication that they are Ukrainian.]

Read MoreFake: Ukrainian Gang Stole Chairs from Spanish Restaurants

Manipulation: Ukraine Lost a Billion Dollars by Signing a Contract With an “American Weapon Store” – FT

Claim by Viral social media post:
Ukraine Lost a Billion Dollars by Signing a Contract With an "American Weapon Store" - FT
StopFake rating:
The Financial Times did not write that Ukraine lost a billion dollars on this deal. The newspaper only reported on the arms supply contract that Ukraine signed with an Arizona company in the first months of the full-scale invasion. The company was never able to fulfill it due to the lack of experience in such large-scale deliveries. The irresponsible supplier received 17 million euros in advance, but Ukraine successfully sued for this money after the contract was canceled.

Read MoreManipulation: Ukraine Lost a Billion Dollars by Signing a Contract With an “American Weapon Store” – FT

Fake: Zelensky Blocked Trump-Putin Meeting

Claim by ukraina.ru:
Zelensky Blocked Trump-Putin Meeting
StopFake rating:
Kyiv flatly contradicted the narrative, with the Ukrainian President underscoring his support for diplomatic negotiations and asserting his readiness to participate in a prospective Trump-Putin summit.

Read MoreFake: Zelensky Blocked Trump-Putin Meeting

Fact Check: No Proof For Zelenskyy $1.2B Real Estate Empire In ‘London Telegraph’ Story — New Website Using Stolen Profile Picture | Lead Stories

Is there any evidence for a story being spread online about "Olena K.", a Ukrainian anti-corruption official who supposedly defected to Europe and revealed real-estate corruption involving President Zelenskyy worth $1.2 billion ? No, that's not true: The story did not contain any verifiable details or documents and no media reported on the supposed events. The London Telegraph, the website where the story originated, was only registered in August 2025 and the profile picture of the journalist who supposedly wrote the story was stolen from the social media profile of a different journalist.

Read MoreFact Check: No Proof For Zelenskyy $1.2B Real Estate Empire In ‘London Telegraph’ Story — New Website Using Stolen Profile Picture | Lead Stories

Fake: Conflicting Numbers on Ukrainian Children Abductions Deny Deportations | StopFake

Kremlin outlets have seized on discrepancies in estimates of the number of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, touting them as supposed "proof" that the deportations are a Western invention. In reality, the varying figures reflect the inherent difficulty of gathering reliable data amid an ongoing war and under occupation. What remains undisputed, however, is the consensus among international organizations: Russia is engaged in the systematic deportation of Ukrainian children.

Read MoreFake: Conflicting Numbers on Ukrainian Children Abductions Deny Deportations | StopFake

MANIPULATION: Shelling of Russian territory during negotiations proves that Ukraine does not want to end the war – Western journalist

Information is being spread online claiming that Ukraine is allegedly shelling Russian territory during peace negotiations. This was supposedly noticed in the West as well: Dutch journalist Sonja van den Ende stated that allegedly such behavior shows that Ukraine does not want to end the war.

This is manipulation. Sonja van den Ende is a pro-Russian propagandist, not an independent Western journalist. The aggressor in the war is Russia, but it has not stopped shelling during negotiations.

Read MoreMANIPULATION: Shelling of Russian territory during negotiations proves that Ukraine does not want to end the war – Western journalist

Manipulation: Kyiv Targets Russian Language Status in European Charter Language Protections | StopFake

In fact, the measure does not amount to a ban. Rather, it addresses a longstanding translation error in the European Charter. The treaty is designed to safeguard endangered languages, while Russian - the official language of a major state - is not considered to be in need of such protection.

Read MoreManipulation: Kyiv Targets Russian Language Status in European Charter Language Protections | StopFake

Fake: Ukraine Committed Genocide in Donbas by Cutting Off Water to Civilians | StopFake

In fact, Ukraine continued supplying water to the occupied territories for as long as the infrastructure allowed. Disruptions began only after Russian shelling and the seizure of key facilities. The damage to canals, pumping stations, and filtration units stems directly from Moscow's military actions - not from any so-called "humanitarian blockade" by Kyiv.

Read MoreFake: Ukraine Committed Genocide in Donbas by Cutting Off Water to Civilians | StopFake