Category Russia

No, Russia didn’t capture a US Patriot missile launcher to give to China

Did Russia really capture a bunch of US missiles in Ukraine and give them to China? No, but posts featuring that bit of fake news have been garnering thousands of views on social media since May 13. Many of these posts feature a photo said to show these missiles in China. While the photo was indeed taken in China, it actually shows a non-operational replica of these missiles, according to military experts interviewed by our team.

Read MoreNo, Russia didn’t capture a US Patriot missile launcher to give to China

No, this video doesn’t show a Russian airstrike on a NATO arms convoy

A video of a massive fire circulated widely on social media in late April along with captions claiming it showed a strike by the Russian army on a NATO weapons convoy en route to Ukraine. It turns out, however, that this is an old video that wasn't filmed anywhere near Ukraine.

Read MoreNo, this video doesn’t show a Russian airstrike on a NATO arms convoy

The White House didn’t say Ukraine, U.S. fought together in WWII | verifythis.com

A video of White House Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre was manipulated with fake audio to make it sound like she said Ukraine, U.S. fought side-by-side in WWII.

Read MoreThe White House didn’t say Ukraine, U.S. fought together in WWII | verifythis.com

FAKE: Only ‘pure-blooded Ukrainians’ can donate blood – photo of the announcement

An alleged announcement from the online service “Doc.ua” is being spread online that from March 1, 2023, the reception of donated blood will be carried out only when the donor is a “pure-blooded Ukrainian”. Foreign citizens are prohibited from being donors.

However, the service did not provide such announcements. In Ukraine, ethnicity is not included in the list of criteria for a potential blood donor.

Read MoreFAKE: Only ‘pure-blooded Ukrainians’ can donate blood – photo of the announcement

FAKE: Military from AFU threatened with a gun a woman with a child because she spoke Russian

Russian media and Telegram channels are distributing a video in which Ukrainian soldiers allegedly stopped a woman with a child because she did not give way to them. As evidence, they provide a segment from the video recorder in the woman’s car. The soldiers then allegedly started yelling at the woman, cursing her, threatening her with guns and shooting in the air because she was speaking to them in Russian.

In fact, this video is staged, it was filmed in the occupied territory of the Donetsk region, where there are no Ukrainian troops.

Read MoreFAKE: Military from AFU threatened with a gun a woman with a child because she spoke Russian

FAKE: In Ukraine, women with a chemical education are being recruited for the war to prepare ‘provocations’

The Russian media quotes a Kremlin protege of the people’s militia in the so-called “LPR” that women who have an education in chemistry, biology or veterinary medicine are allegedly being recruited for the war in Ukraine. The publication adds that in this way Ukraine is preparing for “provocations” with chemical weapons.

This is a fake. There is no convincing evidence that women are being recruited into the Armed Forces of Ukraine to prepare “provocations” with chemical weapons.

Read MoreFAKE: In Ukraine, women with a chemical education are being recruited for the war to prepare ‘provocations’

Did Volodymyr Zelensky just belly dance? Sorry, no: it’s a deepfake

Does Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky actually have a secret talent for belly dancing? That's what a number of accounts on Twitter and TikTok are saying, with video to prove it. However, it turns out that the viral video is actually a deepfake that's been circulated by pro-Russian accounts in an attempt to discredit the Ukrainian president.

Read MoreDid Volodymyr Zelensky just belly dance? Sorry, no: it’s a deepfake

Why pro-Russian accounts are sharing a fake video of French farmers and manure

Pro-Russian social media users have been widely circulating what looks like a Euronews report showing French farmers dumping manure outside the Ukrainian embassy. French farmers began protesting for better pay in January and the video claims that the farmers took the drastic manure action after the Ukrainian ambassador penned a letter asking them to stop their protests. But this video is fake. It's one of a series of fake news reports aimed at making Ukraine look bad in the eyes of the West.

Read MoreWhy pro-Russian accounts are sharing a fake video of French farmers and manure

Fake news about Kremlin critic Navalny aims to discredit him after his death

Since news broke on February 16, 2024 that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died while incarcerated in the Russian Arctic, there has been a resurgence of doctored images and fake news aiming to discredit Navalny and his family. We took a look at three of the most widely spread fake news items about Navalny. None of them are true.

Read MoreFake news about Kremlin critic Navalny aims to discredit him after his death