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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

War & conflict fact checks

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

5,848 published reviews in this topic

Boatos.orgWar & conflict

Caça MIG 25 do Azerbaijão sendo abatido por artilharia anti-aérea da Armênia

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns a circulating video said to show an Azerbaijani MiG-25 being shot down by Armenian air defenses during the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict. The review says the two countries were in conflict in September and October 2020, when the video began circulating, and describes the footage as depicting an aircraft exchanging fire with an Armenian anti-missile system before crashing. It concludes that the video does not document the claimed event. The review reports searching for the video in reliable sources and finding no corroborating coverage. It also notes that the viral post did not cite a reliable source and says the video’s origin could be traced to the Reisaionji YouTube channel. The channel’s description identified the material with the terms “A-10 Thunderbolt Warthog Thunderbolt CRAM Sius ARMA3 Armor 3,” rather than identifying it as footage of an Armenia–Azerbaijan clash or a MiG-25. The review further says the channel published multiple computer-generated animation videos. On that basis, the investigation identifies the footage as computer-generated animation, not evidence that an Azerbaijani MiG-25 was shot down by Armenian defenses. The account’s subject line and the video’s apparent combat imagery are therefore misleading when presented as documentation of the claimed event.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturWar & conflict

Ein Video zeigt, wie schwer bewaffnete Männer durch eine Straße ziehen. Polizisten stehen den Bewaffneten hilflos gegenüber. Ein Posting kommentiert die Aufnahme mit den Worten «Andere Länder, andere Sitten!» - ohne weitere Angaben zur Herkunft des Videos.

Publisher’s rating: Das Video zeigt kein reales Ereignis, sondern Dreharbeiten für einen Film.

The claim concerns a video of heavily armed men moving along a street while police appear unable to intervene, posted with the caption «Andere Länder, andere Sitten!» and no explanation of where the footage came from. The review identifies the footage as material from the production of the film «Rocinha», rather than documentation of the real-world incident the post implies. The review describes a reverse-image search of individual frames. That search led to other posts and sites using the footage, including Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo. The review says that Folha had examined the video on 21 August 2020 and traced it to filming for «Rocinha». It also reports that the film’s producer, Bruno Sheven of BS Produções, confirmed in a telephone conversation with the newspaper that videos from the shoot had been used to spread false information. The review points to further corroboration from the production company’s Instagram account: it says a photograph from the shoot shows actors and extras whose clothing matches that of the people in the video. It also identifies Peter Brandão as one of the actors, citing Folha. The review says Brandão posted an Instagram video of himself with colleagues and a Facebook video of the purportedly real scene in which the film crew’s cameras and boom microphones are visible. Together, these described checks connect the circulated footage to a film set and explain why the post’s presentation leaves out important provenance.

BBC Reality CheckWar & conflict

China has a huge speaker playing very loud music that has injured Indian soldiers

Publisher’s rating: No evidence that this device is being used to play music on the border

The claim concerned a video presented as showing a huge Chinese speaker blasting loud music at Indian encampments, allegedly making Indian soldiers sick and injuring them. The review traced the viral clip to a March 2016 YouTube video, rather than to footage of activity on the border. It identified the device as a Chinese-made mobile warning siren produced by a company that makes emergency safety equipment. The product description identified it as a 4.6-tonne rotating siren intended for emergencies such as natural disasters, not as a music-playing loudspeaker. The review also noted that it was not clear whether the siren was being used by the Chinese army on the border at all. The review separately reported that there were no confirmed reports of Indian soldiers in the area suffering eardrum injuries. Thus, the footage did not substantiate the claimed use of the device for blasting music, and the alleged injuries were not confirmed in the reporting. The review’s qualification matters: it did not establish whether the siren was present on the border; it said that its use there was unclear.

BBC Reality CheckWar & conflict

Chinese soldiers being sent to the border are crying

Publisher’s rating: "The video has been taken out of context and there's no evidence we have found that they are being sent to the border with India. Chinese media outlets say the soldiers are new army recruits from Yingzhou district in Fuyang city, Anhui province, and were emotional after bidding farewell to family members."

BBC Reality CheckWar & conflict

"We obliterated 100% of the ISIS caliphate"

Publisher’s rating: It's true the Islamic State group's territory came to end during the Trump presidency in March 2019. However, the group remains a threat and an enduring defeat is still not assured, according to BBC reports.

FACTLYWar & conflict

Photo of recent clashes between Indian and Chinese troops at Eastern Ladakh.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a photo circulated as showing recent clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh. FACTLY’s review says it checked the image using reverse image search and found the same or a similar photo in an older report. That report identified it as a still from a joint Indian-Chinese military exercise in Eastern Ladakh in 2016, not a recent clash. The review therefore concludes the photo was misrepresented. The review traces the image to a joint exercise held on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control on 19 October 2016. It reports that the Indian Army’s Northern Command posted the same photo the following day, describing a joint Sino-Indian humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise. This provenance supports the review’s identification of the image as exercise footage rather than evidence of the later clashes. FACTLY distinguishes that older exercise from events in 2020: it cites a Government of India press note about a fresh standoff on the night of 29–30 August, and reports an incident of firing along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh on 8 September. Those events provide the recent context in which the old image was shared, but the review’s image search and earlier source connect the photo to the 2016 exercise.