Latest fact checks & sources

Claim: On Feb. 28, 2025, before a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Democrats who convinced him to reject a deal that would allow the U.S. to exploit minerals in Ukraine in exchange for U.S. support in Ukraine’s war with Russia. Rating: Mixture. What’s True: Zelenskyy did meet with Democratic U.S. senators … What’s False: … but that meeting also included at least three Republican senators. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, emphatically rejected claims that the Democrats of the U.S. Senate delegation had dissuaded Zelenskyy from taking the minerals deal. Further, Zelenskyy confirmed to reporters two days after the meeting that his country was ready to accept the deal.

Claim: Ukraine was caught faking combat scenes to ask for more money from the US. Fact: This video does not show Ukrainian soldiers creating fake combat scenes. It’s a behind-the-scenes shot from a music video.

UNITED24 did not report such information, and neither did any other credible source.

The New York Times never published this video, and its real existence has not been confirmed online, despite the claim that it was shown in New York city centre. The footage shown in the video does not match the indicated text prompt, which alludes to editing. In addition, the video first appeared on a pro-Russian Telegram channel and was shared exclusively though propaganda sources, which confirms its fake origin.

The New York Times never published this video, and its real existence has not been confirmed online, despite the claim that it was shown in New York city centre. The footage shown in the video does not match the indicated text prompt, which alludes to editing. In addition, the video first appeared on a pro-Russian Telegram channel and was shared exclusively though propaganda sources, which confirms its fake origin.

A fabricated audio clip is going viral on social media, in which Donald Trump Jr. allegedly voices his support for Russia on his “Triggered with Don Jr.” podcast. In the clip, US President Donald Trump’s son appears to say that “the US should have sent weapons to Russia, not Ukraine”. We debunk these claims in this edition of Truth or Fake.

A post shared on X claims to show Russians ambushing American fighters in Ukraine. Verdict: False The video originates from an airsoft creator. There is no indication it was taken in Ukraine.

– Vance: Zelenskyy has not said, “Thank you” to the United States for its support of Ukraine. – Vance: Zelenskyy “went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October.” – Trump: “We gave you $350 billion.”

A video with millions of engagements on X purports to show a New York Post video reporting that the US government’s humanitarian agency paid Time $4 million to feature Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on its magazine cover as its 2022 Person of the Year. But the supposed report is fake, and the claims it makes are inaccurate, according to the New York Post and Time.

WHAT WAS CLAIMED: Volodymyr Zelenskiy has blocked access to Trump’s Truth Social across Ukraine. OUR VERDICT: False. Truth Social has never been available in Ukraine.

Audio purportedly of Donald Trump Jr using his podcast to say the United States should have sent weapons to Russia instead of Ukraine is spreading widely online, with an official Democratic National Committee account among those that shared and deleted it. But the clip is fake, spokesmen for the US president’s son and video platform Rumble told AFP. A media forensics expert said the quote — which is not in the original episode — appears to be the product of artificial intelligence technology. […] “The audio in question, which was amplified by the official X account of the DNC, along with countless other major anti-Trump accounts, is 100 percent fake,” a Trump Jr spokesman told AFP in a February 26 statement. “It appears to be an AI-generated deep fake.”

Russia’s war against Ukraine is not only a military confrontation, but Moscow is also deliberately targetting the Ukrainian president with disinformation and narratives that seek to discredit him. In early February 2025, posts on social media falsely claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky had purchased a property known as the Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden in the southern German state of Bavaria. However, the site — which was closely associated with the Nazis during World War II and is a popular tourist destination even today — is still owned by the state authorities. Furthermore, the false claims seem to have originated from a Russian disinformation network.

Our rating: False. A spokesperson for Truth Social’s parent company said the claim is false and the social media platform has never been available in the country.

The video was digitally created, likely using AI-powered software to generate synthetic audio mimicking Trump Jr.’s voice.

Disinformation targeting Ukraine and its leader Volodymyr Zelensky is surging as US President Donald Trump’s shift on the war frays relations with Kyiv and threatens to cripple support for the battle-worn nation. […] Joseph Bodnar, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (archived here), said the Russian influence efforts are focused “on fostering animosity between the Trump and Zelensky administrations.” “Russia wants to convince US negotiators that Ukraine is their enemy, not their partner. It’s a means for the Kremlin to extract favorable terms in whatever peace settlement comes.”

In mid-February 2025, Donald Trump multiplied his attacks against Volodymyr Zelensky, branding the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections,” questioning the use of American aid to Ukraine, and accusing him of “starting” the war. Here is a look back at these statements, which were false, misleading or unsubstantiated according to AFP’s analysis, revealing unprecedented tensions between Washington and Kyiv.

While the project confirmed over 95,000 deaths since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the true death toll is believed to be much higher. Military analysts consulted by researchers estimated that the list likely represents only 45% to 65% of Russia’s total casualties.

US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a rift between the two leaders as Kyiv remains locked in a three-year-old war started by a Russian invasion. However, claims that Zelensky retaliated by banning Truth Social are false — representatives for the social network said it had not launched in Ukraine, and the government there said Trump’s platform would be welcome.

False. Audited records of Congressionally appropriated Ukrainian aid show most of what USAID manages is Kyiv’s government budget, which funds its public sector workers, social services, pensions, and internally displaced persons. For the $140 million claim to have been true, USAID would have had to have paid out more to this “Psychological Warfare” center than most of its actual spending obligations. The image used to support the claim was based on a nonexistent article, edited from a real but unrelated story by Fox News, not about Ukraine. The claim appeared on Russian Telegram accounts before it was spread widely by English-speaking commentators on X, formerly Twitter.

Did Ukraine start its war with Russia, as President Donald Trump said? No, Russia invaded Media outlets worldwide covered Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged it as a “special military operation,” saying the offensive would “seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.” For years, Russia has sought to blame Ukrainian actions for its invasion.