False claims about U.S. aid to Ukraine have circulated online since Russia invaded the country in February.
An Oct. 8 Facebook video claims the U.S. sent M1A1 Abrams tanks, a type of battle tank fixed with machine guns, to Ukraine.
“Historical moment: US M1A1 Abrams deploy to Ukraine! End of the road for Putin!” the caption reads. The post has been viewed nearly 70,000 times in one month.
But the claim is false. A Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed the U.S. has not sent any M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Military fact sheets on security aid sent to Ukraine do not list the tanks as aid that was supplied. And there are no credible news reports that Ukraine has received these weapons.
Attached to the post is a 10-minute video, which does not include evidence to support the claim. Instead, it shows various clips of military equipment paired with a voiceover that compares the manpower of the Ukrainian and Russian armies.
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USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the video for comment.
“To date, no M1A1 Abrams tanks have been sent to Ukraine,” Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman, a Defense Department spokesperson, said via email.
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