The claim: Post implies Russian bombers recently landed in South Africa
A July 26 Facebook video (direct link, archived link) shows an RT news broadcast about Russian warplanes visiting South Africa.
“While the talks were underway, Russia’s strategic nuclear bombers, known as the ‘White Swans,’ actually landed in South Africa,” says a news anchor in the video. “The 13-hour flight is being called a symbolic visit. Or is it just another way for Russia to send a message about its capabilities?”
Some Facebook users took the story to be a current one.
“Amazing that while fighting a very very difficult war, the Russians are engaging countries all over the world in a way that seems to be winning them friends,” one user wrote.
The video was shared over 3,000 times in two weeks.
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Our rating: Missing context
The implied claim here is wrong. Russia sent warplanes to South Africa in October 2019, not in 2023, to participate in a military exercise. The newscast originally aired in 2019.
Broadcast is years old, not from 2023
The Russian visit to South Africa shown in the Facebook video did not occur in 2023. The Facebook video shows a clip from an Oct. 24, 2019, episode of “The News with Rick Sanchez” that aired on the Russian government-owned media outlet RT.
The clip reports that Russia sent a group of military planes, two of them bombers called Tu-160s or “White Swans,” over to South Africa as a “military-to-military exercise.” The Russian Ministry of Defence said at the time that the purpose of the operation was to develop “bilateral military cooperation” between the two nations.
The 2019 visit occurred as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the first Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, Russia. The summit was attended by 43 African heads of state and was intended to bolster Russia’s relations with Africa.
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Since then, Russian and African diplomatic ties have waned due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has negatively impacted the ability of African nations to receive needed imports of grain. The second Russia-Africa summit, held in July, only included 17 heads of state.
There are no credible news reports about Russian warplanes landing in South Africa since the 2019 visit. However, South Africa did let a Russian cargo plane under U.S. sanctions land at a base in Pretoria, South Africa, in May, according to The New York Times.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
- Associated Press, Oct. 23, 2019, Putin aims to boost Moscow’s clout with Russia-Africa summit
- Associated Press, July 27, Putin promises no-cost Russian grain shipments to 6 African countries
- Reuters, Oct. 23, 2019, Russia lands nuclear bombers in Africa as Putin hosts continent’s leaders
- News24, Oct. 24, 2019, WATCH: Rare moment Russia lands world’s biggest nuclear bomber at SA’s Waterkloof
- Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Oct. 18, 2019, Aerospace forces group will visit South Africa
- RT, accessed Aug. 9, The News with Rick Sanchez – October 24, 2019 (19:00 ET)
- New York Times, May 4, South Africa Allowed Russian Plane Under U.S. Sanctions to Land at Base
- USA TODAY, July 17, Russia pulls out of Ukraine grain deal, threatening food shortages and higher prices
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