Latest fact checks & sources

In a comment for StopFake, the 117th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade in the Sumy region claimed that this information is fake. There is even no 153rd brigade in the Armed Forces. Instead, the 153rd separate battalion of the territorial defense was formed in Shostka at the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. In Ukraine, only citizens over the age of 18 are considered conscripts and can be drafted.

This is not an authentic video of Volodymyr Zelenskyy performing a belly dance. The original video, published on June 1, 2023, showed Pablo Acosta, a dancer from Argentina. When we compared the “Zelenskyy” video to the one published on @pabloacostabellydance Instagram account, it became clear that the viral footage had been digitally manipulated to superimpose Zelenskyy’s face on Acosta’s body. Therefore, we rated this claim as Fake.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ International Security Program: “Measured by percentage of GDP, the United States at .3% is behind most European countries, with 30 others ahead of the United States. Measured as a percentage of the defense budget, military aid to Ukraine (excluding humanitarian assistance, economic support, and money going to other US agencies) comes to about 3.5% of the defense budget over the two fiscal years of the war. This may be the 3.5% that Haley referred to. I don’t have comparisons to other countries. The number needs to be handle cautiously, however, because all the Ukraine aid was added to the budget and did not come out of DoD base budget.” “Bottom line: measured by dollars, the United States is far ahead of other countries. Measured by level of effort, percentage of GDP, many countries exceed the US effort,” Cancian added.

Former American adult actress of Lebanese origin Mia Khalifa did not thank Ukraine for helping the Islamic movement Hamas. Neither USA TODAY, which is cited by Russian propaganda, nor any other reputable media outlets have published news with words of gratitude to Ukraine from Mia Khalifa.

Employing security officers is a standard practice for companies that organize passenger transportation. The main task of the officers is not to detect those disloyal to the authorities, as the propagandists claim, but to control security at railway facilities, primarily with the aim of preventing citizens from transporting explosive and other prohibited substances and weapons without proper permission.

There is no police investigation claiming that the family of Shani Louk, who was killed by Hamas, received ransom calls from Ukraine. Neither the German media WDR, cited by the propagandists, nor any other credible sources published such news. Propaganda used the signature style of the German media to justify Hamas and denigrate Ukraine.

Halloween was not celebrated in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine temples. In the original video, the choir performs the church song How Beautiful is Your Temple, Mother of God, and not the song dedicated to evil spirits holiday. In addition, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church publicly condemns any celebration of Halloween.

The Ukrainian Forces Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhny, did not say anything of the sort. This video is a high-quality fake, a so-called deepfake, created using artificial intelligence.

The odds of a shutdown increase the longer Congress goes without reaching a spending agreement. With cuts looming, people asked if aid to Ukraine would halt, too. ANSWER: Yes, American assistance to Ukraine is among the military programs exempt from the impact of a government shutdown.

The claim: Video shows USA TODAY report that Zelenskyy’s security guard ‘started a drunken brawl’ in New York The video has been altered. USA TODAY did not report such an incident.

The video evidence of the incident, allegedly published in an American media outlet, is a poorly made forgery, full of errors.

A post shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, claims to show a satellite image of the aftermath of the recent Ukrainian strike in Crimea. Verdict: False The image is from an August 2022 Ukrainian attack.

There is no evidence, though, that this occurred. Check Your Fact did not find any credible news outlets reporting on the alleged billboard. Instead, multiple outlets, including fact-checking website Snopes, reported that the billboard was a viral fake.

Verdict: This video was altered. Erin Watkins, general counsel for [billboard owner] Big Outdoor, told PolitiFact that “Glory to Urine” never appeared on the billboard and that the “original video that was used to create the doctored images appears to be at least over a year old.” “The images are 100% fake,” Watkins said.

This stamp does not exist. In a comment to StopFake, Ukrposhta denied this information. The list of issued stamps can be seen on the post office’s official website, and the propaganda’s made-up stamp with the SS “Galicia” veteran is not among them.

A post shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, claims Sweden confirmed that the 10 tanks it sent to Ukraine were destroyed. Verdict: Misleading There is no evidence that Sweden confirmed that these tanks have been destroyed. Two of the 10 have been confirmed as damaged by video.

A viral post claims Ukraine surrendered to Russia. The photo is not recent and suspected to be part of a Russian misinformation campaign from April 2022.

PolitiFact found nothing to substantiate claims that a Burisma accountant was “found dead” before she could provide incriminating evidence on the Biden family. We traced this viral headline to a site known for publishing misinformation. The narrative appears to have stemmed from an unclear comment made by Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s former attorney.

Ireland’s Justice Ministry stated that they have never sent such letters to Ukrainian citizens.

A viral image shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, purports to show former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson giving a raised arm salute at a recent public event. Verdict: False The image is digitally altered. The image was originally shared to the platform by user @smak_media, who admitted it was photoshopped in a subsequent post.