Last fakes of the week
22 студзеня 2026
State television reported on Christmas tree arsons in the EU and the UK but used footage from China, Egypt, and Argentina
During their broadcasts, CTV and ONT claimed that migrants in Europe and the UK are rioting, burning Christmas trees, and attacking churches. To support these claims, they aired several video clips, including a fire at an Amsterdam church and footage of burning trees, which they linked to the "Islamization of Europe." The Weekly Top Fake team fact-checked these reports and found that some of the footage was filmed in different countries and under different circumstances.
misrepresentation, European Union, United Kingdom, CTV TV channel, All-National TV channel, Igor Poznyak, migration, holidays.
19 студзеня 2026
Equality achieved? Women’s Union head’s wage claims clash with Belstat data
In early 2026, Volha Shpileuskaya, head of the Belarusian Union of Women, claimed on the “Aktualny Mikrafon” program that gender pay equity has been achieved in Belarus and that wages are based only on competencies. The Weekly Top Fake team compared these remarks with Belstat’s gender statistics on the wage gap and the representation of women in leadership positions. Statistics show that, on average, men in the country earn more than women, and the proportion of women in senior management...
misrepresentation, Belarus, First national channel of Belarusian radio, Volha Shpileuskaya, achievements, salaries in Belarus, discrimination.
17 студзеня 2026
“One in four drivers has switched.” How ONT inflated the popularity of electric vehicles in Belarus
In early January, a segment on the ONT program “Kontury” about changes to duty-free import rules claimed that one in four drivers had switched to eco-friendly transport. The Weekly Top Fake team compared this assessment with data on registered electric vehicles in Belarus and the total number of passenger cars. We discovered that the state-run television channel significantly exaggerated the popularity of electric vehicles.
misrepresentation, Belarus, All-National TV channel, statistics, cars sale, electric cars.
16 студзеня 2026
The Belarusian silovik Telegram channel passed off a US video as snow removal in Minsk
Amid heavy snowfall in Belarus, the Belarusian silovik Telegram channel posted that heavy armored vehicles were being used for snow removal and included a video purportedly filmed in Minsk. The clip sparked surprise among some readers in the comments section. The Weekly Top Fake team investigated the source of the recording and determined it was not filmed in Belarus.
misrepresentation, USA, Belarus, Telegram channel Belarusian silovik, army, accidents, weather.
15 студзеня 2026
Old videos instead of fresh rallies: what is wrong with reports of support for Maduro
In early January, Radio Minsk and the ZhS Premium Telegram channel aired videos presented as recent rallies in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro following his detention. Host Aliona Radouskaya spoke of tens of thousands of people at rallies in Caracas, while the authors of the Telegram channel claimed that the Belarusian independent media ("the fugitives' media dumps") were circulating old videos. The Weekly Top Fake team fact-checked these materials and found that the footage used...
misrepresentation, Venezuela, Radio Minsk, Evening political channel, Telegram channel ZhS Premium (Yellow Plums), Alena Rodovskaya, protests, politics.
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