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.
Fake: Ukrainian Resort Bukovel Saves Guests from Mobilization for Money
In a comment to StopFake, the resort’s press service denied the existence of such a service and noted that representatives of Territorial drafting centers have full access to the territory of Bukovel.
Fact Check: Did Zelensky Buy $20 Million Mansion in Florida?
Although Zelensky and his business partners had several offshore companies and properties, according to financial documents leaked in 2021, none of those assets are in Florida.
And the Florida home that purportedly belongs to him actually belongs to a couple who bought the property more than four years ago.
Manipulation: Polish and British Special Forces Have Been Fighting in Ukraine Since The Very…
We are talking about training and counseling of the Ukrainian military, which took place long before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As for the participation of the Poles, the book “Poland at War,” cited by the propaganda, confirms that they were withdrawn from the territory of Ukraine after the start of the [full-scale] war at the insistence of the Polish authorities.
FACT CHECK: No, AP Did Not Run A Headline Calling Biden ‘Corrupt’ And Zelenskyy A ‘Dictator’ | Check Your Fact
There is no evidence that the AP ran such a headline. An AP spokesperson denied the claim.
Did Zelenskyy Urge Western Countries, ‘Don’t Build Roads, Spend All of Your Money on Weapons’?
In the interview, Zelenskyy did say the words, “Do this: Not build roads for today. Don’t do it. Spend all your money to the weapon, to the drones, to the society, to the pensions, and et cetera. […] We have only one enemy, this is Putin, and that’s it.”
However, Zelenskyy was addressing Ukrainian leaders, not Western leaders. Moreover, he did not beg Western leaders to send all their money to Ukraine, as claimed.
FAKE: Leaked conversation of Zelenskyi with his wife, in which he criticizes Western partners
During the conversation, actors impersonating Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Olena Zelenska speak Ukrainian words in a Russian manner and with a Russian accent
Tucker Carlson Misrepresents Defense Secretary’s Remarks on U.S. Troops, Ukraine Aid
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III reportedly told House members that failure to provide more aid for Ukraine could lead to Russia’s invasion of a NATO ally and a direct U.S. military response in accordance with the NATO treaty. A viral post by Tucker Carlson misleadingly omits Austin’s explanation of why U.S. troops might be required.
Fake: Ukraine Recognizes a Person With One Leg As Fit for Military Service
A person with an amputated leg was never considered fit for military service. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, a person with a diagnosis of “unilateral amputated stump of the lower limb above the level of the upper third of the lower leg” is unfit for military service. In a comment to StopFake, a territorial center of recruitment and social support representative said that the document looks like a fake.
US celebrities tricked into recording videos urging Zelensky to go to rehab – Truth or Fake
In a new Russian disinformation campaign uncovered by Microsoft, celebrities such as Elijah Wood, Priscilla Presley and Mike Tyson have been tricked into recording a video via the Cameo app that was later doctored and used for anti-Zelensky propaganda. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
FACT CHECK: Have 13,000 Russian Troops Died In Russia’s Offensive On The Avdiivka-Novopavlivka Axis? | Check Your Fact
13,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded, according to U.S. intel. Politico later corrected its story.
Fake: Ukraine Arrests and Tortures American Blogger Gonzalo Lira “For Criticizing Zelenskyi”
Blogger Gonzalo Lira is in custody not for criticizing Volodymyr Zelenskyi, but for violating Article 436-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code – justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine. In particular, Lira publicly justified Russia’s attack on Ukraine, denied Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and mass killings of civilians in Bucha and other cities, revealed the location and identities of Western journalists and the Ukrainian military. Additionally, there is no evidence that any torture was used against Gonzalo Lira.
Fake: Ukrainian Government Tried to Sell Scythian Gold at Sotheby’s – Bloomberg
This news is fake, and the story of the attempted sale of Scythian gold is made up. Bloomberg did not publish such stories either on its website or in its social media. Currently, the archaeological objects known as Scythian gold from Crimea, returned to Ukraine from the Netherlands, are under close guard at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.
Video Fake: Ukrainian Military Leaving Their Positions in Bilohorivka
The video was most likely edited. There is a discrepancy between the facial expressions of the man and the words he is saying. In addition, the landscape and weather conditions depicted in the video suggest that the original video was filmed before winter began. Additionally, the press service of the 119th separate brigade of the Military Police in the Chernihiv region stated that the person in the video does not serve in their unit.
Fake: German Defense Minister Refuses to Consider Ukraine an Ally
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius did not say that Ukraine is not an ally of Germany. In an interview with the German TV channel ZDF, he only emphasized that Ukraine is not a NATO partner of Germany and therefore the format of providing it with military aid is different than if the “united West” were directly at war with Russia.
FACT CHECK: Video Claims To Show Russian Train Bombing | Check Your Fact
The video likely shows a gas pipeline explosion in March 2023, not the Russian train bombing.
FACT CHECK: Did Vladimir Putin Execute The ‘White Lung’ Doctor? | Check Your Fact
A post shared on Facebook purports Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly had Mikhail Abramovich, a physician working on a vaccine for White Lung Pneumonia, executed.
The claim is false and stems from a Dec. 1 article published by the satire site, Real Raw News.
FactChecking the Fourth GOP Primary Debate
Christie derided Ramaswamy’s plan for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying it would concede to Russia “all the land they’ve already stolen” and keep Ukraine from joining NATO (although Christie misspoke, saying the plan would keep Ukraine out of Russia). In exchange, Christie said, Ramaswamy would trust Russian President Vladimir Putin “not to have a relationship with China.”
Ramaswamy shot back, “That’s not my deal.”
But it seems to be a mostly accurate synopsis of what Ramaswamy had proposed in June and refers to as the “reasonable peace deal.”
FACT CHECK: No, BBC Did Not Publish A Video About Ukrainian Official Under Investigation For Sending Weapons To Hamas | Check Your Fact
A post shared on X, formerly Twitter, claims that BBC News published a video about a Ukrainian official being under investigation for sending weapons to Hamas.
Verdict: False
There is no evidence that BBC News published this video
The real story behind claims thar Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelens… | Prestige Yacht | TikTok
The real story behind claims thar Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy used millions in U.S. aid money to buy two yachts. #zelenskyy #ukraine?? #yacht #proxy #usaid #ukrainewar #greenscreen
Saving by Spending: The True Value and Cost-Effectiveness of U.S. Aid to Ukraine
While the rising number of billions the United States is spending on aid to Ukraine keeps growing, the cost of aid to Ukraine is almost certain to remain comparatively low when compared to the total cost of U.S. security, is a vital investment in deterring future Russian and Chinese aggression, and is likely to save the United States substantial amounts of national security spending in the future.