Last fakes of the week
16 October 2026
Bernstein contrasted pensions in Latvia with contributions to “NATO’s coffers.” However, he mixed up the amounts and agencies
Solomon Bernstein, a vlogger who moved from Latvia to Belarus, claimed that Latvian authorities admitted they were unable to provide pensioners with a decent standard of living without help from relatives. At the same time, he claimed that nearly 17% of the country’s budget goes into “NATO’s coffers.” The Weekly Top Fake team could not find the statement the vlogger cited. The statistics also do not support his conclusion about pensioners. Furthermore, Latvia’s contributions to...
misrepresentation, Belarus, Latvia, The First News Channel news.by, Solomon Bernstein, army, retirement age, armament, statistics, sociology.
15 October 2026
Are minorities more important than the majority in the EU? We fact-checked Piatrouski’s statements regarding the Treaty of Lisbon
Political scientist Piotr Piatrouski claimed that the Treaty of Lisbon explicitly prioritizes minorities’ interests over the majority’s. In this way, he contrasted the European Union with Belarus, arguing that the Belarusian government acts in the interests of the majority. However, the provision on minority rights Piatrouski likely meant does not establish such primacy.
misrepresentation, Belarus, European Union, YouTube channel "Słowo Prawdy", Piotr Piatrouski, politics, European values.
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
After YouTube removed the channels, Eismant claimed that state media content had received a “huge increase” in views on other platforms. We checked publicly available data
After state media channels were removed from YouTube, Ivan Eismant, chairman of the Belteleradiocompany, claimed views on other platforms had increased significantly. The Weekly Top Fake team analyzed the available metrics for ONT, CTV, and BelTA. For instance, ONT’s views initially rose but then declined on Rutube. Available data does not confirm a sharp overall increase in views on alternative platforms.
misrepresentation, Belarus, Ukraine, USA, Germany, Belarus Today, Alpha Radio, Ivan Eismant, social networks.
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.
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