A Fabricated Statement Attributed to Vladimir Putin
The Claim
Putin has ‘officially’ announced to the world and the U.S. that if the EU receives the U.S. F-35 fighter jets, Algeria will have an entire air base filled with Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter aircraft.
News posted on
Emerging story
Vladimir Putin's announcement that if the United States provides the EU with F-35 fighter jets, Russia will have no choice but to build an air base in Algeria for Sukhoi Su 57 aircraft has been widely circulated by accounts and pages on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo Description: The screenshot shows a Tweet sharing the alleged claim.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar looked into the widely reported claim and discovered it to be untrue. Russian media outlets have not reported any such news from President Putin, and no such announcement has been made by him. The Russian government and presidential social media accounts have not posted anything to indicate the news, and any reliable news outlet has not published the claim.
The Mena Defense Website reported on December 27 that Algeria had signed a contract with Russia to acquire 14 Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jets. Russian media outlets picked up the story later.
Photo Description: The screenshot shows the actual date on which the video first appeared online.
However, according to Military Watch Magazine, the Algerian Defense Ministry added a drawing of the Russian fighter jet to its building in September 2020.
Furthermore, according to various news outlets, some EU countries, including Spain, Greece, and Italy, have been reported to be interested in purchasing F-35 fighter jets.
Translated by: Ahmed N. A. Almassri
