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.
Did Zelenskyy Say He Would ‘Exchange’ Belgorod for NATO Membership?
Claim: Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said that “we are ready to exchange Belgorod for Ukraine’s membership in NATO.”
Rating: Correct Attribution
Context: Belgorod is a Russian city.
Is Ukraine Aid Being Spent on Hiring Sex Workers for Soldiers?
Kyiv is not spending money hiring sex workers for injured soldiers, as the post on X claims.
The post quotes part of a BBC article about a rehabilitative service for Ukrainian soldiers run by a support organization called Veteran Hub. It does not employ sex workers and there is no evidence that funding provided to Ukraine or Ukrainian government spending has been used in this way.
Russian nuclear bombers land in South Africa ahead of 2023 Brics summit? No, video from 2019 – Africa Check
Russian nuclear bombers land in South Africa ahead of 2023 Brics summit? No, video from 2019
Joe Biden’s Aid to Hawaii vs Ukraine Aid Compared: What We Know
Some Republicans and conservative commentators questioned President Joe Biden’s priorities after the government announced a further $200 million of security assistance for Kyiv as it battles Russia’s invasion, on the same day that people affected by the fires in Hawaii were offered $700 a household.
This is not the totality of the federal aid that will go to Maui, however. Although some figures have been released, the disaster recovery effort is in its early stages and further disbursements are expected in the days and weeks to come.
US military deployed helicopters, personnel to help those in Maui | Fact check
The claim: The US hasn’t shown support ‘surge’ for Maui like it did for Ukraine
Our rating: False
No, This Isn’t a Real Headline About ‘Five TikTok Dances You Can Do to Support Ukraine’
Claim: A headline from an actual news organization in 2022 suggested: “Here’s 5 Tik-Tok dances you can do to help Ukraine fight Russia.”
Rating: Originated as Satire
Ukraine training exercise misrepresented as staged combat
Social media posts claim a video of two camouflaged individuals dragging a man shows an attempt to stage footage of Ukrainian troops in combat. This is false; the clip was filmed by a center that offers military skills training for civilians.
Ukraine water sprinklers predate Russian invasion, US wartime assistance
Social media users are claiming a video shows Ukrainians in Kyiv cooling off under a water spray system set up during the war. This is false; the city’s use of sprinklers predates Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine not recruiting Canadians to fight in war against Russia
Social media posts claim Ukraine has asked the Canadian government to send residents of Ukrainian descent to fight in the war against Russia. This is false; both countries told AFP there is no such recruitment campaign.
Photos of French villa falsely tied to Ukrainian defense minister
Social media posts claim photos show a multimillion-dollar property recently purchased by the daughter of Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov. This is false; the luxury villa in Cannes, France has been on the market since October 2021, according to a real estate firm and the owners of the house.
Edited video falsely shared with claim Ukraine’s Zelensky welcomed ‘robot warrior’
A video has been shared hundreds of times on social media alongside the false claim it shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcoming a “robot warrior” that arrived in the country in July 2023. The clip has in fact been digitally manipulated to add the robot and the original footage shows Zelensky with British leader Rishi Sunak at an army camp in south England.
Old photos resurface with false claim that they show British ships ‘bombed in Ukraine’
Two photos have been shared in social media posts alongside false claims that they show the aftermath of British cargo ships bombed by the Russian air force in a port in Odesa in southern Ukraine on July 16, 2023. However, the photos were in fact taken in Libya and Indonesia respectively and predate Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Old photos resurface with false claim that they show British ships ‘bombed in Ukraine’ | Fact Check
Two photos have been shared in social media posts alongside false claims that they show the aftermath of British cargo ships bombed by the Russian air force in a port in Odesa in southern Ukraine on July 16, 2023. However, the photos were in fact taken in Libya and Indonesia respectively and predate Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Posts falsely claim Ukraine cathedral destruction was staged
Social media posts claim footage of people easily removing debris from a Ukrainian cathedral after a Russian air strike proves the attack was faked. This is false; AFP and other news outlets covered the destruction, and the original video appears to show a woman carrying pieces of lightweight insulation.
Debunker: ‘NATO threatens Russia on its borders’
Uncover the truth behind Kremlin’s claims of NATO’s threat to Russia with Debunk.org’s analysis on NATO’s defensive stance and Russia’s disinformation narrative.
Tokyo video doctored to add anti-Zelensky billboard
A video circulating online appears to show a prominent digital billboard in Japan saying, “Stop war” and “Stop Zelenskyy.” But the clip has been doctored; the sign featured people — not the anti-Ukraine message — in otherwise matching footage posted to YouTube in 2020, prior to Russia’s invasion.
Are Wagner fighters disguised as migrants?
Claim: “The Wagnerians are entering Poland as migrants – claims Polsat News,” users posted on X (previously known as Twitter). They are referring to the Polish media outlet Polsat News as the alleged source of that information. “People are sure that illegal immigrants from Belarus are entering the country, who are in fact fighters of the PMC Wagner,” one of the users adds.
DW fact check: Unproven
Is Ukraine Photo of Organ Harvesting Victims’ ‘Mass Grave’?
The photo in the tweet is not of an organ harvesting site in Kharkiv, but an exhumation in Lyman, Ukraine, from October 2022.
The photo depicts the uncovering of a mass grave in Lyman about a week after Ukrainian troops reclaimed the formerly Russian-occupied city. It has nothing to do with the material the tweet describes.
Did Tokyo Billboard Show ‘Stop War, Stop Zelensky’?
False. The video of the anti-Zelensky billboard in Shibuya, Japan, is fake. It was edited from a popular clip that’s been on YouTube for more than two years and viewed more than eight million times. There is no evidence that any such billboard has been displayed in Shibuya, one of the busiest and most popular neighborhoods in Tokyo, Japan.
No, this video doesn’t show Ukrainian soldiers ‘giving up without a fight’
Pro-Russian social media accounts have been widely sharing a video that they claim shows Ukrainian soldiers surrendering to the Russian army en masse. The video, however, actually shows a prisoner swap between the Russian state-funded paramilitary group, the Wagner Group, and the Ukrainian army in May 2023.