FACT CHECK: Post Claims Image Showing Ukrainian Losses Is Generated By Artificial Intelligence

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A post shared on Twitter claims images showing Ukrainian armored losses are generated by artificial intelligence.


Verdict: False

The images have been verified as legitimate by open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts. There is no evidence these images are created by artificial intelligence.

Fact Check:

Ukraine lost several armored vehicles, such as Bradleys and Leopard 2 tanks, during its push against Russian defenses south of Mala Tokmachka, according to Forbes. The U.S. is sending a $325 million military aid package to Ukraine that would replace the vehicle losses, Voice of America reported.

Social media users are claiming that images showing destroyed and damaged Ukrainian armor were created by artificial intelligence. One user claimed that the image was a “fraud, created via AI.” (RELATED: Did The Leaked Pentagon Documents Show Ukraine Suffered 71,000 Dead?)

However, these claims are false. The image showing the Ukrainian losses is legitimate, according to OSINT accounts and reporters. Oryx, a military analysis website that tracks equipment losses in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, used the images to show that Ukraine lost more equipment, such as Leopard 2R mine-clearing tanks and Bradleys.

Oryx uses visual evidence to confirm losses. CNN cited Oryx to note that Ukraine has lost 16 Bradleys. Shayan Sardarizadeh, a BBC Verify reporter, said that the images showing the destroyed Ukrainian equipment were “genuine.”


“I’ve seen viral tweets claiming these images, which show Leopard and Bradley tanks belonging to Ukraine damaged by Russian forces, are doctored or AI-generated. The images are genuine. There’s also a verified video of the incident, which happened in Zaporizhzhia Oblast,” Sardarizadeh tweeted.

Naalsio, an OSINT account that tracks Russian losses for Oryx and Warspotting, explained on Twitter why the image showing Ukrainian losses was genuine.


“This is silly. 1. Drone digital zoom edge-enchancing can look like cloning/AI fakery sometimes. 2. The “Big MRAP” is a MaxxPro with mine rollers, so its presence makes sense. 3. The losses in the distance were previously seen from other angles,” Naalsio tweeted.

Other OSINT analysts, such as Oliver Alexander and Emil Kastehelmi, noted that the images are not faked. Kastehelmi noted that the images originate from a video.


GeoConfirmed, an account that verifies locations of videos and images taken during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, verified that the images were taken in Ukraine.

Check Your Fact also ran the image through Hive AI detector and AI or Not, websites that analyze whether or not an image was created by artificial intelligence. Both websites stated that the images were not created by artificial intelligence.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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