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.
Putin Says Poland Wants To ‘Regain’ Western Ukraine?
Although Putin claimed that Poland wanted to “regain western territories of Ukraine,” that accusation was unsubstantiated and has never been been confirmed by any actions or declarations of Polish authorities.
Fact Check: Did NATO Just Place 300,000 Troops on High Alert After a Biden Gaffe?
The troops were placed on alert more than a year ago, and not in response to a statement from the president.
Old Italian rally photo falsely shared as ‘anti-war protest’ in Ukraine in Sept 2023
A photo of people gathering in a square has been viewed tens of thousands of times alongside a false claim it shows an anti-war protest in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in September 2023. The photo in fact predates Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine; it was taken in Turin, Italy in November 2018 and shows a rally to support the construction of a controversial train line.
Old Italian rally photo falsely shared as ‘anti-war protest’ in Ukraine in Sept 2023
A photo of people gathering in a square has been viewed tens of thousands of times alongside a false claim it shows an anti-war protest in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in September 2023. The photo in fact predates Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine; it was taken in Turin, Italy in November 2018 and shows a rally to support the construction of a controversial train line.
UN report details summary executions of civilians by Russian troops in northern Ukraine
KYIV (7 December 2022) – In the initial weeks of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian armed forces summarily executed or carried out attacks on individuals leading to the deaths of hundreds of civilians, the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner said today. A UN Human Rights report based on the work of the Mission details how Russian troops killed civilians in Ukrainian towns and villages across the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine from 24 February until 6 April 2022.
Bogner said the summary executions examined in the report may constitute a war crime. “There are strong indications that the summary executions documented in this report may constitute the war crime of willful killing,” she said.
Estonia Denies Link to Russian Airport Drone Strike
There was no reasoning provided for the claims shared online beyond the distance between Estonia’s border and Pskov.
However, the Estonian government has firmly denied the claims. A statement sent to Newsweek from a spokesman for the Government Office of the Republic of Estonia said: “This is false information.”
Ukraine Aid: Dispelling Myth That the Europe Isn’t Doing Its Fair Share
The argument that the Europeans are dodging their duties and letting Americans pick up the tab just doesn’t align with reality.
Old image of the former Ukraine Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on a yacht shared as recent
Old image of the former Ukraine Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on a yacht shared as recent
De-coding the myth of NATO expansionism
The Verdict False
This was based on a mistranslation. Ulf Kristersson said the opposite: that there was no reason for having nuclear weapons in Sweden in peacetime.
Did Elon Musk Turn Off Starlink Access in Crimea To Disrupt Ukrainian Attack?
On Sept. 7, 2023, major U.S. news outlets, including CNN and The Washington Post, reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had personally ordered access to the company’s Starlink satellite internet service “turned off” or “shut down” in Russia-occupied Crimea to disrupt a planned Ukrainian military attack there. The incident took place in 2022.
These reports were based, in turn, on a published excerpt from a then-soon-to-be-released book about Musk by Walter Isaacson.
However, as Musk objected immediately and Isaacson would clarify soon after, the claim that Musk had ordered Starlink coverage in Crimea “turned off” wasn’t entirely accurate. (Both CNN and The Washington Post subsequently corrected their reports.)
Photo manipulated to show Boris Johnson making Nazi salute
An image circulating online purports to show Boris Johnson raising his arm in a Nazi salute alongside three Ukrainians. But the photo is altered; in the original, the former United Kingdom prime minister is resting both hands by his sides.
No, the US did not send Ukraine $6 billion by mistake
The U.S. did not accidentally send Ukraine $6 billion in military aid, as some online have alleged. This claim misinterprets a Pentagon announcement in June that the agency had overestimated the value of weapons it sent to Ukraine.
Did Russia’s Defense Minister Admit Russia Won’t Win in Ukraine?
Misleading Material. Although Shoigu appeared to shrug off or dismiss the question of whether Russia will win, the clip of him shared on social media is edited. In the unedited version, the Russian defense minister goes on to say “We have no other option.”
The Top Myths about US Aid to Ukraine
As Congress debates additional support for Ukraine, the anti-Ukraine echo chamber will peddle myths and half-truths, including these four:
Myth: Washington is writing Kyiv “blank checks” that Americans cannot afford.
Myth: There is not enough oversight of US aid to Ukraine.
Myth: America is exponentially the largest donor to Ukraine.
Myth: Russia is a distraction. The US must focus on China.
Fact check: No evidence drone attack launched from Estonia or Latvia
A post shared on Facebook claims that a drone attack on a Russian airbase was launched from Estonia or Latvia.
Verdict: Misleading
There is no evidence that the attack was launched from Estonia or Latvia. Both countries denied the claim.
Old video of fight in Ukrainian parliament re-emerges on social media
Footage of a fight breaking out in Ukraine’s legislature being shared online was actually filmed in 2010.
Russia’s Wagner mercenaries landing in Niger? No, ‘breaking news’ video shot in 2006 – Africa Check
Niger’s coup leaders did reportedly ask Russia’s Wagner mercenaries help them hold on to power. But a video circulating online with the claim it shows a planeload of Wagner soldiers landing in Niger in 2023 is 17 years old.
Was Russia ready to sign a peace treaty with Ukraine in 2022?
Putin’s claims that a treaty was ready and acceptable for Ukraine in the spring of 2022 but was rejected by Ukraine are highly unlikely. The documents displayed at the June 17 meeting are likely to have been working drafts. The positions of the parties were too far apart, and Russia was not likely to abide by a ceasefire. A treaty would have to be signed by the presidents, and subject to a referendum in Ukraine.
Photo from Ukraine falsely shared as aftermath of Myanmar clash
As anti-junta forces reportedly captured a strategic military base in southern Myanmar, a photo surfaced in Burmese posts that falsely claimed it showed a foreign woman helping rebels loot pagodas in the battlefield. The picture was actually taken in a Ukrainian town damaged by heavy Russian attacks.
Fact check: ‘DW’ video on anti-Ukrainian sentiments is fake
An alleged DW video reports that refugees from Ukraine are being insulted with Wi-Fi network names in Poland. But it’s a fake.




















