Did a Russian missile do a complete U-turn and return to strike the troops who fired it? No, that's not true: This missile launch was a failure, but the missile did not return precisely to the site of its launch. It exploded in a field ne
Publication: War
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This is NOT Russian Flagship Moskva (Moscow) Sinking In Black Sea
Is this video of the Russian warship, Moskva -- the English-letter spelling of the Russian term for Moscow -- sinking in April 2022 after an ammunition explosion while being towed back to Sevastopol, a major maritime port in the Black Sea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Picture Does NOT Show Zelenskyy’s Russian Passport
Does an image of a Russian passport shared on social media in spring 2022 prove that Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy is a secret Russian citizen? No, that's not true. Analysis of similar images shows that forged passport scans are
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Picture Of A Crying Girl Does NOT Show The Consequences Of Russia’s 2022 Invasion Of Ukraine
Does a picture of a grieving girl hugging a tombstone stem from the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict? No, that's not true. The photograph first appeared on a Georgian-language website in January 2019. The original image contained a Georgian-l
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NASA Did NOT Hand Over Control Of ISS To Russia After They Threatened To Crash It Into Earth
Did NASA hand over control of the International Space Station (ISS) to Russia after a Russian official threatened to crash it into Earth? No, that's not true: A NASA spokesperson told Lead Stories that a long-established ceremonial change
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Ukrainian City Of Ochakiv Is NOT Home To A NATO Base
Is it true that Russia destroyed a NATO base in the Ukrainian city of Ochakiv? No, it's not true. Not a single NATO facility has ever existed in Ukraine. The Ochakiv naval base belongs to Ukraine, not NATO. While it was reported that Russ
Truth or Fiction?→ Fifth January 6 Hearing Shows Scope of Attempts to Undermine Democracy
The fifth hearing by the January 6 2021 committee covered the pressure that Donald Trump exerted on state and federal officials to call the U.S. presidential election in his favor in 2020 so that he could remain in power. The testimonials came on June
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: US Air Force F-35s Did NOT Carry Out Air Raid In Black Sea Destroying Russian Forces In June 2022
Did U.S. Air Force F-35s carry out an air raid in the Black Sea destroying Russian forces in June 2022? No, that's not true: The United States, while offering billions of dollars in military aid, equipment and training to Ukrainian forces
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Danish Navy Did NOT Open Fire As Russian Warships Entered Territorial Waters On June 17, 2022
Did the Danish navy open fire as Russian warships entered territorial waters on June 17, 2022? No, that's not true: According to a statement from Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the situation was handled diplomatically, not milita
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Show Russian Plane Crashing Due To Missile In June 2022
Did a Russian airplane get hit with a missile, killing 50 people, in 2022? No, that's not true: A fatal plane incident happened on May 6, 2019, before the 2022 Russian-Ukrainian war. Forty-one people died as a passenger plane crash-landed
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Poland Did NOT Annex Ukraine Via Tax Office Data Contract
Is it true that at the beginning of June 2022 Poland annexed Ukraine? No that's not true. Such posts on social networks began to appear after the publication of a press release from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, in which the a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Miami DID Sponsor ‘Guns 4 Ukraine’ Gun Buyback Program
Did the city of Miami sponsor a gun buyback program in support of Ukraine? Yes, that's true: The June 18, 2022, event is being used to get guns off the street and also to support Ukraine. Donations are going to the Ukrainian Congress Comm
Truth or Fiction?→ Third January 6 Hearings Looks at Pressure, Disinformation Campaigns to Overturn Election
The third hearing by the House committee investigating the January 6 2021 insurrection focused on the pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election — and the deeply corrosive weaponized narratives which undergirded the attempt. The
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Azov Document Does NOT Prove That 70% Of Mariupol Residents Are Loyal To Russia
By Uliana Malashenko Is it true that a "classified" Azov document proves that over two-thirds of the Mariupol population support Russia? No, that's not true: The link to the English-language article by the state-controlled Syrian Arab New
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Takes Center Stage at January 6 Committee Hearings
The role of weaponized disinformation campaigns in the January 2021 attempted coup at the United States Capitol was the main topic at the second January 6 Committee hearing about the events that culminated in a violent insurrection. The House select
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Destroyed Russian Landing Craft In June 2022 — It’s Civilian Vessel Hit in February 2022
Does a photograph in a June 2022 news story show a destroyed Russian landing craft? No, that's not true: The photo shows a vessel that was hit by a missile off the coast of Ukraine back in February 2022. The photograph appeared in a YouTu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Finland Did NOT Move Troops To The Border With Russia — Trains Moved In The Opposite Direction
By Uliana Malashenko Is it true that Finland transferred tanks to the Russian border at the beginning of May 2022? No, it's not true: A video showing trains carrying military equipment captured the Finnish army heading to a scheduled mili
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO Evidence Poland Plans To Occupy Western Ukraine
By Uliana Malashenko Is it true that Warsaw is going to send troops to the western parts of Ukraine to repossess the lands Poland used to own in the distant past? No, it's not true. Claims about the allegedly planned Polish invasion of Uk
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: UK Has NOT Sent Warships To Black Sea To Break Russia’s Blockade As Of May 27, 2022– But Did Salute The Idea
Did the United Kingdom send warships to the Black Sea to break Russia's grain blockade in Ukraine during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict? No, that's not true: Although there have been reports that such a move was supported by the United
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Zelenskyy’s Daughter Did NOT Disown Her Father — It’s A Video Of Different Person
By Uliana Malashenko Is it true that the Ukrainian president's daughter, Oleksandra Zelenska, called her father, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a "Nazi" and a "murderer"? No, it's not true: The image of a crying woman that circulated on social medi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: It’s NOT True That ‘Not One Real Video Has Surfaced’ From 2022 Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Is it true that "not one real video has surfaced" from the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict? No, that's not true: There is an abundance of footage showing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The claim appeared in a Facebook post on May 20, 2022.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sniper Wali Did NOT Say That Fraudulent Scheme Was Organized In Ukraine To Steal US Military Aid
Did the Canadian sniper known by the pseudonym Wali claim that a fraudulent scheme was organized in Ukraine to steal U.S. military aid? No, that's not true: In a conversation with a journalist from the Canadian edition of La Presse, which
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Of Ukraine Soldier DOES Show Paintgun — It’s From Training Exercise
Did Ukrainian soldiers turn back a Russian incursion with paintball guns? Did Reuters represent a photo of soldiers training with paintball gear as an actual military conflict? No, that's not true: The photo originally included in a May 1
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘US General Eric Olson’ Did NOT Surrender In Ukraine In May 2022 — Unrelated Image Of Other Soldiers Is From April 2022
Did "US General Eric Olson" surrender with other troops in at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine? No, that's not true: The image of a line of soldiers used in a post is from April 14, 2022, which was weeks before the Ukrainian
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ruble’s Designation As ‘World’s Best-Performing Currency’ Does NOT Tell Full Story
Was the Russian ruble named the "world's best-performing currency" in May 2022? Yes, but that claim requires significant context: Bloomberg did publish an article on May 11, 2022, stating that the ruble was the "year's best performing cur
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Polish Armed Forces Did NOT Write Letter In April 2022 Announcing Plan To Send ‘Airborne Units’ To Ukraine
Did Polish armed forces write a letter in April 2022 announcing a plan to send "airborne units" to Ukraine? No, that's not true: The Armed Forces General Command of Poland debunked the claim. There are also no other credible reports of su
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Was NO ‘NATO Patriot Missile Attack’ On Russian Troops Near Ukraine Border
Did a NATO Patriot missile attack hit Russian troops near the Ukraine border? No, that's not true: A NATO official confirmed there was not any kind of NATO attack on Russian troops in late April 2022. The Patriot is used by more than 17 n
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Ukrainian Troops Using ‘Dozens Of UK-Sent Tanks’ To Attack Russian Convoy
Did Ukrainian troops attack a Russian armored vehicle convoy with dozens of "U.K.-sent tanks"? No, that's not true: The video posted, which is filled with footage of tanks, has absolutely no footage of Ukrainian troops attacking a Russian
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ukraine Did NOT Drop ‘Dozens’ Of Bombs From Drone On Russian Forces On May 4, 2022
Did a Ukrainian drone drop dozens of bombs and destroy 530 Russian tanks on May 4, 2022? No, that's not true: There were no reports of such an attack, and a video with the claim features footage of totally unrelated, earlier events. The c
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Ghost Of Kyiv’ Was NOT Killed In Battle Or Identified — Mythical Aviator ‘Embodies The Collective Spirit’ Of Ukrainian Pilots
Was the "Ghost of Kyiv" identified after dying in battle? No, that's not true: The Ghost of Kyiv is not a real person. The mythical aviator "embodies the collective spirit of" Ukrainian pilots, according to the Twitter account of the Ukra
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Recent Fires At US Food Processing Plants Do NOT Show Plot To Cause Food Shortage
Did American food processing facilities mysteriously and suspiciously begin to catch fire after President Joe Biden predicted that there could be real food shortages due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine? No, that's not true: Several inc
Truth or Fiction?→ Los Angeles County Sheriff Announces Plans to ‘Investigate’ Journalist Over Articles
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has announced plans to target a journalist for an “investigation” over her reporting on their treatment of a man in custody. Conspiracy theory-slinging Los Angeles County sheriff Alex Villan
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Social Media Posts MAY Show Russian Agents Arresting ‘Neo-Nazis’ — But Clues Suggest It Could Be Staged, Fabricated
Do social media posts show Russian agents arresting neo-Nazis for an assassination plot and then displaying their confiscated property? Maybe, it's not clear what the images show: A video of the purported raid was released by Russia's Fed
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Finland Did NOT Vote To Join NATO — Both Sweden, Finland Plan To Apply In May 2022
Did Finland vote to join NATO? No, that's not true: The Finnish Embassy in Washington, D.C., told Lead Stories that such a decision has not been made yet. Finland and Sweden plan to submit their NATO applications in May 2022, according to
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Great Britain Did NOT Threaten To Nuke Russia As Of Late April 2022
Did Great Britain threaten to use nuclear weapons against Russia during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict? No, that's not true: A spokesperson at the press office of No. 10 Downing Street in London -- the office of U.K. Prime Minister Bori
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Prove Government, Media Lies About War In Ukraine — Video Recycles Debunked Claims, Misattributes Info
Does a Stew Peters Show video prove mainstream media and the U.S. government lie about the war in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The video by the radio and TV host repeats debunked claims and misattributes information, often embracing Krem
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Google Says It Did NOT Unblur Satellite Images Showing Russian Military Facilities
Did Google remove a blur on publicly available satellite maps that had previously obscured details of Russian military installations or high-security areas? Not according to Google: Claims posted on Twitter saying that the company had unb
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Russian Warship Moskva Being Hit By Ukrainian Missile
Does a video on social media show the Russian warship Moskva -- the English-letter spelling of the Russian term for "Moscow"-- being hit by a missile before later sinking in the Black Sea? No, that's not true: The 10-second clip comes fro
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BBC Did NOT Post Video Alleging Ukraine Fabricated Kramatorsk Train Station Attack In 2022 Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Did the BBC release a video suggesting Ukraine has spread fake news about a train station attack in the country? No, that's not true: The BBC stated that the video was fake. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) on April 13, 2022.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Prop Dummy Was NOT Used In Ukrainian War Propaganda But Was For A TV Series Filmed In Russia
Did Ukrainian soldiers prepare a poseable dummy with tape to use in the production of war propaganda, to fabricate a death with a fake corpse in order to "blame Putin"? No, that's not true: This behind-the-scenes video shows a prop dummy