Category Ukraine

Ukraine: Russian troops flying Soviet flag, symbol of ‘re-establishing Russian domination’

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, thousands of images showing Russian soldiers and vehicles have emerged online. Some of these images shocked viewers when they saw the flag of the Soviet Union waving on some Russian military equipment. For residents of Ukraine, a former part of the Soviet Union, the flag may represent "an expression of a desire to repress them", according to a post-Soviet politics specialist who spoke to the FRANCE 24 Observers team.

March 11, 2022
Context Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine USSR (Soviet Union)

Video shows US Marine in 2018, not Ukrainian soldier in 2022

Social media posts claim a video featuring a man in military uniform tearfully embracing a woman and a baby depicts a Ukrainian soldier heading to war. But the clip shows the 2018 homecoming of an American Marine who met his son for the first time.

March 11, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine USA

Production footage from sci-fi film falsely shared as ‘video of staged Russian attack in Ukraine’

As the civilian death toll mounted in Ukraine following Russia's invasion, a video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows a "staged scene of the Russian military bombing of Ukrainian civilians". But the clip in fact shows production footage for a science fiction film released years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the movie's director told AFP. The scene was shot in the United Kingdom - not Ukraine.

Ukraine: How a fake Russian TV report covered up a protest in Kherson

A report broadcast on March 7 by the Russian channel Vesti 92 shows a distribution of food to the residents of Kherson, a town in southern Ukraine occupied by the Russian army. ButÂ according to the town's residents, the footageÂ shot on March 4Â was actually staged andÂ concealed one important detail: residents protesting the Russian occupation in front of the distribution trucks, as revealed by three amateur videos of the same scene.

March 10, 2022
Disinformation Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

China repeats false claim that U.S has biolabs in Ukraine

China's government is amplifying debunked claims about non-existent U.S. biological weapons labs in Ukraine, bringing the falsehoods back into the spotlight on social media.

Our ruling
A spokesperson for the Chinese government said the U.S. has biolabs in Ukraine.

The claim originated with the Russian government and has been previously debunked by U.S. government officials and weapons control advocates. Following Zhao's March 9 remarks, U.S. government officials strongly refuted the claims again, saying the false narrative was being used to lay the groundwork for further violence in Ukraine.

FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Volodymyr Zelenskyy And His Wife Singing ‘Endless Love’ By Lionel Richie? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The video features Boyce Avenue member Alejandro Manzano and English musician Connie Talbot. The music video does not feature Zelenskyy or mention Ukraine at any point.

March 10, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

Ukraine’s army is not using cats to spot Russian snipers

A tweet spread as a screenshot online says the Ukrainian army is using cats to locate Russian snipers via lasers attached to their rifles. But there is no evidence to corroborate the claim, a military expert dismissed it as "complete garbage," and the author of the post acknowledged it was intended as a joke.

March 10, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Video does not show Ukrainian presidential couple singing

Social media posts claim a video shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska singing together. This is false; the clip shows singers from America and Britain recording a cover of the 1981 duet "Endless Love."

March 10, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Ukraine

Misleading claims on US border guards deploying to Europe spread online

Social media posts claim US President Joe Biden's administration is leaving the country's southern border exposed by asking guards protecting it to deploy to Europe to assist Americans fleeing Ukraine. But US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says the claim incorrectly conflates different branches of the agency, and that the personnel in question are not primarily tasked with guarding against illegal border crossings and smuggling.

March 10, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community President Biden Ukraine USA

Photo shows Slovakian soldier returning from Afghanistan in 2012 — it does not relate to Ukraine

After Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, an image of a man kissing a woman's pregnant belly circulated in online posts that claimed it shows a Ukrainian soldier kissing his "unborn child goodbye" as he prepared to fight for his country. But the image -- which has been shared hundreds of times -- has circulated in a false context. It was originally published by the Slovakian defence ministry in a 2012 post about soldiers returning from a mission in Afghanistan.

March 10, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine