Category Democracy

DISINFO: There is no such thing as occupied Ukrainian territories

Ukraine has been under continuous Russian occupation since 2014. In February that year, Russia invaded and illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. In autumn 2022, it used sham referenda in an attempt to annex the above-mentioned oblasts, as well as the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson.

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Fact Check: Is Tucker Carlson on Ukraine ‘Kill List’ Over Putin Interview?

False.

The claim that the Mirotvorets list, which Alex Jones and Infowars refer to as a "kill list," is inaccurate, as is the claim that Tucker Carlson was added to it following reports he had interviewed Vladimir Putin.

The list does not advocate violence toward those on it, which is part of an NGO, non-state-funded effort by Ukrainian activists to list "enemies of Ukraine."

Carlson has been listed on the site since mid-2023.

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Fake: Charlie Hebdo Ridicules Ukrainian Fencer Olha Kharlan

Russia's propaganda machine periodically disseminates fake French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo magazine covers, to buttress the disinformation narrative the Kremlin in currently pushing. Whatever Russian media and its acolytes claim, there is no Charlie Hebo cover dedicated to Ukrainian Fencer Olha Kharlan.

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Illustration of a hand putting a ballot into a ballot box.

No, Zelensky hasn’t “canceled” Ukrainian elections

Accusations have circulated on social media that President Zelensky of Ukraine has cancelled elections in Ukraine, and extended martial law in order to remain in power.

In fact, holding elections now, under wartime conditions, would almost guarantee another Zelensky victory. It would also be illegal under Ukrainian laws that predate Zelensky's time in power.

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Article: “Wartime Elections in Ukraine Are Impossible”

It is illegal under Ukraine's constitution to hold elections while martial law is in effect. These rules predate President Zelensky's time in power.

This Foreign Policy article gives a detailed overview of why holding elections in wartime Ukraine would be not just illegal, but would also put millions of civilians at risk while lining up under Russian missiles. An election today would also disenfranchise many of the millions of Ukrainians who are displaced, abroad as refugees, under Russian occupation, or prisoners in Russia.

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Twitter Blue accounts fuel Ukraine War misinformation

BBC News debunks several disinformation narratives making the rounds on Twitter - amplified in particular by paid "blue check" accounts:

- Weapons for Ukraine not used in French riots
- No evidence of 'baby factories' in Ukraine
- Kramatorsk missile not Ukrainian
- Zelensky has not cancelled elections

Read MoreTwitter Blue accounts fuel Ukraine War misinformation