Source type Fact check / debunking

No, this photo of Ukrainians training for combat doesn’t prove the war is fake

A Reuters photo of Ukrainians training for combat is being used as supposed evidence that the war there is fake. It's not.

A screenshot of a tweet by conservative activist Jack Posobiec is spreading on social media as evidence that the war in Ukraine is staged.

Trudy Rubin, a foreign affairs columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote from outside of Kyiv in February that civilian trainees were "practicing with cardboard guns or plastic paintball guns or hunting rifles from home until they are provided military weapons."

Even members of the U.S. military have used paintball guns for training exercises.

The war in Ukraine is real, and it has been well-documented by reporters and citizens on the ground in the country.

We rate claims that this photo proves it's being staged Pants on Fire.

Read MoreNo, this photo of Ukrainians training for combat doesn’t prove the war is fake

Fake: Kadyrov Foundation Repairs Abandoned Hospital in Rubizhne

The Rubizhne Central City Hospital Infectious Diseases Department was restored back in 2017 with funds from the United Nations Development Program and the Government of Japan. According to Serhiy Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, before the war, the infectious diseases department of the city hospital in Rubizhne had state of the art modern equipment and was considered one of the best in Ukraine.

Read MoreFake: Kadyrov Foundation Repairs Abandoned Hospital in Rubizhne

Fake: Kyiv Lying that Russia Has Lost a Third of Its Army in Ukraine…

Ukraine is not the only country saying that Russia has incurred significant losses in its war against Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense has also said the same thing. Russian allegations that Ukraine is "producing propaganda that even the West does not believe" are simply lies. The heavy losses of the Russian army are becoming increasingly obvious not only to Ukrainians, but also to foreign analysts.

Read MoreFake: Kyiv Lying that Russia Has Lost a Third of Its Army in Ukraine…

Baby formula donations to Ukraine not linked to U.S. shortage

• A Mississippi nonprofit, Operation Ukraine, sent $10,000 worth of baby formula to Ukraine in March.

• There is no evidence that the donated formula contributed to current U.S. baby formula shortages, which are attributed to supply chain problems that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the recall of some formula that led to a manufacturing plant shutdown.

Causes of the U.S. shortage are described by Bloomberg as "​​long-term economic pressures collid(ing) with a sudden supply shock." The long-term issues are related to the pandemic, which led to supply chain and shipping disruptions, as well as labor shortages. And the supply shock, Bloomberg explained, came when Abbott Laboratories recalled its baby formula and shut down a Michigan manufacturing plant because of concerns about contamination.

The claim that donations of baby formula to Ukraine are related to the current U.S. shortage is unfounded. We rate it False.

Read MoreBaby formula donations to Ukraine not linked to U.S. shortage

Fake: Ukraine Distributed Counterfeit Money Infected with Tuberculosis in Occupied Donbas

This fake was debunked back in 2020. Then, Ukrainian volunteers dropped leaflets in the form of rubles over Russian occupied Luhansk territories. The leaflets were not infected. However, the situation with tuberculosis in the occupied territories is dire and made even worse by the current Russian war against Ukraine.

Read MoreFake: Ukraine Distributed Counterfeit Money Infected with Tuberculosis in Occupied Donbas

Fake: Ukrainian Nationalists Shelling Kherson

The Ukrainian army is not shelling temporarily occupied Kherson. Information about powerful explosions in the city center on May 12 were not confirmed by local media nor was any evidence of such explosions provided by Russian journalists or authorities. The Russian invading army continues to shell the Kherson region with phosphorous shells and it continues shooting at convoys of civilians trying to leave the occupied territories.

Read MoreFake: Ukrainian Nationalists Shelling Kherson

Manipulation: UK Deporting Ukrainian Refugees to Rwanda

In order to crack down on smuggling routes across the English Channel, the UK may deport to Rwanda those who entered the country illegally, failed UK security checks or made unnecessary secondary movements from countries deemed safe. Currently, there are two safe and legal routes in the UK for Ukrainian refugees to enter the country - the Ukraine family scheme and the Homes for Ukraine program.

Read MoreManipulation: UK Deporting Ukrainian Refugees to Rwanda

How to Terminate Russian Disinformation

By Zviad Adzinbaia, for CEPA

Russia's failed invasion of Ukraine can pave the way to ending the Kremlin's weaponized disinformation against the West.
Twitter limited more than 300 Russian government accounts last month, including that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The move followed the European Union's (EU) 27 February ban on Russia's two state-run propaganda outlets, RT and Sputnik, three days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Meta followed by "restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU."

These measures set a precedent to clear Russia's disinformation networks from Western media and social media space.

Read MoreHow to Terminate Russian Disinformation