War

Does a video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doing a crotch-jiggling belly dance in a nude sparkly leotard? No, that's not true: The footage is doctored -- it uses video of Argentinian dancer Pablo Acosta with the head of Zelenskyy. Acosta posted the original video showing himself in the bedazzled flesh-colored bodysuit with high boots on his own Instagram page…

Did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say that Russia must win this war? Yes: Trudeau did misspeak at the end of a news conference in Poland. While speaking of how aid and military equipment would be supplied to Ukraine, he accidentally said "Russia must win this war." He immediately corrected himself and said, "Ukraine must win this war against Russia."…

Did France 24 report that French President Emmanuel Macron cancelled a visit to Ukraine over fears of an assassination attempt? No, that's not true: France 24 debunked the claim. The video purporting to show the network report the news is a deepfake, generated by AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on…

Does a video clip shared by the official account of the State of Israel show 23,000 tons of tents and shelter equipment that were trucked into Gaza since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023? No, that's not true: This is a stock video clip that shows a refugee camp in Palanca, Moldova which was uploaded to iStock…

Did the European public broadcaster Euronews publish or air a report about French farmers attacking the Ukrainian embassy in Paris in early February 2024? No, that's not true: The video with the TV channel's logo couldn't be found on the Euronews website. The footage in question was originally recorded in a different French city. It predated the alleged date of…

Did Tucker Carlson ask Vladimir Putin about the underlying reasons for his supposed belief that Christians can be gay? No, that's not true: A post on social media didn't show an authentic quote from that interview. Neither a recording of the interview nor its transcript included the quote, and the post's caption included hashtags with the word "meme" in them.…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy post a monetary reward for capturing the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson? No, that's not true: As of February 9, 2024, there were no credible reports about that. The claim shared on social media misleads about the discovery of Carlson's name on the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets (Peacekeeper). The claim appeared in a video (archived…

Did a post on social media from iSource News contain an authentic quote from Russian President Vladimir Putin answering a question from Tucker Carlson about the U.S. southern border? No, that's not true: The timeline of events makes it impossible and proves that the quote is fabricated because iSource News published the purported exchange on February 4, 2024 -- before…

Did Assistant to the Secretary of Defense John Kirby say that the "true number of civilians deaths in Gaza is zero"? No, that's not true: That is a misquote that drastically changes the meaning of what Kirby said. No such quote is found in the transcript of the briefing shown in the Tweet that makes the claim. What Kirby did…

Did "dozens of Ukrainians" apply to Russia's mission to the United Nations for help getting their children back from welfare agencies in the European Union? No, that's not true: Parents of such children, Russian officials and European Union governments have not said anything that substantiates this claim. The office of Ukraine's Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, which handles requests for…

Does a composite photo on social media accurately identify three U.S. service members who died in the January 2024 drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan? No, that's not true: Those posts reused an old image of other American soldiers who died in a 2016 incident in Jordan. The correct names of the three service members -- two men…

Does a viral video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dancing in a red suit? No, that's not true: The footage of a different person was altered to add Zelenskyy's face. The dance in question was performed by a man from the Russian city of Lipetsk. The story appeared in a post (archived here) published on Instagram on January 14, 2024.…

Did an Israeli toy company make a Palestinian baby doll? No, that's not true: This baby doll was made as an art project by Instagram user @vlocke_negro. According to their Instagram post about the doll, they made this doll in support of Palestinians. The claim appeared on Instagram (archived here) on January 9, 2024, with the caption, "Disgusting!!!!!" The on-screen…

Was a video, showing people in Wales singing in support of Palestine, blurred to comply with Sharia law -- to hide the bare legs of the women who were wearing shorts? No, that's not true: The video was first posted on TikTok without the blurring and was apparently added when another account reuploaded the video to Instagram, a platform with…

Does a viral video portray Ukrainian soldiers in 2023 wearing "WW2 era German helmets"? No, that's not true: The footage shows a traditional reenactment event in Belgium. Nothing in the video links the men wearing historic uniforms to Ukraine. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Instagram on December 27, 2023. It opened: Ukrainian soldiers on the…

Is a photograph that purports to show a U.S. certificate of naturalization for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy real? No, that's not true: The certificate is counterfeit. It's missing key components, such as his signature and the signature of the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The image appeared atop an article (archived here) published by DCWeekly on November 29,…

Does a video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy begging Western leaders to spend their money on Ukraine? No, that's not true: In the Fox News Channel interview, Zelenskyy was directing his comments toward domestic critics, not anyone in the West. Additionally, he did not call for Western leaders to send all their funds to Ukraine, contrary to the assertion in…

Is Starbucks leaving Morocco and San Francisco due to boycotts over the Hamas-Israel crisis and pro-Palestinian protests? No, that's not true: Starbucks announced the closure of seven stores in San Francisco on October 2, 2023, five days before the Hamas-Israel war began, the company spokesperson confirmed to Lead Stories. Starbucks also confirmed that the company continues to operate stores in…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin order "the destruction of a Kyiv pharmaceutical laboratory suspected of manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines" owned by Farmak, one of Ukraine's major companies selling medical products, in November 2023? No, that's not true: The company's warehouse near Kyiv had been burned down roughly a year and a half earlier. It happened during the early stages of the…

Did U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez say that a ceasefire is when "somebody sees a fire"? No, that's not true: This is a deepfake video originating from a meme account that identified it as such with a "deepfake" hashtag. The voice track that mimics the voice of Ocasio-Cortez was added over a video clip taken from a livestream posted by the…