On June 1, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched Operation Spider’s Web, a coordinated drone attack targeting five Russian airbases: Belaya, Dyagilevo, Ivanovo, Olenya and Ukrainka. Utilising 117 drones, the operation resulted in the destruction or damage of 41 Russian military aircraft, including strategic bombers like the Tu-95 and Tu-22M, as well as the A-50 early warning aircraft. Satellite imagery confirmed significant damage, with at least 13 aircraft destroyed. The financial impact is estimated at $7 billion.
In the above context, a video of an explosion is widely being shared on social media.
The video is shared with a caption suggesting that it is of the recent attack by Ukraine on Russia’s missile production factory.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Another blow to the Russian terror state as a missile production factory burns in the Moscow region. Slava Ukraïni. (sic)”
SouthCheck found that the claim is misleading. The viral video is from 2023 and is of a Russian naval ship attacked by Ukrainian aircraft.
On a Google reverse image search, we found the same video was shared by a YouTube channel, ABC News (Australia), on December 27, 2023. The video was shared with a caption suggesting that it shows Russia’s naval ship destroyed in a Ukrainian airstrike. The caption reads, “Ukraine says it has destroyed one of Russia’s biggest amphibious warships in a strike being viewed as a major setback for the Russian Navy. The landing ship was hit while it was in a Crimean port in a massive explosion that lit up the night sky.”
The video was also shared by Guardian News on December 27, 2023, with a caption that reads, “Ukraine’s military has said it has destroyed a Russian landing ship stationed in the Crimean port city of Feodosia, with video footage showing an extensive fire in the port area.”
The incident was also reported by Forbes on December 26, 2023. The incident also shared a screenshot of the video and suggests that on December 26, 2023, Ukrainian missiles struck the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk in Crimea’s port city of Feodosia, causing an explosion equivalent to 30 tons of TNT and resulting in significant destruction.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is misleading.
