Category Media taken out of context

Old photo shared in posts claiming ‘Russian flag was raised in Kharkiv’

As Russia pressed on with its invasion of Ukraine, a photo of a Russian flag being raised at a building in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, circulated in social media posts that claimed it had "fallen". However, the photo was shared in a misleading context; the original photo -- taken by Reuters news agency -- is from a pro-Russian protest in 2014. As of March 2, 2022, fighting was ongoing in Kharkiv after heavy shelling.

March 4, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Old footage of Ukrainian soldiers recirculates after Russian invasion in 2022

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a video of men in military uniform embracing women was viewed more than 350,000 times in social media posts that claimed it showed Ukrainians saying goodbye to loved ones before going off to fight. In fact, the footage was taken from a documentary about the 2014 conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

March 4, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

The 2012 photo shows a Palestinian girl confronting an Israeli soldier, unrelated to Ukraine conflict

Three photos have been shared thousands of times on Facebook in Tanzania and Kenya alongside a claim that they show a young Ukrainian girl confronting a Russian soldier. But this is false: the images are screenshots from a YouTube video of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi challenging an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank in 2012.

March 4, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Israel Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Two old photos show Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, not Russia attacking Ukraine

Two images of huge explosions among residential buildings have been shared hundreds of times on social media alongside a claim that they show Russia's attack on Ukraine. But the claim is false: the photos show Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in 2018 and 2021.

March 4, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Israel Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Old image shows Ukrainians praying to mark 2014 separatist attacks, unrelated to current conflict

Facebook posts are circulating in Africa claiming to feature an image of Ukrainians kneeling and praying in the snow days before Russian troops invaded their country on February 24, 2022. In reality, the picture dates back to 2019 and shows residents of Kharkiv who had been praying every day in the city square since March 2014 when Russian separatists attacked Ukraine.

March 4, 2022
2014 Maidan revolution Context Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

This video shows an explosion in China in 2015, not Ukraine in 2022

As Russian troops invaded Ukraine, a video was viewed hundreds of thousands of times in social media posts that claimed it showed a huge explosion at a power plant in the separatist Luhansk region. While there have been reports of a fire at a power plant in the region, the video has been shared in a false context. It actually shows a deadly blast that ripped through the Chinese port city of Tianjin in 2015.

March 4, 2022
China Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

This video shows a Libyan military jet shot down by rebels in 2011

A video of a plane engulfed in flames and falling from the sky has been viewed more than 1.5 million times in social media posts that claim it shows a Russian fighter jet shot down by Ukrainian forces in February 2022. In reality, the video predates the Russian invasion of Ukraine and shows a Libyan jet targeted by rebels in 2011.

March 3, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Old video game footage falsely shared as ‘combat in Ukraine after Russian invasion’

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times across social media platforms alongside a claim it shows missiles over Ukraine after Russian forces invaded on February 24. But the video has been shared in a false context: it shows digitally animated footage from the video game War Thunder that circulated online months before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

March 3, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Video footage from 2014 misleadingly cast as Russian invasion

Footage of armored vehicles set alight by Molotov cocktails on a Ukrainian street is being presented on social media as local resistance against Russia's ongoing invasion. This is false; the recording is from Ukraine, but it was shot in 2014 in Kyiv during the country's popular protest movement, when demonstrators torched the army's vehicles.

Misleading post claims Syria footage shows Ukraine conflict

A Facebook post claims a video shows fighting in Ukraine. This is misleading; most of the footage was shot in Syria and released by Kurdish forces, while part of the clip is taken from CNN coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

March 2, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Russia Syria Ukraine