Latest fact checks & sources

The footage does not depict Pakistani forces shooting down an Indian drone. Rather, it shows a Russian drone falling outside Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Propagandists distorted the content of the publication. In fact, the columnist expressed his personal opinion on why such a move would be appropriate from a political point of view.

This “decree” is fake and does not appear on the official website of the President of Ukraine. The “document” contains glaring formatting and structural inconsistencies and attributes powers to the head of state that he does not possess: exemption from conscription on the basis of kinship is not provided for by Ukrainian law. Meanwhile, an authentic decree numbered 273/2025 does exist, but it concerns the awarding of the title Hero of Ukraine and has nothing to do with military recruitment – its content has been completely falsified to create a manipulative narrative.

Representatives of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Andrew in Toronto have denied claims that a portrait of Symon Petliura hangs in the sanctuary or that the Ukrainian historical figure is being honoured as a “saint”. The portrait of Petliura is in a parish hall, not on the altar, and is therefore not an icon. Furthermore, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC) is an independent church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is not a parish of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).

What was claimed: According to Der Spiegel, German intelligence have just arrested two suspected Russia spies who had US defence secretary Pete Hegseth’s private phone number in their mobiles. Our verdict: A spokesperson for Der Spiegel confirmed it did not publish such a story.

What was claimed: A video shows Russian president Vladimir Putin laughing with his face in his hands during a comedy routine in which Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears to play the piano with his penis, before he became president of Ukraine. Our verdict: False. These two clips are from different events and have been edited together to misleadingly make it appear as if President Putin was in the audience for the routine.

There is no evidence that such ads were posted in Lisbon.

WHAT WAS CLAIMED: A BBC report reveals a Russian missile victim who met Prince Harry is a fraud. OUR VERDICT: False. The BBC report is fake and the boy is a genuine victim of a Russian missile attack.

The story by the British tabloid The Sun on this topic is fabricated, and the comment by a royal expert in it is taken from an old video on a completely different topic.

No such cardinal exists, and his photo was generated by artificial intelligence. In addition, the Vatican Bank does not hold accounts for governments, foreign individuals or clients unrelated to the Catholic Church or the Holy See.

This whole news is made up. Zelensky has never made such statements, and the text itself is full of logical errors.

In reality, the Ukrainian media did not report such information, and the “debunking” publication on Politico is fabricated.

On the contrary, Metropolitan Epiphanius expressed his sincere condolences on the Pope’s death, noting that Pope Francis had dedicated his life to serving God, spreading the Christian faith and launching numerous humanitarian initiatives to help those in need.

There is no evidence in the video of the presence of the TCC, military personnel or document checks. In fact, the ‘Easter races’ are a regional tradition: it is believed that the first person to return home after church will have good luck and prosperity on their land for the next year.

The fragment of the greeting that is being shared online was created specifically for a foreign audience. The president congratulated Ukrainians in state language.

WHAT WAS CLAIMED: The BBC reported on a foiled attempt by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s wife Olena to flee Ukraine. OUR VERDICT: False. The news report is fake and is believed to be part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Claim: A Fox News broadcast labeled Kyiv (the capital of Ukraine) a Russian city on Easter 2025. Rating: Mostly true. What’s True: The mistake appeared on LiveNOW from Fox, a news service delivered by Fox Television Stations. What’s False: However, while LiveNOW from Fox and Fox News are both part of the Fox Corporation, they are not interchangeable nor run by the same business within the corporation.

The Israeli police have not reported the arrest of Ukrainians for preparing a terrorist attack in Jerusalem. Nor has the Times of Israel, the multilingual online Israeli newspaper quoted by the propagandists, published any video containing such information.

The US State Department has shut down its Global Engagement Center, which aimed to counter disinformation from countries including Russia, China and Iran. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed on Wednesday that the centre restricted free speech in the US and elsewhere.

Ukraine has no connection to the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump by American citizen Ryan Root. The only link between Root and Ukraine is that he allegedly tried to buy a rocket launcher and a surface-to-air missile from someone he believed to be a Ukrainian arms dealer. However, it remains unclear whether this seller was in fact a Ukrainian citizen. Root also communicated with other illegal arms dealers in the US, as well as smugglers from Mexico who allegedly helped him escape the country after the attempt on Trump’s life. According to court documents, Root had no links to the Ukrainian government or military leadership.