Russian media outlets are circulating a video in which a Ukrainian schoolgirl, allegedly living in New York, complains about her new school. The girl supposedly claims that she had difficulty adjusting to the “large number of Black classmates”, who allegedly offered her drugs, and that lessons were frequently canceled due to shooting threats. At the end of the video, she claims she transferred from a public to a private school, noting that while tuition is expensive, it is covered by American taxpayers - a situation she considers entirely fair.

In reality, the video was fabricated by propagandists, according to the StopFake project.

In late December 2024, Voice of America released a short video story about Ukrainian schoolchildren who relocated to New York due to the full-scale war and had to adapt to a new learning environment.

The girl featured in the video is named Sofiia Holinei, and she attends St. George’s Academy, a private school. However, the segment where she allegedly complains about Black classmates, drug dealers, shootings, and claims her education should be free was created using artificial intelligence - such remarks are absent in the original story. Propagandists manipulated audio to fabricate this segment and supplemented it with stock footage that is not part of the authentic video.

Previously, we debunked a fake claim that Ukrainian children were allegedly being beaten in Polish schools for speaking Ukrainian.

Russian media outlets are spreading claims that former spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, allegedly admitted that the F-16 fighter jets transferred to Ukraine “cannot compete in air battles with Russia's 'technological aircraft’”. Propagandists cite a purported quote from Ihnat:  

“Yes, we received older modifications of the F-16s from our partners. These planes lack powerful radars and long-range missiles to compete independently in air battles against Russia’s technological aircraft”.  

In reality, the words of the former Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson were distorted, according to a report by StopFake. The claims reference a January 7, 2025, post on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian Air Force, where Ihnat praised the achievements of a Ukrainian pilot who, during a large-scale attack on December 13, 2024, set a record by destroying six (!) cruise missiles in a single sortie.  

Later in the post, Ihnat did acknowledge that Ukraine received older modifications of the F-16, but this did not diminish their combat effectiveness. Here is what he actually stated: “Of course, we would prefer to receive more advanced F-16 modifications with stronger radars and long-range missiles, as competing in air battles against Russia’s technological aircraft alone is quite challenging. But our young Ukrainian pilots prove every day that they are the best—whether in the cockpit of a Soviet or an American fighter jet!” 

This statement underscores Ihnat’s recognition that more advanced F-16 models with upgraded technology would better address modern warfare challenges. However, it does not imply that the existing F-16s are ineffective or incapable. Moreover, he praised the professionalism and skill of Ukrainian pilots, directly refuting the Russian narrative about the “insufficient effectiveness” of F-16 jets.  

Previously, we analyzed false Russian claims alleging that Ukraine’s partners provided defective F-16 fighter jets.

Russian propaganda Telegram channels are spreading claims that Ukrainians who fail to update their information on the Reserve+ system in time will supposedly receive a 50% discount on fines if they “don’t sue the employees of Military Recruitment And Social Support Centers”. Propagandists suggest that this bill strips Ukrainians of their ability to defend their rights in court against potential violations.

In reality, propagandists are distorting the content of Bill No. 12093, which was passed in the first reading on January 9, 2025. This was reported by the StopFake project.

The text of the bill does indeed state that conscripts who fail to update their information—such as phone numbers, email addresses, or current residence addresses—within the specified timeframe will receive a 50% discount on their fines if they acknowledge the violation and choose not to appeal it in court. Propagandists interpret the last condition—the requirement not to appeal the fine in court—as a refusal of the right to sue Military Recruitment And Social Support Center employees for any wrongdoing. However, such a provision is absent from the bill. It simply states that individuals who accept the fine’s legitimacy and choose not to challenge it in court may pay half the penalty.

Previously, we analyzed a fake video claiming that employees of the Odesa Military Recruitment And Social Support Center were allegedly serving draft notices dressed as Santa Clauses.

Social media users are spreading information that Ukraine allegedly ranked last in Europe for average IQ levels on the portal International IQ Test. According to this claim, Ukraine ranked 78th out of 127 countries globally, with a score of 95.55.  

The International IQ Test is one of many online tests for determining an individual's intelligence level. In addition to offering tests, the portal publishes a ranking of countries based on their average IQ, which is updated annually on January 1 using data from the previous year. This year, the site did indeed rank Ukraine 78th out of 127 countries. However, this ranking is based solely on scores from the platform's users. The International IQ Test gathers data only from those who take its specific test, ignoring results from other IQ tests available online.  

In reality, there is no universally recognized or entirely accurate IQ test. Different methods are used to create such tests, and specialists often employ several different tests to achieve more precise results.  

Furthermore, comparing countries by citizens' IQ levels is methodologically flawed. Intelligence is always shaped by cultural background, making it impossible to create a universal test. A test consisting of 40 questions cannot reliably measure such a complex phenomenon as intelligence, which remains only partially understood by science.  

Several methodological errors were made in forming the International IQ Test country rankings. For instance, an accurate calculation requires a uniform sample size of participants across all countries. However, in this ranking, the number of participants per country varies significantly—from around 4,000 users from Iran to almost 150,000 from Japan.  

Anyone can add their score to a country's ranking on the site by simply selecting the country after completing the test. The platform does not automatically detect a user's country of origin, meaning participants can choose any country they wish. Moreover, users are allowed unlimited attempts, making it easy to manipulate the results for a specific country, either manually or using bots.  

The website provides no information about whether the developers counter spam traffic, block mass submissions from identical IP addresses, or exclude such profiles from the annual statistics.  

It is also suspicious that in 2023, Russia ranked 26th in the IQ test rankings but suddenly jumped to 6th place in 2024. This raises the possibility that the results were artificially inflated to manipulate the rankings.  

Thus, the ranking contains numerous methodological flaws, making it impossible to draw reliable conclusions about the average IQ levels in different countries.  

Propagandists have repeatedly relied on unreliable rankings to discredit Ukraine and divert Russians' attention from domestic problems.  

Previously, we analyzed the false claim that Ukraine was allegedly ranked as the "worst country in the world for women" according to the 2023 Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index.

Russian sources have claimed that Ukraine is allegedly using UN personnel as ‘hostages’ to protect its energy infrastructure. They attribute this to an article in The New York Times (NYT), citing a letter from Ukraine’s Parliamentary Committee on Energy to the UN, requesting the deployment of permanent monitoring groups at critical substations to prevent provocations by Russia.  

However, the fact-checking project VoxCheck reports that propagandists have distorted the content of the NYT article titled How Will Ukraine Keep the Lights On This Winter? While the article does mention the Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee's appeal to the UN to station permanent monitoring groups at substations crucial for nuclear power plants, the claim that Ukraine intends to use UN personnel as ‘hostages’ is baseless and fabricated.  

The NYT article cites Jan Vande Putte, a nuclear expert at Greenpeace, who noted that Russia may be hesitant to target sites monitored by UN staff, given its dependence on exporting nuclear technology, which requires International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approval. The Ukrainian Parliament has not publicly confirmed whether such an appeal to the UN was made, and nowhere in the NYT article is there any suggestion that Ukraine intends to use UN staff as human shields.  

The IAEA's mission explicitly includes ensuring that peaceful nuclear facilities and materials are not used for military purposes, including monitoring nuclear sites in conflict zones. Consequently, Ukraine's request for UN personnel to monitor nuclear power plants and other critical infrastructure falls within the agency’s mandate and cannot be equated to using them as hostages. Furthermore, the NYT article does not criticize Ukraine’s request.  

The IAEA has already conducted periodic monitoring missions at substations vital to Ukraine's nuclear power plants. Since September 2022, the agency has maintained a permanent monitoring group at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. As of January 2023, permanent IAEA missions have also been stationed at the Chornobyl, Rivne, South Ukraine, and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants.  

Previously, we debunked a fake claim alleging that the IAEA accused Ukraine of attacking one of the agency’s vehicles.