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FactChecking Pence’s Presidential Announcement

Pence gave the misleading impression that the Obama administration gave Ukraine no "military resources at all" after Russia's 2014 invasion. The U.S. provided nonlethal military aid, including training, vehicles and radar equipment.

The former vice president misleadingly accused the Biden administration of "giving Russia back a Nord Stream 2 deal," referring to a Russian natural gas pipeline to Germany that remains inoperable and under U.S. sanctions.

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FactChecking Chris Christie’s Presidential Announcement

Christie repeated the misleading claim that Barack Obama only provided "blankets" and "human rights aid" after Russia invaded regions of Ukraine in 2014. Obama's administration also provided Ukraine with nonlethal military aid, including training, vehicles and radar equipment.

He claimed that President Joe Biden initially said that "a small incursion" by Russia into Ukraine in 2022 "probably wouldn't be a problem." Biden said "Russia will be held accountable" for an invasion, but the U.S. response would depend on what Russia did.

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Military Equipment Traveling Back to U.S., Contrary to Social Media Posts

A U.S. Army combat team recently completed its European deployment as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a series of military exercises in support of NATO. The brigade has returned to Fort Hood, Texas, and its equipment will follow. But social media posts falsely claim the equipment shown in a video is "arriving in Europe" to aid Ukraine.

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Russian media campaign falsely claims Bucha deaths are fakes

Russian media campaign falsely claims Bucha deaths are fakes

As gruesome videos and photos of bodies emerge from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, Kremlin-backed media are denouncing them as an elaborate hoax — a narrative that journalists in Ukraine have shown to be false.

Denouncing news as fake or spreading false reports to sow confusion and undermine its adversaries are tactics that Moscow has used for years and refined with the advent of social media in places like Syria.

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Bucha killings: Satellite image of bodies site contradicts Russian claims

Bucha killings: Satellite image of bodies site contradicts Russian claims

A satellite image of Bucha in Ukraine appears to show bodies lying in the street nearly two weeks before the Russians left the town.

The image from 19 March, first reported by the New York Times and confirmed by the BBC, directly contradicts Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's claim that footage of bodies in Bucha, that has emerged in recent days, was "staged" after the Russians withdrew.

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Fact check roundup: What’s true and what’s false about the Russian invasion of Ukraine

False and misleading information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine has spread rapidly on social media since Russian forces launched a military assault in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 24.

Here’s a roundup of claims related to the Ukraine-Russia conflict analyzed by the USA TODAY Fact Check team.

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J.D. Vance says transgender rights drives looming conflict in Ukraine

Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance said the State Department's focus on transgender rights is inflaming the conflict with Russia in Ukraine.

Russia has placed as many as 150,000 troops near Ukraine's borders.

Russia has said Ukraine's ties to NATO are a key threat to Russia's national security.

Our ruling
Vance said that Biden risks war with Russia because Putin doesn't "believe in transgender rights."

There is a risk of war, but it is because of Russia's focus on Ukraine's ties to the west and the buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine's border.

The State Department noted the threats against transgender people as one issue among many in a report on human rights. It gave much more space to the danger posed by Russia's military policies in its most recent annual threat assessment.

The risk of war in Ukraine is not affected by Putin's attitude toward transgender rights.

We rate this claim Pants on Fire.

Update: This story has been updated to include a response we received from the Vance campaign shortly after initial publication.

Read MoreJ.D. Vance says transgender rights drives looming conflict in Ukraine