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

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·2 min read
93

The claim: Video shows NATO equipment in Ukraine

A March 5 Facebook video shared by “Students for Trump” founder Ryan Fournier shows aerial footage of hundreds of pieces of military equipment.

"You’ve got to be kidding me… this is what we are giving to Ukraine," says the post's caption. "BAD idea and a huge moment of escalation."

The on-screen text reads, "NATO equipment arriving in Europe."

The post garnered more than 300 shares in eight days. Similar versions of the post have been shared on Instagram.

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Our rating: False

The video does not show equipment bound for Ukraine. It shows U.S. equipment in Gdynia, Poland, being prepared to be shipped back to Texas, according to a U.S. Army spokesperson. It was used for a rotational deployment in Europe.

Video shows U.S. equipment shipping back to Texas

Susie Blair, a U.S. Army Europe and Africa spokesperson, told USA TODAY in an email that the equipment in the video was being prepared to be shipped back to the U.S.

"We can confirm the equipment, which is headed back to the United States, is from 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division," Blair said. "The unit was deployed to Europe as part of a regular rotation of forces to support the United States’ commitment to Atlantic Resolve."

A clip of the video was shared on Facebook on March 8 by the U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

A woman touches a picture as she stands next to the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Russian-Ukrainian War on Ukrainian Volunteer Day in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
A woman touches a picture as she stands next to the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Russian-Ukrainian War on Ukrainian Volunteer Day in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

The post's caption reads, in part:

"GYDNIA (sic), POLAND - U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command Europe and Africa... worked closely with representatives of the U.S. Army's 838th Transportation Battalion to move 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division... equipment from Poland to Texas. The approximately 1,600 pieces of Army gear needed to be cleaned and inspected prior to loading on the American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier... Endurance, a ship on-hire to Military Sealift Command with the capability to provide transport of heavy vehicles."

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The 838th Transportation Battalion shared several pictures of the equipment in Gdynia on Facebook two days later.

"This operation marked the conclusion of the ‘Greywolf’ Brigade’s rotational deployment to Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve," reads the caption.

USA TODAY reached out to Fournier for comment.

The claim has been debunked by Lead Stories and the Associated Press.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Video shows military equipment going to Texas, not Ukraine