Russia

Did Adm. Rob Bauer, who heads NATO's Military Committee, say the group would launch pre-emptive strikes on Russia in the event of war? No, that's not true: In his remarks at a conference in Brussels, Bauer never mentioned the possibility of NATO attacking Russia pre-emptively. In fact, he stressed Russia would have to hit NATO targets first before the Alliance…

What's that blue butterfly in the row of social media icons in the sidebar and footer of our website? Lead Stories is happy to announce we are now also present on the Bluesky social media network. Follow our accounts if you want to get immediate updates from our English, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Hungarian or Romanian websites. Or follow…

Does a video show members of the European Parliament giving a standing ovation to the U.S. decision to permit Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with U.S.-supplied weapons? No, that's not true: The post's caption mislabels the content of a video shared online. The video showed members of the EU parliament clapping before and after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address…

Does a photograph posted on X genuinely show the coffins of 18 British Special Forces being returned after they were killed in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The photo predates the Russia-Ukraine war by over a decade. It was taken in 2006 and shows the coffins of 14 servicemen killed in an air crash in Afghanistan while aboard an RAF…

Did Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni say Italy opposes President Joe Biden's policy change that permits Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia? No, that's not true: There is no publicly available recording or transcript of Meloni expressing Italian opposition to the change. During the Group of 20 summit on November 18 and 19, 2024, shortly…

Did the Financial Times publish a video on social media reporting that "a Bombardier employee deliberately defaced aircraft parts to protest the company's return to the Russian market"? No that's not true: The Financial Times did not publish this report, and there are no credible reports of this type of employee sabotage happening at the Canadian aviation company. The post…

Did Vladimir Putin say in a televised address on November 17, 2024, that Russia could use nuclear weapons if Ukraine launches "a mass missile" to strike targets inside Russia? No, that's not true: A viral post on X reused footage from almost two months before November 2024, when reports said the Biden administration was removing a long-standing ban on the…

Did NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte publicly say that "if Trump surrenders Ukraine to Putin, he will personally expel the United States from the alliance"? No, that's not true: A NATO spokesperson described the claim as "bogus." The rumor was promoted by a Russian propaganda website and anonymous pro-Kremlin Telegram channels. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X…

Did the FBI put out a warning on X about illegal printers being used to make passports for remote early voting? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the FBI released such a warning. The FBI did release a warning against the "inauthentic use of bureau name, insignia in promoting false election-related narratives" such as the one seen…

Did the FBI and U.S. Department of Education release a video recommending that U.S. schools close until November 11, 2024, because of a significant increase in the risk of school shootings and riots during the presidential election? No, that's not true: The FBI has called the video "fake" and its contents "false." The U.S. Department of Education also has not…