Top Fact Checks
Latest Statements
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![Aleksandr Lukashevich]()
Aleksandr Lukashevich
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
“Quasi-state entity in Kosovo is a failure. Growing number of countries, which revoked recognition of its ‘independence’ confirms it.”
Read more...The newest European state has a permanent population that overwhelmingly supports independence, a defined territory, a government and its own constitution, and has established relations with 115 states. The U.S. is taking decisive steps to secure Kosovo’s international integration. -
![Avia.pro]()
Avia.pro
Russian news agency
“The Georgian authorities are not giving a U.S. Navy transport [vessel] permission to enter their country’s territorial waters.”
Read more...Russia’s media pushed stories about Georgia denying a U.S. Navy vessel entry to its Black Sea port, raising questions about U.S.-Georgia relations. The news was fabricated. -
![Vesti News]()
Vesti News
YouTube channel
“Funding Both Sides? Bulgarian Journalists Reveal US Selling Weapons to Terror Groups in Yemen!”
Read more...Russian TV has seized on a Bulgarian journalist’s report to claim the U.S. is covertly selling weapons to Islamic State in Yemen. The Bulgarian journalist, however, often jumps to conclusions not backed by evidence, while the Russian media report makes unsubstantiated claims. -
![Sergei Lavrov]()
Sergei Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister
"I think that eventually western colleagues will come to understating(sic) that the strict observance of international law will substantially fortify the global and regional security and stability.”
Read more...Russia has been responsible for some of the most flagrant violations of international law in recent history, including the invasion and annexation of part of Ukraine. -
![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Russian Presidential Spokesman
“Indeed, Smolenkov worked in the presidential administration, but he was dismissed several years ago by an internal order; his position was not related to the category of senior officials…”
Read more...After reports the CIA extracted one of its most valuable assets from Russia in 2017, the the Kremlin's spokesman downplayed the alleged spy as a non-senior official who was fired years ago. However, the alleged CIA asset held a “top group” civil service rank equal to a major general in the military. -
![Press TV]()
Press TV
Iranian State-Owned Media Outlet
“In 2009, independent research conducted by a team of international scientists discovered, after analyzing some dust samples from the debris in the area where the skyscrapers collapsed, that they all contained a red layer of active thermitic material, incorporating nanotechnology.”
Read more...The claim was debunked years ago. The “research” cited in the article did not actually find “thermitic material,” and thermite and similar compounds are not used – and, in fact, cannot be used -- in controlled demolitions. -
![Maria Zakharova]()
Maria Zakharova
Spokesperson, Russian Foreign Ministry
“By declaring that the Red Army brought so-called repressions, Bulgaria is engaged in rewriting history. This is a dangerous trend, because it is illegal.”
Read more...Zakharova disputed as illegal a statement by Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry, which fully complies with Bulgaria’s Law on Declaring the Criminal Nature of the Communist Regime in Bulgaria. -
![Russian Foreign Ministry]()
Russian Foreign Ministry
“The Russian government regularly provides consular access to Whelan. What kind of isolation are we talking about?”
Read more...Russian authorities have refused to let Paul Whelan have a single phone call with his family during his eight-month incarceration in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. Whelan’s mail correspondence with his family is censored and takes up to two months each way to arrive. -
![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
“We are not responsible for the Ukraine’s crisis. We did not support the unconstitutional coup in Ukraine, and we did not provoke the reaction of part of the country’s population to these actions... ...as for Crimea, the Crimean people made a decision, voted. The question is closed as a matter of history, there is no going back to the previous system, absolutely not.”
Read more...Putin’s claims have been proved false, repeatedly. We cite seven fact checks, already conducted, by Polygraph.info. -
![Russian Defense Ministry]()
Russian Defense Ministry
Russian Government Ministry
“There are numerous casualties and destruction in the settlements subjected to the American strike.”
Read more...While Russian and Syrian government air and artillery strikes regularly pound civilian targets in Idlib, the U.S. strike, while questionable, hit a training camp used by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. -
![Robot FEDOR]()
Robot FEDOR
Android Skybot F-850
“Admiring our Earth from the porthole of Soyuz-MS14 at the end of the working day. She is beautiful. Studying and exploring space makes people smarter and makes them work together. And we, machines made by humans, are ready to help our creators go further.”
Read more...The picture of Earth from space that Robot FEDOR tweeted as its own is 9 years old and belongs to the American Astronaut Douglas Wheelock, who first tweeted it in 2010 -
![Vzglyad Business Newspaper]()
Vzglyad Business Newspaper
“Sofia, under pressure from the United States, has twice put an end to Russian projects – the South Stream natural gas pipeline and the Belene nuclear power plant.”
Read more...Bulgaria suspended South Stream construction to bring the project into compliance with EU competition laws and energy regulations. But Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to cancel the pipeline instead, blaming Bulgaria and the EU for its demise. -
![Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]()
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Twitter account
“In the early 90s the Baltic nations, after over 50 years of being a part of the #SovietUnion, gained their national independence. This event raised hopes and aspirations that the Baltic Soviet Republics would turn into modern democratic and rule-of-law states, which, unfortunately, never came true.”
Read more...Following their liberation from Soviet occupation, the Baltic states have transformed into democracies and been accepted into the European Union and NATO, among other international groups and alliances. By every metric available, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s claim that the Baltics failed is false. -
![Kommersant, newspaper]()
Kommersant, newspaper
“In fact, only his compatriots could have dealt with him - both Russian Chechens and “Ichkeria” militants, hiding in Europe from criminal prosecution [in Russia].”
Likely falseChechens “hiding” from Russia in Europe would not ask to speak with the Russian EmbassyRead more...The suspect in the murder investigation arrested by the court in Berlin demanded to talk with representatives of the Russian Embassy – a request that is highly unlikely to be made by Chechen separatists “hiding” from Russia in Europe.
Disinformation News and Analysis
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Disinfo Analysis
Russia: Non-Information as Disinformation
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Disinfo Analysis
‘The Balkan Line’ – Russian Disinformation on the Big Screen
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World Press Freedom Day
Russia’s International Broadcasters: Turning the Serbian Media into a Disinformation Hub
