Category Media taken out of context

This animation video circulated online months before Russia’s attack on Ukraine

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim it shows Russia bombing Ukraine. The video was shared shortly after Russian forces invaded the neighbouring country. But the video has been shared in a false context: it is actually an animation clip that has circulated online since at least October 2021.

Read MoreThis animation video circulated online months before Russia’s attack on Ukraine

Photo of children sending off Ukrainian troops is from 2016, not 2022

The viral image of children waving off troops dates back to 2016. It does not depict the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Our ruling
Social media posts claim that a viral image, which shows two young children holding hands and saluting troops, was captured in Ukraine in 2022. But the photo traces back to 2016.

We rate these posts False.

Read MorePhoto of children sending off Ukrainian troops is from 2016, not 2022

Photo does not show Japanese ambassador staying to fight in Ukraine

Social media posts claim a photo of a man in samurai regalia shows Japan's ambassador to Ukraine, saying he chose to stay and fight invading Russian forces. This is false; the image pictures Ukraine's ambassador to Japan, who tweeted it prior to the invasion.

Read MorePhoto does not show Japanese ambassador staying to fight in Ukraine

Video does not show ‘Russian jets over Ukraine’ — it has circulated in old posts about air show rehearsal

A video of military planes flying in formation over residential buildings has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in posts that claim it shows Russian fighter jets entering neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. The posts circulated online within hours of Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashing a full-scale ground invasion and air assault on Ukraine. The footage, however, has been shared in a false context. It has circulated since at least 2020 in social media posts about rehearsals for a Victory Day air show in Russia.

Read MoreVideo does not show ‘Russian jets over Ukraine’ — it has circulated in old posts about air show rehearsal

This video shows an explosion in Beirut in 2020, not Russian strikes on Ukraine in 2022

After Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, dramatic footage of a huge explosion was viewed tens of thousands of times in social media posts that claimed it shows buildings destroyed by Russian air strikes. In fact, the video shows a deadly blast that ripped through the Lebanese capital Beirut in August 2020.

Read MoreThis video shows an explosion in Beirut in 2020, not Russian strikes on Ukraine in 2022