The claim
It is alleged that a US NATO general has been captured by Russian troops in Mariupol.
Our conclusion
Cloutier can be seen in Turkey in several sources, and the Russian press would have announced it very prominently if this capture had actually happened.
Since early April, pro-Russian social media accounts and pages have claimed that a NATO general named Roger L. Cloutier was captured by Russian troops in Mariupol, proving that NATO is interfering in the Russia-Ukraine conflict .
But not only does the blurry photo bear no resemblance to the bald Cloutier, but the commander of the NATO Allied Land Command in the US military is currently in Turkey.
The claim
The rumor of the capture of a NATO general has been circulating on Twitter since April 3rd and has been picked up again and again by relevant accounts since then:
Allegedly the general was in a camp of an Azov battalion in Mariupol. In relevant QAnon forums (archived example HERE ), the rumor originating from Twitter was immediately recognized as truth and was proof that the USA and NATO had thus declared war on Russia.
Cloutier is located in Turkey
One would assume that if a NATO general was actually captured, Russian media would make it very public, since that would really be evidence that NATO was directly interfering in the conflict, despite statements to the contrary. However, this is not the case; the claim is only spread in relevant circles.
PolitiFact 's colleagues asked NATO directly about the rumor and received the following response from Major Brian Andries, deputy public affairs officer at NATO Allied Land Command:
“These rumors are completely false. Our commander currently commands the NATO Allied Land Command in Izmir, Turkey and has not been to Ukraine since the land staff discussions we held in July 2021. NATO countries are sending financial and military aid to Ukraine, but there are no NATO soldiers or senior staff stationed in the country.”
Postings from the last few days underline the statement, with the NATO Allied Land Command posting speech in Turkey on April 5th:
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on his LinkedIn account:
In a comment , Cloutier himself contradicts the rumors about his alleged capture:
Cloutier even told BBC employee Alistair Coleman himself that he was alive and well. However, one cannot expect that Cloutier would now post a photo with a daily Turkish newspaper in his hand in order to counteract the rumors that are only circulating in relevant circles anyway.
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Conclusion
The claims that NATO General Roger L. Cloutier was captured in Mariupol, Ukraine are false. Cloutier can be seen in Turkey in several sources, and the Russian press would have announced it very prominently if this capture had actually happened.
Further sources: Express , dpa
Also interesting:
A ZDF search for extras with a sharepic, short link and spelling errors?
Very believable. Not. ZDF is not looking for extras for the attack on Mariupol!
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )