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| - CLAIM: Devastating blow by the Russian Air Force on Ukraine: Kinzhal missiles destroyed at least six Ukrainian F-16s!
CONCLUSION: The claim is being propagated by pro-Russian media, websites, and social media posts. So far, no evidence has been provided to support the claim. The photo showing a destroyed “Ukrainian” F-16 is a product of digital manipulation.
In recent hours, the following claim has appeared:
A devastating blow was dealt to the Ukrainian Air Force by the Russians, who allegedly destroyed at least six F-16 fighter jets at the Starokostyantyniv airbase using Kinzhal hypersonic missiles! According to reports, there were multiple strikes, and the missiles were launched from Russian MiG-31 fighters.
Analysis
On Sept. 26, 2024, there were reports about strikes against the Starokostiantyniv airbase. According to Ukrainian Air Force “Information about hits or damage is not public”.
The claim about the destruction of Ukrainian F-16s by Russian Kinzhal missiles began spreading in the early hour if Sept. 26. It is being promoted by pro-Russian websites and social media accounts, without any accompanying evidence. Only a few low-quality photos, allegedly taken at the specific airbase, have been circulated, but they do not show any destroyed aircraft. Among the websites pushing this claim is the Russian disinformation network “Pravda.”
On some accounts, a photo appeared showing a supposed post by an American woman claiming her husband was killed in Starokostyantyniv, where he was an instructor for Ukrainian pilots. She also mentioned the destruction of 5 Ukrainian F-16s. Furthermore, we have been unable to find the photo of the man shown in the post.
According to the same post, the “wife” made the post from Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, USA, suggesting that her husband worked there. Altus Air Force Base primarily trains personnel on heavy aircraft such as the C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker, and KC-46 Pegasus. No F-16 training takes place at this base.
The post supposedly comes from Facebook, but it was impossible to find anyone named Melanie Malwin-Parker or the things she allegedly wrote. It was also impossible to locate the photo of the man shown. Notably, the photo of the man shows signs of being created using artificial intelligence software.
In the same profile, there are additional photos on the left side of the image. However, these are archival photos of the U.S. Armed Forces (see here and here), not original ones.
Other known propaganda accounts presented a photo of a destroyed F-16 with a Ukrainian insignia on its tail. In reality, this is a U.S. National Guard aircraft that crashed in California in 2019. The Ukrainian insignia has been digitally added.
After further research in Russian media, such as Ria Novosti, we found that the news is attributed to Ukrainian blogger Anatoly Shariy. Indeed, Anatoly Shariy made a related post on Telegram, which is quite brief, saying there are reports of the destruction of four Ukrainian F-16s in a surprise attack. Shariy has been accused of spreading Russian propaganda.
The claim was refuted by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, a working body of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Conclusion
The claim is being promoted by pro-Russian media, websites, and social media posts. So far, no evidence has been provided to support the claim. The photo showing a destroyed “Ukrainian” F-16 is a product of digital manipulation.
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