Atrocities committed by the Russian military in Bucha, Kyiv region are confirmed not only by Ukrainian authorities but also by governments of other countries and international organizations. Out of 519 cases of reported chemical weapons use in Syria, 349 have been "credibly confirmed".
A video circulating online after Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine has racked up tens of thousands of views alongside a claim it shows members of the "Russian army choir" being arrested for singing about peace in Russian President Vladimir Putin's hometown of Saint Petersburg. In reality, the video corresponds to old footage published in reports since 2015 about a stunt staged to promote the James Bond film "Spectre".
A video of a violent clash between demonstrators and police officers has been viewed tens of thousands of times on social media alongside a claim it shows Russians protesting against Putin's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. But while thousands were detained across Russia over Ukraine protests, the video had been shared in a misleading context. The footage has previously circulated in reports since January 2021 about a Chechen student who fought with riot police in Moscow during protests calling for the release of a Kremlin critic.
Fact Crescendo found out the image viral on social media claiming Prez. Zelensky showing the "V sign" gesture over Putin's head was actually a digitally altered meme. The meme was digitally created using two separate stock images taken during the Normandy Four Summit held in France 2019 in which Russian and Ukrainian leaders were seen posing separately along with French Prez. Emmanuel Macron
This claim originated in an article published by a website known for sharing misinformation, including one previous false claim on Ukraine.
• Russia's president stated many reasons for the invasion. Ending child trafficking was not among them.
• According to the U.S. State Department, Russia is failing to deal with human trafficking within its own borders.
Our ruling
A post on Facebook alleged that Russia started its invasion of Ukraine to fight child trafficking.
The claim originates in an article published by a website known for fabricating stories and sources.
There is no evidence that ending child trafficking is a goal of the war in Ukraine. Russia itself is failing to deal with human trafficking within its own borders, according to a report by the U.S. State Department.
And while Putin has been very descriptive about his reasons for invading Ukraine, child trafficking has never been mentioned.
We rate the post False.
A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in Facebook posts that claim it shows Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to embarrass a "Japanese delegation" by bringing his dog to an official meeting. The posts -- which circulated online after Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- refer to Japan's alignment with the United States and other countries, which have imposed sanctions on Moscow. But the video has been shared in a false context. It shows Putin bringing his dog to an interview with Japanese journalists at the Kremlin in 2016.
Videos shared on Facebook claim to show Russian President Vladimir Putin warning Nigeria to stay out of the war in Ukraine or risk entering into its own conflict. But this is false: AFP Fact Check found that the clips use false subtitle translations. One video is from 2020 and shows Putin addressing Russians about the novel coronavirus. In another, he does address Russia's ongoing attack on Ukraine but makes no mention of Nigeria.
The document isn't classified, and there are no direct statements in it about an attack on the Donbas. It makes references to a training camp on the opposite side of the country.
Our ruling
Russian officials shared a Ukrainian document on Twitter with claims that it showed secret, classified orders for a military offensive on the Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine.
This is wrong. There is no proof that the document is classified, and there are no direct statements in it about an attack on the Donbas. The document makes references to a training camp on the opposite side of the country.
We rate claims about a document showing a planned military offensive in the Donbas False.
A viral Facebook post claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin's Twitter account has not been suspended despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine and repeated attempts to spread disinformation. [...] Trump's personal account was deleted, but the official White House and POTUS Twitter accounts remained active following his suspension. [...] Putin does not have a personal Twitter account, but his official @President of Russia account is still active.
Social media posts circulating globally following Russia's invasion of Ukraine have shared an image with the claim that it shows a genuine Time magazine cover that depicts Russian President Vladimir Putin with the nose and moustache of Adolf Hitler. However, the image shows an artwork that was created by a graphic designer, who said it was not intended as a Time cover. The magazine has also told AFP that the image "is not an authentic Time cover".