FACT CHECK: Video Claims Ukraine ‘Disabled’ Two More Russian Gunboats
A video shared on Facebook claims Ukrainian forces recently disabled two Russian gunboats.
Verdict: False
While a recent drone attack was conducted on Russia’s Black Sea fleet in October 2022, Ukraine did not claim it disabled two gunboats during the attack.
Fact Check:
The Russian Black Sea Fleet was attacked by unmanned Ukrainian drones Oct. 29, according to The New York Times. Ukraine announced it would create a fleet of unmanned maritime drones, The New Voice of Ukraine reported.
The Facebook video, viewed more than 12,000 times, claims that Ukraine “disabled” two more Russian gunboats. The preview states, “Ukraine blew up 2 more Russian gunboats!”
Check Your Fact could not find any evidence that Ukraine damaged two more Russian gunboats. Oryx, a military analysis website that tracks material losses in the Russian-Ukraine conflict, lists 11 Russian vessels being visually confirmed as destroyed or damaged.
The verified Twitter account of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry claims its armed forces have destroyed 16 Russian naval vessels. This number has remained unchanged since Nov. 2.
“We hold our heads high, despite the price we have paid, because freedom is priceless.”
Lech WalesaTotal combat losses of the enemy from Feb 24 to Nov 7: pic.twitter.com/1gmwUDfaCE
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 7, 2022
Furthermore, there is no visual evidence of two “disabled” Russian gunboats. A Ukrainian gunboat was visually confirmed to have been damaged by a Russian loitering munition earlier in November, according to open-source intelligence account Ukraine Weapons Tracker. (RELATED: Does This Photo Show A Gepard Tank Firing At The Sky In Ukraine?)
#Ukraine: A Ukrainian Gyurza-M class armored gunboat was damaged by a Russian Lancet loitering munition. pic.twitter.com/GqZ6rQmYCh
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) November 4, 2022
“A Ukrainian Gyurza-M class armored gunboat was damaged by a Russian Lancet loitering munition,” the account tweeted.
Misinformation around the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not new. Check Your Fact recently debunked a video claiming that Ukraine destroyed “dozens” of Russian warships.
