Did six vehicles filled with riot police monitor the Czech interior minister's town hall meeting with dissenters in the northeastern Czech city of Karvina on January 22, 2024? No, that's not true: Both a police spokesperson and the woman who took the photograph of a policeman in tactical gear that was included in the video confirmed to Lead Stories that…

Did Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala say he was glad that the media "almost ignored" his omission of a $1 million investment in his asset declaration and claim to have concealed all his funds in a location beyond the reach of even top investigative journalists? No, that's not true: Fiala did not make that statement, and the audio in the…

Is Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala being ignored by foreign delegations compared to his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico? No, that's not true: Government press releases and official posts on social media show that both heads of government have received foreign representatives in the capitals of their countries. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on TikTok on January 21,…

Did Russia kill several French "officers" or "mercenaries" during an attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine, in January 2024? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support the Russian claim, and French officials dismissed it as part of a Russian disinformation campaign, saying the names of the alleged French victims circulating on Russian Telegram channels had been previously reported in…

Did the Czech Republic not participate in a December 2023 meeting of the United Nations Security Council called by Russia because its ambassador was in Prague? No, that's not true: Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky decided the Czech Republic would not take part in the UN meeting because he considered it part of Russian propaganda efforts aimed at spreading lies.…

Does the Czech government want to give citizenship to foreigners to sway the vote in its favor? No, that's not true: The Czech government has approved a proposal by lawmakers that would allow descendants of emigrants from Czechoslovakia who were illegally stripped of their citizenship by the communist regime to become citizens of their ancestral country. Some opposition politicians, promoting…

Is postal voting a scam that the Czech government wants to exploit and change the election law before the next parliamentary elections in 2025? No, that's not true: It is a legitimate way of voting that is used in many countries, and the Czech government wants to introduce it only to simplify the procedure for Czechs living abroad who may…

Is residence abroad a reason why some Czechs are excluded from voting in national elections? No, that's not true: According to Czech law, 18 years of age and Czech citizenship are decisive for the right to vote. The country where people live is not the deciding factor. It would be illegal to exclude from voting people who live abroad. The…

Has the European Union's policy of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, the Green Deal, caused the energy crisis that has led to a rise in prices in the European Union in recent years? No, that's not true: The European Union is facing an energy crisis because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The claim appeared in a video (archived here)…

Did an international outcry occur from foreign media questioning a Ukrainian flag at Prague's Faculty of Arts, as seen in images of the mass shooter who killed 14 and injured 25 in December 2023? No, that's not true: Major foreign media reports on the incident do not acknowledge the presence of a Ukrainian flag alongside the Czech flag. The claim…

Did the European Union "bypass" the Czech Republic when distributing funds on December 15, 2023? No, that's not true: No direct allocation of funds among EU states was discussed or approved on that date. Instead, EU leaders focused on providing funds to address migration challenges and help countries affected by conflict, such as Ukraine. The claim appeared in a TikTok…

Was the school shooting in Prague on December 21, 2023, a false flag operation to disarm legal gun owners? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support such a claim, and a new, stricter gun law had already been submitted to the Czech parliament and was awaiting a vote before the shooting took place. The claim appeared in…

Is most of Ukraine safe enough, with discos and full shops, for refugees to return to? No, that's not true: Russian missiles and drones are regularly fired at civilian targets in the capital Kyiv and across the country, resulting in civilian casualties in locations far removed from frontline fighting. The wartime economic condition means refugees may not find Ukraine a…

Were the last two Czech presidents -- Petr Pavel and Milos Zeman -- put in office by unelected oligarchs? No, that's not true: Both were elected to office in a direct vote by Czech citizens. The claim appears based on the misreading of a social media post by a former official who never even mentioned the two presidents. The claim…

Was former Czech President Václav Havel part of the communist secret service StB? No, that's not true: Havel never willingly cooperated with the StB. The secret service proved him to be an enemy of the communist regime. As a leader of the dissident movement, he was imprisoned on several occasions. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok…

Did Marketa Pekarova Adamova, the Czech President of the Chamber of Deputies, suggest people stop bathing to save on energy costs? No, that's not true: The video's original audio has been manipulated. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok, where it was published by @bohemianbulletin on December 16, 2023, under the Czech title, translated into English by…

Is Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala related to the Czech entrepreneur Tomas Fiala, who does business in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The government office denied that the two are related and said that Petr Fiala is not even acquainted with the businessman. Fiala is a relatively common Czech surname. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok…

Does the Czech Republic cover travel expenses for Ukrainian refugees visiting relatives in their home country? No, that's not true: The Czech government has approved a bill that extends the temporary protection status for Ukrainian refugees, and also introduces help in purchasing tickets and covering some other travel expenses for refugees who decide to return to Ukraine permanently, despite the…

Did the Czech State Pension Insurance System end with a surplus, meaning it collected more money from workers in pension insurance premiums than it paid out in pensions to retirees? No, that's not true: in 2022, the state pension system revenues were lower than its expenditures, according to official data. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) which was…

Is the Czech government reneging on its promise to wean the country off its dependence on Russian gas because some traders have started buying gas that is likely of Russian origin in late 2023? No, that's not true: the Czech Republic has shifted nearly all natural gas purchases to producers in Norway and the Netherlands using pipelines in Germany to…