FACT CHECK: Did Elon Musk Ban The X Account Of The Armed Forces Of Ukraine?

A post shared on Threads claims X owner Elon Musk banned the X account of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

Verdict: False

The account pictured in the screenshot is an impersonation. The account for Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense is still up and bears a gray checkmark to signify its authenticity.

Fact Check: 

Ukraine is looking to change its law surrounding conscripting women in the war against Russia, though some disagree with the change, according to Newsweek. The country’s current law allows men over 25 to be drafted and doesn’t enlist women, but Dec. 3 bill would allow women to register as conscripts, the outlet reported.

A Threads post claims the Armed Forces of Ukraine account was suspended from X. The post shows a screenshot of an X account with the title “Armed Forces of Ukraine” and the handle @Inside_the_AFU, which appears to have had 525,000 followers. Text indicates the account was suspended for violating the platform’s rules.

“BREAKING: Russian asset Elon Musk just banned the X account of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the post reads.

The claim is inaccurate, however. The Ukraine Ministry of Defense account, @DefenceU, has a gray checkmark to show it is the official account. In contrast, the account seen in the screenshot has a blue checkmark, so it could not have been the genuine account. (RELATED: Did Ukraine Fire U.S.-Made Missiles Against Civilians In Russia?)

The post appears to originate from an X account called @Bricktop_NAFO. This is a meme account, according to its bio.

🚨🚨🚨Everyone needs to know🚨🚨🚨@X has suspended the Official account for The Armed Forces Of Ukraine. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/NQwdvEnuCb

— Bricktop_NAFO (@Bricktop_NAFO) December 4, 2024

Check Your Fact reached out to spokespeople for X and the Ukraine Ministry of Defense for comment.