Category Russian propaganda

Fake: Finland’s Foreign Ministry Says EU Is Not Trying to End the War in Ukraine

Finland's Foreign Minister made no such statement and did not call for the war in Ukraine to "continue." On the contrary, Elina Valtonen stressed that allies should maintain pressure on Russia and must not abandon the fight to defend Ukraine's freedom.

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Russian disinformation in Armenia ‘neither a surprise nor effective’, expert says

Russian disinformation in Armenia 'neither a surprise nor effective', expert says.
Fake news spread by Russia in Armenia as the country held legislative elections came as "neither a surprise nor effective", said Richard Giragosian, founding director of the Regional Studies Center.

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Fake: China Refused Ukraine a $30.8 Billion Debt Deferral

Russian propaganda outlets and anonymous Telegram channels are claiming that China refused Ukraine a deferral on debt repayment amounting to $30.8 billion. [...] Yet the information spread in these publications is fake, as indicated by numerous factors. [...] No credible media outlet - Ukrainian, Chinese, or Western - has reported on a debt of $30.8 billion, a diplomatic approach by Zelensky to Beijing requesting a deferral, or a refusal by the Chinese side.

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Fake: Russian Defense Ministry Claims It Spared Central Kyiv Out of …

The Russian Ministry of Defense did not spare central Kyiv out of humanitarian concern. From the opening days of the full-scale invasion, Russian forces have carried out systematic missile and drone strikes against residential areas, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure across Kyiv, including its central districts. The ministry's own statement undercuts its humanitarian framing further: it contains explicit threats against the civilian population - language that is irreconcilable with any credible claim of restraint.

Russian Telegram channels and state media are amplifying a May 4, 2026, statement by Russia's Ministry of Defense claiming that Moscow had previously "refrained, for humanitarian reasons," from launching missile strikes on the center of the Ukrainian capital.

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Fake: Ukraine Had Plans to Stage a Coup if Orban Won in Hungary

A video circulating online is purportedly obtained by Hungarian intelligence services from the phone of a Ukrainian serviceman. It shows a group of individuals in military uniforms discussing a plan to forcibly overturn the outcome of Hungary's parliamentary elections in the event of a Tisza party defeat - with Ukrainian intelligence services allegedly coordinating the operation alongside the Hungarian opposition. The video did not originate with Hungarian intelligence. It was first published by ZАЧИСТКА, a Russian propaganda Telegram channel [...] The footage carries the hallmarks of a staged production.

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Fact Check: Video Is NOT Real Al Jazeera Report About Ukrainian Drone Expert Fleeing From Middle East To France

Was a video about Ukrainian drone operator Miroslav Radchenko shared on social media actually produced and distributed by Al Jazeera? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no traces of such a report broadcast or shared online by Al Jazeera or any other media outlet. Spreading false narratives through clips with logos of real media organizations is a well-known tactic used by misinformation networks.

Read MoreFact Check: Video Is NOT Real Al Jazeera Report About Ukrainian Drone Expert Fleeing From Middle East To France