Did Czech President Petr Pavel say that the planned military logistic center in Mosnov, in the northeastern part of the Czech Republic, will serve as a base for foreign soldiers? No, it's not true: Mosnov, planned to be operational in seven years, will primarily serve the needs of the Czech army, as repeatedly stated by the Czech army and political…

Did Russia liberate most of the Czech Republic, compared to U.S. troops, whose credit for liberating the country from the Nazis is minimal? No, that's not true: The troops who liberated most of what is now the Czech Republic were Soviet, not just Russian, and included other nationalities, including Ukrainians, from what was then the Soviet Union. Also, U.S. troops…

Did the Czech Republic deal with Greece to buy ammunition banned by international conventions? No, that's not true: Czech and Greek officials said that the ammunition in question - to be sent to Ukraine as part of its initiative to help the war-torn country replenish its ammunition supplies - is used to generate smoke screen, a legal use of the…

Did the Czech president secretly send parts of the treasure of St. Vitus Cathedral to Germany, including the Coronation Cross of Bohemia, a relic from the 14th century and one of the most valuable items in the treasury? No, that's not true: Czech President Petr Pavel only ceremonially opened the exhibition in Dresden, but the treasure was lent by the…

Did the Czech President's and government's decision to procure ammunition for Ukraine from sources outside the European Union lead to the Czech Republic dropping from "fourth to twelfth place" in the ranking of the world's safest countries? No, that's not true: In the 2023 Global Peace Index, the country dropped from eighth place a year ago, to twelfth in 2023,…

Is a picture of Ivan Korcok, a pro-Western Slovak presidential candidate defeated by Peter Pellegrini in the April 6, 2024 runoff vote in Slovakia, holding on to George Soros' back, authentic? No, that's not true: The photo has been digitally altered. The original image was taken from Alexander Soros' social media account and shows him with his father, George Soros,…

Do Articles 106 and 107 of the United Nations Charter authorize Russia's invasion of Ukraine under the premise of denazification? No, that's not true: The Charter allows the use of force by U.N. member states only in the case of self-defense or with the consent of the Security Council, and articles 106 and 107 address transitional security arrangements. The claim…

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 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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…