Category Ukraine

Prez. Zelensky expressing the “V sign” gesture over Prez. Putin is an Altered Image – Factcrescendo Sri Lanka – English

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

March 24, 2022
AI-generated images Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports Methods Putin Russia Ukraine

DonMak eateries opened in Ukraine in 2016 after McDonald’s departure from pro-Russian cities

A Facebook post claims that Russia created its own version of McDonald's after the fast-food chain temporarily shut down operations in the country in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is misleading; DonMak opened in Ukraine's separatist-controlled cities of Donetsk and Luhansk a few years after Russia's conflict with Ukraine in 2014. The images in the post were taken in Ukraine, not Russia, several years ago.

March 24, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

This footage shows a military exercise in the Netherlands in 2018

A video of military helicopters hoisting tanks into the air has been viewed millions of times in Facebook posts that claim it shows a Russian attack on a military base in Ukraine. The clip circulated as Russia intensified attacks in Ukraine. However, the footage actually shows a military exercise in the Netherlands in 2018.

March 24, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Netherlands Russia Ukraine

No, the infamous Canadian sniper Wali has not been killed in Ukraine

A number of viral posts on social media have claimed that a Canadian sniper, dubbed "the world's deadliest sniper", was killed within hours of arriving in Mariupol, Ukraine, where he had gone to fight. However the man, nicknamed Wali, is still alive and well. He told the FRANCE 24 Observers team that he thinks the disinformation around his death serves to dissuade foreign fighters from going to Ukraine.

Clip of man in body bag smoking is from the set of a music video, not ‘staged’ deaths in Ukraine

A TikTok video of a man smoking a cigarette in what appears to be a truck full of body bags has been viewed thousands of times in Facebook posts suggesting that deaths are being staged in the war in Ukraine. The claim is false; the clip shows the behind-the-scenes making of a music video for a song released by Russian rapper Husky in September 2020.

Zelensky hit by false claim about ‘Nazi T-shirt’ after US Congress meeting

Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual meeting with US Congress, social media posts shared hundreds of times claimed he was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a "Nazi symbol". In fact, the symbol represents the Ukrainian military, according to an image comparison. A representative for the Ukrainian embassy in Thailand said it did not relate to Nazism.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Hatred and bigotry Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Nazism Ukraine

This photo shows a plane towed for a 2011 exhibit in Croatia

A photo of a tractor towing a military aircraft has been shared thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows a Ukrainian farmer capturing a Russian jet. While there have been reports of Ukrainian farmers making off with Russian military hardware, the picture was taken at an exhibit in 2011 to mark the anniversary of the armed forces of Croatia.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Video of crying boy at Polish border shared with misleading claim ‘he fled from Ukraine alone’

A video has been viewed millions of times online alongside a claim it shows a young Ukrainian boy crying helplessly after fleeing to neighbouring Poland "alone". This is misleading. Reuters news agency, which filmed the footage, told AFP that the boy was seen walking behind his mother in the second half of the video. The Polish Border Guard separately clarified that the boy was "with his family" when he crossed into Poland.

March 23, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Poland Russia Ukraine

Marjorie Taylor Greene Parrots Russian Talking Point on Ukraine

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene parroted a Russian talking point with her claim that Ukraine is a country whose “government only exists because the Obama State Department helped to overthrow the previous regime.”

FactCheck.org presents the history of this Russian propaganda talking point, and explains why it is false.

March 22, 2022
Democracy Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

Video Shows Climate Protest in Austria, Not ‘Crisis Actors’ in Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered a barrage of false claims on social media, including posts that purport to show a video of “crisis actors” portraying dead victims of the fighting. The video used in the posts is from a climate protest held in Vienna, Austria, weeks before the war in Ukraine began.