Reasoning
- The claim directly echoes a statement by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova ("Russia did not start a war, it is ending it"), which a professional fact-check rated false.
- The verified claims database confirms Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with missile strikes and ground assaults from multiple directions — a major escalation of the conflict Russia began in 2014 (Crimea annexation and Donbas).
- DW's fact-check concludes Russian claims blaming Ukraine are false: Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and invaded Ukraine on February 21–24, 2022, initiating the full-scale interstate war.
- FactCheck.org documents that Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, following months of military buildup and repeated denials by Russian officials.
- Britannica dates the war's origin to February 2014, when disguised Russian troops invaded and took Crimea, followed by seizures in Donbas.
- Academic analysis of war fact-checking likewise treats the conflict as beginning with the Russian offensive on 24 February 2022.
- Multiple independent sources (VOA, Global Affairs Canada, FactCheck.org, Britannica, DW) converge on the same conclusion, while no credible source supports the claim.
The claim is false: Russia is the party that initiated the war, both in 2014 and with the full-scale 2022 invasion.
Overall validity: 0%