A post shared on X claims to show Ukrainian troops surrendering in Kursk in 2025.
Verdict: Misleading
This video is from 2022 and shows Ukrainian troops surrendering in Mariupol, not Kursk.
WHAT WAS CLAIMED: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a journalist had an exchange about the impending peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
OUR VERDICT: Fake: No such exchange on diplomacy and Russia's concessions took place between Hegseth and a reporter in a press briefing after a NATO defense ministers' meeting on Feb. 13.
The claim was based on a fake, unverified article that was later deleted, with the publishing website issuing a public apology. Maksym Savrasov and other Ukrainian officials denied the claim.
What was claimed: A video shows the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, calling Vladimir Putin a "butcher" and commenting on his "war crimes" during a press conference with US president Donald Trump.
Our verdict: This isn't quite right. Mr Macron referred to killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha and mentioned war crimes, but did not describe President Putin as a "butcher".
In conclusion, there is no credible evidence that American weapons sent to Ukraine are ending up in Mexico, Syria, Gaza or any location outside of Ukraine, and claims otherwise may be attributed to Russian disinformation campaigns. The United States and Ukrainian governments have attempted strict oversight of their weapons - to mixed results - but any arms trafficking happening in Ukraine appears, as of this writing, to be contained to isolated incidents by criminals.
Conclusion: European military outmatches Russian in key areas, with 1.47 million personnel, 367,760 armored vehicles and over 2,000 warships, including six aircraft carriers. France, Germany and Britain are increasing defense spending, while Russia struggles with losses, outdated stockpiles, and sanctions-limited weapons production.
The claim, shared across Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived) and X (archived) in the form of an image, read:
The President of Ukraine owns a 35 million dollar home in Florida and has $1.2 billion in a overseas bank account. Zelensky owns 15 homes, 3 private planes, and has a monthly income of 11 million dollars. Why is no one questioning where our AID is going?
However, there was no proof of any of the claims shared within the image.
The rumour that Donald Trump was a Soviet spy that went by the name "Agent Krasnov” has been spreading online since February, after a former KGB agent claimed on facebook that Trump was recruited by them in 1987. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
There is no evidence that such a meal has actually appeared in Ukraine. The original source of this claim is the Telegram channel of Yulia Vityazeva, the former host of the Russian propaganda programme Solovyov Live. In addition, there is no mention of this dish in any credible source, and the name of the restaurant remains unknown. Furthermore, digital analysis of the image's flaws suggests that it was most likely artificially generated or altered. All of this suggests that the information is false.
We take a look at the viral claims made by President Trump and others about Ukraine over the last two weeks.