Does a video show a Russian submarine arriving in Havana, Cuba, in May 2026? No, that's not true: The footage dates back to June 2024, when a nuclear-powered Russian submarine and three Russian warships arrived in Havana as part of a port visit coinciding with Russian naval exercises in the Caribbean. The clip resurfaced in social media posts falsely claiming it depicted such an event in May 2026.
The image is edited. It repurposes a photo of a Ukrainian drone previously reported as captured by Russian forces, with a Mexican police emblem digitally added to create the false impression of a cartel seizure.
Following the attack on Venezuela, the US military has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker and another ship in the North Sea. A video is circulating on social media, showing soldiers rappelling from a helicopter onto a ship. Some users are sharing the video and claiming that it shows the US military seizing a Russian-flagged oil tanker coming from Venezuela. Vishvas News investigated and found that while the US military did seize the Russian-flagged oil tanker, the viral video dates back to October 2025, when US Navy SEALs demonstrated their capabilities to President Trump. The same video is now being shared as a recent incident.
Claim
Social media posts claim the video shows US troops capturing a Russian oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean
Fact
The video is from April 2025 and actually depicts a US-Philippines military exercise called Balikatan in Subic Bay
The quote that circulated online was correctly attributed to Hill. At the time of this writing, Snopes could not independently verify whether the U.S. had carried out the swap Hill said Russia wanted in 2019 or whether such a deal made the Trump administration's January 2026 capture of Maduro possible.
Following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by US forces in January 2026, a video of military aircraft flying in formation surfaced in social media posts falsely claiming it shows Russia evacuating its diplomats' families from its South American ally. The footage in fact first circulated in October 2025 and corresponds to photos and videos of a US military drill in California marking the founding of the Marine Corps.
In conclusion, there is no credible evidence that American weapons sent to Ukraine are ending up in Mexico, Syria, Gaza or any location outside of Ukraine, and claims otherwise may be attributed to Russian disinformation campaigns. The United States and Ukrainian governments have attempted strict oversight of their weapons - to mixed results - but any arms trafficking happening in Ukraine appears, as of this writing, to be contained to isolated incidents by criminals.
An U.S. podcast host misrepresented a Mexican TV newscast by saying that a Javelin the United States sent to Ukraine ended in the hands of a Mexican cartel.
That's not what the Spanish-speaking anchor said.
Experts also say the supposed cartel member is carrying an AT4, not a Javelin.
A TikTok video claimed to show a cartel member in Mexico carrying a Javelin that the U.S. sent to Ukraine.
We found no evidence that a Mexican cartel obtained U.S. weapons destined for Ukraine. Experts told PolitiFact that the man in the video is carrying what appears to be an AT4 weapon, not a Javelin.
We rate this claim False.
Social media users are claiming Mexican TV reported that anti-tank missile systems the United States sent to Ukraine ended up in the hands of a Mexican cartel. This is false; the claims are based on a mistranslation of the segment, which showed a man sporting apparent gang insignia carrying the same type of military-grade weapon used in Ukraine -- but did not say the artillery was diverted from Kyiv.
The video is another propaganda staging. The man allegedly being 'beaten' on the back with a stick does not have a Brazilian Portuguese accent, as it should be if he were really from Brazil. StopFake confirmed that the man spoke European Portuguese, which was evidently not his native language. Another important argument is the fact that the Brazilians, who are indeed among the volunteers, do not serve in the 128th brigade of the Ukrainian Forces. Like other foreign volunteers who came to defend Ukraine, Brazilians serve only as part of the Armed Forces International Legion.