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In mid-March 2022, a tweet reportedly by conservative political commentator Candace Owens became a topic of social media debate after the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the U.S. retweeted the post that said, “Russian lives matter,” among other things.
This claim is true.
On March 9, Owens tweeted: “Absolutely appalling the way Russians are being treated in America and abroad. That our leaders and government institutions are allowing for—and at times calling for this discrimination following their global ‘black lives matter’ hysteria is quite telling. Russian lives matter.”
The claim that the Russian embassy in the U.S. retweeted the above post went viral several days later, with some accounts claiming that the “Russian lives matter” slogan is a “coordinated disinformation campaign.”
We scanned the Russian Embassy in USA (@RusEmbUSA) verified account on Twitter, and found that it did, indeed, retweet Owens on March 9:
We also cross-referenced the retweet from the @RusEmbUSA page by searching through the “Retweeted by” option section on Owens’ original post and confirmed it to be true:
As of this writing, the Twitter account @RusEmbUSA was verified by the platform and self-described as the “official Twitter feed of the Russian Embassy in the USA.” Snopes also referred to the website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the USA and further confirmed that the Twitter account linked on the website directed to @RusEmbUSA. As such, we rate this claim as "True."
Want to learn to spot misinformation online for yourself? Check out the Snopes Fact-Checker's Toolbox:
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Sources
Candace Owens on Twitter: “Absolutely Appalling the Way Russians Are Being Treated in America and Abroad. That Our Leaders and Government Institutions Are Allowing for—and at Times Calling for This Discrimination Following Their Global ‘Black Lives Matter’ Hysteria Is Quite Telling. Russian Lives Matter.” 9 Mar. 2022, https://web.archive.org/web/20220309151130/https:/twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1501576352587292673.
"https://Twitter.Com/Noliewithbtc/Status/1503348187859505154.” Twitter, https://twitter.com/noliewithbtc/status/1503348187859505154. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.
“https://Twitter.Com/Realcandaceo/Status/1501576352587292673.” Twitter, https://twitter.com/realcandaceo/status/1501576352587292673. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.
Twitter, https://twitter.com/realcandaceo/status/1501576352587292673. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.
“https://Twitter.Com/Rvawonk/Status/1503227687917305863.” Twitter, https://twitter.com/rvawonk/status/1503227687917305863. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.