Did Vladimir Putin say on October 5, 2023, that World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab is a "global terrorist" and that "his days are numbered"? No, that's not true: the Russian president never referred to Schwab during a speech. Contrary to the claim in an online article, Putin did not describe Schwab as a "global terrorist" during the address.
The story originated from an article (archived here) published by the People's Voice on October 5, 2023, under the headline:
Putin Warns 'Global Terrorist' Klaus Schwab His 'Days Are Numbered'
It opened:
World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab is a 'globalist terrorist' who is "holding humanity to ransom", according to Russian President Vladimir Putin who warned the elite that their New World Order has failed and their 'days are numbered.'
Here is how the article appeared at the time of writing:
(Source: the People's Voice screenshot taken on Mon Oct 9 14:48:44 2023 UTC)
Contrary to the People's Voice statements, Putin did not mention Schwab and did not describe him as a "global terrorist" during his October 5, 2023, speech at the Valdai forum in Sochi. The claim is debunked by both Russian (archived here) and English (archived here) transcripts of the event as well as the video recording that captures the entirety of the Russian president's nearly 4-hour-long public appearance.
(Sources: En.kremlin.ru screenshot taken on Mon Oct 9 15:00:36 2023 UTC; En.kremlin.ru screenshot taken on Mon Oct 9 15:01:28 2023 UTC; En.kremlin.ru screenshot taken on Mon Oct 9 15:01:57 2023 UTC; composite image by Lead Stories)
The People's Voice claim not only made a false statement regarding the content of Putin's speech but also promoted the pro-Kremlin take on his address by including a long citation from the Russian government-run English-language propaganda outlet Sputnik (archived here.)
In 2022, the World Economic Forum, known for a long-established Russian presence among its attendees, severed its ties with the Kremlin-affiliated individuals due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Before the 2022 full-scale Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin did attend the World Economic Forum more than once. His last speech addressing the gathering in Davos (archived here) was delivered remotely in 2021. The next year, the WEF, historically known for large delegations of Russian oligarchs throwing massive parties, sided with Ukraine, choosing to avoid direct engagement with sanctioned individuals, Politico (archived here) reported.
The same trend continued in 2023 when the attendees voiced the need for military and financial support for Ukraine against Russia, pointed out a Reuters article (archived here.)
The People's Voice is one of the most prolific false stories publishers. Its Facebook page lost its verification checkmark, according to a 2018 report from Media Matters For America.
The website describes itself as a resource "comprised of various web pages operated by Fact Checked Limited," but it has nothing to do with fact checking.
As of this writing, its website showed a liability disclaimer, saying:
FACT CHECKED LIMITED AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND.
Other Lead Stories fact checks mentioning Putin can be found here; Lead Stories fact checks about the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war are here.
