FACT CHECK: Has Russia Withdrawn All Troops from Ukraine?
A video shared on Facebook claims Russia has withdrawn all of their troops from Ukraine after failing to conquer the country.
Verdict: False
The conflict in Ukraine is still ongoing. Russia strategically withdrew most of its troops in the north earlier in the year but increased their efforts in the southern region.
Fact Check:
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to “freeze” the west by cutting oil and gas supplies to Europe and other countries if the European Union imposed a price cap on energy supplies, according to The Guardian. The Russian president has also threatened to restrict grain exports to the continent as well, CNN reported.
A Facebook video, viewed over 132,000 times, claims Russia has withdrawn all troops from Ukraine. “Ukraine has succeeded: the Russian army is withdrawing from Ukraine!” the video’s caption reads. (RELATED: Did Ukraine Destroy 450 Russian ‘Armored’ Ships?)
The video caption is inaccurate. There are no credible news reports suggesting the conflict has ended. Russian troops have withdrawn previously from other areas as part of re-focusing and strategizing new war efforts in Ukraine, especially guarding supply routes, according to Politico.
Recent reports from Ukraine suggest the war is still ongoing and may be intensifying in some areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared progress in a counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops near the Donetsk region, according to CNN. Officials in the country are also calling for an evacuation of a Russian-occupied town near the now-disconnected Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant due to a risk of “nuclear disaster,” NBC reported.
This is not the first time false claims regarding the Russia Ukrainian war have been shared on social media. Check Your Fact recently debunked a post claiming Russia had conquered two countries in Europe.