FALSE: Photo of a powerful explosion in Moscow on April 28, 2022

FALSE: Photo of a powerful explosion in Moscow on April 28, 2022

10 May 2022
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Verification within Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program  

Since April 28, 2022, a photo has been spread in the network, which allegedly depicts a powerful explosion in Moscow. There is a following caption: “it came to Moscow tonight”. However, in reality the photo depicts an explosion of a gas pipeline in Moscow in 2009.

Screenshot of the post 

Google reverse image search showed that the photo depicted the explosion of a gas pipeline in the Novo-Peredelkino district of Moscow, which happened at night of May 10, 2009.

We also decided to find a photo through Yandex Images, the Russian portal, which is blocked in Ukraine. Search results show similar results.

Pay attention! The text of the news is written in a combination of Cyrillic and Latin (compare: Latin “u” is used instead of Cyrillic “и” in the words “потужнuй” (powerful) and “вuбух” (explosion) in the text of the news. Also, the number zero is used instead of the letter “o” in a word “М0скві” (Moscow). The text itself is emotional. Such signs indicate that you are facing either a fake or a clickbait.

In addition, the posts are provided with a link to the telegram channel, where the video from the accident scene was allegedly published. However, the link does not lead to a specific post, but to a closed telegram channel. You must wait for confirmation from the administrator to receive the access to the channel. Such news with impressive photos or headlines is spread to increase the number of subscribers in the telegram channel by deceit. 

7 cars flamed out because of a fire at 9 Kustanaiskaya Street in Moscow on April 28, 2022. Explosions were heard during the fire. However, photos illustrating this news in fake posts were taken in 2009.

Earlier, other photos of alleged explosions in Moscow in 2022 were spread in network, but a reverse image search showed that these photos were published in 2013.

Attention

The authors do not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have no relevant affiliations