Category Syria

A 2017 video of Russian fighter jets escorting President Putin during his visit to Syria is being falsely shared as visuals from his recent visit to India

Claim: The viral video shows Indian Air Force fighter jets escorting Russian President Vladimir Putin's aircraft as he enters Indian airspace during his recent visit to India.

Fact: The video is from December 2017 and shows Russian Su-30 fighter jets escorting President Putin's aircraft during his visit to the Khmeimim Air Base in Syria. Hence, the claim is FALSE.

Read MoreA 2017 video of Russian fighter jets escorting President Putin during his visit to Syria is being falsely shared as visuals from his recent visit to India

Old Video Of Fighter Jets Escorting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Aircraft Going Viral Linking To His India Visit.

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The viral video doesn't show IAF jets escorting Russian President Vladimir Putin's aircraft through the Indian skies. The video is old. It shows the Russian fighter jets escorting President Putin's plane during his visit to Syria in December 2017.

Read MoreOld Video Of Fighter Jets Escorting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Aircraft Going Viral Linking To His India Visit.

2017 Video From Syria Shared As IAF Jets Escorting Putin As He Entered India

A video showing fighter jets covering the presidential aircraft of Russian President Vladimir Putin is being shared online with a false claim that it shows Indian Air Force (IAF) jets escorting him in Indian airspace during his recent visit.

BOOM found that the video is from 2017 when Putin visited Syria accompanied by fighter jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Read More2017 Video From Syria Shared As IAF Jets Escorting Putin As He Entered India

Fact Check: Putin’s visit to India – IAF escorts Russian President’s aircraft before landing? Here are the facts

Claim: The video shows IAF fighter jets escorting Russian President Putin's aircraft as it enters Indian airspace.

Fact: The claim is false. The video shows Putin's unannounced visit to Syria, where Russian Su-35 jets escorted his aircraft in 2017.

Read MoreFact Check: Putin’s visit to India – IAF escorts Russian President’s aircraft before landing? Here are the facts

No evidence Ukraine sold US weapons to Mexican cartels, militant groups

In conclusion, there is no credible evidence that American weapons sent to Ukraine are ending up in Mexico, Syria, Gaza or any location outside of Ukraine, and claims otherwise may be attributed to Russian disinformation campaigns. The United States and Ukrainian governments have attempted strict oversight of their weapons - to mixed results - but any arms trafficking happening in Ukraine appears, as of this writing, to be contained to isolated incidents by criminals.

Read MoreNo evidence Ukraine sold US weapons to Mexican cartels, militant groups

DISINFO: Crocus attacks could be conducted by both ISIS and Ukraine, both under US control

There is no evidence backing the baseless allegation that the Islamic State is a an American, Israeli or a Western creation. In fact, the US and Western countries have been leading the global coalition to defeat it. However, through this false claim, this disinformation message aims to discredit US support to Ukrainian resistance, including financial and weapons supplies, against Russia's aggression.

Read MoreDISINFO: Crocus attacks could be conducted by both ISIS and Ukraine, both under US control

Is Ukraine really developing a dirty bomb? Be careful of Russian claims

Ukraine is apparently in the process of developing a so-called dirty bomb - a bomb containing radioactive elements - or, at least, that's the narrative that Moscow has been peddling since October 23, 2022. The Russian Ministry of Defence posted these claims to Telegram and Twitter, along with illustrated documents meant to support these claims. But the images published in these documents are old and some of them were even taken in Russia.

Read MoreIs Ukraine really developing a dirty bomb? Be careful of Russian claims

Video shows bombing in Syria in 2021, not Russian suicide bomber opposed to military call-up

After Moscow announced in September 2022 that it would call up some 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine, a video was viewed tens of thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows a suicide bombing in Russia that targeted a recruitment officer. The claim, however, is false. While there were protests against the "partial" mobilisation in Russia, this video has circulated since at least 2021 in reports about a bombing in Syria.

Read MoreVideo shows bombing in Syria in 2021, not Russian suicide bomber opposed to military call-up