Fact Check: Old news footage of Putin's South Africa trip goes viral amidst war in Ukraine
India Today
A television news clip has now gone viral on social media, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in South Africa for a summit. India Today's Anti Fake News War Room has found the video to be old.
Earlier this week, there were reports of Russian president Vladimir Putin falling ill and requiring several hours of assistance from his medical team. Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February, there have been several speculations about Putin's poor health.
Meanwhile, a television news footage has now gone viral on social media, claiming that the Russian leader is in South Africa for a summit. "President Putin visited South Africa," the video was captioned by a user on Facebook. It showed Putin's contingent being received and being led to a convoy at an airport.
The India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found that the video was shot in 2018 when Putin was in South Africa for the annual BRICS summit.
Apart from the anchor's on-screen briefing and visuals of Putin at the airport, a breaking news ticker showed "President Putin arrives in SA for the 10th BRICS summit." The name of the channel read, "SABC News'. We couldn't spot a date box anywhere on the screen.
When checked, it was learnt that the 10th BRICS summit was indeed held in South Africa. However, it was in 2018 that the African nation hosted the annual summit.
When checked for the 2022 edition of the summit, it was found that the five member countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—met earlier this year virtually in China's Beijing for the 14th edition of the meet. A release by the Prime Minister's Office dated June 24, 2022, confirming Narendra Modi's participation in the 14th BRICS Summit can be read here.
At the summit chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin asked for the BRICS leaders' support to counter the Western powers that backed Ukraine in the conflict.
