DISINFO: Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh may have acted under Ukraine's instructions
SUMMARY
The would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh may have acted under Ukraine's instructions. Routh, who recruited mercenaries for the Ukrainian army, could have been himself hired by the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv for this assassination attempt.
RESPONSE
Conspiracy theory not backed by any evidence. While Ryan Routh, author of a suspected assassination attempt against Donald Trump on 15 September 2024, was a staunch supporter of Ukraine and had travelled there in 2022 to try to become a volunteer fighter against Russia, there is nothing indicating any actual Ukrainian involvement in the incident.
Russian authorities have repeatedly tried to baselessly link Ukraine to other terror episodes or magnicide attempts, such as the Crocus City Hall attack, the attempt against Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, the previous attempt on Trump’s life on July 2024, and a non-existent plot to kill Hungarian president Viktor Orban. The goal of these disinformation messages is to erode international support for Ukraine's defence against Russia's aggression by portraying its government as unreliable and involved in terror activities.