Russia Ukraine War

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…

Did former Polish president Lech Wałęsa write a letter to President Donald Trump expressing "fear and distaste" at his February 2025 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy? Yes, that's true: On March 3, 2025, Wałęsa shared these sentiments in a post published on Facebook. An English-translated version of the original post in Polish appeared on Facebook on March 3, 2025,…

Does a video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying "fuck him" after a reporter asked him about Donald Trump as Zelenskyy entered a meeting with U.K. Prime Minster Keir Starmer? No, that's not true: The video uses a tone to cover a supposed obscenity by Zelenskyy, and the post obscures the word with "F* him" in the caption, but the…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wear a suit in a meeting with Klaus Schwab, World Economic Forum executive chairman, following his February 2025 White House visit in which he wore a black shirt? No, that's not true: This photo of Zelenskyy and Schwab was taken in 2020, two years before Russia invaded Ukraine. Zelenskyy publicly said he would "wear a…

Does a video clip show that soldiers in Ukraine are faking combat for the cameras so they can continue to get U.S. funding? No, that's not true: The video shows behind-the-scenes activity during the filming of a music video. Several of the people featured in the final video are real soldiers. The woman pictured in the behind-the-scenes clip is Mariana…

Did the New York Post report that USAID paid TIME Magazine $4 million to make Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy the 2022 Person of the Year, as a post and video on X.com claimed? No, that's not true: As of this writing, the newspaper's website did not show such a story. A search across a government spending database did not produce…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump say that Ukraine started the war with Russia? Yes, that's true: On February 18, 2025, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence, he said that Ukraine should have never started the war. That followed talks between the U.S. and Russia without the participation of Ukraine. The statement that is the focus of this story appeared in a…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's approval rating plummet to 4 percent, as of February 2025? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no publicly available poll confirming the figure voiced by President Donald Trump on February 18, 2025. The White House did not reply to a Lead Stories request to disclose the basis for Trump's statement. The claim originated from…