FACT CHECK: Did Vladimir Putin Declare War On Kenya?

A video shared on Facebook claims Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Kenya.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence Putin declared war on Kenya. The video’s English subtitles are inaccurate.

Fact Check:

Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine Feb. 24 after recognizing two separatist governments in eastern Ukraine, according to Reuters. The U.N. reports that more than 1,400 civilians have been killed in the fighting since then.

One video shared on Facebook claims to show Putin declaring war on Kenya. The video shows Putin seated, giving an address in Russian while English subtitles appear at the bottom alleging Putin said he would be launching missiles at the African country.

“Russia targets African Countries with missiles for talking about Russian Ukrainian War!!!” reads the video’s caption. (RELATED: Does This Video Show A Russian Fighter Jet Being Shot Down In Ukraine?)

However, there is no evidence Putin actually declared war on Kenya. If Putin had made such a move, media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website does not detail any declaration of war from Russia. The Russian Embassy in Kenya’s Twitter account likewise does not mention the Russian military taking any action against Kenya.

In reality, the video shows Putin announcing that he would be sending troops into Ukraine for a “special military operation.” In this Feb. 24 speech, he said the aim of the invasion would be to “demilitarize and denazify Ukraine” and to protect the people of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, according to a transcript from Bloomberg News. Putin does not mention Kenya in the address.

Check Your Fact has debunked numerous false claims related to the war in Ukraine. Recently, Check Your Fact debunked a video claiming to show Ukrainian soldiers killing Chechens during the Second Chechen War.

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