Was U.S. government aid to Ukraine misused by funding Democratic candidates during midterm campaigns through the crypto exchange FTX? No, that's not true: Social media posts did not differentiate between private donations and U.S. governm
Publication: War
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Klaus Schwab And ‘Elites’ Planning ‘New World Order’ And ‘To Microchip The Human Race’
Does a viral video prove that the founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, and other speakers at WEF events planned to establish the "new world order" and "microchip human race"? No, that's not true: The heavily edited social me
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation — Part V: Resilience Targeting
This is the last in a series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation campaigns. You can read our previous articles here: Part I: Firehosing Part II: Gaslighting Part III: Distraction Part IV: Sign
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Did NOT Report That Russian Influencer Hasbulla Was Killed By Nerf Football Drone Strike in Ukraine
Did a U.S.-based cable news network publish a story stating that Russian influencer Hasbulla Magomedov died in a drone strike while fighting in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The story is a satirical fake created to look like a credible ne
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Zelenskyy Did NOT Write A Book With The Same Title As Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
Has Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy written a book with the same title as Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf," the anti-Semitic manifesto for Nazism, and did Zelenskyy present the book to an Israeli embassy? No, that's not true. Social me
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Zelenskyy Was NOT Featured On October 2022 Cover Of German Satirical Magazine Titanic
Did Titanic, a German satirical monthly magazine, release a cover in October 2022 that features an illustration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sucking money and resources into his mouth? No, that's not true: The October 2022 i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Prove That Footage Of Russian Attacks On Ukraine Is Staged
Does a video circulating on social media show evidence that war footage of Russian attacks on Ukraine was staged? No, that's not true: It took out of context the footage of actual film sets -- one clip dating from 2013 -- recycling the fa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Zelenskyy’s Name Is NOT Translated To English As ‘Evil Rules The World’
Is it true that Google translates the Ukrainian president's last name to English as "evil rules the world"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories replicated what social media users suggested others do to get this result but found no confirmat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence For Sub Claims In Article On Self-Proclaimed Satire Site
Was a U.S. submarine near the Nord Stream pipeline explosion? No, there's no evidence for such a claim. This claim was made on the Real Raw News website, which is known for publishing fabricated content. There are no serious media sources
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The French Ambassador To Ukraine Did NOT Resign
Did France's ambassador to Ukraine, Etienne de Poncins, resign his post from fear of Russian bombardments on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv? No, that's not true: "This is fake news," Ambassador de Poncins posted on his official Twitter accou
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Military Did NOT Execute US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink
Did the U.S. military hang U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink for committing treason? No, that's not true: The story is entirely fabricated and Brink remains an ambassador in good standing. The claim originated on the website Real R
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Prove Senior Commander Of The Russian Army Was Taken Prisoner
Does a video prove its headline claim that the senior commander of the Russian army was taken prisoner? No, that's not true: A video posted on Facebook made this false claim in its clickbait headline, but the video itself did not state or
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Accident At Russian Military Parade Did NOT Happen Recently — Video Dates From 2014
Does this video show an incident that recently happened in Russia, where a conscript was knocked down and run over by an armored personnel carrier? No, that's not true: This accident happened eight years ago, on June 12, 2014. During the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Is NOT Recent Photo From Kyiv Of Man Shooting At Iranian Drones From His Balcony Window
Is this a recent photo from Kyiv, Ukraine, of a man shooting at Iranian drones from his balcony window? No, that's not true: This photo is from a Twitter account that acknowledges this tweet is an old picture and a meme. The claim appea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Offers NO Proof US M1A1 Abrams Tanks Were Deployed To Ukraine
Did the U.S. deploy M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine? No, that's not true: A video with a headline that makes this claim offers no proof. A tag in its lower right-hand corner says that "Video footages are used for illustration purposes only."
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Recent Ukrainian Refugee Did NOT Paint Swastika In London Mall — Video Dates From 2018
Was a refugee from Ukraine recently caught defacing a tile floor with a swastika in a UK shopping center and then made to clean it off? No, that's not true: A bystander video of the incident first surfaced online in 2018, and no evidence
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ukrainian Missile Did NOT Destroy Russian Tank Convoy On Crimean Bridge
Did the Ukrainian military fire a missile at the Kerch bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea, taking out a convoy of Russian tanks? No, that's not true: The video with this claim says the damage was caused by a truck that exploded on the brid
Logically→ International Committee of the Red Cross has suspended work in Ukraine after the October 10 missile strikes.
Red Cross denied the rumors and clarified that it has not suspended activities and is continuing its work in Ukraine.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Show A ‘Kiev Orphanage’ Destroyed By A Russian Drone
Did a video circulating on social media depict the collapse of an orphanage in Kyiv after a Russian drone attack on October 10, 2022? No, that's not true. The video in a claim does not show an orphanage collapsing in Kyiv. The footage sho
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Green-Screen-Studio Photo Does NOT Reveal Deception By Zelenskyy
Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy use green screen technology, lots of editing and help from Hollywood to produce propaganda to "make things appear real"? No, that's not true: This photo shows a studio that created a hologram of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Germany Did NOT Declare War On Russia On October 11, 2022
Did Germany declare war on Russia on October 11, 2022? No, that's not true. There are no credible reports or official statements confirming this claim. Even a video posted on Facebook with a headline asserting that Germany had declared wa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Military Did NOT Arrest US Ambassador To Ukraine Bridget Brink
Did the military arrest the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink? No, that's not true: Real Raw News, the website that posted the story, has a disclaimer saying that their articles are "humor, parody and satire." The site has a histor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ukrainian General’s Bracelet Does NOT Feature Swastika — It’s A Motif Called Solomon’s Knot
Did the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Gen. Valery Zaluzhnyi, wear a bracelet with a Nazi insignia? No, that's not true: The motifs and clasp on his bracelet resemble a design series that is marketed as a Viking Bracel
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BBC Journalist Did NOT Fake Reporting From Front Lines Of Ukraine War
Did BBC war correspondent Jeremy Bowen pretend to be dodging Russian bullets during an attack on Irpin, Ukraine, while local residents safely went about their business? No, that's not true: The claim is based on an out-of-context still im
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence P-8 Poseidon Crew Arrested in Connection with Nord Stream Explosion
Was the crew of a P-8 Poseidon aircraft arrested in connection with the Nord Stream pipeline explosion? No, that's not true: There is no evidence from reliable media outlets that this has occurred. Real Raw News, the website that originat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO ID Card for Semen Hydenko / Samuyil Hydenko Found At Crimea Bridge Attack Scene
Was a Ukraine ID card in the name of "Semen Hydenko" (or Samuyil Hydenko) found at the scene of the October 8, 2022, explosion on the bridge linking Crimea to Russia? No, that's not true: The spoof ID card shown in online messages has the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Did NOT Appear On Charlie Hebdo Cover As ‘An Obedient Dog At The European Feeder’
Did Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly, mock Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by portraying him on its cover as "an obedient dog" eating out of a "European" dog dish? No, that's not true. The publication has stated that this
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Iodine Pills ARE Sold In Canadian Home Hardware Store
Are iodine pills sold in a Canadian Home Hardware store? Yes, that's true: The operations manager for the store featured in a viral video told Lead Stories the pills are for sale at their location due to rising tensions between Russia and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A Satire Account — NOT Reuters — Posted A Tweet Claiming Germany Said US Attacked Nord Stream Pipeline
Did Reuters publish a tweet claiming that Germany has invoked NATO's collective defense provision since the United States attacked the Nord Stream pipeline? No, that's not true: This tweet was not published by Reuters news agency, but by
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show ‘Column Of NATO Military Equipment Blocked By Residents Of Moldova’ on September 18, 2022
Did locals block a NATO column in Moldova on September 18, 2022? No, that's not true: The video that allegedly demonstrates the "evidence" was shot in 2016. The claim appeared in an English-language tweet (archived here) on September 18,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Most Energetic’ Russian Propagandist Did NOT Say He ‘Gets Drafted’
Did Vladimir Solovyov, dubbed "the most energetic" Russian state TV propagandist by the U.S. State Department, say he got drafted? No, that's not true: Deliberately mistranslated subtitles in a viral video that allegedly shows this scene
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Prove Poland ‘Taking The First Step Towards Turning Ukraine Into A Polish Colony’
Did Poland "take the first step towards turning Ukraine into a Polish colony"? No, that's not true: Even a Facebook video that made such a claim admits there are no credible media reports or official statements backing this up. Lead Stori
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Russian Airlines Did NOT ‘Stop Selling Tickets To Russian Men Aged 18 To 65’
Did Russian airlines ban men between 18 and 65 years old from buying tickets to other countries in response to the "mobilization" announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 21, 2022? No, that's not true: Despite rumors on
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Ukrainian Children Singing the Unofficial Anthem of the Luftwaffe
Does a video show Ukrainian children singing the unofficial anthem of the Luftwaffe? No, that's not true: They aren't singing a Nazi German air force song. The song is by Bots, a Dutch folk rock group. The claim appeared in a tweet (archi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Russians ‘Pilling Up’ At Finland Border In Response to Mobilization
Did Russians fleeing President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization of troops for deployment in Ukraine immediately form a "35KM" (about 21.7 miles) line on September 21, 2022 at the Finnish border? No, that's not true: The viral video s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Republicans DID Thank Biden For Drone Strike That Killed Al Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri
Did no Republicans thank U.S. President Joe Biden for taking out the leader of Al Qaeda? No, that's not true: Several GOP members of Congress publicly acknowledged Biden for the July 31, 2022 drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Chinese Military Convoy Entering Ukraine
Does a video show a convoy of Chinese military vehicles crossing the Russian border into Ukraine in mid-September 2022? No, that's not true: There were no reports of Chinese military troops or vehicles in Ukraine when the claim was posted
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Zelenskyy At Gay Pride March
Was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy photographed shirtless and wearing an Afro wig at a gay pride event in the United States in the 1990s? No, that's not true: This photo has been digitally edited. The original photo was taken on
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Prove Ukrainians Were Selling A Stinger Missile Launcher In Bremen
Were Ukrainians arrested in Bremen, Germany, while trying to sell on the black market Western-provided, Stinger surface-to-air missiles and "other heavy weapons"? No, that's not true: The video posted on social media with supposed proof o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Newly Leaked Report’ From RAND Corp. Does NOT Reveal ‘True Motives Behind European Destabilization & The Russia/Ukraine War’ — It Is Fake
Does a "newly leaked report" from the RAND Corporation, a U.S. think tank, reveal the "true motives behind European Destabilization & The Russia/Ukraine War"? No, that's not true: In an email to Lead Stories and a news release on its