Правда ли, что португальское правительство ограничило въезд в страну лидера белорусской оппозиции в изгнании Светланы Тихановской и усложнило условия для белорусских граждан? Нет, это неправда. Представитель португальского МИДа подтвердил, что таких ограничений не было, а Lead Stories не нашли никаких доказательств, что Португалия ввела рестрикции против белорусов. Данное утверждение появилось в видео (архив здесь), опубликованном в социальной сети TikTok 14…

Are they recruiting extras in Kyiv to support the election campaign of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyy, and is the main requirement for extras the presence of combat experience or dress uniform? No, that's not true: The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine's Department of Press and Information emailed Lead Stories to refute the claim on…

Did Ukrainian television channel 1+1, citing Ukraine's Defence Ministry, acknowledge that over a million soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have died or gone missing? No, that's not true: The Department of Press and Information of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence told Lead Stories it was disinformation. Channel 1+1, contacted by Lead Stories, also added that no such information…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy deliver an urgent speech in which he announced his resignation? No, that's not true: A watermark on the video on social media is from a platform for creating videos with talking AI avatars, the voice is not the same and the content is satirical. No credible reports confirm such an announcement. The claim appeared in…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announce a "shovel challenge" and ask people to join him in cleaning a Ukrainian cemetery? No, that's not true: The original video showing Zelenskyy shoveling snow from a city street, posted on his official Facebook account in 2019, has been digitally altered to superimpose his video over scenes from a Ukrainian cemetery. The claim appeared…

Has a pregnant medic in the Ukrainian city of Odesa received a summons? No, that's not true: Ukrainian law recognizes pregnancy as a valid reason for a servicewoman's dismissal, and pregnant women do not need to register for military service. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok by @alexandr_turner (archived here) on November 12, 2023, and was also shared…

Did Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, showing him a map with military positions, and advising him to reconsider his stance to spare his country a defeat? No, that's not true: A video circulating on social media was created by juxtaposing excerpts from an interview given by Lukashenko to a Ukrainian journalist in…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appear in a Vicks nasal spray ad on a huge billboard in New York's Times Square, according to a video on TikTok? No, that's not true: The alleged video shown on the billboard in the video on social media uses a digital likeness of Zelenskyy and is one of several examples of digitally edited billboards…

Does this video show former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and analyst Scott Ritter inviting Russian followers to subscribe to his Russian Telegram channel? No, that's not true: The video of the alleged invitation to follow him on his new Telegram channel is taken from a 2022 interview that Ritter gave to The Real News Network, in which he made…

Правда ли, что встречи Светланы Тихановской, лидера белорусской оппозиции в изгнании, с литовскими политиками повлекли за собой введение ограничительных мер против белорусов? Привели ли её встречи с министром внутренних дел Литвы Агне Билотайте и премьер-министром Литвы Ингридой Шимоните к приостановке рассмотрения заявлений на получение на вид на жительства для белорусов и планам Литвы более строго контролировать въезд белорусов в страну?…

Was there an order from the leader of Chechnya, a republic in southwestern Russia, to arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine? No, that's not true: Ramzan Kadyrov issued directives to apprehend and detain individuals involved in unauthorized riots. Regarding Palestine, he advocated for collective prayer. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok by @nata__789__ on October…

Правда ли, что президент Беларуси Александр Лукашенко недавно отправил подарки бывшему президенту США Дональду Трампу и его жене Мелании, попросив доставить их бывшего советника по национальной безопасности США Джона Болтона? Нет, это неправда: видео, опубликованное в социальных сетях, относится к 2019 году. Данное утверждение появилось в видео (архив здесь), опубликованном в социальной сети TikTok 9 ноября 2023 года под заголовком…

Did Ursula von der Leyen say that Israel has the right to defend itself by any means necessary, including cutting off water and electricity to the Gaza Strip? No, that's not true: The president of the European Commission never made such a statement. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on October 14, 2023. The same message…

Правда ли, что больницы украинского города Львова обслуживают только тех, кто говорит на украинском языке или пришёл с переводчиком? Нет, это неправда. Пресс-служба Львовского городского совета опровергла это утверждение в переписке с Lead Stories. Законы Украины допускают использование других языков в системе здравоохранения. Данное утверждение появилось в видео (архив здесь), опубликованном в социальной сети TikTok 6 ноября 2023 года. В…

Правда ли, что польские силовики убивают людей на границе с Беларусью и что Польша находится под игом США? Нет, это неправда. Lead Stories обнаружили сообщения о смертях на границе, но не нашли достоверных доказательств убийств мигрантов польскими силовиками. Утверждение о том, что Польша находится под игом США, является пропагандистским нарративом Кремля.Данное утверждение появилось в видео (архив здесь), опубликованном в социальной…

Did participants of a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Committee turn their backs on U.S. ambassador Michele Taylor as a protest against Israel's bombing of Gaza in late 2023? No, that's not true: The meeting had no relation to the current Hamas-Israel conflict; the activists faced away because they were not satisfied with Taylor's response concerning human rights…

Did Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, claim that Palestinian rock throwing was a reason to bomb and kill Palestinian women and children? No, that's not true: The video of Erdan addressing the UN about the danger of rock-throwing at Israeli civilians is from 2022, he does not suggest rock-throwing is a cause for military strikes against Palestinians…

Did a hundred thousand Jews recently arrive in Ukraine to each receive an allowance of 20,000 hryvnas ($547) from the government? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support the claim of a twofold increase in the Jewish population in Ukraine today. Instead, evidence points to a decline in the Jewish population in Ukraine since the Russian invasion…

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 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko congratulate Hamas for its attack against Israel? No, that's not true: There has been no published official statement from Lukashenko in reaction to events in Israel and Gaza so far. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs condemned any form of aggression and said casualties among civilians were unacceptable.…