Outdated Photos From Siberia Shared as Recent Russian Forest Fires
The Claim
Photo shows the recent Russian wildfires.
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Emerging story
Social media users across the MENA region have begun circulating an image of wildfires. They claim that the image depicts the forest wildfires that recently broke out in Russia.
Photo Description: A screenshot of the circulating claim.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar examined the claim and found it to be misleading, as the photo is not from the recent Russian wildfires. It is old and has been published on July 17, 2020, as a fire that broke out in the forests of the Taiga region in Russian Siberia, as shown in the image below.
Photo Description: A screenshot of the image from 2020.
2020 Siberia Fires
In July 2020, fires broke out in the Siberian and Boreal forests that cover northern Russia, due to the intense heat and dry weather. According to satellite monitoring data from GreenPeace, 19 million hectares of wildland was burned in Russia, with nearly 10 million hectares of these territories suffering forest fires. GreenPeace called Siberia a “climate hotspot” as seen in the screenshot below.
Photo Description: Screenshot of the article from GreenPeace.
Moreover, Siberia was subjected to a series of fires in previous years. For example in August 2019, former U.S. President Donald Trump offered to help Russian President Vladimir Putin put out the fires that broke out at the time.
Photo Description: Screenshot of an article covering the 2019 wildfires.
Recent Fires in Siberia
Recently, fires erupted in Siberia and the Ural Mountains on Saturday, May 7, 2022. The fires were most likely caused by an electrical short. The TASS news agency quoted the local Health Ministry saying that 17 people were injured, 11 of whom were taken to the hospital.
Therefore, Misbar’s team confirms that the circulating image is outdated and unrelated to the recent fire in Siberia.
Translated by Dina Faisal
