Latest fact checks & sources

On 4 March 2024, the German Ministry of Defence announced that it had launched an investigation into a conversation between several German high-ranking military officials who are said to have discussed a possible attack on the Crimea bridge. The ministry said that the conversation was recorded in the context of a training exercise and that it was not clear whether the generals were serious or whether they were just playing a game. The ministry also said that the officials had been suspended from duty and that the investigation would determine whether they had violated their duty of loyalty to the constitution. ​​Their talk was not a formal one. It was just a discussion which did not decide anything.

The official press release from the Copenhagen Police and the Danish Security and Intelligence Services (PET) stated that “The investigation conducted has been both complex and comprehensive”. Compensation for the expenses of conducting the investigation was not raised at all.

A recurring disinformation narrative about so-called colour revolutions mixed with the unfounded statement regarding the image of Jesus Christ in Ukrainian textbooks.

There is no evidence that the US was involved in the Nord Stream sabotage. However, this disinformation story abounds on this narrative as if it was an established fact. The Danish authorities closed the investigation because they assessed that there is not the sufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case in Denmark.

Although the concern of Polish farmers is real, Poland’s farming sector does not face any existential threat from Ukrainian imports. The European Union has repeatedly readjusted the so-called Autonomous Trade Measures to support Ukraine’s economy while at the same time reinforce protection for sensitive EU agricultural products.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu did not call for genocide or a military operation. On the contrary, she is seeking stabilisation and a peaceful resolution of the Transnistrian conflict.

An extract from FRANCE 24’s sister French-language fact-checking show that’s circulating on social media appears to support the claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has misappropriated funds to buy himself luxury yachts – an unfounded accusation that has repeatedly resurfaced. But the video has been edited: the journalist in it was in fact debunking, not affirming, the allegation.

There is no evidence that the Ukrainian Armed Forces use Nazi symbols. Nazi and Communist ideologies were banned by Ukrainian law in 2015. Russia resorts to such disinformation messages to justify its aggression against Ukraine. The myth of “Nazi Ukraine” has been widely used by Putin and pro-Kremlin outlets since Russia attacked Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.

Ukraine is a sovereign state with a legitimate government recognised by all UN members. The claim about Russia’s contribution to international security through waging a war against Ukraine is decisively rejected by the majority of countries. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on 2 March 2022 demanding that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.” It was adopted with 141 votes in favour of the motion, 5 against and 35 abstentions.

Macron told a news conference after a meeting of European leaders in Paris on 26 February 2024: ‘We should not exclude that there might be a need for security that then justifies some elements of deployment. But I’ve told you very clearly what France maintains as its position, which is a strategic ambiguity that I stand by.’ Macron did not say that it was likely to happen and added that France’s attitude to it was ambiguous.

The claim that the USA and Ukraine are attempting to destroy European agriculture is unfounded. The claim emerged in relation to the 2024 farmer protests in Poland, which were against EU agricultural policies and the influx of Ukrainian food products into the Polish market. This situation directly results from the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports.

Hours after the death of Alexei Navalny, viral posts started circulating on social media showing his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, in the arms of other men. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Russia is the only country responsible for the invasion of Ukraine. It has been coming up with different false explanations and pretexts for its aggression since the beginning of its hostilities.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was unprovoked and unjustified. Contrary to Russian claims, the West or Ukraine had not planned to attack Russia. Russia is not protecting itself, or anyone else, in its war. Instead, some Russian politicians and experts are threatening to attack Western nations after Ukraine.

The Ukrainian state is under attack by Russia. More than 50 countries are participating in the Ramstein meetings and are providing military, financial or other assistance to Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. They do this rather than destroy the Russian state.

The article tried to remove focus from the fact that Russia started the war, and could end it by stopping its invasion of Ukraine. The usual narrative of “the warmongering Europe” is a Kremlin classic. By refusing to end the occupation of Ukraine, Moscow’s calls for “Peace talks” are just masked demands for Ukraine’s surrender.

The reaction of US and EU officials to Navalny’s death is aimed at drawing international attention to the suppression of political dissent, police brutality and other manifestations of abuse against opposition-minded Russians. Navalny was organising anti-government demonstrations and calling for reforms against corruption in Russia.

On 26 February 2024, the French president Emmanuel Macron said “no option should be discarded” to bolster military support for Kyiv at a conference attended by leaders of Ukraine’s allies, but recognized there was “no consensus”. The aim of such a statement was to discourage Russia from further escalation of the invasion of Ukraine. France like many other states are assisting Ukraine in its self defence.

This is a disingenuous distortion of the original NBC interview with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who after being asked about evidence of Russian interference in the upcoming November 2024 election said: “I can’t speak of evidence today, but I can tell you of course there are concerns”. The sentence may be ambiguous, but by no means is an “admission that there is no evidence”, contrary to what this disinformation story claims.

The EU, the US and their partners from G7 have been trying to establish good-neighbourly relations with Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. They have been trying to strike common ground and find a common language with the Russian Federation. In 1997, Russia and NATO signed the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security, which said that ‘NATO and Russia do not consider each other as adversaries.’