Fact check: Israel has given humanitarian aid to Ukraine but isn't fighting there

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY
·3 min read
1

The claim: Israel attacked the 'largest Russian warship in the Black Sea,' liberated Crimea

A March 21 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows clips of soldiers, tanks and various military operations.

"Crimea is Liberated: Israeli Navy has blown up Largest Russian Warship in the Black Sea," reads the video's caption.

The video was shared more than 50 times and viewed more than 37,000 times in six days.

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Our rating: False

There are no credible reports that Israel has directly intervened in the war in Ukraine. Israel has given humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but it hasn't provided military assistance.

Israel not fighting in Ukraine, but has provided humanitarian aid

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and previously illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Despite the post's claims, Russia still occupies the peninsula, though Ukraine has carried out attacks on the region,

There are no credible reports of Israel becoming involved in the war in Ukraine. The Facebook video was posted on March 21, but Israel's Minister of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not mention the conflict or the sinking of any ship in statements released around that time.

Israel has given "food, medicine, water and other humanitarian aid" to Ukraine, but it has not provided any military equipment, according to Politico. That hasn't stopped Ukraine from asking for additional help, however.

In late October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked that Israel's leaders consider providing air defense systems, a plea he has repeated several times since the war began, according to Reuters.

Israel has condemned the invasion of Ukraine but has reportedly been wary of antagonizing Russia due to Russia's status as a power broker in neighboring Syria, where Israeli forces frequently attack pro-Iranian militias.

Arrest warrant issued for Vladimir Putin over war crimes by International Criminal Court
Arrest warrant issued for Vladimir Putin over war crimes by International Criminal Court

Fact check: Video shows military equipment being shipped to Texas, not Ukraine

Israel has approved export licenses for the possible sale of "anti-drone jamming systems" to help Ukraine counter Iranian-made drones used by Russia, according to a March 15 report from Axios.

On March 18, Ukraine marked the ninth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea by vowing to regain all of its territories occupied by Russia, as USA TODAY previously reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea that same day to mark the anniversary.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment.

Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Israel has given aid to Ukraine but isn't fighting there