The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on May 23, 2017 in a tweet: \"Docs: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took $1 million from a pro-Putin Ukrainian businessman—last election cycle.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" mostly-false/6a6ef6075c162fdccf5eb960e683dcd1.jpg.\\") ![\\"barely- true\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Campaign Finance * Elections * Wisconsin * X posts ![\\"Wisconsin](\\" Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announces his run for president on July 13, 2015 at the Expo Center in Waukesha, Wis. (Michael Sears/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) ![\\"Tom](\\" By Tom Kertscher June 21, 2017 # Are tweets right that a \'pro-Putin Ukrainian\' gave Scott Walker $1 million? An anti-Donald Trump Democratic strategist and fundraiser has attacked Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker by trying to tie him to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a May 23, 2017 tweet that has been retweeted more than 6,500 times ties, Scott Dworkin said this: Docs: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took $1 million from a pro-Putin Ukrainian businessman—last election cycle. It’s a bit of a drive-by attack. Dworkin and his group Dworkin, who goes by @funder on Twitter, is a senior advisor for the Democratic Coalition Against Trump, which was founded during the 2016 presidential campaign. He gained attention after the election by saying he was filing treason \"complaints\" against Trump and three other officials in connection with Russian interference in the election. PunditFact pointed out that only federal prosecutors, not ordinary citizens, can file criminal complaints alleging treason. Dworkin has continued hammering on Russia, telling the Washington Post two weeks after his Walker tweet: \"Anybody who says we shouldn’t look into Russia at this point is either in it or a traitor.\" The Walker attack Dworkin’s attack pertains to Walker’s brief run for the 2016 Republican nomination and to a super PAC which, unlike a presidential candidate, can accept unlimited donations. When we asked for information to back up the claim, Dworkin referred us to a Federal Election Commission record showing that Access Industries Inc. of New York City made a $1 million contribution to Unintimidated PAC, a super PAC launched by longtime Walker advisers. (The super PAC, by the way, offered perks to $1 million donors, including: twice-a-year retreats, members-only briefings and conference calls, two private dinners with \"VIP special guests\" and a special \"executive board member\" pin.) Access Industries actually gave a total of $1.5 million to the super PAC, the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics told us, although $1.2 million of it was returned after Walker dropped out of the race. So, the $1 million figure in the tweet is accurate, except that the money was given to a super PAC supporting Walker, not to Walker or to his campaign. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 26, 2024 in a post Four government agencies donated nearly $900,000 of taxpayer money to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Sara Swann • September 3, 2024 The rest of the attack is less on target. The company owner Access Industries is a New York-based industrial group whose holdings include Warner Music. It was founded by Leonard Blavatnik. According to Forbes, he’s worth $19 billion, having made $7 billion from the sale of TNK-BP, a Russian oil company, in 2013. Blavatnik was born in Ukraine and raised in Moscow. But he emigrated to the United States for school in 1978, now lives in London and holds dual citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom. So, calling him a Ukrainian businessman is not accurate. As for whether Blavatnik is \"pro-Putin,\" we didn’t find direct evidence of that, although there are connections. The Financial Times referred to Blavatnik as one of the \"Kremlin-friendly tycoons\" who made a fortune on the sale. In 2015, the London-based Daily Mail reported on controversy over a $75 million donation made by Blavatnik to Oxford University. Academics, human rights activists and Russian dissidents called on the university to \"stop selling its reputation and prestige to Putin’s associates.\" And in 2016, the Daily Mail reported that British Prime Minister Theresa May believed that Russian and former Soviet bloc oligarchs with links to Putin had become too close to the Tories and should be barred from party fundraising events. The article cited Blavatnik as one of the oligarchs. However, when we checked with Steven Lee Myers, Karen Dawisha and Anne Garrels, each of whom has written a book on Putin, they told us they didn’t know whether Blavatnik was \"pro-Putin.\" Blavatnik has pushed back on being tied to Putin. In May 2017, The Guardian reported that lawyers for Blavatnik have denied he is an associate of Putin, saying he has had no personal contact with the Russian president since 2000. Similarly, the Telegraph has reported that Blavatnik insists he\'s a strong believer in democracy who hasn\'t had any contact with Putin since 2000. Our rating Tweets made this claim: \"Docs: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took $1 million from a pro-Putin Ukrainian businessman — last election cycle.\" The businessman was born in Ukraine, but has long lived in London and New York. His company gave $1.5 million not directly to Walker, but to a super PAC that supported Walker’s run for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. He has ties to Putin, based on his past ownership of a Russian oil company, but whether he is \"pro-Putin\" is unclear. For a statement that contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, our rating is Mostly False. Share the Facts 2017-06-21 16:42:50 UTC PolitiFact ![\\"PolitiFact\\"](\\" logo-big.jpg\\"/) 3 1 7 ![\\"PolitiFact](\\" mostlyfalse.jpg\\") PolitiFact Rating: Mostly False \"Docs: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took $1 million from a pro-Putin Ukrainian businessman—last election cycle.\" Tweets On Twitter ![](\\" On Twitter Tuesday, May 23, 2017 2017-05-23 Read More info #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Twitter, Scott Dworkin @funder tweet, May 23, 2017 Email, Scott Dworkin, June 15, 2017 Interview, Scott Walker campaign Joe Fadness, June 16, 2017 Federal Election Commission, itemized receipts to Unintimidated PAC, June 23, 2015 Forbes, \"The Four Horsemen Of Russia\'s Economic Apocalypse,\" Jan. 21, 2015 Daily Mail, \"Oxford, Putin and a row over oligarch\'s £75million donation: University accused of \'selling its prestige\' to Russian President\'s associates,\" Nov. 3, 2015 New Yorker, \"The Billionaire\'s Playlist,\" Jan. 20, 2014 Daily Mail, \"PM\'s war on oligarchs who cosied up to Cameron: Theresa May vows to ban those with links to Vladimir Putin from Tory fundraising events,\" Jan. 1, 2017 Financial Times, \"Putin boosted by defiant tone at top and among people,\" March 21, 2014 The Guardian, \"Tate Modern names extension after billionaire Len Blavatnik,\" May 4, 2017 The Telegraph, \"The billionaires, supermarket moguls and tycoons financing your favourite Hollywood movies,\" Dec. 21, 2016 Email, Steven Lee Myers, June 18, 2017 Email, Karen Dawisha, June 18, 2017 Email, Anne Garrels, June 17, 2017 Email, Center for Responsive Politics staff member Alex Baumgart, June 16, 2017 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Tom Kertscher slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 19, 2023 in an Instagram post: A wind turbine must “spin continually for over four years just to replace the energy it took to manufacture it.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 28, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on July 15, 2023 in un video en TikTok: \"Biden elimina ‘tráfico sexual de menores’ como una de las prioridades del Departamento de Justicia de su gobierno”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • July 25, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 17, 2023 in an Instagram post: \"Florida to ban mRNA vaccines as credible evidence of biological weapons.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 18, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a Facebook post: Video suggests Canada wildfires were deliberately set to advance “smart cities” push. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 30, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a video: Women vaccinated against COVID-19 face \"unknown side effects that could perpetually go down through the lineage\" to their children. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 29, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: As of Aug. 25, \"Luis Rubiales has resigned as the president of the Spanish Football Federation.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 29, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 24, 2023 in an Instagram post: The World Health Organization said there is \"a possible causal relationship\" between COVID-19 vaccines and multiple sclerosis. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 28, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 9, 2023 in a Facebook post: Video shows military planes over Nashville \"dispersing materials into the atmosphere\" for geoengineering. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 23, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 20, 2023 in a Facebook post: “Official statement — Putin assassinated in the Kremlin!” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Tom Kertscher • August 22, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 8, 2023 in a Facebook post: \"The federal government has just declared a major food shortage emergency\" in six states. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 16, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Steve Kirsch stated on August 8, 2023 in a blog post: COVID-19 vaccines have killed 676,000 Americans. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Tom Kertscher • August 14, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 6, 2023 in a viral image: California passed a law “reducing penalties for oral, anal sex with willing children.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 9, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on June 22, 2023 in a post: A new law allows people to permanently erase unpaid debt older than two years from their credit records. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 1, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 28, 2023 in a video: “Skin cancer is a relatively new phenomenon in the last 60 years or so.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 1, 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Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 17, 2023 in an Instagram post: \"Florida to ban mRNA vaccines as credible evidence of biological weapons.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 18, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a Facebook post: Video suggests Canada wildfires were deliberately set to advance “smart cities” push. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 30, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a video: Women vaccinated against COVID-19 face \"unknown side effects that could perpetually go down through the lineage\" to their children. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 29, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: As of Aug. 25, \"Luis Rubiales has resigned as the president of the Spanish Football Federation.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 29, 2023 ### Are tweets right that a \'pro-Putin Ukrainian\' gave Scott Walker $1 million? * ![](\\" ![](\\" Robert Cowles stated on July 12, 2024 in Radio address: “The most recent State Budget increased funding for the Department of Tourism by 98 percent.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By D.L. 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Docs Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took 1 million from a proPutin Ukrainian businessmanlast election cycle