Vladimir Putin

Did Elon Musk leak the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin had cancer surgery that failed? No, that's not true: This video and others like it offer no factual proof that Musk leaked such unconfirmed news to the media. Rumors about Putin's health remained just that -- unsubstantiated rumors -- at the time of writing. The claim appeared in a…

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. The post, which contained several claims and featured images of figures from the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)…

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 Federal Security Service (FSB) that included still images of what its agents allegedly found. The "evidence" displayed was staged in such a way…

Did Russian leader Vladimir Putin end the Rothschild family's control over Russia by nationalizing Russia's central bank? No, that's not true: Russia has had a central bank for more than 160 years. Alexander II, the emperor of Russia, signed a decree to establish the State Bank in 1860. There's no evidence the Rothschild family, which has built a banking and…

Does the Rothschild coat of arms resemble the Russian Federation emblem? No, that's not true: The meme in this post displays the Russian Federation emblem twice. The Rothschild coat of arms and the Russian Federation emblem are two distinct symbols. There is also no evidence to suggest that the Rothschild coat of arms has been recently altered to resemble the…

Did Russia issue an international arrest warrant for billionaires Jacob Rothschild and George Soros? No, that's not true: Variations of this hoax have circulated for years. While Russia banned two charities run by Soros in 2015, the Kremlin said an international arrest warrant was never sought for him. Lead Stories found no evidence of an arrest warrant ever being issued…

Did British artist Banksy create a new art piece involving Ukraine and Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia? No, that's not true: A Banksy spokesperson said he did not create this image, which was altered from a screenshot of a music video by the Russian band Little Big. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on March 14,…

Did Russian troops in Kherson find pre-made Ukrainian medals "For the Taking of Crimea" when they captured a Ukrainian military facility at Kherson? No, that's not true. The photos circulated by the Russian news media and social media users show crude forgeries. Ukrainian officials pointed out mistakes in the "award documents" and errors in the design of the "award", which…

Did President Joe Biden tweet a stock photo in March 2022 with trees covered in leaves taken in the middle of summer? No that's not true: The photo of Biden boarding Marine One on March 23, 2022, is not old or stock. It was taken at the time the boarding occurred. It shows the South Lawn of the White House.…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin behead 12 bioweapon engineers in Ukraine? No, there's no evidence that's true: The allegation was published by a website well known for publishing fake news stories. The supposed source for the claim was an unnamed person close to former President Donald Trump. A spokeswoman for Trump told Lead Stories that the article is false. The…