Category War crimes

A year of disinformation around the war in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has been accompanied by a ferocious battle of disinformation, waged in particular by pro-Russian agitators seeking to distort and shift the blame for many atrocities on the ground. They have sought to depict the Ukrainian side as Nazis or suggest that Western support for Kyiv is evaporating. Here are some of the main narratives, false or misleading, that have been fact-checked over the past year by AFP's digital verification teams.

How one year of disinformation has shaped the narrative of the Ukraine war online

On February 24, 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion into Ukraine, triggering a war on the ground, but also an information war online. Since then, the FRANCE 24 Observers team has debunked 115 pieces of misinformation that have been shared in photos or videos online. But what are the main themes in these false narratives? And what techniques are used to misinform? Here's a look back at this year in fake news.

Fake: Ukrainians Calling Russian Children in Gas Hoax

An audio recording is being circulated online as "evidence" of Ukrainian
"sabotage", however the recording first surfaced online at least in 2018
when it was widely circulated in Kazakhstan.

Fake: Draft Notices Handed Out to Minors in Ukraine

The document being circulated online purported to be a Ukrainian draft notice is a fake. This document does not bear any similarity to an official Ukrainian draft notice, it contains the wrong category names and does not contain pertinent information that is part of a genuine draft notice. The term military commissariat is repeatedly used in the fake document. However, as of 2021 Ukrainian enlistment centers are called Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers. An analysis of the seal used in the document in question also shows that it was doctored and is not the seal of the Bila Tserkva Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center.

Fake: Humanitarian Agencies Killed Civilians and Looted in Soledar

Russian media claims that humanitarian agencies killed civilians and looted in Soledar are based on one "interview" with an alleged Soledar resident, an interview which is not supported by any other evidence. The Donetsk Region police have not documented any criminal actions against residents involving international or Ukrainian volunteers.

Does this video really show children on the front lines of the war in Ukraine?

Is Ukraine sending children to fight on the front lines of the war? That's what some people on social media are claiming. As proof, they cite a video showing three very young-looking soldiers, which has been circulating online since November 8. It turns out, however, that we could identify two of the three people pictured in the footage and they are young adults - 23 and 25 years old. Furthermore, our team spoke to the NGO Amnesty International, which said that it had no knowledge of documented cases of child soldiers in the Ukrainian Army.

Debunking claims that Ukraine is using child soldiers – Truth or Fake

The latest pro-Russian narrative in the war in Ukraine is that the Ukrainian army is sending children and teenagers to the frontline. To illustrate this claim, users are posting a video on Twitter that shows three young soldiers, claiming they are children. Our team were able to identify two of the three soldiers in the video. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

January 12, 2023
Children Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Protected groups & minorities Ukraine War crimes

FACT CHECK: Did This Satirical Magazine Feature An Image Of Zelenskyy Stealing From Jesus? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The image is digitally fabricated. There is no evidence that Charlie Hebdo published this cover.

Is Ukraine really developing a dirty bomb? Be careful of Russian claims

Ukraine is apparently in the process of developing a so-called dirty bomb - a bomb containing radioactive elements - or, at least, that's the narrative that Moscow has been peddling since October 23, 2022. The Russian Ministry of Defence posted these claims to Telegram and Twitter, along with illustrated documents meant to support these claims. But the images published in these documents are old and some of them were even taken in Russia.

Did Putin Suggest Russia Would Use Ukrainians as Human Shields?

True. The video of Putin saying Russian troops would "stand behind the people," and dare Ukrainian troops to "shoot their own people" is genuine. The statement was made during his 2014 press conference.

While it is unclear if he implied using them as human shields, he did specify "not in front of them, but behind," further supporting that interpretation.

October 21, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Russia Ukraine War crimes