Vladimir Putin

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…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publish a video telling Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their weapons? No, it's not true. The video is an obviously manipulated compilation of audio and video, called a deepfake. Zelenskyy's neck is grossly out of proportion as a side-by-side comparison clearly shows. There is no corroboration of Ukrainian capitulation reported by credible American, Ukrainian, or…

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…