Just Because It's Trending Doesn't Mean It's True — Fact checking at the speed of likes since 2015

Fact Check: Constitutional Court Did NOT Cancel Early Elections In 2009 Because Of Its President's Political Views

Fact Check

Did the Czech Constitutional Court cancel the early elections in 2009 because its president at the time, Pavel Rychetsky, did not like the parties that would likely win according to pre-election polls? No, that's not true: The Constitutional Court upheld a complaint of one of the then-lawmakers against the constitutionality of the early dissolution of the parliament. The court ruled…

Fact Check: The EU Did NOT Adopt Temporary Protection Directive Only A Few Years Before Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

Fact Check

Did the EU establish the Temporary Protection Directive a few years before Russia invaded Ukraine, since it knew the war was coming and that there would be an influx of refugees? No, that's not true: Such a directive was already approved in 2001 following the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. It had never been triggered before March 4, 2022, when it…

Fact Check: Czech President Did NOT Ask Citizens To Go Defend Their Country On Seznam Zpravy Website

Fact Check

Did Czech President Petr Pavel directly address citizens on the Seznam Zpravy news website in a plea to defend their country? No, that's not true: Petr Pavel did not make any such direct appeal via Seznam Zpravy. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on March 20, 2025. The person speaking in the video says in…

Fact Check: Czech Minister Is NOT Unnamed European Source Quoted By US Secretary Of State Rubio In CNN Interview

Fact Check

Did Jan Lipavsky, Czech Foreign Affairs Minister, tell U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of the European plan to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, which Rubio cited in an interview with CNN on February 28, 2025? No, that's not true. The two spoke for the first time on an official phone call only a few days after the…

Fact Check: The EU Does NOT Plan To Seize Citizens' Savings From Bank Accounts To Fund Its Defence

Fact Check

Is the EU planning to seize savings from citizens' accounts to fund its new defence policy and armaments? No, that's not true: The EU plans to increase defence spending to deter potential Russian attacks and reduce military dependence on the United States, but the proposed ways of funding this policy do not include seizing citizens' savings.The claim appeared in a…

Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Trump Withdrawing Military Aid For Ukraine From Poland -- It Is 2014 Footage

Fact Check

Does the image of a train carrying tanks show the withdrawal of U.S. military aid to Ukraine or of U.S. troops from Poland? No, that's not true: The image is taken from footage of rail transport of army tanks that already appeared on YouTube in 2014 and has nothing to do with 2025 events. Furthermore, U.S. military aid to Ukraine…

Fact Check: Czech Flags Were NOT Banned At Prague's Rally Marking Anniversary Of Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

Fact Check

Were Czech flags banned at a rally in Prague to mark the anniversary of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and to show Czech support for the war-torn country? No, that's not true: One of the co-organizers confirmed to Lead Stories by phone that Czech flags were not banned at the event. In addition, video recordings of the whole event and media…

Fact Check: German Diplomat Heusgen Did NOT Get Emotional On Stage At Munich Security Conference Because Of J.D. Vance Speech

Fact Check

Did German diplomat Christoph Heusgen become emotional on stage at the Munich Security Conference because US Vice President J.D. Vance had earlier criticized Europe in his speech at the event? No, that's not true: Heusgen became emotional while bidding farewell as the event chairman. Both Heusgen and the Munich Security Conference explained that the video showing Heusgen's emotional reaction to…

Fact Check: Zelenskyy's Statements In February 2025 Interview Do NOT Prove He Embezzled US Aid For Ukraine Worth $100 Billion

Fact Check

Are Zelenskyy's statements on U.S. aid received by Ukraine during an interview evidence of corruption and abuse of presidential power for personal benefits? No, that's not true. In an interview with the Associated Press on February 1, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he did not know where $100 billion from U.S. funding went, not that he embezzled them, as…

Fact Check: Head Of The Czech Constitutional Court Did NOT Say The Court Plans To Interfere With 2025 General Election

Fact Check

Did the head of the Czech Constitutional Court, Josef Baxa, say that the court plans to intervene in the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic in 2025? No, that's not true: Baxa expressed his view in general terms, not referring to a specific case, in an interview on a legal podcast. He spoke of the theoretical background on how…

Fact Check: Zelenskyy Did NOT Ask Europeans To Send 200,000 Soldiers To Reinforce Ukrainian Army In Fight With Russia

Fact Check

Did Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ask Europe to send 200,000 troops to reinforce Ukrainian forces in the war with Russia? No, that's not true: Zelenskyy referred to 200,000 soldiers at the Davos Economic Forum in January 2025, but he did not ask for a reinforcement of his army, which is smaller than Russia's. He said that that would be the…

Fact Check: Czech Republic's Legislative Bodies Are NOT Oversized Compared To The U.S. Federal And State Legislatures

Fact Check

Is the state legislative apparatus in the Czech Republic oversized compared to the United States, given the respective population of each country? No, that's not true: The United States has a federal government and the U.S. Congress, the legislature of the U.S. federal government. Single states also have their own local governments and legislatures, which reflect the structure and perform…

Fact Check: Czech Prime Minister Fiala Did NOT Fake Call With Schallenberg Despite Photo With Camera App Open On Phone

Fact Check

Did Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala "fake" a phone call with Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg, as a picture on his X social media account shows him with a photo app open while holding his phone during the call? No, that's not true: Both Fiala and Schallenberg confirmed on social media that they had spoken. In addition, Fiala's press office confirmed…

Fact Check: Prague Castle DID Fly The Czech Flag Alongside The Ukrainian One During The President's 2025 New Year's Address

Fact Check

Was the Ukrainian flag the only one flying at Prague Castle when Czech President Petr Pavel recorded his 2025 New Year's address there? No, that's not true. The Czech flag was also flying behind the president, on the other side from the Ukrainian one, but it wasn't always visible on camera, as confirmed to Lead Stories by the president´s press…

Fact Check: Switzerland Does NOT Have Ten Times Fewer State Employees Than The Czech Republic

Fact Check

Does Switzerland, a state with a population comparable to the Czech Republic, have ten times fewer state employees than the Czech Republic? No, that's not true: According to reports from Czech and Swiss think tanks, the number of public sector employees is similar in both countries, around one million, and the figures used to illustrate the claim circulating on social…

Fact Check: 'People In Need' Is NOT A Corrupt NGO Because It Has Not Yet Spent All The 2024 Flood Relief Money It Raised

Fact Check

Is the Czech NGO People in Need corrupt because it has not yet spent all the money it raised for flood relief in 2024? No, that's not true: The organization has regularly updated on allocating its funds. It has also said that it won't spend the funds all at once and explained the distribution of the aid will be carefully…

Fact Check: Disabled Ukrainian Refugees Are NOT Set To Get Higher Social Benefits Than Czechs

Fact Check

Will a growing number of Ukrainian refugees, including those with disabilities, receive higher social benefits than Czech citizens as a result of preferential treatment by the Czech government? No, that's not true: Up to now, disabled refugees have not received any extra help from the state compared to what their compatriots without disabilities can receive. A newly approved amendment allows…

Fact Check: Czech Government Is NOT Hiding Content Of Concordat Signed With Holy See In October 2024

Fact Check

Is the Czech government hiding the content of the treaty, also known as the Concordat, signed with the Holy See in October 2024? No, that's not true: The treaty's text was published on several government websites right after it was signed. It still needs to be approved by both houses of the Czech parliament and ratified by the president to…

Fact Check: The Kyiv Food Security Summit Was NOT Cancelled

Fact Check

Did the Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Lipavsky attend the International Summit on Food Security in Kyiv, Ukraine, in November 2024 because he was not informed that the event was canceled as he is "insignificant?" No, that's not true: Lipavsky officially visited Ukraine on November 22-23, 2024, to attend the summit in Kyiv, which took place as planned. During his…

Fact Check: A US Delegation DID Attend COP29 UN Climate Conference In Baku

Fact Check

Did the United States skip the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024? No, that's not true: President Joe Biden did not attend, but a U.S. delegation was present, led by Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta. The other members of the delegation included Thomas Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, and Secretary…