Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Social media platforms continue to be rife with visuals showing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Putin’s ‘special military operation’ in the neighbouring country completes one month. In this context, a video claiming to show the Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence building that “instantly razed to the ground”, is being widely shared by several social media users. Newschecker has found the video to be old and unrelated to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the one minute-long video multi-story building can be seen collapsing to the ground while thick smoke is seen rising from the site. A man, seemingly a photographer, can be seen recording the whole incident.
Several Facebook users shared the video with the claim to show that the Russian “missile accurately blasted the ground floor and caused the building to collapse, and finally shot the middle.”
The video is doing the rounds on Twitter as well.
The video has found its way to YouTube as well.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the world to stand with his country as the Russian invasion of Ukraine stretched on for a month today. “Make yourself visible and heard,” he said in English. “Say that people matter, freedom matters. Peace matters. Ukraine matters,” Zelensky added. The Ukrainian President also appealed to the Russians “to leave Russia so as not to give your tax money to the war.” Thousands of Russians have fled their country since the outbreak of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fearing an intensifying crackdown on dissent.
Over the past one month, Newschecker debunked a spate of misinformation stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. You can read our fact checks here, here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
Newschecker conducted Google reverse image search by using keyframes of the viral video claiming to show Russian missile attack on Ukrainian Ministry of Defence building and found a YouTube video uploaded on a channel called Times of Kashmir TOK, on May 15, 2021, with the title ‘This is the moment the 14-storey al-Shorouq tower, housing media offices in Gaza City.’
We spotted several keyframes of the viral clip in the video which carried a watermark of ‘Al Jazeera.’ Taking a clue, we looked up keywords, ‘this is the moment the 14-storey al-Shorouq tower, housing media offices in Gaza City Al Jazeera’ on YouTube and found that the video was uploaded on the official channel of Al Jazeera English with the caption ‘Israel destroys third Gaza tower.’
The same video was uploaded on the official Twitter account of Al Jazeera English on May 13, 2021 with the caption, “This is the moment the 14-storey al-Shorouq tower, housing media offices in Gaza City, was completely destroyed by multiple Israeli air raids on Wednesday.”
We compared the image of al-Shorouq tower with the building in the viral video and found them to be the same.
We further looked up keywords ‘14-storey al-Shorouq tower attacked in Gaza Hit’ on YouTube and found that the viral video was uploaded on the official channel of VOA news on May 14, 2021 with the caption ‘Israeli Airstrike Hits Tower in Gaza City.’
The video, showing the attack on al-Shorouq tower in Gaza, was uploaded on multiple YouTube channels in May, 2021
According to a report by CNN, dated May 12, titled ‘14-story building in Gaza collapses after Israeli airstrike,’ “An Israeli airstrike destroyed Al-Shorouk Tower in Gaza, according to CNN photojournalist Ibrahim Dahman who witnessed the event. This is the third high-rise building to be destroyed by the IDF since the escalation of violence began on May 10, 2021.”
A report by Al Jazeera, dated May 13, 2021 said “Israeli fighter jets have targeted several landmark buildings in the heart of Gaza City, completely flattening at least two high-rise blocks.”
“Israeli warplanes have targeted several buildings in the heart of Gaza city, including the al-Johara building and 14-storey Shorouq tower which both house media offices, and the 13-storey residential Handadi tower,” a graphic in the report added.
Several news houses had reported the incident of Israel’s airstrikes over media houses in Gaza. You can read it here, here and here.
Conclusion
The viral video claiming to show Russian missile attack on the building of Ukrainian Defence Ministry actually shows Israeli attack on al-Shorouq tower in Gaza in May 2021. The video is around an year old and unrelated to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Result: False Context/False
Sources
YouTube Channels Of Times of Kashmir TOK, Al Jazeera, VOA News
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
