FACT CHECK: Did NATO Attack Russian Soldiers Heading Toward The Ukrainian Border?

A video shared on Facebook claims North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces attacked Russian soldiers heading toward the Ukrainian border.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence NATO attacked Russia. A spokesperson for the organization denied the claim.

Fact Check: 

NATO countries, including the U.K. and the U.S., have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of weapons to help the country fend off the Russian invasion, according to Reuters. The U.S. recently moved a Patriot missile defense system, an air defense system used to counter missiles and aircraft, into Slovakia after the country gave Ukraine its S-300 air defense system, NPR reported.

A video shared on Facebook claims NATO recently struck Russian troops with a Patriot missile. “Brutal attack (Apr 29,2022) NATO Patriot Missile Attack hits Russian Troops Heading Ukraine Border,” reads the video’s title and caption. The video contains images and clips of the Patriot missile system being transported and fired while a narrator reads an April 17 report from the NL Times titled, “Dutch Patriot missile unit arrives in Slovakia for NATO defense after convoy collision.”

There is no evidence NATO launched an attack on Russian troops. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports about such a strike. NATO has repeatedly refused to send troops into Ukraine and rejected calls for it to establish a no-fly zone over the country, according to BBC News. The coalition has, however, increased its military presence in countries bordering Ukraine, the outlet reported.

“Any claim that NATO forces in April fired on Russian troops is totally false and untrue,” said a NATO spokesperson, in an email to Check Your Fact. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Finnish Tanks Being Moved To The Russian Border?)

The Patriot missile system is designed specifically for air defense purposes, according to Missile Threat, which is run by the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The organization identifies the weapon as “the U.S. Army’s primary air and missile defense system.”

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