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Russian Military Operation
🧵The Russian military operation in Ukraine has led to many false or misleading videos, photos and claims being spread on social media.
This continuous thread will be dedicated to documenting what has already been exposed/debunked by independent analysts and journalists.
This continuous thread will be dedicated to documenting what has already been exposed/debunked by independent analysts and journalists.
1/ A video claiming to show a Russian tank in Kyiv running over a civilian vehicle turned out to be a Ukrainian Strela-10 air defense system.
Rob Lee:
Rob Lee:
2/ A video claiming to show a missile being fired toward a residential area in Kyiv by a Russian low-flying jet is likely a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter.
Rob Lee 1:
Rob Lee 2:
Michael Kofman:
Rob Lee 1:
Rob Lee 2:
Michael Kofman:
3/ Video of a rocket barrage, implying it is part of the Ukraine war. In fact it's from 2018 military drills.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
4/ One TikTok video shows men in military fatigues shouting and laughing in Russian as they parachute over farmland. Users assumed it was of Russian troops taking part in the invasion. In reality, it's from 2015.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
5/ Another incorrectly labelled clip on Twitter claims to be of a Russian airstrike on Ukraine "that caused a chain reaction at the Luhansk power plant." The video actually shows footage of 2015 Tianjin blasts in China.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
6/ One video claims to show the destruction of Russian personnel and equipment in Ukraine, as seen through a drone aircraft's gunsight. However, it's footage from Syria shot in 2020.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
7/ Video of Ukrainian troops "facing off" with Russian soldiers at an airbase. While it does show a confrontation between Ukrainian and Russian forces, the footage is from 2014.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
8/ Footage of an aerial dogfight is accompanied by the caption "MiG-29 of the Air Force of the Armed Forces destroys the 'unparalleled' Su-35 of the Russian occupiers". It's video game footage from the game Digital Combat Simulator World.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
9/ A photo of Russian troops hoisting a flag on a public building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. While the caption is correct - the event took place in 2014, during an earlier period of unrest.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
10/ Footage of an explosion behind some apartment blocks claims to be from the city of Mariupol in south-eastern Ukraine. However, a version of this video was uploaded to TikTok in January and shows a lightning strike.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
11/ A video claiming to show Russian paratroopers landing near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. It's been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, but first appeared on Russian-language internet in 2016.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
12/ A clip showing formations of fighters and bombers flying over an urban area to the sound of air raid sirens. It's actually a military parade flypast from 2020. The sound of an air raid siren had been dubbed over the original audio.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
13/ A clip showing a fighter jet flying over an urban area. It is accompanied by a caption which implies it was filmed in the current Ukraine conflict. It wasn't, and the aircraft is an American-built F-16 Fighting Falcon.
BBC: bbc.com
BBC: bbc.com
14/ A video of a rocket strike on an apartment building in Kiev. Many non-experts are jumping to blame Russia. But "it doesn't look like a ballistic or cruise missile," and "could be a [Ukrainian] air defense missile," says military analyst Rob Lee.
15/ The heroic tale of Ukrainian guards on Snake Island was viewed by millions. But a Russian MoD statement and video of the entire Snake Island garrison (83 men) surrendering to Russian forces cast doubt on Kiev's narrative. Link to video:
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