Last fakes of the week
19 June 2025
Is Lukashenko really the second guest after Putin at Xi Jinping’s private residence? We fact-checked the CTV anchor’s statement
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Lukashenko in early June 2025 at a restricted government compound, where, according to CTV anchor Olga Korshun, only Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously visited among foreign leaders. The Weekly Top Fake team investigated who else has visited the residence.
misrepresentation, Belarus, China, CTV, politics.
17 June 2025
BelVestnik: Income tax in Belarus is lower than, for example, in Poland. We checked—and found it’s not so straightforward
BelVestnik claimed Belarus has one of the lowest personal income tax rates in Europe. The Weekly Top Fake team took a closer look at how income taxes actually work across the EU.
misrepresentation, Poland, Germany, France, Belarus, European Union, Telegram channel BelVestnik, economy, salaries in the EU, salaries in Belarus, taxes.
16 June 2025
Is studying at Polish universities really twice as expensive as in Belarus? We compared the numbers
Only children from wealthy families can afford to study in Europe, claimed “Beware, Provocateurs” host Victoria Kirichenko. She compared the cost of studying at the University of Warsaw and at Belarusian State University. The Weekly Top Fake team checked her numbers.
misrepresentation, Belarus, Poland, Evening political channel, Victoria Kirichenko, education.
13 June 2025
“Our resources are for our citizens, not for runaway traitors.” Minsk News mistranslated the Polish MP’s speech
The program “Beware, Provocateurs” showed a clip of Dariusz Matecki, a member of Poland’s conservative Law and Justice party, delivering what they called “bad news” for Belarusian refugees. The Weekly Top Fake team dug into what was off about the video.
misrepresentation, Poland, Evening political channel, Radio Minsk, Victoria Kirichenko, politics, elections.
12 June 2025
“There’s demand for buses, but not enough production capacity.” We fact-checked the state radio expert’s explanation for why MAZ is expanding
Belarusian MAZ buses are so popular in Russia that the company had to expand its capacity, according to Irina Novikova, a professor at Belarusian State Technological University. The Weekly Top Fake team compared actual demand with production capacity.
misrepresentation, Russia, Belarus, First national channel of Belarusian radio, Irina Novikova, economy, industry.