Category War crimes

DISINFO: Ukrainian secret service directly involved in Moscow terrorist attack on Crocus City

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative depicting Ukraine as a terrorist regime. The claim was made in connection with the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow, trying to link Ukraine to the terrorist attacks in Russia without presenting any evidence. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for and shared video footage from the attacks, corroborating their claims of responsibility.
Read MoreDISINFO: Ukrainian secret service directly involved in Moscow terrorist attack on Crocus City

DISINFO: Russia destroyed a military store and command post in Kharkiv

A conspiracy theory being used as a justification for a potential war crime, accusing Ukraine of using its population as human shields. There is no evidence to support the thesis that a military store and command post were hidden inside the shopping centre. Instead, all indications point to Russia deliberately attacking civilians using two guided bombs. Some videos show a strong fire and detonations inside the burning premises. However, all shopping centres containing construction materials and pressurised containers can burn intensely and have explosions inside. This does not prove that a command post or weapons storage was hidden inside.
Read MoreDISINFO: Russia destroyed a military store and command post in Kharkiv

No, this video doesn’t show Ukrainians setting fire to an Orthodox church

Did Ukrainians really set a Russian Orthodox church on fire? A video purporting to show just that has been circulating online since April 5, 2023. However, it turns out that this video was filmed in Russia more than ten years ago and shows an accidental fire.
Read MoreNo, this video doesn’t show Ukrainians setting fire to an Orthodox church

No, this video does not prove that an attack on Odesa was staged by Ukraine

A video has gone viral on social media, with users claiming it shows proof that the destruction of a historic cathedral in Odesa on the night of July 22 to 23 was staged by Ukrainian authorities. They argue that a woman in the video picks up the debris with too much ease for it to be real. However, the woman is actually picking up a light material, most likely polystyrene, so this does not prove that the attack was staged.
Read MoreNo, this video does not prove that an attack on Odesa was staged by Ukraine

DISINFO: International law expert Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt assesses Ukraine’s war crimes

False claim made in connection with the case of Polish Judge Tomasz Szmydt, who fled to Belarus seeking "political asylum". For several months, he was observed by the Polish special services who suspected him of espionage in favour of Belarus and Russia. Tomasz Szmydt is not an expert in International Public Law and has limited professional authority to accuse Ukraine of war crimes (see previous accusations in our database). In 2019, as explained by DW: "Szmydt made headlines when he was identified as being a member of a group of judges waging a smear campaign on social media against other judges"
Read MoreDISINFO: International law expert Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt assesses Ukraine’s war crimes

These images from Bucha do not show ‘fake corpses’ staged by the Ukrainian army

Images published on April 3 showed the bodies of more than a dozen civilians who had been killed in Bucha, a town near Kyiv that had been occupied by the Russian army. Some of the bodies had their hands tied and some were shot in the head. Since then, several Russian media outlets and pro-Russian social media accounts have published a video that claims to show evidence the corpses in this video were staged. The FRANCE 24 Observers team analysed its claims.
Read MoreThese images from Bucha do not show ‘fake corpses’ staged by the Ukrainian army

Fresh round of fake videos claim the Bucha massacre was staged

Several hundred bodies of civilians were discovered in Bucha, Ukraine on April 3. Since the horrific discovery, pro-Russian accounts on Twitter have been circulating images that they say prove that these bodies were fake or that the massacre was staged by Ukrainians. But we investigated and, it turns out, these images were taken out of context.
Read MoreFresh round of fake videos claim the Bucha massacre was staged

Fake: Ukraine “Forced” Schoolchildren to Study in Shelters “for PR”

Due to Russian aggression and occupiers' attacks on civilian infrastructure, only a third of Ukrainian schoolchildren have the opportunity to study full-time in a face-to-face format. More than 4,100 schools in Ukraine have been destroyed or damaged. That is why Ukrainian schools practice mixed methods - online and offline - in safe shelters underground.
Read MoreFake: Ukraine “Forced” Schoolchildren to Study in Shelters “for PR”

Fake: Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry Blackmails Germany to Get Weapons

Ukraine is preparing for a possible return of massive missile attacks by Russia on the country's energy system. In this context, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba noted that it is important for Ukraine to receive additional air defense equipment from its allies on the eve of winter.
Read MoreFake: Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry Blackmails Germany to Get Weapons

Fake: In Gaza Bucharest Will Save Ukrainians First, then Its Citizens

Romania has not made any statements that it is going to evacuate Ukrainian citizens from the Gaza Strip in the first place. Evacuation of citizens of all nationalities from the Gaza Strip is currently impossible.
Read MoreFake: In Gaza Bucharest Will Save Ukrainians First, then Its Citizens