Skip to main content

PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

War & conflict fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about war & conflict. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

5,847 published reviews in this topic

FACTLYWar & conflict

Photo showing the recent Peshawar blasts in Pakistan

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim concerned a photo of a man carrying a child and fleeing an explosion, presented as showing the recent Peshawar bombing. FACTLY’s investigation concluded that the photo was not from that recent attack: it showed a 2013 car bombing in Peshawar. The review distinguishes the two events, noting that the recent bombing it discusses was a suicide bombing at a Shi’ite mosque, while the photograph was associated with an earlier blast. [S1]

Fact Crescendo Sri LankaWar & conflict

ඇදුම මැච් කරන් යුද්ධයට යන යුක්‍රේන සෙබලියක්ද ?

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The post paired a photograph of a Ukrainian female soldier with a caption suggesting that, even as the world turned upside down, women would still match their clothes. The review notes that some viewers took the image to show a soldier heading into the current Russia–Ukraine war. Its investigation instead traced the image to an Alamy photo listing and reports that the photograph was taken in August 2021, months before the current war began. The review also examined the flowers worn on the soldier’s head. It explains that the yellow flower represents Ukraine’s national flower, the sunflower, while the blue flower represents one of the colors of the national flag. It adds that Ukrainian female soldiers commonly wore such flowers at public ceremonies, and gives an image of soldiers wearing sunflowers during a rehearsal for Ukraine’s 2015 Independence Day celebration as an example. The review concludes that the pictured soldier was not shown going to fight Russia: the image predated the current war, and the flowers were part of a familiar ceremonial practice rather than evidence that she was dressing to match her outfit for battle. This directly corrects the post’s implied timing and interpretation of the photograph.

dpaWar & conflict

Deze video toont een reportage over Oekraïense oorlogsslachtoffers.

Publisher’s rating: Deze video toont een klimaatprotest in Wenen, geen reportage over Oekraïense slachtoffers. De video is doelbewust zo gemanipuleerd om kijkers te doen geloven dat de media mensen wil misleiden over de oorlog in Oekraïne.

The video circulated as if it showed a reporter covering the situation in Ukraine, with apparent bodies in bags and a screen banner about deaths and injuries. The review identifies the footage as a report by Austrian outlet OE24 about a climate demonstration in Vienna, not a report from Ukraine. It says the footage dates to 4 February 2022, before the war, and that the apparent “bodies” represented people who could die without climate action. Fridays for Future was protesting Austrian climate policy. [S1] The review describes two additions that changed the footage’s meaning. An English-language banner about Ukrainian casualties was placed over the images; the review says the figures were shared by Ukraine’s health minister on the first day of the Russian invasion, but did not relate to the Vienna footage. The audio was also replaced: the voice speaking English about war casualties was not the original Austrian report. [S1] For the audio’s provenance, the review points to Reuters fact-checker Seana Davis and says the clip came from an NBC News report about victims in Ukraine. It notes that the casualty count in that video’s title matched the count shown in the altered social-media video. Together, the original-report provenance and the mismatched banner and audio support the conclusion that the circulating version was deliberately edited to make the Vienna climate-protest footage appear to depict Ukrainian casualties. [S1]

Fact Crescendo CambodiaWar & conflict

ដល់ម៉ោងជម្លៀសខ្លួនជនស៊ីវិល ស្រាប់តែមានការបំផ្ទុះ បណ្ដាលឱ្យមនុស្ស ២០០នាក់ត្រូវកប់ក្រោមគំនរបាក់បែក ------- ការបំផ្ទុះអគារមួយបានកើតឡើងនៅប៉ុន្មាននាទីមុននេះ ខណៈកំពុងជម្លៀសជនស៊ីវិលចេញពីតំបន់ Mariupol ស្របនឹងកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងបទឈប់បាញ់រវាង រុស្ស៊ី និង អ៊ុយក្រែន ​កំពុងចាប់ផ្ដើមអនុវត្ត។ ក្រុមសកម្មប្រយុទ្ធ អ៊ុយក្រែន មកពីកងវរសេនាតូច “Azov” បានទម្លាក់គ្រាប់បែកបណ្តាលឱ្យអគារនៅមហាវិថី Meotida ក្នុងទីក្រុង Mariupol ដួលរលំ បណ្តាលឱ្យមនុស្សរហូតដល់ ២០០នាក់ រួមទាំងកុមារដែលកំពុងលាក់ខ្លួននៅក្នុងបន្ទប់ក្រោមដី ត្រូវកប់នៅក្រោមគំនរបាក់បែក។ មុននេះ ក្រសួងការពារជាតិរុស្ស៊ីបានប្រកាសបទឈប់បាញ់ចាប់ពីម៉ោងចាប់ពីម៉ោង ១០ ​ព្រឹក ម៉ោងនៅមូស្គូ ​ដើម្បីអនុញ្ញាតឱ្យជនស៊ីវិលជម្លៀសចេញពីតំបន់ Mariupol និងតំបន់ Volnovakha ។ យោងតាមឧបនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីអ៊ុយក្រែន បានឱ្យដឹងថា មនុស្សរហូតដល់ ២សែននាក់ ត្រូវបានគេរំពឹងថានឹងត្រូវបានជម្លៀសចេញពីទីក្រុង Mariupol បន្ទាប់ពីម៉ោង ១២:០០ ម៉ោងក្នុងស្រុក។ ប៉ុន្តែពេលនេះ DPR និយាយថា អ្នកជាតិនិយមអ៊ុយក្រែនបាននិងកំពុងបដិសេធមិនឱ្យអ្នកស្រុក Mariupol ប្រើប្រាស់ច្រករបៀងជម្លៀសខ្លួននោះទេ។ Up to 200 still missing under Gaza's rubble | The Electronic Intifada ក្នុងហេតុការណ៍នេះដែរ រុស្ស៊ីបានសង្កត់ធ្ងន់ថា អ្នកជាតិនិយមអ៊ុយក្រែនបាននិងកំពុងរារាំងជនស៊ីវិល រួមទាំងស្ត្រី និងកុមារ ក៏ដូចជាពលរដ្ឋបរទេសមិនឱ្យចាកចេញពីតំបន់ដែលរងផលប៉ះពាល់ដោយការប្រយុទ្ធគ្នា ហើយបានប្រើប្រាស់ជនស៊ីវិលទាំងនោះ ជាចំណាប់ខ្មាំង៕ ប្រែសម្រួល៖ សន្យា ប្រភព៖ Sputnik

Publisher’s rating: Missing Context

dpaWar & conflict

La première pilote de chasse ukrainienne tombée au combat.

Publisher’s rating: Natasha Perakov s’appelle en réalité Olesya Vorobey. Elle a remporté un prix d’élégance en 2016, indique le ministère ukrainien de la Défense, qui n’a jamais fait aucune mention à son appartenance à la force aérienne du pays, ni à sa mort.

The claim circulated with a Facebook post published by a Swiss user on 1 March 2022. It identified a woman in a photograph as “Natasha Perakov,” aged 29, and said she was the first Ukrainian fighter pilot killed in combat the previous evening. The review investigated whether the woman’s identity and military role supported that account. [S1: “Un utilisateur suisse de Facebook a publié le 1er mars 2022 la photo d’une jeune femme, barrée d’un bandeau noir, signe de deuil. Légende : « Voici Natasha Perakov. Âgée de 29 ans elle est la première pilote de chasse ukrainienne tombée au combat en défendant son pays. C'était hier soir. Lopaire des enfants (sic). »”] The review identifies the woman as Olesya Vorobey, whose photograph appeared on Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence website on 12 October 2016. It says she took part that month in a Ukrainian uniform beauty contest, representing the Ukrainian army. The ministry’s account described her as participating in an anti-terrorist operation and serving with the Western Operational Command; it did not identify her as an air force member. The review also notes that a 2018 Facebook post described her as a field communications operator, not a pilot. [S1: “Sa photo apparaît sur le site du ministère ukrainien de la Défense, le 12 octobre 2016.” “Olesya Vorobey, de son vrai nom, a participé ce mois-là en Ukraine au « Concours de beautés en uniforme Gloire aux héroïnes ». Elle y représentait l’armée ukrainienne.” “L’article du ministère ukrainien de la Défense indique (traduction de l’ukrainien) : « Les Forces armées ukrainiennes étaient représentées par Olesya Vorobey, participant à l'opération antiterroriste et militaire du Commandement opérationnel de l'Ouest. »” “Un autre message, publié sur Facebook par le groupe « Bulletin de bataille », en 2018, n’en parle pas non plus. La jeune femme est présentée comme une « opératrice de nœud de communication sur le terrain », dont l’indicatif est « Renard ».”] On the alleged death in flight on 28 February 2022, the review points to the absence of any Ukrainian military announcement of aircraft losses from 27 February through 2 March. It cautions that losses were difficult to verify amid the fighting and propaganda, and gives competing figures reported at the time, so that point is not presented as a definitive accounting of losses. The central evidence it provides is the mismatch between the name and role in the post and the woman’s documented identity and service descriptions. [S1: “Autre élément tendant à confirmer qu’elle n’a pas été abattue en vol le 28 février 2022, comme l’affirme l’auteur du message sur Facebook : l’armée ukrainienne n’a annoncé aucune perte d’avions entre le 27 février et le 2 mars.” “Ces pertes sont très difficiles à vérifier, l’Ukraine et la Russie se livrant, outre à des combats, à une guerre de propagande.”]