The reviewed post is missing context. An old speech delivered by Putin in 2022, with different content referring to Crimea, is put into current context as if it refers to the consequences that would arise from a possible permission for Ukraine to use foreign long-range weapons on Russian territory. Such a move represents playing, that is, manipulating the context and the meaning behind Putin’s address
We analyze a Facebook post in which video material from a speech delivered by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is shared. The post reads:
Vladimir Putin has firmly stated that if the US allows Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russia…
Europe and all NATO countries will be drawn into a Nuclear War. “You won’t even have to blink your eyes when we carry out Article 5 of the Roman Treaty…”
Russia has the most confirmed nuclear weapons, with over 5,500 nuclear warheads.
The video and post are from September 13, 2024, however, the original video of the speech shared on that date is from much earlier. In the speech, Putin says “if Ukraine joins NATO and tries to acquire Crimea by military means, then European countries will automatically be drawn into a military conflict with Russia,” and not that “if the US allows Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russia, Europe and all NATO countries will be drawn into a nuclear war.”
According to Reuters fact-checkers, the video in which Vladimir Putin says “if Ukraine joins NATO it will make a nuclear conflict more likely” was recorded in February 2022, before Russia launched an unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine.
Fact-checkers at Check Your Fact also say the original video came from Daily Mail and was included in the media outlet’s article from 2022.
The clip is not “new,” however. The statements were made in February 2022, weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, says Reuters.
The video does not show a recent speech delivered by Putin. It is a speech that was delivered after a meeting the President of Russia had with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, in which they discussed in 2022 a potential deal regarding Ukraine, writes Check Your Fact.
It is true, on the 13th of September of this year, Putin warned, “If Western nations allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike inside Russia then it will mean NATO would be ‘at war’ with Russia.”
However, the video shared in the post we are reviewing does not present that, rather, it features an old speech delivered by Putin from 2022 before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Due to all the above facts, we assess that the post is missing context. An old speech delivered by Putin in 2022, with different content referring to Crimea, is put into current context as if it refers to the consequences that would arise from a possible permission for Ukraine to use foreign long-range weapons on Russian territory. This is an attempt at manipulation designed to promote and reinforce Putin’s and Russia’s threats against countries that provide military assistance to Ukraine, aiming to dissuade them from doing so, or at the very least, to reduce arms shipments. Such a move represents playing, that is, manipulating the context and the meaning behind Putin’s address.
