On August 4th, 2022, a Russian-speaking Facebook user posted a photo of Mike Holmes, the former commander of the US Air Force, in the Facebook group Новости Естонии [Estonian News]. The photo features the following quote: “Ukraine received everything: Javelins, Hymars, Bayraktars, NATO howitzers, but it suffered a fiasco. As it turns out, the Armed Forces of Ukraine can do nothing but bombard their own cities, rape and kill their citizens, steal and lie.”
An identical quote was shared by other Russian-speaking Facebook users (1, 2, 3 ) as well.
The quote attributed to Mike Holmes has been circulating on social media since July 2022 without an indication of the source. Nonetheless, the statement of identical or similar content cannot be found in open sources. In a conversation with “Myth Detector,” Mike Holmes himself confirmed that the quote is fabricated and that he never said such a thing.
The above-mentioned quote in Russian can be found on social networks “Twitter” and “Vkontakte” as early as July 30-31st, 2022.
“Myth Detector” contacted Mike Holmes to verify the information. Holmes noted that the quote does not belong to him. According to Holmes, he has not made any public comments about the Russia-Ukraine war.
Holmes retired from the US Air Force in October 2020 and later joined the board of directors of a private company.
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