Feb 18, 2022, 03:34pm
As world leaders race to stave off a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine that could lead to Europe's biggest armed conflict since World War II, Americans' attention was largely turned elsewhere over the past week, with stories about pets and the Super Bowl halftime show topping any articles.
A group of civilians, including a veterinary medicine student, are participating in a military reserve program. Sean Gallup poses for a picture.
All of the top 10 posts on Facebook over the past week were about different topics, and none of them linked to a story about Ukraine, according to data compiled by social media tracking firm NewsWhip.
Not a single link to a story about Ukraine appeared in the top 100 link posts.
Though the most shared news on Facebook doesn't match the top stories at media outlets every week, news generating an overwhelming amount of coverage, like Ukraine has, is almost always represented in some way among the most popular link posts.
The top link post over the past week, from musician Kid Rock, did mention Ukraine in passing but only as part of the right-wing rocker's jab at President Joe Biden and gas prices.
A post linking to a list of tour dates has attracted 180,000 interactions.
It beat out local news stories about a former airman turning 100 and firefighters saving a dog trapped in a 15-foot hole.
Three right-wing figures typically dominate posting the most popular links on Facebook: commentator Ben Shapiro, radio host Dan Bongino and pastor Franklin Graham. The only post that cracked the top 10 this week was published by Shapiro, which shared news about Alec Baldwin facing a wrongful death lawsuit for killing a cinematographer on a movie set. Baldwin said the shooting was accidental.
The Russians have put infrastructure in place near the Ukrainian border to support a full-scale ground invasion, according to American officials. Russian President Putin claimed this week that he was pulling back troops. US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that officials believe Russia has stationed 150,000 troops around the Ukrainian border. The U.S. Secretary of State believes that Russia is planning a false flag attack to justify an invasion.
There has been increased violence in eastern Ukraine over the past few days. The leader of the region has called for a mass exodus of residents.
Thanks in part to Ben Shapiro (Forbes) for the Jussie Smollett news.
The family of Alec Baldwin's victim was sued for wrongful death.
There are fears of a false flag attack in Separatist East Ukraine.
There is a possibility of a Russian invasion with the U.S.
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