Watch the video: The photo is supposed to show a mass grave full of Ukrainian soldiers – that’s behind the picture.
This image of a mass grave is being circulated on social media in connection with the Ukraine war.
The recording is said to show fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
But the photo is a fake – what is it about?
The picture, which allegedly shows dead Ukrainian soldiers, was taken years before the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
A reverse search results in a different version of the recording.
The picture is the work of Georgian photojournalist Shakh Aivazov and was taken in 1996 during the first Chechen war – decades before the current conflict in Eastern Europe.
Another version of the image can be found in an interview with the photographer published in 2019, also before the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The case illustrates how easily old photos can be taken out of context for propaganda purposes.
A recording of the first Chechen war from 1996 was used to spread false reports on social networks in 2023.
How do we check videos for manipulation in the editorial office? It is important to look at the details. The individual frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We take a close look at each image and enlarge individual sections. Indications of a fake are, for example: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or editing errors. The general rule at stern is: Seriousness before speed. We always double-check facts and material thoroughly before publishing them. For this we work with the cross-editorial “Team Verification” together with RTL, NTV, RTL2, Radio NRW.