Category Ukraine

Fake: National Guard Order – Surrendering Soldiers to Be Executed

An "order" being circulated online is a fake. Several errors in the document's wording and style point to the fact that it is not genuine. Desertion as well as voluntary surrender are punishable offense as set forth in Ukraine's Criminal code. According to Criminal Code Article 430, voluntary surrender due to cowardice is punishable by imprisonment up to seven-ten years.

Read MoreFake: National Guard Order – Surrendering Soldiers to Be Executed

This video does not show the Moskva warship exploding — it’s a 2013 Norwegian military exercise

A video has been viewed millions of times on social media, alongside the claim that it shows the Russian warship Moskva exploding. The claim is false: the video is a clipped and edited version of one that has been circulating online since at least 2013, which shows the Norwegian armed forces using a decommissioned frigate for target practice.

Read MoreThis video does not show the Moskva warship exploding — it’s a 2013 Norwegian military exercise

Video claiming ‘Ukraine responsible for train station attack’ was not produced by BBC

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in social media posts that claim it is a report from the BBC that states Ukraine was responsible for a deadly missile attack on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. The British broadcaster's press team said it did not produce the "fake" video and was "taking action" to get it removed from social media. AFP identified various visual features in the video that indicated it has been fabricated to imitate a report from the BBC.

Read MoreVideo claiming ‘Ukraine responsible for train station attack’ was not produced by BBC

Doctored photo shared alongside claims that ‘Putin Pub in Jerusalem renamed after Zelensky’

Social media posts shared multiple times claim a bar in Jerusalem called "Putin Pub" was renamed "Zelenskiy Pub" -- using an alternative spelling of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's surname -- following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late-February 2022. However, the image shared alongside the posts was doctored to add the Ukrainian president's surname in place of where the Russian president's surname had been. One of the bar's operators told AFP on March 9 they had taken down the sign that said "Putin". On March 10, the bar was renamed "Generation Pub".

Read MoreDoctored photo shared alongside claims that ‘Putin Pub in Jerusalem renamed after Zelensky’

AFP photo from West Bank falsely shared as ‘Ukrainian child throwing stones at Russian tank’

A photo of a child throwing a stone at a tank has been shared repeatedly in Chinese-language posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Weibo alongside a claim it shows the Ukrainian resistance against Russia's invasion. This is false: the photo was taken by an AFP journalist in 2002 and actually shows a Palestinian child throwing a stone at an Israeli tank.

Read MoreAFP photo from West Bank falsely shared as ‘Ukrainian child throwing stones at Russian tank’

No, this isn’t a picture of Ukrainian students celebrating Hitler’s birthday

An image of Russians forming the number 55 to celebrate the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin rocketing into space has been mischaracterized to wrongly claim that it shows Ukrainian students celebrating Hitler's birthday.

Anyone confusing this shape for a swastika is mistaken. While the the numbers are made with straight lines like a swastika ' lacking the curve that's often used to write the number five ' the angles are off. The two ends of both fives point in the same direction, whereas each end of a swastika points in a different direction.

But what's more, this photo wasn't taken in Lviv in 2022. It was shot in Penza, Russia, in 2016, to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Cosmonautics Day.

The "55" can be seen at the 47 mark, and it's followed by an image of Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet pilot who became the first person to orbit the earth on April 12, 1961.

We rate this post Pants on Fire!

Read MoreNo, this isn’t a picture of Ukrainian students celebrating Hitler’s birthday

No, Putin didn’t free 35,000 children from Ukraine

This unfounded claim originated on a website known for publishing misinformation.

Putin has freed 35,000 children in Ukraine, a country he's invaded, or anywhere else. There are no credible sources nor news reports to support this.

Searching for evidence that Putin saved thousands of children, we only found articles reporting that Russian police jailed several children for leaving flowers at Ukraine's embassy in Moscow.

We rate this post Pants on Fire!

Read MoreNo, Putin didn’t free 35,000 children from Ukraine

FACT CHECK: Did Time Magazine Feature Volodymyr Zelenskyy On Its Cover? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The cover is digitally fabricated. A Time Magazine spokesperson confirmed the outlet did not publish such a cover.
[Note: This article is dated April 2022. Zelensky was featured on the 26 Dec., 2022 cover of Time Magazine, as its 'Person of the Year']

Read MoreFACT CHECK: Did Time Magazine Feature Volodymyr Zelenskyy On Its Cover? | Check Your Fact