Twitter Blue accounts are amplifying misinformation about the Ukraine conflict, as Russia's invasion of the country surpasses 500 days.
Misleading and false posts regarding the Ukraine conflict are gaining significant traction on major social media platforms, with Twitter being a prominent source. Subscribers with verified accounts (indicated by a blue tick) are paying to promote their content to a wider audience.
One such instance involves misleading posts about US military aid to Ukraine and its alleged use in the recent riots in France. These posts feature a screenshot of a purported news headline along with an image of two rifles, claiming that French police were fired upon using American rifles potentially sourced from Ukraine. However, BBC Verify has traced these posts back to pro-Kremlin channels on Telegram. Furthermore, the image used in the post is from a Russian military blog dating back to 2012, depicting a shooting competition near Moscow. No evidence supports the claim that weapons provided by the US to Ukraine were used during the French unrest, and no online articles with the claimed headline and image have been found.
Another false claim propagated by Twitter Blue accounts is the existence of "baby factories" in Ukraine, where children are allegedly exploited, sent to child sex brothels, or have their organs harvested for sale in the West. The origin of this claim can be traced to an article published by The People's Voice (also known as YourNewsWire), a notorious purveyor of fake news according to fact-checking organizations. The Russian government and Kremlin-controlled media have a history of promoting baseless claims about illegal organ harvesting in Ukraine.
Additionally, a Twitter Blue account, presenting itself as a legitimate news source, falsely attributed a missile attack in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, to Ukrainian forces. The tweet claimed that a Ukrainian-launched missile mistakenly hit a military barracks housing NATO troops and foreign mercenaries. However, there is no evidence supporting these claims of Ukrainian responsibility or the targeting of military barracks.
Viral posts on Twitter have also falsely suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cancelled elections in Ukraine. These claims arose from misinterpretations of Zelensky's remarks in a BBC interview. Zelensky stated that elections would be held in peacetime, by the law, and that if Ukraine wins the war, there would be no martial law or war. However, some users misinterpreted this statement, with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson claiming on his Twitter show that Zelensky had ended democracy in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian constitution, elections cannot take place during martial law, thus the current president and parliament will remain in charge until martial law concludes.
When approached for comment on the false and misleading posts associated with Twitter Blue accounts, Twitter's press office acknowledged receipt of the inquiry but declined to comment.