Last fakes of the week
14 October 2026
Participants in a Belarus 4. Brest talk show claimed that living standards are falling in the Baltic States while Belarus’s economy is accelerating. WTF fact-checked the claims against wage and GDP data
Anton Papou, a political commentator for SB. Belarus Segodnya, claimed that living standards in the Baltic States were declining, while host Ala Hryharchuk contrasted this with the acceleration of Belarus's economic growth. The Weekly Top Fake team compared data on real wages and GDP. Wages increased after accounting for inflation in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Meanwhile, the growth rate of the Belarusian economy slowed according to data through August 2026.
misrepresentation, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus-4, Anton Popov, Alla Grigorchuk, economy, achievements, statistics.
13 October 2026
Piatrouski connected the modernization of the Polish railway junction to Trump’s deal with Belarus regarding potash. WTF team checked the project timeline, and the claim is out of phase
Political analyst Piotr Piatrouski claimed that Poland is modernizing the Małaszewicze railway hub with its own funds to profit from Belarusian potash transit. According to him, Poland expects to benefit from the shipments Trump spoke about in the fall of 2026. However, preparations for the project began as early as 2017, and the decision to fund the construction from the Polish budget was made in 2023.
misrepresentation, Belarus, Poland, Belarus Today, Alpha Radio, Piotr Piatrouski, economy, infrastructure.
12 October 2026
Editor-in-chief of Minsky Kurier: Chinese students stopped coming to Ukraine even before 2022. BIC checked this claim
Kirill Kazakov, the editor-in-chief of the Minsky Kurier newspaper, stated that Chinese students had stopped coming to Ukraine to study even before 2022 due to safety concerns. However, data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and reports from China show that Chinese citizens were studying in Ukraine before the full-scale war began and are continuing their education at Ukrainian universities.
misrepresentation, Ukraine, China, YouTube show Azaryonok. Directly, Kirill Kazakov, education.
11 October 2026
Audonin described the Belarusian passport’s standing as “extremely high.” However, it offers fewer visa-free destinations than those of neighboring countries
Aliaksei Audonin, the chairman of the executive board of the Belarusian Society Znanie, claimed that the Belarusian passport has an “extremely high” standing and surprises border control officers in other countries. The Weekly Top Fake team analyzed two global rankings. In terms of destinations accessible without a prearranged visa, Belarus lags behind all its neighboring countries.
misrepresentation, Belarus, Belarus Today, Aliaksei Audonin, achievements, tourism.
10 October 2026
CTV portrayed Vilnius as one of the leaders in public transport price increases. However, in terms of price increases for long-term public transport tickets, it ranks tenth out of 14
In the Novosti 24 Chasa news segment on CTV, Vilnius was named as having some of the fastest-rising public transport prices of any European capital. The Weekly Top Fake team examined a study by Greenpeace on the cost of long-term public transport tickets in European capital cities. Vilnius ranked 10th among the 14 capitals where public transport pass prices increased, based on the rate of increase.
misrepresentation, Lithuania, CTV TV channel, rising prices.
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