FACT CHECK: Did The Russian Government Announce A Warrant For George Soros’ Arrest?

A post shared on Facebook claims the government of Russia announced an arrest warrant for billionaire George Soros.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence the Russian government issued an arrest warrant for Soros. A spokesperson for Soros’ Open Society Foundations stated there was “no indication” the Russian government issued an arrest warrant.

Fact Check:

Soros, who founded and chairs the Open Society Foundations, wrote a Feb. 26 blog post about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling for nations to stand with Ukraine against the “existential threat.” He also called the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin “a direct attack on the sovereignty of all States that were once in the Soviet Union, and beyond.”

A March 22 Facebook post claims Russia’s government announced an “arrest warrant for billionaire George Soros, the main promoter of the war in Ukraine.” (RELATED: Does This Video Show Recent Fighting In Ukraine?)

There is no evidence to support this claim. Check Your Fact searched press releases and social media posts from the Russian government but found no mention of an arrest warrant being issued for Soros. Likewise, there are no credible news reports suggesting a warrant has been issued for Soros, and his name does not appear on Interpol’s list of wanted persons.

“We can confirm that we have no indication that the Russian government has ever issued an arrest warrant for George Soros,” said Open Society Foundations Senior Communication Adviser Jonathan Birchall in an email to Check Your Fact. Soros is the chair and founder of the Open Society Foundations charity.

Soros is a U.S. citizen, according to Forbes, and the U.S. Embassy in Russia has not publicly made an announcement of the purported arrest warrant either. Soros’ Twitter account has tweeted since the Facebook post was uploaded and makes no mention of any warrant out for his arrest. A similar claim circulated in 2018 and was refuted at the time by the Kremlin, according to the Associated Press.

While there is no evidence Russia has issued a warrant for Soros’ arrest, it did ban the Soros-funded Open Society Foundations and Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation from the country in 2015, characterizing them as a threat to state security and the Russian constitution, according to CNBC.

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