Russian President Vladimir Putin's military operation on Ukraine was launched on Thursday, Feb. 24. Putin justified this as a way to protect the sovereignty of Donetsk and Luhansk after proclaiming that the two territories are independent republics.

President Putin was met with wide global condemnation and vows of “massive” sanctions as stated by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a televised address on Thursday.

The conflict has become fertile soil for online misinformation and disinformation as dozens of videos are being circulated on social media platforms, as news agencies and journalists are trying to rebuke the fake news and point out falsehoods.

Many social media users from around the world are spreading misleading information by uploading videos, some of which are from video games, and use them to push their narratives.

Here are some examples of fake news being spread online regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war:

1- Video game footage circulated online, thought to be the moment the military operation started.

Social media users shared an unreal video online that supposedly shows the moment Russia’s military operation on Ukraine started, according to the Russian news agency, Sputnik.

The video is believed to be from the video game “War Thunder” and it displays scenes of what appeared to be air defenses flashes erupting in the sky of a city at night and sirens sounds.

2- Drone footage of alleged Ukrainian airstrike on Russian military members and equipment.

The video was posted on Facebook and Twitter from an unofficial pro-Ukraine account, claiming that a Ukrainian warplane struck a Russian target.

However, fact-checkers from the BBC examined the video and concluded that it was shot in Syria in 2020.

The image of the clip has been flipped which is believed to be an attempt to avoid being investigated using reverse-image search tools.

The post has been later removed by the user.

3- Video claimed Russian bombing of Luhansk power plant.

Another video shows a massive explosion and was attributed to a Russian airstrike on a power plant in Luhansk which triggered a chain reaction of explosions.

The video was deemed to be fake news and in reality, the video shows the devastating explosions in Tianjin China on August 12, 2015. The blast occurred in a warehouse containing chemicals in a port, and up to 173 people were killed due to the explosion.

4- Viral video of father’s last goodbyes to his daughter to fight off the Russian military.

The widely-shared emotional video depicted a tearful father saying his last goodbyes to his daughter before joining the fight against Russian troops.

Later on, it was discovered that the video was filmed during evacuations in Donbass, and the girl was sent to Russia to take refuge.

 

 

 

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5- Russian warplanes rehearsal, thought to be footage of aerial military operation on Ukraine.

A video of warplanes flying in the sky was also spread on social media, and the accompanying comment read, "Horrific scenes of Russian warplanes entering Ukrainian airspace."

But the video originally depicted a rehearsal for a Russian military parade that took place on May 4, 2020, in preparation for the celebration of Victory Day over Nazism in World War II, which is celebrated on May 9 every year.