Category Narratives

Accounting error on military support does not mean US sent Ukraine $6.2 billion by mistake

The U.S. committed about $78 billion in humanitarian, financial and military assistance to Ukraine from January 2022 to February 2023, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German-based research organization that tracks nations' support of Ukraine, reported.

The U.S. total included $47 billion in military aid. That figure ranked highest among all nations and 14th as a percentage of gross domestic product.

A Pew Research Center poll in June of U.S. adults age 18 and older found that 31% of respondents said the U.S. is providing the right amount of aid to Ukraine, 28% said too much and 16% said not enough.

The Pentagon did not say that it mistakenly sent Ukraine $6.2 billion in cash.

We rate the Facebook post False.

Read MoreAccounting error on military support does not mean US sent Ukraine $6.2 billion by mistake

Fake: Cholera in Lower Reaches of Dnipro Caused by US Biolabs

Ukrainian Ministry of Health assesses water quality in the reservoirs of Kherson, Odesa, and Mykolaiv regions on a daily basis, and the epidemic situation is currently under control, with no outbreaks of infectious diseases in the affected areas. The narrative about the US biolabs is not confirmed either by specialized experts from different countries or by international organizations working to reduce the threat of proliferation of mass destruction weapons.

Read MoreFake: Cholera in Lower Reaches of Dnipro Caused by US Biolabs

The war in Ukraine is real and ongoing, despite nonsense social media posts

That's because it trafficks in misinformation about the war that we've encountered before. Previous posts have falsely claimed that various photos are evidence the war is fake, that video clips prove it's staged, that it's scripted. None of that was accurate, and neither is the claim that there's no war in Ukraine.

It defies more than a year of news coverage from reporters with media outlets from around the world giving dispatches from Ukraine, describing the front lines, the lives of civilians and more.

We rate this post Pants on Fire!

Read MoreThe war in Ukraine is real and ongoing, despite nonsense social media posts

No evidence Mexican cartel obtained US weapons destined for Ukraine

Social media users are claiming Mexican TV reported that anti-tank missile systems the United States sent to Ukraine ended up in the hands of a Mexican cartel. This is false; the claims are based on a mistranslation of the segment, which showed a man sporting apparent gang insignia carrying the same type of military-grade weapon used in Ukraine -- but did not say the artillery was diverted from Kyiv.

Read MoreNo evidence Mexican cartel obtained US weapons destined for Ukraine
This is the ‘America First’ case for supporting Ukraine

This is the ‘America First’ case for supporting Ukraine

The lesson of the 20th century is that putting “America First” requires us to project strength and deter our enemies from launching wars of aggression — so that U.S. troops to don’t have to fight and die in another global conflagration. The invasion in Ukraine was a failure of deterrence. Only by helping Ukraine win can we prevent further deterrence failures.

If we help Ukraine prevail, we can rewrite the narrative of U.S. weakness; restore deterrence with China; strike a blow against the Sino-Russian alliance; decimate the Russian threat to Europe; increase burden-sharing with our allies; improve our military preparedness for other adversaries; stop a global nuclear arms race; dissuade other nuclear states from launching wars of aggression; and make World War III less likely.

The “America First” conclusion: Helping Ukraine is a supreme national interest.

Read MoreThis is the ‘America First’ case for supporting Ukraine

Fake: ICEYE Satellite Purchased by Ukrainians is Used for News Broadcasting

Ukrainian journalists have not published any investigations regarding the ICEYE satellite purchased by the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation through donations from Ukrainians. Satellites for television signal transmission and the ICEYE operate in different orbits and serve different purposes.

Read MoreFake: ICEYE Satellite Purchased by Ukrainians is Used for News Broadcasting

Debunking Zelensky’s ‘luxury real estate’ assets – Truth or Fake

On the sidelines of President Volodymyr Zelensky's European tour, online claims went viral that the Ukrainian president has purchased luxury villas in Crimea, Italy and England with Western military aid money. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Read MoreDebunking Zelensky’s ‘luxury real estate’ assets – Truth or Fake

Fake: Ukraine Will Blow Up Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant During Counteroffensive, US Confirms

The US delivered to Ukraine sensors that detect a surge of radiation. This is solely caused by Russia's nuclear blackmail, not the Ukrainian army's actions or plans.

Read MoreFake: Ukraine Will Blow Up Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant During Counteroffensive, US Confirms

Fake News: NBU Governor Bought a Rolls-Royce

The car in question most likely belongs to a Ukrainian businessman and deputy of the Vinnytsia Oblast Council. What also indirectly points to this conclusion is the car's registration in the city of Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Vinnytsia oblast. The purchase of the Rolls-Royce GHOST with the vehicle registration plate КВ0001ОІ took place on 8 February 2022, meaning it occurred before Andriy Pyshnyy was appointed NBU Governor (and took office in October 2022) and before Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine.

Read MoreFake News: NBU Governor Bought a Rolls-Royce

Fake: Kyiv Announces Attacks on Russian Nuclear Power Plants

In an interview with the Ukrainian Channel Five television network, former Ukrainian Special Forces Deputy commander Serhiy Kryvonos said that Ukrainians knew how to penetrate into and seize a nuclear power plant in peacetime and therefore, hypothetically, are capable of trying to seize a Russian nuclear plant in response to Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant. Kryvonos was not speaking in any official capacity, he was speaking hypothetically, and his words do not convey any real intent on the part of Ukraine to seize or attack Russian nuclear power stations.

Read MoreFake: Kyiv Announces Attacks on Russian Nuclear Power Plants