Does Russian President Vladimir Putin only have "days or months left" because he has cancer? No, that's not true: It has not been officially confirmed and there is no conclusive evidence proving that Putin has cancer or that he has undergone cancer treatment. The claim appeared in a TikTok a video (archived here) published by @tordadavid on June 6, 2023.…

Does a social-media video show a Ukrainian military vehicle sporting a Nazi cross on its door, underscoring Russian accusations that Ukraine sympathizes with the Third Reich? There is no evidence that the cross has any such intent. It does bear a likeness to the Balkenkreuz, a symbol used by the German military during World War II, and commentators acknowledge that…

Did a woman claim Pfizer-BioNtech's COVID-19 vaccine had triggered an incurable rash on her face? No, that's not true: The social media video in which the claim appears has been edited. In a longer version of the clip, the woman explains she had been suffering from eczema, an incurable skin condition, before she was vaccinated. She says she does not…

Is Pfizer being sued for $3 billion for using graphene oxide in their COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: Pfizer's COVID vaccines do not contain any kind of metals. Pfizer was fined for a similar amount in 2009 for illegal promotion of some of its pharmaceutical products. The claim appeared in a Hungarian TikTok video (translated into English by Lead…

Is COVID-19 a bioweapon? No, that's not true: There is no evidence proving that anyone developed COVID as a bioweapon. The origin of the virus is still not confirmed but the World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating possible sources. The claim appeared in several Hungarian language TikTok videos. One simply stated: Covid is a bioweapon. (Source: TikTok screenshot taken on…

Is Hungary planning to help Russia chop up Ukraine so it can get back Transcarpathia? No, that's not true: There is no evidence proving that Hungary has territorial claims towards Ukraine, either on the government's websites or reported by news organizations. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published by @tordadavid on June 9, 2023. Hungary takes part in…

Are COVID-19 vaccines a form of experimental gene therapy that German medical authorities needlessly recommended for children? No, that's not true: None of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in Germany alters a patient's DNA, as gene therapy does, and none is classified as experimental. And while it is true that Germany's Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) did advise under-18s to get…

Is the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy trying to "assimilate and kill" the country's ethnic-Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathia region? No, that's not true: While conflicts have flared up between ethnic Hungarians and the Zelenskyy administration over its minority policies, there is no evidence Kyiv is carrying out anything resembling a murder campaign. The claim appeared in a…

Did Pfizer mutate the COVID-19 virus so that they could produce and sell vaccines? No, that's not true: Pfizer denied the claim and there is no credible evidence to prove it. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok, published on February 9, 2023, by the account @pstv_official2/ (archived here). The video shows Zsolt Jeszenszky, a Hungarian conservative pundit and…

Az Európai Unió azért függesztette fel a Magyarországnak járó támogatásokat, mert Magyarország nem hajlandó migránsokat befogadni? Nem, ez nem igaz: az Európai Bizottság és a Tanács főként a jogállamisággal kapcsolatos problémák miatt indított eljárásokat az ország ellen, aminek keretében forrásokat fagyasztottak be. Az állítás egy videóban (archiválva itt) jelent meg a TikTokon 2023. május 18-án a "Ha nem fogadunk be…

Did EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen suggest Ukraine stop the delivery of oil from Russia to Hungary by way of the Druzhba pipeline? No, that's not true: According to the European Commission, Von der Leyen never suggested anything to anyone regarding the Druzhba pipeline. The claim first appeared in a Hungarian pro-government publication, Magyar Nemzet on May 17…

Does the U.S. military occupy more territory in Syria than Russia controls In Ukraine? No, that's not true: The combined territories controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Free Army (SFA), two local Kurdish and Arab militias supported by Washington, are not nearly as big as the territory the Russians control in Ukraine. The claim appeared in…

Did Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony drive his city to near-bankruptcy through profligate spending, and is he blaming his predecessor, István Tarlós, for the predicament? No, there is no evidence provided that supports this claim: Karácsony and his team acknowledge that Tarlós left Budapest with substantial monetary reserves, and primarily blame austerity measures imposed by the national government for sapping the…

Did U.S. President Joe Biden propose to pay English teachers $500,000 to educate students about transgenderism in Pakistan, in violation of Pakistani law? No, that's not true: This claim misconstrues a U.S. State Department grant aimed at funding English teaching programs in Pakistan. Moreover, transgenderism is not against the law in Pakistan - it's a legally protected attribute. The claim…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy call Hungarians disgusting and irritating? No, that's not true: While Zelenskyy has publicly butted heads with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, there is no record of him maligning the Hungarian nation in this manner. The claim appeared in a Hungarian-language video (archived here) on TikTok on May 20, 2023. The text, translated by Lead Stories…

Are recent protests in Budapest pro-war demonstrations aimed at dragging Hungary into the war in Ukraine? No, that's not true: students and teachers are protesting a new education law. The claim appeared in a few Tiktok videos by creators belonging to the Megafon Center, a company that produces social-media videos in support of Hungary's governing Fidesz party. One of the…

Does Ukraine terrorize its ethnic-Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathia region? No, that's not true: A video making this claim shows footage from a 2019 television documentary that depicted anti-Hungarian agitation by fringe Ukrainian extremists, not the state. These events occurred in 2018, before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took power, and the radicals do not occupy significant positions of national or…

Is U.S. billionaire George Soros financing a Hungarian left-wing effort to "drag the country" into the Russo-Ukrainian War? No, there is no evidence to support this claim: While a civic group that supports Hungary's left-of-center opposition has accepted donations from sources outside Hungary, there is no proof the money came from Soros. Moreover, there is no evidence that any opposition…

Will an amendment to Hungary's 2021. XCII. law require apartment residents to give their real estate to the apartment building's legal entity? No, that's not true: The amendments take effect in July 2023, but it won't change the real estate ownership. The law only relates to the record keeping of legal entities. The claim appeared in a video (archived here)…

Did Marton Gulyas admit in a social media video clip that he is paid by George Soros to help oust the Hungarian government? No, that's not true: the quote in the video was taken out of context. In the full video from which the clip was taken Gulyas is making almost the opposite argument, saying that while he may have…