Fact check roundup: What's true and what's false about the Russian invasion of Ukraine
False and misleading information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine has spread rapidly on social media since Russian forces launched a military assault in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 24.
Here’s a roundup of claims related to the Ukraine-Russia conflict analyzed by the USA TODAY Fact Check team:
U.S. and European relations with Russia, Ukraine
Claim: There are U.S. biolabs in Ukraine funded by the U.S. government
Our rating: False
The labs in question are owned and funded by the Ukrainian government. The social media posts misrepresent a treaty between the U.S. and Ukraine aimed at preventing biological threats, and numerous reports indicate the claim is tied to a years-long Russian disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the U.S. Read more.
Claim: Ukraine was the largest donor to the Clinton Foundation
Our rating: False
Though foreign governments have contributed to the Clinton Foundation, Ukraine is not listed as a donor. The claims misrepresent a 2015 report on donations made between 1999 and 2014 ranked by the nationality of individual contributors, not foreign governments. The vast majority of donations from Ukrainian nationals to the Clinton Foundation in a chart that was part of that report came from one individual. Read more.
The claim: Vladimir Putin has banned the Rothschild family from entering Russia
Our rating: False
There's no evidence supporting the claim that Putin has banned the Rothschild family from entering Russia, which was first published in 2016 and has been debunked by independent fact-checking organizations. The Rothschild family's company has an office in Moscow. Read more.
False or misleading videos
Claim: A video shows Russian soldiers parachuting into Ukraine
Our rating: False
A viral video, recorded by a man in a military uniform, shows a handful of people with parachutes descending into an open field. But the video was posted on Instagram in 2015, nearly seven years before Russia invaded Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: A video shows a recent explosion in Ukraine
Our rating: False
A viral video shows a flash of light followed by an orange glow behind several darkened buildings, claiming its setting is Ukraine. However, the video was shared to TikTok in January and has nothing to do with the Russian invasion. Read more.
Claim: Video shows explosion in Ukraine
Our rating: False
In a video claiming to be set in Ukraine, a massive ball of fire explodes in the air. What the video actually shows is an explosion at a chemical warehouse in an industrial city in China. It was captured by an American survivor in 2015. Read more.
Claim: A video shows a Russian fighter jet in Ukraine
Our rating: False
An online video clip shows a plane falling from the sky and bursting into flames, purporting to show a Russian jet shot down by the Ukrainian military. But the footage really shows a Libyan plane shot down by rebels over Benghazi in March 2011, a decade before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: A video shows Ukrainian police dropping their equipment and walking away
Our rating: Missing context
A video purports to show Odesa police abandoning their equipment and "refusing to go against its people." While the clip does show Odesa police, the footage is from a May 2014 pro-Russian demonstration. It is unrelated to the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: A video shows Russian jets flying over Kyiv
Our rating: False
A video claims Russian planes can be seen flying over the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. But the video actually shows a flyover practice in Moscow ahead of the city's celebration of Victory Day and was posted in May 2020. Read more.
Claim: A video shows war between Russia and Ukraine
Our rating: False
A video claims to show war between Russia and Ukraine before the former had invaded the latter. That's not true. The video shows footage from "Arma 3," a military-style video game. At the time the footage was posted, on Feb. 20, Russia had not invaded Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: A BBC News segment depicts a military escalation between Russia and NATO
Our rating: False
A video that purports to show a BBC News segment narrating the escalation of Russian and NATO combat is actually just an out-of-context dramatization made as a training video. The BBC previously debunked its association to the clip in 2018, tracing its source to a private company that identified it as fictional. The video's actor has also gone on the record to say that the clip is fictional. Read more.
Claim: A video shows a Russian tank running over a Ukrainian car
Our rating: Missing context
News organizations and an eyewitness confirmed the authenticity of a video showing an armored vehicle running over a civilian car in Ukraine. But claims that the armored vehicle shows a "Russian tank" are unproven. Military experts say the vehicle is likely a Strela-10, which is used by both Russian and Ukrainian armed forces. Read more.
Claim: A video shows Ukrainian and Russian troops face to face
Our rating: Missing context
While a video shows Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, it wasn't captured during the Russian invasion. The standoff between soldiers took place in 2014 in Crimea. Read more.
Claim: A video shows Ukrainians destroying Russian tanks with Molotov cocktails
Our rating: False
While volunteers in Ukraine have been producing Molotov cocktails, the video doesn't depict Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The footage shows Ukrainians clashing with police in 2014 during anti-government demonstrations in Kyiv's central square. Read more.
Claim: A video shows a 'huge' military convoy heading to Ukraine
Our rating: False
A video showing a train snaking its way through the countryside, pulling a long line of flatcars loaded with tanks, is not related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The footage in question shows an American railway company carrying tanks in Southern California and is at least four years old. Read more.
Claim: A video shows an explosion at the Ukraine international airport
Our rating: False
A video that shows a massive explosion engulfing the sky near a populated area shows an explosion at a Ukrainian air base in the city of Melitopol, not the non-existent "Ukraine International Airport." But numerous international airports in Ukraine have suffered Russian missile strikes. Read more.
Claim: A video shows Russian soldiers preparing nuclear weapons
Our rating: False
A video purporting to show Russian soldiers preparing nuclear missiles actually shows a British journalist jokingly placing a lighter near a decommissioned intercontinental ballistic missile. The video was taken in 2014 in Ukraine during the filming of the "Top Gear" TV show. Read more.
Claim: A video shows families fleeing a battle
Our rating: Missing context
A video clip that shows families hurrying to run behind troop lines as an explosion flings debris in the background is a 2021 Russian reenactment of a World War II battle. The video is unrelated to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: A video shows Russians and Ukrainians dancing together
Our rating: Missing context
A video that shows several uniformed individuals dancing to upbeat music in a muddy field while a nearby crowd of clapping soldiers stand on honking armored vehicles is missing context. The video was first shared at least a week before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and Crimean news reports indicate the dancing took place after a planned tactical exercise in the peninsula. USA TODAY found no evidence the soldiers are members of the Ukrainian military. Read more.
Claim: A video shows the Ukrainian Air Force shooting down a Russian jet
Our rating: False
A video of jets passing over a building and a projectile seemingly striking an object in the sky does not show the Ukrainian Air Force shooting down a Russian jet. The video is from a video game called "Digital Combat Simulator World." Read more.
Claim: Ukrainians are posting videos about 'how to drive abandoned or captured Russian military vehicles'
Our rating: Missing context
The claim that Ukrainians are posting videos about "how to drive abandoned or captured Russian military vehicles" is missing context. The video in the post was initially published a year before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: A video shows 'crisis actors' pretending to be dead in Ukraine
Our rating: False
A video that shows dozens of people lying in what appear to be body bags, with one of the people moving, does not show crisis actors pretending to be dead. The video is from an Austrian climate protest that occurred weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Read more.
Deceptive use of images
Claim: A photo shows a Russian jet going down in flames as it invaded Ukraine
Our rating: False
The image that claims to show a Russian jet crashing in flames as it invaded Ukraine was actually taken in 1993, after two Russian fighter jets collided in mid-air while performing at an airshow in England. Read more.
Claim: An image shows a Russian plane shot down by Ukraine
Our rating: False
The photo of a plane falling from the sky was captured in August 2015 during an air show in Russia. Read more.
Claim: A photo shows Ukrainians praying in the snow 'in this phase of war danger'
Our rating: Missing context
The photo of people praying in the snow is from Ukraine, but it has circulated online since at least 2019. It does not show Ukrainians praying during recent tensions with Russia. Read more.
Claim: A photo shows an explosion in Ukraine
Our rating: False
An image of a large explosion depicts Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in May 2021, not ongoing fighting in Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: A photo shows a celebration after Ukraine's president lifted a ban on proselytizing
Our rating: False
The image of thousands protesting was taken in 2017 during a celebration in Kyiv of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. USA TODAY found no evidence that Ukraine ever banned proselytizing. Read more.
Claim: An image of a woman holding a rifle shows 'life in Ukraine, now'
Our rating: False
The photo of a woman holding a rifle on a bus while checking her phone was first shared online in March 2020. A Russian social media influencer said it shows her posing with a fake weapon after a photo shoot. Read more.
Claim: Image shows Japanese ambassador to Ukraine dressed as a samurai who stayed in Kiev
Our rating: False
A photo purporting to show the Japanese ambassador to Ukraine dressed in a samurai outfit in Kyiv actually shows the Ukrainian ambassador to Japan. The image was captured prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: An image shows Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in military uniform 'alongside his people'
Our rating: Missing context
While a photo showing Zelenskyy in military garb is authentic, it wasn't captured recently amid current conflict with Russia. It was taken in early 2021 when he visited troops in eastern Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: An image shows Ukraine first lady Olena Zelenska in uniform
Our rating: False
A viral image shows a Ukrainian soldier at a military parade rehearsal in Kyiv in August 2021, not Ukraine's first lady. Some users claimed the photo shows the vice president's wife, however there is no vice president role in Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: An image of a wounded child is from the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Our rating: False
A 2018 photo of a wounded girl in a hospital after a bombing in Syria is being falsely described online as showing a wounded child from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: A photo shows children saluting Ukrainian troops
Our rating: Missing context
An image of a young boy and girl saluting Ukrainian soldiers predates Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The photo is from 2016, two years after the Russian annexation of Crimea. Read more.
Claim: A photo shows a Time magazine cover comparing Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler
Our rating: Altered
An image depicting a supposed Time magazine cover comparing Russian President Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler is altered. A graphic designer created the photo of Putin and Hitler and edited it to appear as if it were a real Time cover. The magazine's most recent cover shows a Russian tank, not Putin. Read more.
Claim: An image shows a Ukrainian girl confronting a Russian soldier
Our rating: False
Viral pictures of a young girl appearing to shout and wave her fist in front of a soldier with a gun weren't taken in Ukraine. The image shows a Palestinian girl confronting an Israeli soldier in the West Bank in 2012. Read more.
Claim: Former beauty queen Anastasiia Lenna joined the Ukrainian military
Our rating: False
Viral photos purporting to show former Miss Grand Ukraine Anastasiia Lenna joining the military to defend her country actually show her posing with an airsoft gun, which she says were meant to inspire people amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Lenna clarified she has not joined the military and that she is an airsoft player. Her Instagram page shows she has been sharing airsoft game photos for years. Read more.
Claim: An image shows Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko with a machine gun
Our rating: Missing context
A photo that shows Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitscheko with a machine gun is from March 2021 when he visited a military training center. It is unrelated to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: Samuel Hyde is the 'Ghost of Kyiv'
Our rating: False
Samuel Hyde is not the so-called Ghost of Kyiv. The image in the post was altered to replace a U.S. pilot's face with Hyde's face. Hyde has been falsely linked to various mass shootings and global tragedies for years. Read more.
Claim: Russia unveiled a nuclear missile called 'Satan 2'
Our rating: Missing context
The missile was first announced in 2016 – not recently, as posts online makes it seem – and reportedly will not be in use until late 2022. None of the three images in the post show "Satan 2." Read more.
Claim: An image shows Natasha Perakov, the first Ukrainian female fighter pilot
Our rating: False
The first Ukrainian female fighter pilot is not shown in the post. The image shows a Ukrainian soldier who won a beauty contest in 2016. Ukraine's first female fighter pilot is Nadiya Savchenko. Read more.
Use of fake or misleading media reports
Claim: CNN reported the death of 'Bernie Gores' in both Afghanistan and Ukraine
Our rating: False
A post claiming CNN reported the same man was both executed by the Taliban in 2021 and killed by Ukrainian separatists in February is false. The tweets pictured in social media posts appear to have come from unverified accounts that have been suspended. CNN denied posting the tweets. Read more.
Claim: Russia deployed nuclear weapons 'in America's backyard,' CNN reported
Our rating: Missing context
A CNN news clip featuring correspondent Brian Todd and a chyron that asserts Putin is "making military moves in America's backyard" was shared out of context. The video was recorded and originally posted online in 2018, when two Russian bombers arrived in Venezuela to carry out military exercises over the Caribbean. The video has nothing to do with the current invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
Claim: An image shows a CNN chyron that reads, 'Ocasio-Cortez says she feared being raped during Ukraine invasion'
Our rating: Altered
An image that claims to show a CNN chyron that reads, "Ocasio-Cortez says she feared being raped during Ukraine invasion" is fake. It was superimposed on an image of Ocasio-Cortez from an interview with CNN in August 2021. Read more.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: What's true and what's false about the invasion of Ukraine