A video shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, claims to show a BBC News report stating Wagner Group founder Yevengy Prigozhin is still alive.

BBC: “It was all staged – Prigozhin is alive” pic.twitter.com/cwL9L8vh99

— 𝕏 (@AlertChannel) August 29, 2023

Verdict: False

There is no evidence that the BBC created this video. A spokesperson for the organization said the video was fake.

Fact Check:

Prigozhin died in a plane crash near Moscow Aug. 23, according to Reuters. Since his death, social media users have been sharing a video claiming that BBC News reported that Prigozhin was actually still alive.

There is no evidence that the BBC created this video.

Check Your Fact reviewed BBC’s website and did not find any articles or videos reporting that Prigozhin was still alive. A review of the organization’s X accounts, such as @BBCBreaking and @BBCWorld, also did not yield any results for the alleged video. A wider internet search also did not yield any results for such a report.

A BBC spokesperson told Check Your Fact they were “aware of this fake video.”

“We are aware of this fake video and our lawyers are urgently looking into it. In a world of increasing disinformation, we urge everyone to check links and URLs to ensure they are getting news from a trusted source,” the spokesperson said.

BBC Verify reporter Shayan Sardarizadeh also debunked the claim in a tweet. (RELATED: Did Jared Kushner Delete All Of His Tweets After The New York Times Story On Donald Trump’s Tax Returns?)

A fake video with the logo and branding of BBC News is being shared online, claiming that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death was staged by the Kremlin.

The video is completely fake. BBC News has never published such a video. pic.twitter.com/xkC99gNRfB

— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) August 29, 2023

“A fake video with the logo and branding of BBC News is being shared online, claiming that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death was staged by the Kremlin. The video is completely fake. BBC News has never published such a video,” Sardarizadeh tweeted.

The account that spread the claim acknowledged that the video was fake in a reply to another user but refused to take it down. The original tweet has a Community Notes attached to it, noting that the fake BBC News video has not appeared on any BBC sources.

no – so others can identify it as fake

— — GEROMAN — time will tell – 👀 — (@GeromanAT) August 29, 2023