Multiple posts on Facebook have claimed that a sharpshooting Canadian sniper known as Wali was killed by Russian special forces 20 minutes after he arrived on the frontline in Mariupol, Ukraine as a volunteer fighter. However, this is false; the man, a former Canadian Armed Forces sniper, dispelled the rumours of his death during a video call.

A recent Facebook post falsely claims that CNN footage from the war in Ukraine was faked, citing a firefighter’s jacket bearing the name of a Canadian city. But the footage was shot in Ukraine. The jacket was donated by a Canadian organization.

According to a survey carried out by the IT Ukraine Association, more than 70% of Ukrainian IT specialists work in parts of Ukraine that are safe, the remaining 16% who are mostly women, work abroad. These findings were confirmed by a survey conducted by the DOU IT portal which found that 61% of IT specialists surveyed moved to a safer place, 46% moved to safer places within Ukraine, 14% went abroad.

Two photos have been shared in a report that links them to a fire at a Ukrainian nuclear power plant following a Russian attack in March 2022. However, the images — viewed thousands of times — have been shared in a misleading context. Both photos predate the Russian attack: one image has circulated in reports since 2011 about an oil refinery fire in Japan, while the other has circulated in reports since January 2022 about a Russian military drill.

A photo of firefighters covered in soot has been shared thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows Ukrainian firemen working to “save lives” after the Russian invasion. Although Ukraine’s firefighters have been working at the sites of Russian air strikes since Moscow began bombarding Ukrainian cities, the image actually shows firefighters in Australia.

The Space Foundation removed Yuri Gagarin’s name from an upcoming fundraising event after it received derogatory and anti-Russia comments on its social media accounts. The organization did not revoke any formal honors from the cosmonaut. Exhibits related to Gagarin are still on display at the foundation’s gallery in Colorado, and his accomplishments will still be celebrated at the annual event, the group said. Our ruling A Facebook post claims, “the Space Foundation has erased the honors previously bestowed on Yuri Gagarin, the first man to ever be in space. His name was stripped ‘in light of current events.'” This is misleading. The Space Foundation removed Gagarin’s name from an event after it received derogatory and anti-Russian comments on its social media accounts due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the organization did not revoke any formal honors from the cosmonaut. Gagarin’s exhibits are still on display at the foundation and his accomplishments will still be celebrated at the event. The post contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.

A screenshot of CNN footage has been shared on social media alongside the claim that the channel falsified coverage of a fire in Ukraine, with the name “Edmonton” on a firefighter’s jacket cited as evidence. But the footage shows the aftermath of strikes in the city of Lviv, and the jacket was donated by a Canadian non-profit, the organization and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services say.

Social media posts claim that American news channel CNN reported that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing cases of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart. But the posts feature an altered image from a satire website with comments suggesting it was true, and the media company said the apparent newscast is a fake.

A Canadian charity has for years donated firefighter gear to Ukrainians. A jacket bearing the name of the city Edmonton that appeared in live CNN coverage in Ukraine came from the group, the charity said. An April 2019 Instagram post from the group shows piles of jackets bound for Ukraine. A 2018 post says: “Sharing more gear outside Lviv.” The second photo in this post shows someone holding up a jacket that says “Edmonton” that resembles the one that appears in the CNN broadcast. We rate claims that this jacket is evidence that CNN staged the scene, or that Lemon isn’t in Ukraine, False.

Verdict: False There is no evidence Bonov is the deputy commander of the Kyiv police.

The Dutch Police told StopFake that no such incident had actually taken place. There is also no information about such an incident on any local media.

Some social media accounts circulated this text, claiming it was a real quote from a speech that President Biden gave in Warsaw on Saturday, March 26. President Biden however, did not say these words, not during his Warsaw speech, nor during any of his other public appearances. StopFake analyzed his public speeches as well as transcripts of meetings with media for the period of Februarty 24 through March 26, 2022. We did not find this criticism or any similar criticisms to have been uttered by the American President regarding the Ukrainian government. On the contrary, an analysis of Biden’s speeches shows that the statements circulated on the Internet contradict the position of the White House and what the US President has actually said.

A video circulating online after Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine has racked up tens of thousands of views alongside a claim it shows members of the “Russian army choir” being arrested for singing about peace in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hometown of Saint Petersburg. In reality, the video corresponds to old footage published in reports since 2015 about a stunt staged to promote the James Bond film “Spectre”.

Russia has not achieved a complete success in any area in Ukraine and does not control a single strategic city. Western intelligence services have noted Ukraine’s Armed Forces transitioning from a defensive to a counteroffensive posture.

Russian media and pro-Russian Telegram channels are claiming that Maksym Marchenko, the head of Odesa’s Regional Military Administration, whom they refer to as the “Nazi governor” ordered the Khadzibey levee north-west from Odesa be wired with explosives. Ukraina.ru, Zavtra.ru and other pro-Kremlin publications also featured similar reports. According to the Russian media “the Nazis will blow up the levee in the event of a Russian attack and put the blame Russian saboteurs”

The young girl pictured in the photograph taken at the Zaporizhzhia Children’s Hospital is 13-year-old Milena, who was evacuated from Mariupol. This photograph was published in the French newspaper Liberation. After being wounded in the jaw, Milena was placed in an induced coma. As of March 26, some 65,000 people were able to escape the besieged port of Mariupol through Ukrainian organized humanitarian corridors.

A video viewed more than a million times has been shared alongside a claim it shows Russian troops parachuting into Ukraine following Moscow’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbour in February 2022. While there have been reports of Russian paratroopers being deployed as part of the invasion, this video has circulated since 2014 in a social media post about a military exercise conducted in Russia.

A video of a violent clash between demonstrators and police officers has been viewed tens of thousands of times on social media alongside a claim it shows Russians protesting against Putin’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. But while thousands were detained across Russia over Ukraine protests, the video had been shared in a misleading context. The footage has previously circulated in reports since January 2021 about a Chechen student who fought with riot police in Moscow during protests calling for the release of a Kremlin critic.

Fact Crescendo found out the image viral on social media claiming Prez. Zelensky showing the “V sign” gesture over Putin’s head was actually a digitally altered meme. The meme was digitally created using two separate stock images taken during the Normandy Four Summit held in France 2019 in which Russian and Ukrainian leaders were seen posing separately along with French Prez. Emmanuel Macron

A Facebook post claims that Russia created its own version of McDonald’s after the fast-food chain temporarily shut down operations in the country in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is misleading; DonMak opened in Ukraine’s separatist-controlled cities of Donetsk and Luhansk a few years after Russia’s conflict with Ukraine in 2014. The images in the post were taken in Ukraine, not Russia, several years ago.