Latest fact checks & sources

An alleged DW video reports that refugees from Ukraine are being insulted with Wi-Fi network names in Poland. But it’s a fake.

The American General died in a plane crash while on board of a single-engine plane (Piper PA-28 Cherokee) on July 25, 2023. The plane crashed in Havre de Grace, Maryland. The cause of the crash is still unknown. The accident is being investigated by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

Days after Wagner commander Yevgeny Prigozhin was confirmed dead in a plane crash, a video emerged on social media with claims that it showed Russian President Vladimir Putin attending his funeral. However, these claims are false; the footage dates back to 2013, and shows Putin at the funeral of his long-time judo trainer.

According to the supposed CNN post, Zelenskyy had said, “We will become a new diverse and multicultural nation that will be the model state for the rest of Europe.” However, as BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh pointed out that same day, not only had CNN never posted this, but there was also no evidence that Zelenskyy ever said these words. Nor did Snopes find any evidence indicating Ukraine had announced plans for “mass immigration.”

This is a lie. In the actual video he posted, the head of FEMA says the Individual And Households Program can give up to $41,000. Ryan Knight is counting on people just reading his bullshit and not watching the video that contradicts his lie.

The “Angry Birds” demo was held in the Chernihiv Drama Theater, not a meeting of officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and NATO. Russian propaganda also contradicts itself: first they indicate that the goal was the exhibition, then they write about the meeting as the goal. Later, propagandists of the Russian Federation say that the meeting took place near the drama theater, then they put forward information that it was in the drama theater itself.

As Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was laid to rest after a fatal plane crash, videos purportedly showing graves of the group’s fighters being demolished went viral on social media channels. But despite claims to the contrary, this footage does not show a large-scale effort by the Russian state to erase all traces of the mercenary group.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was quoted saying that U.S. contributions were needed for voting. Currently, Ukrainian law forbids holding elections during wartime.

A claim that the Russian mercenary group, Wagner Group, has just arrived Mali to provide support for the coup-led military regime in Niger is circulating online.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, some have claimed that “children” are being recruited into the Ukrainian army. Three viral photos, purporting to show graves of very young soldiers, have been shared since mid-August as evidence of this phenomenon. However, two of these three photos have been manipulated, and actually show the burial sites of adult men.

Claim: A 79-second video shared by Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, shows the August 2023 crash of the plane allegedly carrying Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Rating: Miscaptioned

The OSCE did not confirm the facts of illegal transplantologists operating in Ukraine in 2014 and generally lacks evidence regarding possible organ removal in eastern Ukraine. On October 30, 2014, the organization issued an official refutation. It states that during one of the sessions of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meetings (HDIM), two Russian non-governmental organizations quoted reports of possible organ removal and sale of human organs in eastern Ukraine.

While outlining why she would continue giving aid to Ukraine, [Nikki] Haley claimed that 11 European countries have given more in terms of GDP than the U.S. This is true. […] Nearly a dozen European countries have provided more in terms of GDP. They include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Denmark, Netherlands, Finland, Czech Republic, Norway and the U.K. Estonia leads the way and has provided support that equates to about 1.3% of its GDP.

Claim: Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said that “we are ready to exchange Belgorod for Ukraine’s membership in NATO.” Rating: Correct Attribution Context: Belgorod is a Russian city.

Russian nuclear bombers land in South Africa ahead of 2023 Brics summit? No, video from 2019

Fact: This is not true. There is a range of federal disaster assistance available. Critical Needs Assistance provides a onetime payment of $700 to address immediate needs such as food, water and clothing. This is just one of several types of federal assistance you may be eligible to receive.

Kyiv is not spending money hiring sex workers for injured soldiers, as the post on X claims. The post quotes part of a BBC article about a rehabilitative service for Ukrainian soldiers run by a support organization called Veteran Hub. It does not employ sex workers and there is no evidence that funding provided to Ukraine or Ukrainian government spending has been used in this way.

Claim: A headline from an actual news organization in 2022 suggested: “Here’s 5 Tik-Tok dances you can do to help Ukraine fight Russia.” Rating: Originated as Satire

The claim: The US hasn’t shown support ‘surge’ for Maui like it did for Ukraine Our rating: False

Some Republicans and conservative commentators questioned President Joe Biden’s priorities after the government announced a further $200 million of security assistance for Kyiv as it battles Russia’s invasion, on the same day that people affected by the fires in Hawaii were offered $700 a household. This is not the totality of the federal aid that will go to Maui, however. Although some figures have been released, the disaster recovery effort is in its early stages and further disbursements are expected in the days and weeks to come.