Even though the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for last week's deadly Moscow concert hall attack, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, pro-Russian social media users and bots are continuing to insist that Ukraine was involved in the atrocity. We debunk all the false claims for you in this edition of Truth or Fake.
An extract from FRANCE 24's sister French-language fact-checking show that's circulating on social media appears to support the claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has misappropriated funds to buy himself luxury yachts - an unfounded accusation that has repeatedly resurfaced. But the video has been edited: the journalist in it was in fact debunking, not affirming, the allegation.
Hours after the death of Alexei Navalny, viral posts started circulating on social media showing his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, in the arms of other men. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
In a report by the Washington Post, Kremlin documents expose Putin's administration using Russian political strategists to push a disinformation campaign against Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
No evidence of lethal Pfizer trial in Ukraine
True.
Based on a Russian transcript of Vladimir Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson, Newsweek verified Putin said Adolf Hitler was "forced" to invade Poland, an inaccurate interpretation of the circumstances leading to World War II.
While translations do not use the word "forced" or "compelled", they broadly match its meaning.
Not content with simply creating and spreading fake news, anti-Ukraine trolls are now also using a new disinformation tactic: a method dubbed "Operation Matryoshka" (or Russian doll), which has been exposed by the "Bot Blocker" collective and AFP fact checkers. It is designed to divert the attention of journalists and muddy the waters of information even more.
Military Watch Magazine regularly spreads pro-Russian propaganda. Experts note the advantages of Western tanks over Russian ones
The media that spread the article regularly publishes Russian propaganda, and the material used fakes and manipulations of the Russian Federation
DIGITAL forensic experts in Germany have uncovered a vast, pro-Russia disinformation campaign against the government using thousands of fake accounts on X.