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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Has Hungary announced it will leave the European Union and soon join BRICS, an intergovernmental organization created by Brazil, Russia, India, and China? No, that's not true: No such announcement has been made, and Hungary remains a member of the European Union. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on October 27, 2024. It featured a…