The claim: Photo shows Vladimir Putin being saluted at the 10th BRICS Summit in South Africa
On June 23, China virtually hosted the 14th BRICS Summit. The summit is an annual meeting where the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa discuss topics such as trade and the economy.
Several social media users have shared a photo of Russan President Vladimir Putin purportedly being saluted at the 10th BRICS Summit in South Africa. The photo shows two uniformed men saluting Putin as he enters a golden room.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin in South Africa when he was attending the 10th Session of BRICS,” one July 17 Facebook post says.
The post garnered over 2,900 likes in its first two weeks. Other viral iterations have been shared on Facebook and Twitter.
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But the claim is not correct. The photo was taken in Russia in 2020, two years after the 10th BRICS Summit.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment.
Photo was taken in Russia in 2020
Since ordering the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has had limited overseas travel. His first trip out of the country since the February invasion was to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The trips took place on June 28 and 29.
Putin attended the 14th annual BRICS Summit on June 23 via videoconference, according to the Kremlin’s website.
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The claim mentions the 10th BRICS Summit, which was held four years before the Ukrainian invasion, in 2018. While Putin did attend this conference in person, the photo was not taken at the 2018 summit.
The photo was taken by Getty Images photographer Mikhail Svetlov in St. Alexander Hall at the Grand Kremlin Palace on Feb. 5, 2020, in Moscow. Putin was pictured entering the room with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and attended a ceremony where he received 23 credentials from newly-appointed foreign ambassadors, according to the photo’s description.
Photos from the Kremlin ceremony have been included in articles published by Newsweek and Forbes.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a photo shows Vladimir Putin being saluted at the 10th BRICS Summit in South Africa. The photo was taken by a Getty Images photographer in Russia in 2020, two years after the 10th BRICS Summit was held in South Africa.
Our fact-check sources:
- BRICS 2022 China, Feb. 22, BRICS Countries
- Al Jazeera, June 26, Vladimir Putin to make first foreign trip since Ukraine invasion
- President of Russia, June 28, Working visit to Tajikistan
- President of Russia, June 29, Working visit to Turkmenistan
- President of Russia, June 23, BRICS Summit
- International Institute for Sustainable Development, accessed Aug 2, 10th BRICS Summit
- President of Russia, July 26, 2018, Vladimir Putin arrived in South Africa to attend the 10th BRICS Summit
- Getty Images, Feb. 5, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin Receives Foreign Ambassadors At The Kremlin
- Newsweek, March// 3, Russia Thinks West Will ‘Get Over’ Ukraine War, Calls Response ‘Hysteria’
- Forbes, Jan. 27, As Biden Mulls Sanctions, Three Theories On How Putin Makes His Millions
- Foreign Policy, Sept. 27, 2021, Why BRICS Still Matters
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