Did BlackRock forbid Ukraine from burying deceased soldiers?
Metadata
- Did BlackRock forbid Ukraine from burying deceased soldiers?
- August 26, 2024
- Article Body Text <p><b>A claim emerged in Chinese and Russian media reports that the U.S. asset manager BlackRock requested the Ukrainian government to refrain from burying dead Ukrainian soldiers on farm land it owns in the country. </b></p> <p><b>But the claim is false. Under Ukrainian law, foreign companies and individuals are prohibited from purchasing arable land.</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The claim was shared in an editorial </span><a href="https://news.ifeng.com/c/8bphWfCMLaj"><span style="font-weight: 400;">published</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by a military columnist Zhao Yongling on the website of Phoenix TV on Aug. 6, 2024.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“BlackRock purchased 47% of Ukraine’s arable lands … BlackRock has asked the Ukrainian government to stop burying deceased Ukrainian soldiers and look for other ways to take care of them because it wants to use the lands in a different way,” reads the claim in part.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zhao cited a Bulgarian politician named Plamen Paskov whose claim about BlackRock’s land ownership in Ukraine was previously </span><a href="https://big5.sputniknews.cn/20240802/1060759436.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">shared</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The same claim was shared on other Chinese websites as seen </span><a href="https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1280544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://open.163.com/newview/movie/free?pid=TJ80F8TIC&mid=HJ80F8TIS"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://www.ixigua.com/7399970946571371020"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <figure><img alt="1 (9).png" class="image-richtext image-inline" src="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/afcl/1-9-2.png/@@images/eb148178-c872-4e98-b9f7-dd3018ccacd7.png" title="1 (9).png"/> <figcaption>‘In an article published in early August, Russian and Chinese media quoted a purported Bulgarian politician as saying that U.S. companies are prohibiting Ukraine from burying its soldiers. (Screenshot /Internet)<br/><br/></figcaption> </figure> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">BlackRock is the largest asset manager in the world with more than US$10 trillion in assets under management. The New York-based multinational asset manager has a big enough stake in many influential companies worldwide to push them to change decisions and priorities.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to a Ukrainian government </span><a href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-obgovoriv-z-generalnim-direktorom-blackrock-koordi-80105"><span style="font-weight: 400;">press release</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, President Volodymyr Zelensky met BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to discuss how Ukraine could raise national reconstruction funds at the end of 2022.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In May 2023, the Ukrainian government </span><a href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-proviv-zustrich-iz-kerivnictvom-najbilshoyi-u-svit-82725"><span style="font-weight: 400;">signed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> an agreement with BlackRock to provide support services to the Ukraine Development Fund in order to attract funds to rebuild the economy after the war ends. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the claim about BlackRock’s land ownership in Ukraine and its request to the government regarding deceased soldiers is false. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under Ukrainian law, foreign companies and individuals are </span><a href="https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC043459/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">prohibited</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from purchasing arable land.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Agricultural land cannot be transferred (allotted) to foreigners, stateless persons, foreign legal entities and foreign states,” reads the Article 22 of Ukraine’s Land Code (No. 2768-III of 2001).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keyword searches found a similar claim has circulated since 2023, which has been </span><a href="https://mythdetector.ge/en/ukrainian-lands-and-banned-the-burial-of-military-personnel/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">debunked</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by other fact-checking organizations, including Myth Detector based in Georgia. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dafina Kandova, a journalist with the Bulgarian checking organization factcheck.bg, told AFCL that her organization had </span><a href="https://factcheck.bg/ne-e-vyarno-che-amerikanskata-kompaniya-blackrock-zabranyava-na-ukrajna-da-pogrebva-ubitite-si-vojnici-si-v-grobishta/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">checked</span></a> <a href="https://factcheck.bg/politicheck-ne-e-vyarno-che-dve-amerikanski-kompanii-i-edno-shotlandsko-uiski-pritezhavat-edna-treta-ot-ukrainskata-zemya/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">several</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> similar rumors circulating in Bulgaria at the end of 2023. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dafina added that while Plamen Paskov often appears as a commentator for the Bulgarian nationalist Ataka party, he is not actually an official member of the party and has not been elected to public office. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Paskov’s popularity is largely built on social media, gaining followers by spreading conspiracy theories related to hot topics such as COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, she added. He is also well-known for openly sympathizing with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">BlackRock has not responded to requests for comment as of the time of publication. </span></p> <p><b><i>Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang.</i></b></p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. 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- Content Type Text
- Language English
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date August 26, 2024 03:46 EDT
- Byline By Zhuang Jing for Asia Fact Check Lab
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English