Category Narratives

No, a viral photo doesn’t show Ukraine surrendering

A viral post claims Ukraine surrendered to Russia. The photo is not recent and suspected to be part of a Russian misinformation campaign from April 2022.

October 14, 2024
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Narratives Russia Russian propaganda The war is a hoax Ukraine

Claim that there’s ‘zero footage from the Ukraine war’ ignores countless photos and videos

The devastation from the Russia-Ukraine war has been well documented. There are hundreds of legitimate photos and videos depicting war casualties and decimated communities. Some photos and videos have been documented by news media; other footage has been taken by Ukrainian civilians whose lives were upended by Russia's invasion. We rate the claim that there is "zero footage of the Ukraine war" Pants on Fire!

October 14, 2024
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Narratives The war is a hoax Ukraine USA

No NATO troops in Ukraine, NATO says

Claim: "NATO troops deployed to Ukraine." His source: Russian media. But we found no credible news reports or other reliable evidence to corroborate this. A NATO spokesperson told us that the claim is false.

October 14, 2024
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Escalation / WWIII Fact checks / debunkings International community Military aid Misconceptions Narratives NATO

Fake: UN Believes Ukraine Threatens Nuclear Safety Worldwide

During the UN meeting dedicated to the International Day against Nuclear Tests, none of the countries accused Ukraine of threatening a nuclear disaster. Russia's rhetoric threatens international nuclear safety, as UN representatives from different countries clearly stated.

PolitiFact | ‘Zero response’ for Maui, Hawaii claim is false; government aid came hours after wildfire started

Claim: "There has been zero response from local, regional or federal officials" to aid people affected by the Maui, Hawaii, wildfires. Verdict: 'Zero response' for Maui, Hawaii claim is false; government aid came hours after wildfire started

October 14, 2024
2023 Hawaii wildfires Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Narratives USA

FACT CHECK: Post Claims To Show French Villa Bought By Ukraine Defense Minister | Check Your Fact

A video shared on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, claims to show a French villa that was bought by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleskii Reznikov for his daughter. Verdict: False There is no evidence that Reznikov bought this house.

Ukraine Video Does Not Show Women Carrying Film Prop Stones Out of Church Hit by Russian Airstrike

This tweet, as well as others, implied that the objects the women were carrying were lightweight movie props, perhaps meant to resemble heavy pieces of concrete. However, higher-quality video of the original footage shows that the materials carried by these women were not heavy stones or concrete, but rather a "light, polystyrene-like material" that had likely been used for the church's insulation.

October 14, 2024
Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Narratives The war is a hoax Ukraine

Is This a Real Photograph of Zelenskyy’s Home? | Snopes.com

The above photograph does not show Zelenskyy's home. Using Google's reverse-image search tool, we found the same photograph on a number of real estate websites showing luxury properties in France and Monaco. Given that the author of the original tweet pulled the photo from real estate profiles of a house in France, without providing any evidence of its ownership, we rate this photograph as "Miscaptioned."

Is this video proof that China’s army will attack NATO to defend Russia? Nope.

A video showing Chinese President Xi Jinping giving a speech to the Chinese armed forces has been going viral on social media since mid-March. The accounts that are sharing this footage say that it offers proof that China is ready to deploy its army if the United States and NATO attack Russia. But it turns out that the video was filmed six years ago.

No, Zelensky didn’t buy a mansion belonging to the British royal family

Did the Ukrainian president embezzle Western aid money to buy Highgrove House, the family residence of King Charles III? No, but pro-Russian social media accounts have been spreading that rumour. They want people in the United States and Europe to question how aid being sent to Ukraine is being used ahead of upcoming elections. However, this rumour is based on fake testimony and, what's more, this sale is legally impossible.