Conflict
Fake video of Ukrainian soldier crying circulates online
A video of a young Ukrainian soldier crying and saying he doesn’t want to die was made using artificial intelligence. Read
Fact checks
Sian Bayley
Senior News and Online Journalist
Sian joined Full Fact in April 2024 as senior news and online journalist. Prior to that she was news editor at The Bookseller magazine. She has previously worked for the Local Democracy Reporting Service and the Evening Standard.
Environment
HAARP did not cause recent Northern Lights seen in UK
The Northern Lights seen across much of the UK this week were caused by a severe geomagnetic storm produced by the sun, not, as some claimed online, by the HAARP research facility in Alaska. Read
Fact checks
Immigration
Fake pictures of ‘British vigilantes’ slashing small boats shared online
Images of men in balaclavas slashing ‘migrant dinghies’ aren’t real and were likely made with AI. Read
Fact checks
Shopping
Toby Carvery isn’t giving away free meals to people who comment on Facebook posts
A spokesperson for Toby Carvery’s parent company, Mitchells & Butlers, told Full Fact official Toby Carvery deals will only appear on the brand’s social media channels, and this one isn’t genuine. Read
Quick check
Health
Fake AI doctors endorse weight loss patches on social media
Posts claiming to show clinicians from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust using and endorsing weight loss patches are fake and were made with AI. Read
Fact checks
World
Viral video of protesters tearing down Maduro billboard is from 2024
A video shared with captions suggesting it shows Venezuelans ripping down a poster of Nicolás Maduro after he was seized by the United States is not recent, and actually dates back to 2024. Read
Fact checks
Shopping
No, Argos isn’t selling iPhones for £9.99
We’ve seen more Facebook posts falsely claiming that Argos is selling iPhones for just £9.99 to people who fill in a customer service survey. Read
Fact checks
Conflict
Old video of US military exercise shared with claims it shows soldiers landing in Venezuela
A video showing soldiers jumping onto a large building from a helicopter has been shared online with false claims it shows the recent US strikes on Venezuela. It was actually filmed in June 2025. Read
Fact checks
United States
Fake video of Donald Trump criticising Keir Starmer’s leadership is AI-generated
A clip that appears to show the US President criticising Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media. But it isn’t real. Read
Fact checks
World
Viral image of Nicolás Maduro being led away from plane isn’t real
A widely shared picture appearing to show the Venezuelan leader in custody is fake, and was made using artificial intelligence. Read
Fact checks