This Image Does Not Show the Russian Moskva Sinking in the Black Sea
The Claim
The image depicts the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, recently sinking in the Black Sea after it caught fire.
News posted on
Emerging story
Social media accounts and news websites have shared an image of a ship on fire and sinking, claiming that it shows the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Moskva sinking after it caught fire.
A verified Twitter account posted the image on April 14, 2022, with a caption reading: “NEWS: Ukraine says they hit a Russian missile cruiser ‘Moskva’ in the Black Sea near Odesa. It was severely damaged.”
Description: Many news websites have attached the image to their articles.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s Analysis:
Mibsar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The image is not recent and has nothing to do with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Old 2021 Image Falsely Shared in Relation to the Ongoing Russian-Ukrainian Conflict
Going through comments on one of the Twitter accounts that shared the image, some users noticed that it is old, especially since the picture is a low-quality image. Using Google Image Reverse Search, our team found that Reuters uploaded the same photograph in June 2021, as it shows smoke rising from Iran Navy’s largest ship in Jask port in the Gulf, Iran.
Description: The image dates back to June 2021.
Iran’s Largest Navy Ship Sinking in the Gulf of Oman
Other news outlets have posted the image earlier in 2021 as the Kharg, an Iranian navy ship, sank in Gulf after it caught fire. According to a BBC report, “firefighters had fought the blaze for more than 20 hours to save the vessel before it went down.” Reports noted that the crew was evacuated and no casualties were reported, and no one had been harmed.
Moskva, Symbol of the Russian Military Power, Sinks
On April 14, 2022, Russia claimed that its lead warship in the Black Sea sank after an explosion. According to news reports, The Moskva, described as the symbol of Russian military power “leading its naval assault on Ukraine,” sank after it caught fire because the warship’s ammunition exploded as the Moskva was towed to port in stormy weather. Meanwhile, Kyiv claimed its missiles hit the warship. Washington also said they believe it was hit by Ukrainian missiles.
