Category Russia

Fake: Ukraine Selling Stale Leftovers Due to Bread Shortages

Russian media is disseminating fake stories claiming Ukraine is selling stale repackaged bread as the country is suffering from bread shortages. Bread manufacturer Kyivkhlib's hotline reported that they do not produce the kinds of bread products described in these Russian stories. Russian propagandist claims that there is a bread shortage in Ukraine are also untrue. While experts predict an increase in bread prices throughout 2023, there are absolutely no bread shortages in Ukraine.

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Is This Image of a Mass Grave from the War in Ukraine?

[T]his picture predates the most recent Ukraine-Russia conflict by well over a decade, and depicts a mass burial site created during the First Chechnyan War. Several versions of the picture were published prior to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with the earliest example identified by Snopes dating back to at least 2006.

The photograph appears to have been taken by Georgian photojournalist Shakh Aivazov, who worked for The Associated Press during several Russian wars. It is included in a gallery of the Georgian Museum of Photography attributed to him and labeled "Chechnya, 1996."

These pictures appear to match video and other photographs of a graveyard on the outskirts of the Chechnyan capital of Grozny during the first Chechnyan war.

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Courchevel restaurant explains Ukrainian ‘burial dance’ mix-up – Truth or Fake

In a video circulating on social media, users claim that a waiter at an upscale French ski resort wearing a Russian flag jumpsuit carried a Ukrainian "coffin" during a champagne parade. The FRANCE 24 Observers team contacted Bagatelle Courchevel; the restaurant explained that the scene had nothing to do with the war in Ukraine. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Read MoreCourchevel restaurant explains Ukrainian ‘burial dance’ mix-up – Truth or Fake

Unproven claims about Volodymyr Zelensky’s wealth resurface online

Social media posts shared thousands of times say Volodymyr Zelensky earns $11 million per month, has billions in assets, including a $35 million house in Florida, and numerous other trappings of a moneyed lifestyle. This is unproven; public records show Ukraine's president does not own property in his name in the US state, financial disclosures and independent investigations indicate he is far from a billionaire, and none of the online claims include evidence of such significant wealth.

Read MoreUnproven claims about Volodymyr Zelensky’s wealth resurface online

Manipulation: British Military Expert Says Ukraine Can’t Retake Crimea

In his opinion piece for the British conservative Daily Telegraph newspaper, retired British Colonel Richard Kemp does not write that
Ukraine "cannot seize Crimea." On the contrary, Kemp emphasizes that
"Russia's complete collapse is surprisingly close," Ukraine will be able to
return the Crimean Peninsula which was annexed in 2014 and "achieve the
complete collapse of Putin's forces" with the full support of its partners.

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Fake: Ukrainian Soldiers’ Bodies Found in Polish Coal Mine Shafts

Russian news sites and Russian social media accounts are disseminating
fakes claiming that the bodies of more than 500 Ukrainian soldiers were
found in a mine shaft at the Bogdanka coal mine in Poland. Bogdanka's press
office told StopFake such claims are completely fake, and there are no
bodies anywhere on the coal mine's territory. StopFake factcheckers have
ascertained that these fake claims were originally published on an
anonymous Telegram channel, which according to Ukraine's Security Service,
is used by Russian secret services to foment and incite anti-government
sentiments in Ukraine.

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Fake: Ukrainian Authorities Planning to Mobilize Nuclear Plant Workers – Document

A "document" purporting to be an order for the mobilization of Ukraine's
nuclear plant workers is being disseminated online. The document is a fake
as evidenced by the many errors in the text of the letter. Furthermore,
some of the "signers" of this "document" are no longer members of Ukraine's
parliament. Mobilization preparation and management is not the
responsibility of Ukraine's legislative body.

Read MoreFake: Ukrainian Authorities Planning to Mobilize Nuclear Plant Workers – Document