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 Fake: Ukrainian Refugee Complaining About Living in Europe
The video circulating online is satirical and its author is not and has
never been a ‘Ukrainian refugee in Europe.’ The woman from the video
permanently lives in Ukraine and films many satirical sketches on TikTok.
However, Russian propaganda used the 48-second joke video to once again
discredit Ukrainian refugees.
Old video falsely shared as anti-Putin protest in Russia in May 2023
A video has surfaced in social media posts that falsely claim it shows protesters rallying against Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in May 2023. While Russians have genuinely protested against Putin’s war in Ukraine, the footage shows an anti-Kremlin protest in May 2013.
Does the Russian Army Use a Drone Named ‘Supercum’?
Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian unmanned vehicles originally identified as “Supercum” drones.
Fake: NATO Certain Ukrainian Counteroffensive Will Fail
Former Commander of US Forces in Europe, Ben Hodges, said nothing about the “future failure” of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. On the contrary, the general expressed cautious optimism regarding the effectiveness of the Ukrainian army in operations against Russian occupiers.
Fake: Ukrainian Football Association Announces Matches “in Memory of 300,000 Fallen Soldiers”
The Russian media spread the video with grammatical errors in the accompanying text, which appears to have been written by a person who does not speak Ukrainian. In addition, propaganda announced matches that do not correspond to the official Premier League schedule. In a comment to StopFake, the Ukrainian Football Association also denied the information spread by Russian media.
Dated photo at Moscow refinery is misrepresented as wartime image
A photo of a burning building is being shared on Twitter alongside claims it shows a fire at a factory supplying aircraft engines to Russia’s military amid its war in Ukraine. This is false; the image first appeared in 2018 and shows an oil refinery that caught fire, according to reports from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Moscow and news articles from the time.
Fake: Zelenskyi Wears Nazi Symbols to Vatican
The stylized Ukrainian coat of arms on President Zelenskyi’s sweatshirt is one of many other variations of the Ukrainian trident, which has been used in state heraldry for centuries.
Are These Before-and-After Pics of the Same Location in Bucha, Ukraine?
Claim: A pair of photographs shows the same location in Bucha, Ukraine, following Russia’s withdrawal in April 2022 and roughly a year after efforts to rebuild were undertaken.
Rating: True
Manipulation: Zelensky Talking the Pope Out of Negotiations and Peace
The New York Times article does not claim that Ukraine opposes peace and negotiations. On the contrary, it emphasizes that the main topic of the meeting between President Zelenskyi and the Pope was precisely the Peace Formula – the Ukrainian scenario for the end of the war. At the same time, Zelenskyi really considers the negotiations with Putin meaningless.
Fake: Greece Opposes Supplying Ukraine with Weapons
Greece pledged military assistance to Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression. The country’s defense minister has stated that Greece ‘will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.’
Manipulation: Ukrainian Intelligence Chief Budanov Calls to Kill All Russians
The Ukrainian Intelligence Chief of the Defense Ministry did not call to kill all Russians. In his interviews, Kyrylo Budanov emphasized that anyone who committed war crimes in Ukraine will be found and liquidated in any part of the world. He never called for killing Russians on national grounds, as the Russian media reported. Such narratives are another Russian propagandist attempt to present Ukraine as a country of flourishing Nazism.
Fake: Ukrainians Forced to Join Estonian Military, Threatened With Deportation
In response to StopFake’s request, the Ukrainian Embassy in Estonia claimed that Ukrainians are not being drafted into the Estonian army. The official website for refugees in Estonia has no information about this obligation for Ukrainian citizens as well.
Parties in Kyiv nightclubs in the midst of war? Watch out for these misleading images
A video compilation that has been circulating since May 3 claims to show that – despite the war – the party is in full swing in Kyiv’s nightclubs, taking advantage of foreign donations to Ukraine’s war effort. Most of these images date from before the war, however, and some of the establishments where they were filmed have been closed since the conflict began in February 2022.
Was Russian Victory Day Tank Sent to Ukraine After Parade?
Misleading Material. The video shared on Twitter is from a Russian parade in 2018. While similar to the tank used in the recent Victory Day parade, it is not the same vehicle.
Although we cannot say with certainty that the Victory Day parade tank hasn’t been or won’t be used in the war against Ukraine, there is no evidence to suggest that it or others of the same model will or have been used, least of all because they were manufactured dating to World War II.
Was Russia’s Only ‘Victory Day’ Tank Actually Built in Ukraine?
While there is some truth to the tweet about the tank, it doesn’t tell the full story. The T-34 was developed in 1939-1940 in Kharkiv, then part of the Moscow-controlled Soviet Republic of Ukraine at Plant Number 183. Production was later moved to the Russian cities of Omsk, Nizhny Tagil, and Nizhny Novgorod due to (later confirmed) fears of German invasion. […]
According to Zaloga, the turret on the tank in the Victory Day parade indicated that it was likelier built in Nizhny Tagil, where a redesign called the T-34-85 was built.
Are These Real Videos of People Partying in Kyiv, Ukraine, During Wartime?
Since the Russian invasion in February 2023, the city has been under various levels of curfew.
Manipulation: Ukraine Drives Up Criminal Activity in Eastern Europe
The April 24 article on the French news Atlantico website does not claim that crime in Eastern Europe has skyrocketed because of Ukraine. The story refers to the so-called Carpathian gray zone, an area used by criminal groups from various countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia, to traffic prohibited goods to the EU. According to Xavier Raufer, the article’s author, the increased flow through the Carpathian zone is caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine and its blockade of Ukrainian ports.
Did Ukraine Attack the Kremlin in Russia With Drone Strikes?
Videos on social media purportedly showed the Kremlin being attacked and smoke emerging from behind the building.
Putin didn’t ‘shut down’ all Russian oil to the U.S. It’s already banned.
This isn’t accurate. The U.S. banned all imports of Russian oil, natural gas and coal in March 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.
A caption on an April 26 viral Facebook video claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin “just SHUTDOWN All Oil To The US, Collapsing The US Economy!”
Oil prices have dropped in recent days, but market experts credit that largely to weak demand and economic jitters over banking. This is the opposite of what would be expected with prices if this claim were accurate.
It’s not. This claim is Pants on Fire!
Fake: Ukraine Will Blow Up Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant During Counteroffensive, US Confirms
The US delivered to Ukraine sensors that detect a surge of radiation. This is solely caused by Russia’s nuclear blackmail, not the Ukrainian army’s actions or plans.