advertisement
However, we found that the viral image was close to 20 years old and was taken at a 1993 airshow at the Royal Air Force in Fairford, United Kingdom.
Catch all the live updates on the Russia-Ukraine tensions here.
CLAIM
The caption with the viral image said, "Things are beginning to get messy. Another Russian jet fighter taken down by Ukraine. World war III is real."
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
We conducted a reverse image search on the viral image and found a flipped version of the image posted on Air Team Images‘ Aviation Image Library.
According to the image details, the photograph was taken when two MiG-29 Russian jets suffered a mid-air collision while performing loops at an air show in Fairford, United Kingdom.
“No one was killed or seriously injured in the incident. The pilot can be seen ejecting,” the caption added.
We then conducted a keyword search for the 1993 crash in the UK and found reports about the same published in local news publications and aviation blogs. We also found a video of the incident published on Discovery's YouTube channel, in their series called "Destroyed in Seconds".
Evidently, an old photograph of a mid-air collision during an airshow has been shared with a false claim that it shows Ukraine shooting down a Russian jet.
However, it is important to note that the Ukrainian military have claimed to shoot down at least six Russian planes, according to a report by CNN but the Russian officials have denied the claim.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)