On June 21, 2026, a 19-second video was posted on X by @MesutUdaySaddam. The post claimed that the video showed Russia’s recent missile attacks on Ukraine on June 21 and the resulting explosions. The video has been viewed more than 81,300 times and has received 400 likes.
The video was investigated for
authenticity because it contained elements that could suggest it was created
using artificial intelligence. It was analyzed using Grok, Google SynthID, and
HIVE Moderation tools. All three tools confirmed that the footage was real and
not AI-generated. In other words, the video shared on X was determined to
depict an actual event.
However, analyses by both Grok
and Gemini indicate that the video does not show recent Russian attacks on
Ukraine. Instead, it contains footage from an event that occurred in 2017 or
earlier.
To determine the video’s actual
time frame, it was further examined using Google’s reverse image search. This
analysis revealed that the footage is from a fire and explosion that occurred
on March
23, 2017, at a military ammunition depot in Balakliya, in Ukraine’s Kharkiv
region.
In conclusion, the video is not
AI-generated and contains real footage. However, it does not depict the Russian
missile attacks on Ukraine on June 21, 2026, as claimed. Presenting footage
from a different event in 2017 as if it were current demonstrates that the
content is misleading. This example illustrates that even authentic footage can
be used for disinformation when it is shared with incorrect information about
the date, location, or event.