Hours after the death of Alexei Navalny, viral posts started circulating on social media showing his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, in the arms of other men. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
The claim that the USA and Ukraine are attempting to destroy European agriculture is unfounded.
The claim emerged in relation to the 2024 farmer protests in Poland, which were against EU agricultural policies and the influx of Ukrainian food products into the Polish market. This situation directly results from the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports.
Macron told a news conference after a meeting of European leaders in Paris on 26 February 2024: 'We should not exclude that there might be a need for security that then justifies some elements of deployment. But I've told you very clearly what France maintains as its position, which is a strategic ambiguity that I stand by.'
Macron did not say that it was likely to happen and added that France's attitude to it was ambiguous.
Ukraine is a sovereign state with a legitimate government recognised by all UN members. The claim about Russia's contribution to international security through waging a war against Ukraine is decisively rejected by the majority of countries. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on 2 March 2022 demanding that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders." It was adopted with 141 votes in favour of the motion, 5 against and 35 abstentions.
There is no evidence that the Ukrainian Armed Forces use Nazi symbols. Nazi and Communist ideologies were banned by Ukrainian law in 2015.
Russia resorts to such disinformation messages to justify its aggression against Ukraine. The myth of "Nazi Ukraine" has been widely used by Putin and pro-Kremlin outlets since Russia attacked Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.
On 26 February 2024, the French president Emmanuel Macron said "no option should be discarded" to bolster military support for Kyiv at a conference attended by leaders of Ukraine's allies, but recognized there was "no consensus". The aim of such a statement was to discourage Russia from further escalation of the invasion of Ukraine. France like many other states are assisting Ukraine in its self defence.
The Ukrainian state is under attack by Russia. More than 50 countries are participating in the Ramstein meetings and are providing military, financial or other assistance to Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. They do this rather than destroy the Russian state.
Russia's aggression against Ukraine was unprovoked and unjustified. Contrary to Russian claims, the West or Ukraine had not planned to attack Russia. Russia is not protecting itself, or anyone else, in its war. Instead, some Russian politicians and experts are threatening to attack Western nations after Ukraine.
Russia is the only country responsible for the invasion of Ukraine. It has been coming up with different false explanations and pretexts for its aggression since the beginning of its hostilities.
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Ukraine, the Maidan protests and encircling or destabilising Russia. All these allegations have been repeatedly debunked.