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…

Did American actress Elizabeth Olsen describe the sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. and European Union (EU) as meaningless? No, that's not true: In the original video, the actress is shown talking about filmmakers and projects she would like to be a part of, and she does not talk about Russia or economic sanctions. The claim appeared in a…

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…

Has the popular Ukrainian singer Ani Lorak made a promise to Russian military members, to offer a 1-million-ruble reward for the destruction of a U.S.-supplied Abrams tank used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine? No, that's not true: There is no credible evidence that the singer made such a commitment. Lorak also stated that she could not contribute to military…

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 a black flag raised over a prominent religious site, the Imam Reza Shrine, located in the Iranian city of Mashhad, as a call for war or vengeance? No, that's not true: According to an official statement from the Imam Reza Holy Shrine's authority, the black flag was raised to publicly mourn the Gaza victims. The claim appeared in a…

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.…

Does Poland intend to withdraw from the European Union after elections scheduled for October 15, 2023? No, that's not true: This is a misleading interpretation of the words said by Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk in a publication on X, formerly known as Twitter. The politician stated: "On October 15, either we will lead PiS out, or PiS will lead…

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 people in the streets of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, wave Russian and Turkish flags to celebrate Azerbaijan's victory in its September 2023 military operation in the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh? No, that's not true. The video was recorded in October 2020 and depicts a march by Baku's Russian community. This march was conducted to express support for Azerbaijan during…

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…