Video of Maduro in Russia is from 2018, not 2024 | Fact check
The claim: Video shows the president of Venezuela visiting Moscow in 2024 seeking military aid
[En Espa?ol: No, video no muestra visita de Maduro a Rusia en 2024]
A Sept. 8 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a video of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro descending from an airplane wearing a coat, gloves and a winter hat.
“The latest news, Venezuela. Maduro arrives in Russia to ask for weapons assistance in the face of negative relations with countries in the Americas,” reads on-screen text in Spanish. “Maduro makes an unexpected trip to strengthen his national defense. Venezuela's freedom is in danger.”
The Instagram post received more than 800 likes in four days.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Our rating: False
The video is from 2018 when Maduro visited Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is not recent, contrary to the post's assertion.
The video is more than five years old, not from 2024
The video in the post was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by the Venezuelan government on Dec. 4, 2018, not in September 2024, as the post claims.
Venezuela and Russia have maintained a solid diplomatic relationship for years. When Maduro visited Moscow in 2018 to meet with Putin, he was reportedly seeking financial aid, The Guardian reported at the time.
The Venezuelan government's mismanagement has caused severe economic challenges, including hyperinflation, high prices for basic goods and a significant decrease in oil production, which is a key component of the country's economy, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Fact check: Video showing men tortured is from a movie, not after Venezuelan election
The situation in the country has led to more than 7.7 million Venezuelans leaving since 2014, according to the United Nations UNHCR refugee agency.
Venezuelan authorities declared Maduro the winner of a July 28 election but offered no voting tallies as proof of the supposed victory. Independent exit polling and analyses found that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received more votes than Maduro, The Washington Post reported, and the U.S. recognized Gonzalez as the winner.
USA TODAY has debunked multiple false claims about Venezuela, including that former President Barack Obama criticized Venezuelans in an interview, that the August cover of Time Magazine was about Venezuela and that a video showed genuine footage of political prisoners being tortured.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Univision also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
Prensa Presidencial, Dec. 4, 2018, X post
The Guardian, Dec. 5, 2018, Putin voices support for Maduro as leader visits Moscow for financial aid
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim video shows Maduro visiting Russia in 2024 | Fact check
