As Russia continues its attack on Ukraine, misinformation continues to spread about the conflict.
“Putin bombs Biden-owned villa in Ukraine while hammering biolabs & pedophile rings,” reads the headline of a recent story by Real Raw News, a website that regularly publishes made-up stories.
And this story is no different — it was fabricated.
We found no evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin bombed property owned by President Joe Biden or that the president owns any villas in Ukraine. Claims about nefarious biolabs in Ukraine — some supposedly “U.S. owned” — have permeated social media since the Russian invasion. But these claims are also bogus, and part of disinformation efforts by Russians. And the claim about “pedophile rings” is unsubstantiated.
The article was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
A PolitiFact investigation in September found that Real Raw News is authored by Michael Tuffin, who previously ran several other websites and associated YouTube channels that also promoted misinformation and far-fetched conspiracy theories. His websites publish information under the pseudonym “Michael Baxter.”
The website’s “About Us” page features a disclaimer saying it “contains humor, parody and satire,” but the author of the articles often insists in the site’s comment sections that the content is legitimate. Real Raw News’ stories are often republished...
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