Latest fact checks & sources

This video is fake. Propagandists used the French newspaper’s branding to fabricate a story about a non-existent poll. According to recent polls, Putin is widely disliked in France – only 10% of respondents view him positively.

The Verdict: Fake. Comparing the original CNN video with the viral clip shows that AI audio was inserted to falsely portray Rubio threatening to cut Starlink to Ukraine.

The Verdict False. The viral video is a clip from a music video by a Ukrainian combat medic who goes by the call sign ‘Vitsik’ and an artist called Misha Scorpion.

Despite the unsubstantiated statements of the Russian Defen?e Ministry, Russia continued shelling Ukraine even after the US President talked on the phone with the Kremlin leader. Energy infrastructure in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions was shelled. In total on the night of March 18-19, 2025, 2 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles, as well as 145 Shahed strike UAVs were launched over Ukraine.

Claim: Zelenskyy started the war with Russia Claim: Zelenskyy is a dictator Claim: Zelenskyy has a 4 percent approval rating Claim: The US has spent $350bn to help Ukraine Claim: Zelenskyy said he doesn’t know where half of the money the US has given Ukraine went Claim: Zelenskyy was ‘sleeping and unavailable’ to meet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week in Kyiv

Verdict: False. The image has been photoshopped.

On Sept. 22, 2024, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a Scranton, Pennsylvania, ammunition plant to thank its workers, with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was a surrogate for vice president and then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Legal experts said that doesn’t constitute “foreign election interference,” which typically includes “covert, fraudulent or deceptive acts.” Zelenskyy’s meeting with Shapiro was not a campaign event for either the governor or Harris.

The 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and the UK was never “secret”. The text of this document is easily available in open sources. Moreover, there is nothing in it that contradicts the agreement between Ukraine and the US on rare earth metals. Additionally, it was the US and the Trump administration, not Ukraine, that initiated the signing of the bilateral metals agreement – several weeks after the deal between Kyiv and London. Thus, neither Ukraine nor Zelenskyy “deceived” America; rather, the United States itself proposed such a deal and its terms to Ukraine.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says Vladimir Putin has broken 25 peace agreements in the past decade

Verdict: False. There is no evidence that this outlet reported this. There is no evidence that 70,000 Ukrainian troops died in the Kursk offensive.

As discussions continue surrounding a potential ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has come under fire for allegedly purchasing a lavish mansion in Florida. But as FRANCE 24’s Charlotte Hughes explains, this claim is false.

A video featuring people in military uniforms walking on a landscape with their hands in the air was recently shared on social media. Those sharing the video claimed that the Ukrainian army surrendered in the Kursk region of Russia. However, the PTI Fact Check investigated and found that the viral video dates back to 2022 when the Ukrainian marines surrendered in Mariupol and is unrelated to the ongoing conflict in the Kursk region.

The Verdict: Fake. The headline is fabricated. The Hull Daily Mail published a different front page on March 13.

A viral video shared by some internet users claims to show Ukrainian troops surrendering to Russia’s forces in the Kursk region. However, as FRANCE 24’s Charlotte Hughes explains, the video has been taken out of context and was not, in fact, filmed in Kursk.

Verdict: Misleading. While the video does show Putin discussing a ceasefire in relation to the Russia-Ukraine War, it is not recent but from June 2024.

The video is fake. To create it, the propagandists used artificial intelligence. […] In a comment to StopFake, RSF noted that propagandists regularly use the organization’s logo and branding to spread disinformation. “Six false videos in just over six months: the relentless nature of this Russian propaganda reflects how effective RSF is. This false and misleading content – which uses the credible reputation of RSF to spread untrue information – illustrates not only the dangers of Russian disinformation but the consequences of the inaction of platforms like X, how ineffective the current fight against informational interference is, and how dangerous the news media’s passivity in the face of these attacks can be. These videos are not mere anecdotes but part of a massive strategy to influence and manipulate public opinion and legitimise the Kremlin’s discourse, particularly on Ukraine. Who benefits from this crime? The Kremlin and its allies,” stated RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin.

Does a viral image authentically show European leaders taking off their suit coats in support of Ukraine during a group picture? No, that’s not true: The image is likely a screenshot from a video that was digitally edited, possibly using AI. Actual footage of the moment the group picture was taken did not show anyone taking off their suit and no news outlets reported about it happening at the time.

Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading. Misbar’s team found that the video shows Ukrainian marines surrendering in Mariupol in 2022 and is not related to the ongoing events in the Kursk region.

VERDICT: False. CNN did not publish a video of Marco Rubio saying he would convince Elon Musk to end Ukraine’s access to Starlink. Rubio has said there was no such threat.

After InfoWars reporter Jamie White was fatally shot March 10 in Austin, Texas, police said they believe the suspects were burglarizing White’s car when White interrupted them. White is not on a Ukrainian enemies list. In June 2024, Texty.org.ua, an independent Ukrainian media outlet, shared online a list of research subjects as part of its analysis of rhetoric opposing Ukrainian aid. White was among the people whose statements were analyzed. Texty did not refer to White as an “enemy” of Ukraine, nor did the outlet call for him to be harmed or killed.