FACT CHECK: Deutsche Welle Report Featured In X Post Is Fake

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on X, the social media network previously known as Twitter, purports to show a Deutsche Welle report about an anti-Ukrainian flash mob in Poland giving Wi-Fi networks offensive names.

Verdict: False

A Deutsche Welle spokesperson denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

A Ukrainian commando identified as Conan floated for 14 hours after falling off of a speedboat that’d been attacked by a Russian fighter jet, according to Insider. The incident happened earlier this month during a two-day operation in the Black Sea, the outlet reported.

“In Poland, an anti-Ukrainian flash mob is taking place on offensive Wi-Fi names against refugees from Ukraine. Locals call their Wi-Fi networks ‘Ukrainian pigs,’ ‘Ukraine is hell,’ ‘murderers from Ukraine,’ ‘Ukrainians, go home.’ They write that Ukrainians are outraged and are trying to complain, but so far to no avail,” the X post’s caption purports.

The post includes a video bearing a “DW” logo as well as a photo that appears to show Wi-Fi networks with names such as “Ukrainians Go Home” and “Murderers From UA.” (RELATED: No Evidence Ukraine Destroyed 46 Pieces Of The Russian Navy With HIMARS)

The claim is false, however. There are no results for the claim on Deutsche Welle’s website or its verified social media accounts. Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports supporting the claim. In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not publicly commented on the claim.

Deutsche Welle spokesperson Carla Hagemann denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“The video was not produced by DW, and the claims that it makes cannot be substantiated. The font and placement of the wording used in the video also deviates from DW’s branded video template,” Hagemann said.

In addition, Check Your Fact has contacted Zelenskyy’s office for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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