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 the German political party Alternative for Germany create an advertisement against NATO (also trending under the name Heil, Zelenskyy)? No, that's not true: The video was shot in Russia and Alternative for Germany has no involvement in the production of the clip. The story appeared in a Telegram video (archived here) which was published by @Belarus_VPO on July 26,…

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 Belarusian leader discuss shutting down or reducing the Internet in Belarus by 2025? No, that's not true: On the contrary, Lukashenko confirmed the plan to provide broadband Internet access to rural areas of Belarus by 2025. On July 10, 2023, the claim appeared in a video posted on the TikTok account nexta_tv (archived here). The President said in…

Did the Latvian government demand that the exiled Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya change Belarus's opposition symbol, the white-red-white flag, "due to its collaborationist past" and in relation to the recent "scandalous resignation" of the mayor of Riga, Mārtiņš Staķis, who supported the Belarusian opposition? No, that's not true: In correspondence with Lead Stories, the press secretary of the Latvian…

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 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ride the agricultural tractor MTZ-50 at a speed of 280 kilometers (174 miles) per hour? No, that's not true: This is technically impossible. In fact, he drove a Tesla at that velocity. A video making that claim (archived here) was posted on the TikTok account @epicbattlesworld on June 11, 2023. The caption is (translated from…

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…

Have swimming and fishing been banned because cholera was found in Odesa's seawater? No, that's not true: Fishing has been prohibited since authorities have observed "a plague of fish" in the southern Ukrainian region along the northern coast of the Black Sea, following the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, and have warned against the risk of botulism. Swimming has also…

Does the "leaked" phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko prove that Putin and Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin put forward a conflict resolution without Lukashenko knowing about it? No, that's not true: It was Lukashenko's own initiative to mediate in the conflict. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok (archived here) published by…

Правда ли, что в Беларуси в июне 2023 года началась мобилизация? Нет, это неправда. В последнюю декаду июня 2023 года проводилось мобилизационное учение согласно ежегодному плану подготовки Вооружённых Сил Республики Беларусь. Данное утверждение появились в видео (архив здесь), опубликованном в социальной сети TikTok 15 июня 2023 года. Текст на экране сообщает: В Беларуссии начинается мобилизация, летают вертолёты с флагами и…

Did a report by the RAND Corp., a U.S think tank, explain the real reason behind Russian-Ukrainian conflict? No, that's not true: Russian historian Andery Fursov referred to a document that was proven to be fabricated. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published by the Russian TikTok account natalyanystad on June 2, 2023, with a caption reading (translated…

Did Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko propose launching nuclear weapons against Poland? No, that's not true: Lukashenko never said that and the sound in a video claiming to show the Belarusian leader making such a statement has been altered. The claim originated from a video (archived here) published on TikTok by mirandichek on June 7, 2023. The video shows the Belarusian…

Are Russia and Belarus one nation, and does Belarusian not exist as a language? No, that's not true: This claim is a myth. Belarus is internationally recognized as an independent country with two official languages: Belarusian and Russian, as stated in the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. On February 3, 2023, the claim appeared in a video posted on…

Did Viktor Lukashenko, the eldest son of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, escape to China on June 1, 2023? No, that's not true: he was seen in public in Belarus on June 3, 2023, two days after his alleged departure, as claimed on social media. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok by news_ua_24_7 on June 1,…

Did Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign an agreement to annex Belarusian territories to Russia? No, that's not true: The Republic of Belarus is an independent country and no such pact has been signed at the time of this writing. The claim originated from a video (archived here) published on TikTok by tomilovzelenskiy on May, 26,…

Did Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video, say the Caspian Sea was the territory of Belarus and promise to find all Belarusians who launched their rockets from the shores of the Caspian Sea? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found this video has been manipulated. This claim has been published by different TikTok accounts in Russian. On April 7,…