Fact check: Russia’s influence on Germany’s 2025 election
Russian disinformation campaigns have sought to manipulate Germany's upcoming general election. How successful have they been, and what's the German government doing about this interference?
Russian propaganda
Read MoreFact check: Russia’s influence on Germany’s 2025 election
False claims USAID paid celebs to visit Ukraine linked to Russian disinformation campaign
WHAT WAS CLAIMED: E! News published a video stating celebrities received funds from USAID to visit Ukraine.
OUR VERDICT: False. The video is fake and there's no evidence USAID funded the visits.
Fake: USAID Funded Hollywood Celebrities’ Visits to Ukraine During War – E!News
The E!News portal never published such a story, and the widely circulated news is fake, debunked by both the media and the celebrities who visited Ukraine.
Fake: Ukraine Admits that Foreign Mercenaries Left the Country for the War in Israel
This video has never been shown on Ukrainian television. To create a fake video, its authors used the real story of the American news program CBS Mornings and replaced its audio track.
Manipulation: Russia May Outpace Europe and USA in GDP Growth Says The New York…
The New York Times article does indeed contain a prediction that Russia may outpace European countries and the United States in terms of economic growth this year. However, this forecast does not belong to the NYT economic columnist Patricia Cohen, as the Russian media claim, but to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. Also, Russian media cover only a part of the article - the part about the resilience of the Russian economy to Western sanctions. Instead, the main idea of the publication, which is to prove that the Russian economy is currently working to wage war in Ukraine, remains unaddressed by propagandists. Russian publications also ignore the problems in the consumer sector that Russians are currently facing.
Fake: In USA Ad Сalls Not to “Burn Money” to Support Israel, but to Help Ukraine – Video
Advertising campaign calling for "stand with Ukraine," which was allegedly initiated by the Ukrainian government, is fake. The corporation that installed the billboard shown in the video denied the existence of such an advertisement.
Manipulation: Fukuyama Claims Ukraine Won’t Be Able to Return All Its Territories
Francis Fukuyama did not make such statements in an interview with Radio Svoboda. This conclusion was made by the Russian media. In reality, the American philosopher noted that the only way for Russia to leave the occupied territories is Ukraine's victory. He also said that "the issue that Ukraine will face in the future is the possibility that not 100 percent can be liberated". Yet he specified that all discussions about territorial concessions during future negotiations are speculative, and only the Ukrainians themselves should answer these questions and make decisions.
Photofake: Ukrainian Refugees Rally in Spain With Posters “F*ck Israel”
The photo used by Russian propaganda to spread disinformation was edited in Photoshop. In fact, the image shows a rally in Israel in support of Ukraine that took place in the summer of 2022. In the original photo, the protester is holding a poster that reads "Russia is a terrorist state," and there is no poster with words about Israel in the background.
Video Fake: Ukraine to Make a Horror Movie About Military Mobilization
Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan admitted in her TV program that this video was created by the Russia Today team, and that they will continue to produce similar content.
Manipulation: Poles No Longer Want to See Ukrainian Refugees in Poland – CNN
Russian propaganda, using the CNN article, made a manipulative generalization that Poles in general do not want to see Ukrainians in their country anymore. The original source does not talk about the mood in Poland in general, but only covers a rally of the far-right Confederation party, known for its anti-Ukrainian rhetoric. In the parliamentary elections, this party received the lowest result, and a national poll in September 2023 showed that 65% of Poles support the reception of refugees from Ukraine.