No, This Is Not a Russian Navy Destroyer
The Claim
A photo shows a destroyer flying the Russian flag, as Russia's forces have issued a warning to NATO.
News posted on
Emerging story
A photo of a Russian-flagged destroyer has recently circulated on websites and Twitter accounts, along with the claim that Russian forces have issued a warning to NATO.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar looked into the widely circulated image and discovered it to be a fake. The original image depicted a US destroyer DDG-72, not a Russian Navy destroyer.
The American flag on the ship was replaced with the Russian flag in the original image.
The destroyer number 72 was also deleted from the fabricated image.
There have been no reports of Russian forces issuing a warning to NATO, as claimed.
The photo went viral after Russia announced the withdrawal of some of its troops from the Ukraine border area. On Wednesday, February 16, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that "he sees no signs of Russian de-escalation so far."
Translated by Wesam Abo Marq
