A viral post on X claims that Russia discovered ties between Hunter Biden and terrorism, just weeks after ISIS took credit for a terror attack that killed 145 people at the Crocus City Hall music venue in Moscow.
In a video from a far-right meme account on X, a Russian official is alleged to claim, according to subtitles, that the terrorists were funded by the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Hunter, President Joe Biden‘s son, previously served on the company’s board.
“BREAKING: Russia has announced that the terrorists who killed 143 people at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow were paid by the Ukrainian energy company Burisma,” the meme account wrote. “Hunter Biden served on the board of directors of Burisma, Ukraine’s largest private gas producer, from 2014 until 2018.”
The post has since been viewed more than 1.8 million times and led to an uproar among conservatives who believe the Biden family is involved in rampant corruption.
“Even Russia knows that America is betraying its own people. Disgusting,” one user said in response.
But did Russia actually make the claims as alleged by users on X? And if so, is there actually any evidence tying Hunter to terrorism in Russia?
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation did in fact publish a press release to Telegram this week alleging that an investigation uncovered ties between Burisma and terrorism.
“It was established that funds received through commercial organizations, in particular, the oil and gas company Burisma Holdings, operating in Ukraine, have been used in recent years to carry out terrorist acts in the Russian Federation, as well as abroad in order to eliminate prominent political and public figures and causing economic damage,” the press release said.
At no point does the press release mention Hunter Biden or last month’s terror attack in Moscow, although many have viewed the remarks as an opaque reference to the incident. Russia’s statement also appears to make careful mention of the alleged funds being “used in recent years to carry out terrorist acts,” given that Burisma was dissolved on Feb. 16, 2023.
Immediately after the attack, Russia attempted to pin the blame for the attack on Ukraine.
Yet outside the accusation itself, Russia offered zero evidence whatsoever of any such connections. And despite also accusing U.S. officials of potentially funneling money to Burisma to finance terrorism, none of the alleged officials have been named.
The claims from Russia, although totally devoid of proof, have already been latched onto by conservative Americans looking to continue sowing doubt not only in the 2020 presidential election but the upcoming vote as well.
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