Does the Czech Republic rely on Russia to safeguard its borders, preventing potential territorial losses to Germany and ensuring its existence? No, that's not true. The borders of the Czech Republic are established through bilateral international agreements with neighboring countries, including Germany, national laws and in the constitution. Russia, not being a neighboring country to the Czech Republic, is not…

Did the Ukrainian embassy in Prague recruit Czech fighters with the help of leaflets displayed in public places such as bus stops? No, that's not true: The embassy said in a statement published on its social media accounts that such flyers were forged. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on TikTok on March 25, 2024. The title above…

Did Ukraine's Azov regiment blow up the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol on March 16, 2022, after evacuating local residents sheltering inside? No, that's not true: Russian warplanes very likely dropped two bombs on the theater, based on aerial and satellite photography showing the aftermath of the blasts and witness testimony reported by independent news media and human…

Did the police assault a farmer to the extent that he required an ambulance during a protest outside the government building in Prague, in March 2024? No, that's not true: The police prevented an inebriated individual from breaching the fence in front of the building amidst the protest. Although the man, who later complained of pain in his limbs, was…

Did the poultry discovered to have salmonella by Czech veterinary authorities in March 2024 come from Ukraine? No, that's not true: The case referred to in the video on TikTok is about chicken meat that came from a Czech farm. CNN Prima News, whose social media post was used in the video on TikTok, states the details in the article…

Did the Czech government pay Ukrainian refugees to demonstrate against Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico during the meeting of the Visegrad Four (V4) in Prague on February 27, 2024? No, that's not true: According to the organizers of the protest, most of the participants were Czech and Slovak activists who wanted to express their opinions and were not paid to…

Did Prague name a square after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy? No, that's not true: In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, residents of Prague adorned streets and squares with stickers to rename them, symbolically denouncing Russian aggression and expressing solidarity with Ukraine. No square received an official renaming. The claim appeared in a video (archived here)…

Was Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, photographed in an embrace with her alleged lover after her husband's death? No, that's not true: A photo of her hugging Russian entrepreneur Evgeny Chichvarkin is a fake, a reverse image search shows. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on TikTok on February 27, 2024, with…

Is the recent scientific finding that the oldest known human settlement in Europe is located in Korolevo, a town in western Ukraine, part of pro-Ukrainian propaganda? No, that's not true: Research into the archaeological site in Korolevo began before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There is no connection between the current events in Ukraine and the research. The claim appeared…

Did Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis divulge that Britain, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia expressed their willingness to send troops to Ukraine during the February 26, 2024, talks in Paris? No, that's not true: A statement posted on his website indicated that Mitsotakis did not mention these countries in his remarks following the summit. The claim appeared in a post…

Does Hungarian-American billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros own Seznam.cz, the largest Czech search engine? No, that's not true: A company press release from 2016 and publicly accessible company filings confirm that the search engine's shareholders are its founder, Ivo Lukacevic, and Seznam.cz itself. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on TikTok on December 13, 2023. The text…

Did Oxford University politics tutor Matthew Williams give five reasons why Ukraine is a dictatorship and not a democracy? No, that's not true: A video circulating on social media showing Williams has faked audio. It's taken from an Oxford University social media post where Williams discussed tips for students to get into Oxford. Williams told Lead Stories that he never…

Is the so-called Green Deal, a package of European Union policy initiatives, a political scheme designed to impoverish and rob citizens that is not aimed at reducing the harmful effects of climate change? No, that's not true: Green Deal policy objectives are designed to help transform the European Union into a prosperous community with modern and competitive economies while aiming…

Did German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock say that everyone knew the sanctions against Russia were useless before they were introduced? No, that's not true: Baerbock defended the sanctions during a discussion organized by the Wall Street Journal, saying they are important because they show those who violate basic laws that they will be held accountable.The claim appeared in a video…

Did French President Emmanuel Macron call a meeting among European Union and NATO leaders to agree on sending soldiers to Ukraine, and was Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico the only European leader to reject the idea? No, that's not true: The meeting was called to discuss European military and financial assistance to Ukraine. While the issue of ground troops was…

Can a beam attached to a vehicle with a magnet move the vehicle forward and thus function as free, perpetual propulsion, replacing petrol? No, that's not true: This would not work, as a mechanism such as the one shown in a video circulating on social media would defy the laws of physics. The claim appeared in a video (archived here)…

Have Ukrainian refugees revived diseases like whooping cough, scarlet fever and scabies that were once nearly eradicated in the Czech Republic? No, that's not true: Statistics indicate that these conditions have not been nearly erased there. According to the spokeswoman for the State Health Institute, the data and epidemic patterns of these conditions suggest that their recent increase is not…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin compare Bud Light beer to "gay piss," predict that Donald Trump will "whup some ass" after winning the U.S. presidential election and accuse Hillary Clinton of killing Jeffrey Epstein in his interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson? No, that's not true: The interview, released on February 8, 2024, on Carlson's website, does not…

Do data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, prove that COVID-19 vaccines have caused more deaths than all other vaccines together, "since 1988 when the reporting system was set up" until 2021? No, that's not true: VAERS is an online database that anyone can access to submit a report of a suspected adverse reaction after a vaccination.…

Is there little evidence that the late Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader who recently died in prison, was poisoned with Novichok in 2020? No, that's not true: Laboratory results from samples of Navalny's blood, urine and skin, performed by multiple laboratories in Germany and other countries, proved that Navalny was poisoned with a Russian nerve agent code-named Novichok. The…