FACT CHECK: Image Claims To Show A Damaged Russian Warship

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Twitter claims to show the Ivan Khurs, a Russian warship, damaged after a Ukrainian attack.

Verdict: False

The image shows the USS Cole. The ship was damaged by a terrorist attack in 2000.

Fact Check:

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have destroyed Ukrainian sea drones attempting to attack the Ivan Khurs, a Russian Navy warship, in the Bosphorus Strait, according to Newsweek. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released a video claiming to show one of the sea drones hitting the ship, the outlet reported.

The image claims to show the Ivan Khurs damaged after the attack. Another tweet also received over 1,000 likes and 100,000v views. (RELATED: No, Video Does Not Show Aftermath Of Russian Strike On Ukraine)

However, the image is over two decades old. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the image is from the USS Cole, not a Russian warship. The image was taken after the USS Cole was hit by a suicide bomb attack in 2000 and published in NBC News.

“This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows damage sustained by the USS Cole after the suicide bombing on Oct. 12, 2000.U.s. Navy / AP file,” reads the image description on NBC News. 

Images and videos of the Ivan Khurs emerged in the aftermath of the attack, showing the ship sailing into Sevastopol under its own power with no visible damage, according to open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst Benjamin Pittet. These pictures and videos were spread by Russian sources on Telegram.

“Multiple undated images showing the Ivan Khurs in Sevastopol are being published by Russian sources on Telegram this morning,” Pittet tweeted.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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