“Official statement — Putin assassinated in the Kremlin!”
Claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin was assassinated is Pants on Fire!
If your time is short
- There is no evidence that Russia’s president was assassinated.
An Aug. 20 Facebook post made a confusing claim about the demise, or near demise, of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It said:
“Official Statement — Putin Assassinated in the Kremlin! Russian President Hospitalized!”
The post also shared a 26-minute video criticizing Putin and Russia’s war with Ukraine. But the video mentioned neither assassination nor hospitalization.
The post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Putin’s assassination would be major news worldwide. But we found no credible reports, official or otherwise. There also have been no recent reports of Putin being hospitalized.
The New York Times reported in April that a leaked confidential document revealed a Ukrainian official’s unsubstantiated claim that Putin was undergoing chemotherapy.
Russia in May claimed that it foiled a Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin, the site of the president’s official residence and his main office. The Kremlin said the effort was intended to assassinate Putin; Ukraine denied it launched any such attack.
In March 2022, bloggers claimed Putin had been assassinated. Our rating was Pants on Fire!
Here, we rule the same way: Pants on Fire!
RELATED: Social media post misleadingly presents old news as a recent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump
Our Sources
Facebook, post, Aug. 20, 2023
Associated Press, "Russia accuses Ukraine of failed assassination attempt on Putin," May 3, 2023
New York Times, "Documents Reflect Persistent, if Unfounded, Speculation on Putin’s Health," April 26, 2023
PolitiFact, "Clickbait headline about Vladimir Putin’s supposed assassination is wrong," March 21, 2022
