No evidence Putin is abandoning the war in Ukraine
If your time is short
- There’s no evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin is abandoning the war in Ukraine.
As Russia appears ready to annex parts of Ukraine that its troops have occupied, a recent Facebook post defies reality, suggesting instead that Russian President Vladimir Putin is abandoning the invasion.
“Putin is fleeing the war!” the Sept. 27 post says. “Russian people raised the flag of rebellion!”
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook.)
Contrary to waving a white flag, Putin is becoming more directly involved in the war’s strategic planning, The New York Times reported Sept. 23, “including rejecting requests from his commanders on the ground that they be allowed to retreat from the vital southern city of Kherson.”
Putin has also recently drafted about 300,000 more reservists to the front lines. News reports have said that people who wouldn’t normally be called up for service are being tapped to fight, angering some Russians. But there’s no sign that Putin is “fleeing the war.”
We rate that claim False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Sept. 27, 2022
The Associated Press, Russia poised to annex occupied Ukraine after sham vote, Sept. 28, 2022
Politico, U.S. steps up intel, surveillance after Putin’s nuke threats, Sept. 27, 2022
The New York Times, As Russian losses mount in Ukraine, Putin gets more involved in war strategy, Sept. 23, 2022
Politico, Putin’s military draft is unpopular. So what?, Sept. 28, 2022
