Category Narratives

Russian has not been banned in Ukraine, despite repeated claims

Ukraine has not banned the use of the Russian language in the country. A 2019 law established Ukrainian as the official language of Ukraine and strengthened its use in businesses, schools and the media. Our ruling Lavrov referenced the banning and prohibition of Russian in Ukraine, particularly in "education, the media, everyday contacts," during a press conference. Despite a language law that establishes Ukrainian as the country's official language and prioritizes its use in civil society, Russian has not been banned. We rate Lavrov's statement False.
Read MoreRussian has not been banned in Ukraine, despite repeated claims

Zelenskyy and Wife Photographed with Stacks of Money? | Snopes.com

Because the photograph was digitally edited to include Zelenskyy and Zelenska, we have rated this claim as "Fake." The TinEye reverse-image search tool showed that the original photograph [with stacks of money] depicted Floyd Mayweather, a former professional boxer.
Read MoreZelenskyy and Wife Photographed with Stacks of Money? | Snopes.com

DISINFORMATION ABOUT ZELENSKYY BUYING A £150 MILLION VILLA IN CYPRUS

The information about the purchase of a hotel is disinformation. The President of Cyprus, the Ukrainian Embassy in Cyprus, and the company that owns the hotel have denied the allegation about the purchase of the hotel by Zelenskyy or a related company. Moreover, the website on which the allegation about Zelenskyy's connection to the hotel appeared turned out to be a clone of the hotel's website and a fake website that was created three days before the information was spread.
Read MoreDISINFORMATION ABOUT ZELENSKYY BUYING A £150 MILLION VILLA IN CYPRUS

Fake: Five Years Ago, Russian Language was Banned in Ukraine and Linguistic Genocide Has Began

The legislation in Ukraine regulating the use of the Ukrainian language does not apply to personal communication or religion, and does not provide for any criminal liability for violations of its norms, "language patrols" or "language inspectors", as propaganda claims. Ukrainians themselves do not see any harassment of Russian-speaking Ukrainians, as evidenced by the results of opinion polls.
Read MoreFake: Five Years Ago, Russian Language was Banned in Ukraine and Linguistic Genocide Has Began

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy Bought a Casino in Cyprus?

The claim that Zelenskyy purchased a casino in Cyprus is belied by the fact that the owners of that casino say they have not sold it, by the fact that the original reporting on the claim was based on a fake website, and by the fact that this original reporting was deleted. Because no real evidence supports the claim, Snopes rates it "False."
Read MoreUkraine’s President Zelenskyy Bought a Casino in Cyprus?

Russia did not invade Ukraine to stop a NATO genocide in eastern regions

The Verdict: False. There is no evidence that the people of eastern Ukraine were subject to systematic extermination. [...] The claim was spread widely after [Russian Foreign Affairs official] Maria Zakharova [...] stated in February 2022 that there was a "systematic extermination of the Donbas population." However, an OSCE monitoring mission active in Ukraine since 2014 has found no evidence of mass targeted killings of civilians in the Donbas region. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not provided any proof to back up Zakharova's claim.
Read MoreRussia did not invade Ukraine to stop a NATO genocide in eastern regions

No, Ukraine is not taking money from Hawai’i relief

In the wake of the devastating wildfires on Hawai’i in August 2023, viral posts falsely claimed that the US government would only provide $700 in aid each to affected households. In fact, the federal government responded quickly to the horrific disaster in Maui, conducting extensive rescue operations and providing aid far in excess of $700 per household.
Read MoreNo, Ukraine is not taking money from Hawai’i relief

FactChecking the Fourth GOP Primary Debate

Christie derided Ramaswamy's plan for ending Russia's war in Ukraine, saying it would concede to Russia "all the land they've already stolen" and keep Ukraine from joining NATO (although Christie misspoke, saying the plan would keep Ukraine out of Russia). In exchange, Christie said, Ramaswamy would trust Russian President Vladimir Putin "not to have a relationship with China." Ramaswamy shot back, "That's not my deal." But it seems to be a mostly accurate synopsis of what Ramaswamy had proposed in June and refers to as the "reasonable peace deal."
Read MoreFactChecking the Fourth GOP Primary Debate