| Title: | PolitiFact | Did Ukraine start its war with Russia, as President Donald Trump said? No, Russia invaded |
| URL: | https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2025/feb/19/donald-trump/did-ukraine-start-its-war-with-russia-as-president/ |
| Publisher: | PolitiFact |
| Date published: | February 19, 2025 |
| Description: | On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian forces launched an invasion on Ukraine, a country that the night before was at peace. Putin called it a “special military operation” and he premised the attack on false claims about Ukraine. As people were sleeping, Russian troops and tanks rolled into Ukraine and missiles poured down in what U.S. military analysts called the largest military operation in Europe since World War II. The attack followed weeks of Russian maneuvers that included staging a large-scale military exercise along Russia’s border with Ukraine that the U.S. estimated to include 190,000 Russian troops. We rate the statement Pants on Fire! |
PolitiFact | Did Ukraine start its war with Russia, as President Donald Trump said? No, Russia invaded
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian forces launched an invasion on Ukraine, a country that the night before was at peace. Putin called it a "special military operation" and he premised the attack on false claims about Ukraine. As people were sleeping, Russian troops and tanks rolled into Ukraine and missiles poured down in what U.S. military analysts called the largest military operation in Europe since World War II.
The attack followed weeks of Russian maneuvers that included staging a large-scale military exercise along Russia's border with Ukraine that the U.S. estimated to include 190,000 Russian troops.
We rate the statement Pants on Fire!
