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| - Fact Check: Digitally made photo of fire VIRAL as Ukrainian attack on Russia
India Today found that the image doesn't show a real incident. A Ukrainian artist created it.
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India Today Fact Check
This image was created by a Ukrainian artist. It doesn’t show a real incident.
As Vladimir Putin secured his term for another six years, reportedly winning 87 per cent of the vote, a number higher than in the four previous elections he participated in, Russia's defence ministry said its forces destroyed dozens of drones in several regions across the country, including Moscow. Reportedly, these attacks happened in the Russian region of Krasnodar and the port city of Odesa.
Now, an image of a massive fire and thick smoke behind a billboard featuring Putin’s photo and Russian language text is being shared online. A Facebook user shared the photo and wrote, “More hits in Russia... including Domodedovo Airport in Moscow. the billboard says ‘stability’.”
“A genuine photo taken following a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian oil refinery. the billboard states ‘STABILITY’,” wrote an X user. Its archive can be seen here.
We found that a Ukrainian artist digitally created the image in question, who confirmed this to India Today.
OUR PROBE
A quick reverse search led us to an X post that noted that this image was created in the backdrop of the presidential election and other recent developments in Russia. It attributed the photo to Telegram user “@khersondesigner”. Its archive can be seen here.
A keyword search led us to X user @khersondesigner, who shared an extended version of the viral image on March 14. Its archive can be seen here. A comparison can be seen below.
Next, we looked for this image on the Telegram channel of “@khersondesigner”. We found it posted on January 23, alongside the Ukrainian language caption: “All posters here are HD posters”.
It was reposted on the channel on March 18 with the text, “Who would have thought that this picture would become popular all over the world? Journalists from abroad ask ‘Is this a real photo or a processed one?’ Unfortunately, the picture became popular without indicating the author’s name, and people really think that it is a photo.”
India Today reached out to “@khersondesigner”, who said that this image was created by him using multiple photo editing tools, including some AI tools. He added that he is a designer from Ukraine who hails from Kherson.
Thus, it’s clear that a digitally created image is being falsely shared as a Ukrainian attack on Russia.
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