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 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy buy a house in Italy with US and EU aid money? No, that's not true: There is no proof Zelenskyy spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a luxury house and yachts. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by TikTok user mogilevnewsby on May 23, 2023, with the text:…

Did Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko send a plane with his family to Turkey, amid the mutiny in Russia? No, that's not true: There is no evidence the plane departed from Belarus carried the family members of the Belarusian leader. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by t.an21 on June 25, 2023. Similar claims can…

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…

Does Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, have Ukrainian ancestry? No, that's not true: While there have been rumors circulating about his Ukrainian origin for many years, there is no official confirmation or evidence to support this claim. Alexander Lukashenko was born in the village of Kopys in the Vitebsk region of the Belarusian SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic) in 1954.…

Is the photo of the six floating dogs in any way related to the flooding caused by the Nova Kakhovka dam breach in the Kherson area, Ukraine? No, that's not true: Although many animals were affected by the dam collapse and resultant flooding, this picture is in fact from flooding in Thailand in 2022. The claim appeared in a video…

Did Nancy Pelosi's son Paul Pelosi Jr. head an oil and gas company that did business in Ukraine? No, that's not true: Pelosi Jr. was briefly on the board of Viscoil, a U.S. energy company based in Southern California. The claim reappeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok where it was published by poniatnayapolitika on June 1, 2023. The…

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…

Did famous Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka call Lukashenko an asshole? No, that's not true: The video in English was translated incorrectly, where the swear word was added. The story originated from a video (archived here) where it was published by eastern_europe_news on June 8, 2023, under the title "Lukashenko is an asshole for athletes." The text on the video,…

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…

Правда ли, что Беларусь начала войну с Литвой за доступ к морю? Нет, это неправда. Беларусь никогда не заявляла о намерении вторгнуться в Литву. Эти утверждения ― выдумка так называемых ТикТок-мапперов, от английского mappers (картографы). Они создают контент, публикуя различные карты в социальных сетях и сопровождая их утверждениями, которые не всегда достоверны. Данное утверждение появилось в видео (более не доступно,…

Did the Polish general Waldemar Skrzypczak, claim that Poland is preparing for an armed coup in Belarus and that he is involved in its military support? No, that's not true: The retired general appeared on Polsat News' Gosc Wydarzen program on May 23, 2023, to discuss recent events in Belgorod, Russia. During the interview, he did not mention any plans…

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,…