In March 2026, a rumor circulated online that Russian President Vladimir Putin posted (archived) on X that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu died in an airstrike.
The claim spread as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes on Israel after the country's joint strikes with the U.S. killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Putin's alleged post was first shared on X (archived), but it later circulated on Facebook (archived) and Threads (archived). It read, "Netanyahu was killed in an airstrike. We are saddened to hear the news of Netanyahu's death. May his soul rest in peace."
Netanyahu was killed in an airstrike.
We are saddened to hear the news of Netanyahu's death.
May his soul rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/axl29O2Xq2— Vladimir Putin (@MrputinSpoof) March 10, 2026
Snopes readers contacted us to investigate the post's legitimacy.
However, the post originated from the X account @MrputinSpoof (archived) — not the Russian president. The account's bio identifies it as a "fan/commentary page" and the handle itself includes the word spoof, which Merriam-Webster defines as "a light humorous parody." Therefore, we found the post originated as satire.
Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo (archived, archived, archived, archived) did not return any results from credible news outlets reporting that Putin had genuinely announced Netanyahu's death in an airstrike. If that had really happened, journalists with reputable news outlets, such as The Associated Press or Reuters, would have widely reported on it, and those search inquiries would have uncovered such evidence. That was not the case.
We reached out to the @MrputinSpoof account for comment on some people mistaking the post for real news and await a reply.
Some social media users who appeared to believe Putin shared the post in question may have been tricked by screenshots that omitted the parody profile's handle and the word "spoof."
Putin does not have his own social media accounts, according to a BBC report from 2022. The Kremlin website (archived) also does not link out to any social media accounts belonging to the Russian president.
Snopes has previously investigated and debunked other rumors about Putin, including whether photographers spotted him holding his nose while riding in a car with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Let us note here: Whether you agree with something being described as satire or parody is a matter of opinion. Snopes is in the business of facts. We label these rumors based on the creators' descriptions of them. Your call on whether you agree.