Verification within Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program
The information, that a missile strike has allegedly been launched on the Crimean bridge, is being spread in the network. The posts have appeared in the evening on April 19.
Screenshots of posts
We’ll explain, what is wrong.
Pay attention! The news is written in a combination of Cyrillic and Latin (compare: Latin “k” is used instead of Cyrillic “к” in the word “раkетнuй” (rocket) and Latin “u” is used instead of Cyrillic “и” in the words ” Крuмському” (Crimean) and “раkетнuй” (rocket). The text itself is emotional. Such signs indicate that you are reading either a fake or a clickbait.
In addition, the posts provide a link to a telegram channel, where the details have been allegedly published. However, the link leads not to a specific post, but to a closed telegram channel with news. You must wait for confirmation from the administrator to access the channel. Such news with impressive photos or headlines is being spread to increase the number of subscribers in a deceptive way.
Information about a possible missile strike was first published in Obozrevatel. Ihor Romanenko, an ex-deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a retired lieutenant general, told in interview for the newspaper that Ukraine could launch a missile strike on the bridge when troops go there. It should be noted that his statement cannot be regarded as the official position of the state. Igor Romanenko is no longer a representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was exactly after that interview, that publications about the alleged rocket strike began to appear.
On April 20, Oleksiy Danilov, the head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, told in interview for NV Radio in response to a question about whether Ukraine could strike the Crimean bridge: “If we had the ability to do that, we would had already done that. If there is an opportunity to do it, we will definitely do it”.
However, on April 23, Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the head of the President’s Office, said: “Unfortunately, nothing threatens the Crimean bridge in the near future. Ukraine does not have any arsenal to reach the Crimean bridge, and russia is guarding it with anti-aircraft missile systems, ships and air forces.
Posts about the alleged rocket strike are being illustrated by several versions of the photo. A Bing reverse image search shows that the footage with the fire was taken in Azerbaijan in 2021. It was an explosion in the Caspian Sea. The footage with the missiles launch, which is also used in the posts, is a test of the Neptune rocket in 2019.
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