2014 Image Shared as Recent Russian Troops Hoisting Flag on a Ukrainian Building
The Claim
Image depicting Russian troops hoisting the Russian flag on an administrative building in Ukraine.
News posted on
Emerging story
Social media users, particularly those on Twitter, are circulating an image of a Russian flag being hoisted onto a building. The accompanying claim is that these are Russian troops hoisting their flag on a public building in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be false. The circulating image was discovered to have been uploaded since 2014 using reverse image search, as shown below.
Further investigation revealed that the image was found on a Russian website on March 2, 2014, with the title "Pro-Russian activists plant the Russian flag over the entrance to the Kharkiv regional council," a screenshot of which is shown below, alongside the circulating image.
Despite the fact that the top half of the image has been cut off, it is the same image with the same details as seen above. During the same time period in March 2014, many credible sources, including Reuters and the BBC, reported on pro-Russian demonstrations in Russia, including Kharkiv, where they attempted to enter an administrative building.
The claim comes as Russia invades Ukraine, despite strong diplomatic efforts to avoid a conflict. According to the findings, the Misbar team confirms that the claim is false. The image is from 2014, depicting pro-Russian activists rather than Russian troops hoisting the Russian flag in a Ukrainian building.
