2021 Firefighters Image Shared as the Alleged Ukrainian Airstrike on a Russian Fuel Depot
The Claim
The image of firefighters was taken after the first Ukrainian airstrike on a fuel depot in Belgorod, Russia.
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Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The image is old and unrelated to the Ukrainian attack on a Russian fuel depot in Belgorod.
Using Google Image Reverse Search, our team found that Sputnik News Agency has uploaded the picture on Feb. 11, 2021, as firefighters were extinguishing a fire that broke in a commercial building in the city of Omsk, Russia.
Description: The image depicts firefighters extinguishing a fire that broke in a commercial building in 2021.
The image was also posted to Associated Press images from Sputnik, with a caption reading: “Firefighters extinguish fire in a commercial building, in Omsk, Russia. Alexey Malgavko.”
Description: The image is old.
The claim began to circulate after Russia has accused Ukraine of airstrikes targeting a fuel depot inside the Russian territory. According to news reports, Russia blamed Ukraine for carrying out a helicopter attack against a fuel depot in Belgorod as the first Ukrainian airstrike on Russian soil. Meanwhile, Ukraine denied responsibility for the fuel depot attack.
