Category Venezuela

Fact Check: Viral Video Of US Navy Seizing Tanker Dates Back To 2025 Training Exercise, Not Related To Russia

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.

Read MoreFact Check: Viral Video Of US Navy Seizing Tanker Dates Back To 2025 Training Exercise, Not Related To Russia

This Video Doesn’t Show US Seizing the Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker ‘Marinera’

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

Read MoreThis Video Doesn’t Show US Seizing the Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker ‘Marinera’

US military drill misrepresented as Russian evacuation from Venezuela after Maduro capture

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.

Read MoreUS military drill misrepresented as Russian evacuation from Venezuela after Maduro capture

Did former Trump adviser once speak of ‘strange swap arrangement’ involving Venezuela and Ukraine?

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.

Read MoreDid former Trump adviser once speak of ‘strange swap arrangement’ involving Venezuela and Ukraine?

CNN report about Russian warplanes in Venezuela is from 2018 and unrelated to Ukraine war

A Facebook post shared thousands of times in Nigeria claims that Russia has sent two nuclear bombers to Venezuela, landing them in what it describes as the 'US backyard'. The claim, however, is misleading; while the events mentioned in a CNN report included in the post did take place, they happened in 2018 and have nothing to do with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Read MoreCNN report about Russian warplanes in Venezuela is from 2018 and unrelated to Ukraine war