Vladimir Putin

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin announce on March 16, 2022, that Russia, having invaded Ukraine, had capitulated? No, that is not true: No credible independent or official source has reported such a statement by the Russian president. The video uses video from Putin's earlier speech, altered using so-called "deepfake" technology, so that it appears Putin is saying the words. A…

Did Nathaniel Rothschild write a letter to members of the British government calling Russian President Vladimir Putin "the most dangerous man since the defeat of Hitler"? No, that's not true: "This is utterly untrue and completely fabricated," a spokesperson from Rothschild's investment company told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on March 4, 2022. It…

Have American megachurches failed to offer help to the Ukrainian people? No, that's not true: An informal survey by Lead Stories shows several of America's largest congregations and denominations are actively soliciting and distributing relief to the people impacted by the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his "special military action" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The…

Was a NATO-labeled laptop with intelligence found at the headquarters of Ukrainian nationalists? No, that's not true: NATO told Lead Stories the unit appears to be one of their old surplus laptops that was sold years ago, and one that would have had all classified files removed before it was sold. Separately, David van Weel, NATO assistant secretary general for…

Does a video of Russian President Vladimir Putin show him putting his hand through a microphone, meaning it was filmed in front of a green screen? No, that's not true: His hand appearing to float through the microphone is only visible in low-resolution videos and not in higher-resolution ones. The video anomaly appears to be due to video compression and…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin bomb a villa in Ukraine that U.S. President Joe Biden owned? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that this happened or that Biden owns a villa in Ukraine. When searching for credible articles about the claim that Biden owned a villa in Ukraine, and that Putin had bombed it in Russia's invasion of…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin threaten to "level the whole nation" of Nigeria for sending troops to Ukraine during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict? No, that's not true: In the clip used to make the claim, which was published in 2020, Putin is discussing the impacts of the novel coronavirus. He never mentions Nigeria. The claim appeared in a Facebook post…

Did the Ukrainian president threaten to send troops to Ghana's border for alleged "jokes" about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war? No, that's not true: Not only does Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not appear in the video used to purportedly justify the claim, but the video actually shows Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the video, Putin talks about retaliating for any perceived…

Did Russian "spetznas" liberate child trafficking victims in Ukraine and did Russian President Vladimir Putin tell former President Donald Trump about this during a recent phone call? No, that's not true: "This is fake," Trump's spokesperson told Lead Stories. The claim was in an article on a self-described satirical website whose disclaimer says it publishes articles for "entertainment purposes." The…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a meeting during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict to announce that part of Pakistan should belong to India? No, that's not true: The clip used to make the claim shows Putin talking about economic sanctions against Russia, not matters related to Pakistan or India. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on March…