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.
Online claims misrepresent White House remarks on Ukraine military aid | Fact Check
[T]he president did not threaten to deploy US troops to fight Russia if the budget was not approved. Instead, he was warning of what may happen if Russian forces were to expand into any of the NATO territories neighboring Ukraine, which the United States is bound by treaty to help.
This Is a Real Photo Of Putin Speaking with Other Leaders at an Enormous Table | Snopes.com
Claim: A photo authentically shows Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking with regional leaders at an enormous but sparsely populated table.
Rating: True
[…] Putin’s public appearances often involve abnormally long or large tables, which has been a consistent source of speculation and mockery since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
FACT CHECK: No, The New York Times Did Not Report On ‘Low Amount’ Of Civilian Casualties In Ukraine | Check Your Fact
The New York Times did not publish this article, a spokesperson for the
outlet confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact.
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.
FALSE: Verkhovna Rada has adopted a law that will make the English language the main language in Ukraine
This is not true. Doctors did not mention the figure of 30,000 deaths and injuries per month. This information was voiced by Yurii Lutsenko. According to estimates by researchers from the “Book of Memory of the Fallen for Ukraine,” Ukraine’s losses amount to over 30,000 deaths and about 100,000 wounded in 2022-2023.
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.