Was the primary objective of the protesters at the October 1, 2023, rally in Warsaw to demand a cessation of aid to Ukraine? No, that's not true: The rally aimed to boost support for the opposition Civic Platform party and address concerns about rising costs and democratic checks. Warsaw city authorities reported that around a million people attended an opposition…

Did the newly appointed Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, say that he would set the draft age for the Ukrainian army at 16, considering this change to be fair? No, he didn't: Lead Stories found that Umerov made no such statement. On September 14, 2023, this claim appeared in a video posted on the TikTok account @sanika.f ( archived…

Is the United Kingdom cutting back on military training for Ukrainians? No, that's not true: This is not a cut in the military training program as a whole, but a reduction of exercises at the Lydd Ranges training area by a third. The UK Ministry of Defense took the step in response to complaints by residents about the noise and…

Did a graffiti mural of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a "cannibal" eating a ZSU - the Armed Forces of Ukraine - soldier's arm recently appear on a residential building in Berlin, Germany? No, that's not true: The image is fabricated and the building with the alleged mural is in Warsaw, Poland. An episode containing the claim was shared on…

Did the President of Belarus conscript his son Nikolai into the private military company (PMC) Wagner, instead of enrolling him in a summer camp? No, that´s not true: This claim was featured in a post from a Ukrainian satirical website "SRIA Novosti" known for publishing fictional content. The Telegram channel profile warns that the information published is intentionally fabricated (translated…

Did the BBC, the British public service broadcaster, state that Wagner Group chief and leader of the failed mutiny against the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is alive? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found that BBC never reported such information. On September 2, 2023, the claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted on the TikTok account @ruporzdravomisliya. The graphic overlay…

Did the Polish weekly Myśl Polska disclose the number of Polish mercenaries lost in the Ukraine-Russia conflict? No, that's not true: No such article has ever been published. Mateusz Piskorski, from the editorial board of the magazine, denied that Myśl Polska ever reported on that, asking to check on the source of this alleged piece of information. The claim appeared…

Was there a billboard with the face of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the text "I have made 10 times more than the Barbie movie" installed in New York? No, that's not true: Such a banner does not exist. The story appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by pravda_bel on August 10, 2023. Videos with the…

Will the new draft law restrict Ukrainian teenagers from traveling abroad because of mobilization? No, that's not true: The changes to the regulations on temporary departure out of Ukraine for children 16 to 18 will require an accompanying parent and the consent of the other or a confidant. Teenagers older than 18 will be able to travel unaccompanied. The claim…

Did a well-known defender of the Kremlin's rhetoric, American Scott Ritter, interview Wagner Group chief and leader of the failed mutiny against the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no credible evidence that such an interview occurred. On July 3, 2023, the claim appeared in a video posted on the TikTok account @dr46yii (archived here). The…

Was there a digital billboard displaying the message "Stop war, stop Zelenskyy" in Tokyo, Japan? No, that's not true: The video has been doctored and the original shows digital advertisements. The story appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by @planet.404 on TikTok on August 1, 2023, under the title "Tokyo. Billboard." The text on the video…

Did an Orthodox priest pronounce an anathema on the motorcade of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he passed through the streets of Bulgaria's capital Sofia? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found that the man shown in the video, wearing a black robe and holding a cross, is not a priest, and his actions in front of the camera have…

Did the Wagner Group chief and leader of the failed mutiny against the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, state that Wagner group fighters would carry out combat operations on behalf of Russia, including those possibly aimed at Poland, from Belarus territory? No, that's not true: In a July 19 video release, Prigozhin is heard addressing his mercenaries in Belarus, saying they will…

Did Brandon Mitchell, a Canadian volunteer in Ukraine, say that Russia does not bomb bridges and railways because it targets only military objects and does Russia target only military objects? No, that's not true: In his interview with YouTube channel Lindy Beige, Mitchell says: "You know, the Russians have caused a lot of damage there, but there's some things that…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put forward the legalization of cannabis in Ukraine? No, that's not true: Zelenskyy spoke about licensing cannabis-based medication in an effort to help Ukrainians suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health disorders that might arise amid the conflict. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by @pollman7…

Did the exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya, in a tweet, call on Belarusians to engage in sabotage to prevent the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus? Is she also developing a secret plan for their elimination while demanding assistance from peaceful Belarusians? No, that's not true: In correspondence with Lead Stories, Tikhanovskaya's press service has confirmed that the…

Did UNESCO reach an agreement with Ukraine to move Christian relics from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery to European countries in order to protect them? No, that's not true: No such agreement existed as of June 26, 2023. The story appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok by political.channel.minsk on June 29, 2023, under the title: "Sacred operation."…

Правда ли, что белорусский лидер Александр Лукашенко обманул главу российской частной военной компании (ЧВК) «Вагнер», Евгения Пригожина, заманив его в Минск, где его сразу же задержали? Нет, это неправда. Lead Stories не обнаружили никаких достоверных данных в поддержку этого утверждения. Проверка при помощи инструментов обратного поиска изображений показала, что фотография, представленная как доказательство задержания Пригожина в Беларуси, распространяется в интернете…

Was the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, murdered after the bombing of his house in the Belarusian capital? No, that's not true: This video captures the aftermath of a drone strike on a fuel depot in Crimea in April 2023, where a fire broke out. The leader of the mercenary group is alive, at last report. The claim…

Did almost half of U.S citizens oppose future aid to Ukraine in a survey? No, that's not true: Only 38 percent of all the respondents disagreed with supporting Ukraine in the conflict. The outcomes of a poll conducted by AP-NORC in February 2023 revealed that 37 percent of respondents expressed support, 38 percent expressed opposition and 23 percent stated neither…