FALSE: Putin expresses support for Bongbong Marcos’ candidacy

At a glance

• Claim: A TikTok video, which was also reposted to a Facebook group, showed a clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin supposedly expressing his support for Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s presidential bid in the 2022 elections. 
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: The clip was taken from Putin’s 2021 state of the nation address in Moscow, wherein he talked about Russia’s foreign policy, not about Marcos or the Philippine elections.
• Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the claim posted on TikTok has 108,700 likes, 3,683 comments, and 3,574 shares. The video was also reposted to a Facebook group with more than 3,000 members.

Complete details

The TikTok video, posted by an account with the username “@halalan2022,” took a clip from Al Jazeera‘s report of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation address in Moscow, muted it, and added a caption and background music.

“RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN NAGPAHAYAG NA NG SUPORTA SA KANDIDATURA NI BONGBONG MARCOS. AYUN [sic] KAY PUTIN, NAKAHANDA ANG RUSSIA NA MAG SUPPLY NG MGA BARIL SA PILIPINAS SAKALING IPAGPATULOY NI BONGBONG ANG MARTIAL LAW,” the caption reads, which is also written under a “BREAKING NEWS” label.

(Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his support for the candidacy of Bongbong Marcos. According to Putin, Russia is ready to supply arms to the country in case Bongbong imposes Martial Law.)

As of writing, the TikTok video has gathered 108,700 likes, 3,683 comments, and 3,574 shares.

The user added “#fakenewsforidiots” to the post, but the top comments still praise and thank Putin. In the video’s comment section, some netizens also expressed their support for the imposition of martial law .

The TikTok video was also reposted on the Facebook group “Bongbong Marcos Alliance for Unity and Progress,” which has more than 3,000 members, as of writing. In the reposted version, the said hashtag is hidden while its comment section also contains thanks for Putin.

This claim is false.

Searching for the keywords “Al Jazeera Putin speech” on YouTube showed that the clip was taken from a video posted on the “Al Jazeera English” channel on April 22, 2021. The video was titled, “Putin warns foreign powers against crossing Russia’s ‘red lines.’“

“We want good relations with all the participants of the international dialogue, and, really, we don’t want to burn bridges. But if someone mistakes our good intentions for indifference or weakness and intends to burn or even blow up these bridges themselves, they should know that Russia’s response will be asymmetrical, swift, and harsh,” said Putin in Russian in the video from Al Jazeera.

Furthermore, upon checking the speech’s transcript posted on the Kremlin’s official website, Putin never mentioned Marcos or the Philippine elections during his address. – Jian Tenorio/Rappler.com

Jian Tenorio is a Rappler Mover. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.