Fact checks: from across the internet
Ukraine Fact Check presents fact checks on Ukraine in two different ways. Our team works to:
1. index and tag existing fact-check articles from reputable sources from across the internet;
2. compile and publish original fact check articles, based our team’s own research into a subject.
Below, you can find the fact-check articles published by other websites across the internet.
Disclaimer: Ukraine Fact Check was not involved in producing the articles listed below. The information presented in them may be incorrect, incomplete, or misleading. As with any other type of article, read with a critical eye, check sources, and seek other opinions before making up your mind on important topics.
Video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Belly Dancing Is a Deepfake | BOOM
BOOM found that the video is not real and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s face has been morphed on another dancer’s face.
Fact Check: Image of NYT headline on ‘low’ civilian casualties in Ukraine is fake | Reuters
The New York Times did not publish a headline saying Western military experts were bewildered by low civilian casualties in Ukraine. The headline in the circulating screenshot has been altered from an authentic article published by the outlet in late December on Russian airstrikes on Ukraine.
How to verify a photo online and fight the spread of misinformation
You just received a photo on WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter. The image makes you angry, sad or joyful, and the caption encourages you to share it as widely as possible. You’re a little cautious, however, because the story seems too good to be true. You are right to be careful. Here are a few tips for verifying images and tracing a photo’s origin on your own.
Dig deeper with these advanced verification tools
If you’ve been brushing up on the FRANCE 24 Observers’ verification guide, then you now have the know-how to verify images with a reverse image search or check for edits with some forensic tools. You should also have the basic instincts needed to be wary when scrolling through social media. This guide will show you some more advanced verification techniques that can help you dig a bit deeper into the origins of a post or a page.
Zelenskyy belly dancing video is a deepfake – Full Fact
WHAT WAS CLAIMED: A video shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy belly dancing at an event.
OUR VERDICT: The footage is not genuine. It has been digitally altered, and President Zelenskyy’s face has been imposed onto the dancer’s using deepfake techniques.
FACT CHECK: Kim Jong Un And Vladimir Putin Video Edited To Show The Two Refusing To Drink From Glasses After Toasting | Check Your Fact
The caption reads, “When Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong UN met and none of them was willing to drink first.”
The claim is inaccurate. The video has been edited to remove the moment that they drink. The full video shows that they did drink. The video shows the two toasted each other and then the other people at the table and then were clearly seen drinking.
Russia did not invade Ukraine to stop a NATO genocide in eastern regions
The Verdict: False.
There is no evidence that the people of eastern Ukraine were subject to systematic extermination. […]
The claim was spread widely after [Russian Foreign Affairs official] Maria Zakharova […] stated in February 2022 that there was a “systematic extermination of the Donbas population.” However, an OSCE monitoring mission active in Ukraine since 2014 has found no evidence of mass targeted killings of civilians in the Donbas region. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not provided any proof to back up Zakharova’s claim.
Russian Nationalist Channels Fabricate YouTube Data to Claim Ukrainians Don’t Listen to Ukrainian Musicians
“It’s just that YouTube Music published the TOP artists
in Ukraine. Not a single performer in Ukrainian.”
That is false.
Musicians singing in Ukrainian dominated all of YouTube’s weekly charts of top artists in Ukraine in 2023 as shown in YouTube’s own data.
FACT CHECK: Video Does Not Show F-16s In Ukraine | Check Your Fact
The F-16 in the video was digitally created as part of an ad. While F-16s
are being provided to Ukraine, it has not been confirmed that the aircraft
are in the country’
FACT CHECK: X Image Features Fake New York Times Headline About Putin ‘Conquering Ukraine’ | Check Your Fact
A New York Times spokesperson confirmed the headline was ‘fabricated’ in an email to Check Your Fact
War in Ukraine: In 2023, Russian disinformation continued to dominate
Out of the 197 fact-checking articles our team wrote in 2023, 52 of them concerned the war in Ukraine. And 50 of those highlighted pro-Russian disinformation aimed at discrediting Kyiv and the Ukrainian war effort.
FACT CHECK: Facebook Video Does Not Show CNN Ad Mentioning Ukraine | Check Your Fact
The Facebook video purports to show a CNN advertisement mentioning Ukraine on a billboard in Times Square. Kyiv is all over. Will the Russians stop there or go further? Discover this and more on Political Briefing, the text of the alleged advertisement reads. The video’s caption claims ‘few people believe Ukraine will win’ its ongoing war with Russia.
The video is not authentic, however. CNN spokesperson Emily Kuhn denied the video’s authenticity in an email to Reuters.
FACT CHECK: Facebook Post Makes False Claim About Putin, Schwab | Check Your Fact
A post shared on Facebook claims Russian President Vladimir Putin purportedly declared World Economic Forum (WEF) chairperson Klaus Schwab to be a ‘legitimate military target’
The claim is false and stems from a Dec. 13 article published by The People’s Voice, a website that is known for spreading ‘fake news.’
How pro-Russian ‘yacht’ propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid
A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money. Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending.
It was an incredible assertion – using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts. But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.
Photo of Hawaiian park falsely shared as ‘Putin’s private villa’
A photo of a building complex inside a massive volcanic crater has been repeatedly shared in social media posts that falsely claim it shows a private villa owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In fact, the picture shows the Diamond Head Crater in Hawaii, a state park owned and maintained by the US government.
Fake: Ukrainian Serviceman Sent to Avdiyivka to Die for Posting a Tik Tok
The author of the TikTok video is alive and was never sent to the frontlines in Avdiyivka. StopFake managed to track him down and the serviceman refuted the information spread by propaganda.
No, Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t buy a villa in Florida
Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky buy a house in Florida? And did he get American citizenship? Those are the rumors circulating on social media along with a couple of photos. However, the villa that appears in the photos is still up for sale and the certificate of nationality is fake, making this the latest example of fake news stories implying that Ukrainian officials are using international aid money for personal purposes.
No, Ukraine’s Zelensky did not buy a lavish mansion in Florida – Truth or Fake
A few days after Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington, social media accounts are claiming that the Ukrainian president recently bought a mansion in Florida. The posts show pictures of a lavish mansion and a document that looks like a US naturalisation certificate under his name. But both photos are fake: Zelensky did not buy a house in the US, nor did he become a US citizen.
Fake: Elon Musk Wants to Receive Russian Passport and Thinks Putin Is “Not a…
An excerpt from a broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), in which Elon Musk praises Putin and Russia, was generated by a neural network and shared initially by Russian sources. The original recording of the broadcast with Musk, where he says no such thing, is available online.
Manipulation: Former NATO Commander Praises Russian Army and Give Up on Ukrainian Forces
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis did not say that the Russian army is significantly superior to the Ukrainian army, and certainly did not “give up on the Ukrainian army.” He only noted that the Russian army currently has a significant advantage in aviation. In his column on the Bloomberg website, Stavridis emphasizes the importance of further military support for Ukraine from its Western partners. The ex-military officer also notes that, with sufficient means, Ukraine “will at a minimum be able to hold off further significant Russian land gains.”