Flavio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil for the US: what RT and TASS say and what independent outlets document

RT and TASS describe a flight in defiance of a court. Independent outlets confirm a Supreme Court passport order, a US visa decision and Lula's reaction, which the state items leave out.

By Verification deskDrafted with AI, checked and edited by the editor.

Presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro speaks after losing the Brazilian presidential runoff election, in BrasiliaPhoto: Reuters /Adriano Machado

What Russian state media says

UnverifiedTASS: Bolsonaro left Brazil 'in defiance of an explicit court order'.TASS
Not reported by state mediaRT: Bolsonaro 'reportedly fled' to the US after losing to Lula, amid investigations into alleged financial crimes. The item does not mention the Supreme Court's passport order.RT
Not reported by state mediaThe RT and TASS items do not mention the US State Department's decision to issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family.RT · TASS
Not reported by state mediaThe RT and TASS items do not mention President Lula's reaction, which he called 'shameful'.RT · TASS

What is documented

The Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to hand over his passports in a money-laundering probe. BBC adds that the court also barred him from leaving the country. The Guardian says he missed the handover deadline. None of the items documents a ruling that the departure itself broke the order.The Guardian · Al Jazeera · BBC News Русская служба
Bolsonaro's departure with his wife and two daughters is reported by CNN Brasil and Reuters citing sources, and relayed by Meduza and Novaya Gazeta Europe. The Guardian cites Metrópoles. The reason, 'fear of being arrested', comes from one anonymous source of CNN Brasil.The Guardian · Новая газета Европа · Медуза
The US State Department told the BBC it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the country. Al Jazeera also reports that the US will grant a visa.Al Jazeera · BBC News Русская служба
Lula called the departure 'shameful'.The Guardian · Al Jazeera

Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator and the losing presidential candidate, has left Brazil for the United States with his family, according to reports. Meduza and Novaya Gazeta Europe cite CNN Brasil and Reuters, which in turn rely on sources close to him. The Guardian cites the news site Metrópoles. The items contain no official confirmation of the departure, so the story is marked partial.

RT writes that Bolsonaro ‘reportedly fled’ amid investigations into alleged financial crimes. TASS, citing CNN Brasil, says he left ‘in defiance of an explicit court order’. Both items are short and do not mention the content of the order, the US response or the reaction in Brazil.

Independent outlets document that the day before, Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to hand over his passports in a money-laundering investigation (Al Jazeera, BBC Russian Service). The Guardian writes that he missed the deadline to hand over his passport. The US State Department told the BBC it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family, and Al Jazeera also reports that the US will grant a visa.

President Lula called the departure ‘shameful’ (The Guardian, Al Jazeera). According to a CNN Brasil source quoted by Novaya Gazeta Europe, Bolsonaro left out of ‘fear of being arrested’. The Insider, citing CNN Brasil, adds that police annulled his passports. Only one outlet reports that detail.

Where accounts differThe accounts differ on the court order. BBC says the court barred Bolsonaro from leaving and ordered him to hand over his passports. Al Jazeera mentions only the handover order. The Guardian says he missed the deadline. TASS calls the order 'explicit' and says he defied it. The Insider, citing CNN Brasil, says police annulled the passports, and no other item confirms this. The departure itself rests on reports citing sources.