Fact Check: 2020 video passed off as Russian aircraft flying over Ukrainian city
Amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, a video of fighter planes flying over a city is being shared by media outlets.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 26 Feb 2022 9:00 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, a video of fighter planes flying over a city is being shared by media outlets. They are claiming that it shows Russian warplanes flying over a Ukrainian city.
Times Now shared the video clip on Twitter and wrote, "Ukraine says 5 Russian planes, 1 helicopter shot down in Luhansk."
Al-Resalah Press, a Palestinian media organisation, shared the video and wrote, "Russian warplanes flying over the Ukrainian capital Kyiv."
Other media outlets like News24, and Zee News also shared the video claiming to show the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
FACT CHECK
NewsMeter found that the same video has been uploaded by several YouTube channels in May 2020. According to the video title, the clip was taken in Tushino, Moscow, during the 2020 parade rehearsal. NewsMeter compared the viral video with the YouTube videos and found that the flying formation, the tree, and the building are identical in both. This confirms that the video is old and not linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. Click here and here to see the original videos.
Russia celebrates Victory Day, a holiday to commemorate the capitulation of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, on 9 May each year. The Moscow Victory Day Parade refers to the annual military parade of the Russian Armed Forces. The 2020 parade that was originally scheduled to take place on 9 May was postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It took place in June 2020.
The Moscow Times reported the 2020 Victory Day rehearsals that took place on 4 May. Here, the identical formation of jets as seen in the viral video can be seen.
Although NewsMeter could not independently verify if the visuals are indeed of the rehearsals, it is clear that these videos have been on the Internet since 2020 and is not related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
