Nazi

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 News Agency (SANA) did not contain any evidence to support the claim. Multiple discrepancies cast doubts on the authenticity of the shared document allegedly…

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 media in spring 2022 is a screenshot from a 5-year-old video of another Russian-speaking woman who was caught on camera crying about not…

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…

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 Kremlin talking points. The claims appeared in a Facebook post on April 7, 2022, under the translated-from-Russian title "LIE Mode:" It…

Did Adolf Hitler say that even in his death he would start World War 3? No, that's not true: This is a recycled conspiracy theory, and multiple historians told Lead Stories it didn't happen. Also, contrary to the claim's suggestion, Hitler and his Nazi regime were racist toward African Germans -- primarily based on skin color. The claim appeared in…

Did Nazi scientists create Lyme disease on Plum Island in the 1970s by order of the U.S. government? No, that's not true: There is research from multiple sources that say Lyme disease has been around for thousands of years. Scientists in Italy found a 5,300-year-old mummy who had the oldest known case of Lyme disease, according to genetic tests performed…

Does Ukraine engage teenagers in its military forces by providing them with shoulder-mount anti-tank weapons and grenade launchers and sending them to the front lines as an Instagram post claims? No, this is not true: there is no photo, video, audio evidence or trustworthy eyewitness testimony that proves the deployment of children by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The claim…

Was a man arrested at a state legislature meeting for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with "We The People" and an image of the Statue of Liberty? No, that's not true: The man was arrested at a Utah state Senate committee meeting held on March 1, 2022, for failing to follow requests from state troopers regarding the Legislature's rules on what…

By Uliana Malashenko Is it true that Ukrainian forces used the people of Mariupol as a human shield to blame Russia for civilian casualties on March 21, 2022? No, that's not true. The claim was made without photographic, eyewitness or documentary evidence. It closely mirrors claims made by Russia Today, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, and other organs of Russian…

Did this woman witness a detonation or bomb attack that destroyed a theater where children were sheltering in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on March 16, 2022? No, that's not true: Her path from a sports complex shelter to the evacuation site she describes on the video would not pass the theater location, which is in the opposite direction. Russian…