WATCH: Kyiv’s Explosion Video Going Viral On Internet- Reported FAKE
4 min readRussian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a military intervention in Ukraine to defend rebels in the country’s east. In a broadcast statement, he remarked, “I have made the decision of a military operation to protect the people of the Donbas separatist region”. The President asked Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their weapons and return home.
On Thursday, February 24, Putin declared the military campaign in Ukraine, and soon after, explosions were heard around the country. Ukraine’s UN envoy has informed the Security Council that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “declared war on Ukraine.”
Explosions were reported shortly after the announcement in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as well as other locations. According to reports, air raid sirens may be heard in the middle of Kyiv. Although the extent of Thursday’s strikes was not immediately evident. Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that the worst-case scenario has played out.
We are very concerned for Ukraine.
— प्रिन्स कुमार ओझा 🇮🇳 (@_princeojha) February 24, 2022
The sad thing is that whenever innocent people of a peaceful country are killed in war what is their fault, then it seems that human life has no value#worldwar3#RussiaUkraineConflict pic.twitter.com/rj80K5q29y
Video Of Explosion Going Viral
In the midst of an already difficult situation, a video of an explosion with a fake claim is extensively swirling on social media, generating an alarm. The video depicts a tremendous explosion, and people are distributing it, saying that it occurred in Ukraine.
A user shared the video and wrote, “#Ukraine explosion fires started by Russian airstrike set off chain reaction at Luhansk power plant Ukrainian.”
#Ukraine explosion
— چوہان (@thenittu) February 24, 2022
fires started by Russian airstrike set off chain reaction at Luhansk power plant Ukrainian#RussiaUkraineConflict Ukraine #Russian Mariupol #Mariupol #UkraineRussiaConflict Kharkiv Kyiv Odessa #Kharkiv pic.twitter.com/sO8DSfo62T
“NEW FOOTAGE FROM KYIV OF RUSSIA MASSIVE BOMBING UKRAINE,” another user mentioned, posting the same clip.
One social media user said, “We are very concerned for Ukraine. The sad thing is that whenever innocent people of a peaceful country are killed in war what is their fault? Then it seems that human life has no value.”
- Related: World war 3 Trending on Twitter after Vladimir Putin declared military operation in Ukraine
Is It The Real Footage Of Ukraine?
The fact is that the footage going viral on the internet is of an old explosion in Tianjin, China. The video was uploaded on YouTube by BBC News in August 2015, with the caption, “Footage of two massive explosions in the Chinese city of Tianjin, taken by a stunned eyewitness, captured the fear and terror of those who saw what happened. Dozens of people died and hundreds were injured when a warehouse owned by a company specializing in handling hazardous goods caught fire and exploded. City officials say they still did not know what materials were at the warehouse at the time of the fire, or what caused the blasts. Eyewitness Dan van Duren filmed the moment of the explosions before he and others fled to avoid the danger.”
The event was also covered by The Guardian in August 2015.
NEW FOOTAGE FROM KYIV OF RUSSIA MASSIVE BOMBING UKRAINE #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/QaNZwCjWpV #Ukraine
— 🅰️🅱️ (@RajputZaDa7) February 24, 2022
“Putin’s Decision Comes…”
Putin’s decision comes after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russians not to support a “big conflict in Europe”. He also said that Russians were being misled on Ukraine. When he attempted to contact Putin, he received “no answer, only quiet”. On Wednesday, February 23, he acknowledged that Moscow had roughly 200,000 soldiers near Ukrainian borders.
According to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the US, a Russian invasion has the potential to displace up to five million people, perhaps resulting in a new European refugee crisis. Ukraine encouraged all of its nationals in Russia to leave before Putin made his declaration.
President Zelensky made the remarks during a joint press conference with the visiting presidents of Poland and Lithuania. He said, “We are united in believing that the future of European security is being decided right now, here in our home, in Ukraine,”
While Ukraine has around 200,000 military men, Moscow’s overall forces are far greater.