An image shared on X, formerly Twitter, purports to show a New York Times opinion piece headline about Russian President Vladimir Putin “conquering Ukraine.”

Sooo………Ukraines economy was built on prostitution and child pornography ?
Thats what Biden has been funding to protect?
Make it make sense !!!!! 🤦‍♂️ https://t.co/x05dcb04Vh

— TronBloke (@TronBloke) December 29, 2023

Verdict: False

A New York Times spokesperson confirmed the headline was “fabricated” in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

During a recent visit to a military hospital in Moscow, Putin vowed to continue targeting Ukrainian “military installations,” according to BBC News. Putin’s comments follow a Saturday air raid by Ukraine on Belgorod, which killed 25 people, the outlet reported.

The X image purports to show a New York Times opinion piece headline about Putin “conquering Ukraine.” The full headline reads as follows: “Putin May Have ‘Conquered’ Ukraine But All Its Women And Children Have Gone. Without The Financial Backing Of Prostitution And Child Porn Production, The Country Is Doomed, And Therefore His ‘Victory’ Meaningless. And That’s A Good Thing. Here’s Why.”

According to the image, the purported headline appears to have been published on Dec. 27 by Serge Schmemann.

However, the image does not feature an authentic New York Times opinion piece headline. The purported headline neither appears on the outlet’s website nor its verified social media accounts. A keyword search also does not generate any genuine results for the headline. In fact, the only item appearing in the search results is an article from Reuters, which also reported the claim as false.

Naseem Amini, a spokesperson for The New York Times, confirmed the headline was “fabricated” in an email to Check Your Fact.

“[I am] confirming that headline is fabricated,” Amini said. Amini also directed Check Your Fact to the actual headline published by Schmemann on Dec. 27. “Ukraine Doesn’t Need All Its Territory To Defeat Putin,” the opinion piece headline reads. (RELATED: Did The University of Edinburgh Put Out A Statement Apologizing To Palestinians?)

This is not the first time a false claim involving a major media outlet has circulated online. Check Your Fact previously debunked a Facebook video purporting to show a CNN advertisement mentioning Ukraine on a billboard in Times Square.