Russia Ukraine War

Was American Derek Huffman killed in a drone strike while fighting for the Russian military in Ukraine in July 2025? A YouTube account used by his wife claimed in a comment that Huffman is alive and well. Another American acquaintance of Huffman also told Lead Stories that Huffman is alive, but definitive proof was not immediately available. Here's what we…

Do viral screenshots prove that U.S. taxpayers paid $411,634.00 for Senator Lindsey Graham's hotel stay in Kyiv, Ukraine, in May 2025? No, that's not true: His name is not linked to the spending documented in the images. The Department of State told Lead Stories that the screenshot of the agency's government contract in Ukraine had nothing to do with congressional…

Did a widely-shared clip show Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian airbases, in retaliation against a series of drone attacks on Russian warplanes in June 2025? No, that's not true: The footage was old, and dated to July 2024 at the latest. It appeared to show Russian missiles striking a children's hospital in Kyiv, not airbases. The claim appeared in a…

Does a video shared online show a huge explosion in Moscow, Russia in 2025? No, that's not true: The video shows an explosion in Crimea in 2023 related to an attack on a ship. It does not show an attack on the Russian capital in 2025. One example of the video being shared with a misleading caption was an X…

Does a viral video really show the destruction of "40 Russian strategic bombers" of type TU-95 destroyed by a "daring Ukrainian FPV-drone swarm raid"? No, that's not true: This particular viral social media footage originates from the video game ARMA3. It does not depict the actual drone strikes reported on by worldwide media on June 1, 2025. The video (archived…

Did a video show an Indian drone falling to the ground and causing an explosion, after being shot down by Pakistani forces in May 2025? No, that's not true: The video had been online since April 29, one week before India struck locations in Pakistan in response to a terrorist attack by Pakistani militants, and Pakistan, in response, shot down…

Did Statista publish a graph detailing the nationalities of the people described as "mercenaries" who fought for Ukraine and were killed in the Kursk region of Russia? No, that's not true: The data on the Statista website doesn't show the graph shared on social media. Unlike authentic charts published by that company, the graph omitted the source of the figures…

Did the BBC report that Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska tried to escape to Europe and was put under the guard of the national Security Service when the attempt failed? No, that's not true: In a statement to Lead Stories, a BBC spokesperson refuted the claim, referring to the viral video as "fabricated content that impersonates the BBC." No credible…

Did a video circulating on social media show Russian President Vladimir Putin making a public statement about Russia's terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine in March 2025? No, that's not true: The clip had been online for nine months. It showed Putin's remarks from June 2024. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on March 12,…

Is Nate Vance -- who criticized the Trump administration's reduction of support for Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion -- Vice President JD Vance's cousin? Yes, that's true: Nate Vance is the first cousin of JD Vance. His father, Jim Vance, is the brother of JD Vance's mother, Beverly. Nate Vance detailed the family connection on social media, and online records…