FACT CHECK: No Evidence Russia Killed Danish F-16 Instructor
A post shared on X claims Russia killed a Danish F-16 instructor in Ukraine.
🚨🇷🇺🇩🇰 BREAKING: RUSSIA killed a Danish NATO F-16 pilot killed in UKRAINE.
(Pilot image is AI) pic.twitter.com/m6lZk6s9Ji
— Legitimate Targets (@LegitTargets) January 20, 2025
Verdict: Misleading
There is no evidence that Russia killed a F-16 instructor. The Danish Ministry of Defense refuted the claim.
Fact Check:
Social media users are claiming that Russia killed a Danish F-16 pilot in Ukraine. One user wrote, “BREAKING: RUSSIA killed a Danish NATO F-16 pilot killed in UKRAINE. (Pilot image is AI).”
There is no evidence that Russia killed any such person. The Danish Ministry of Defense refuted the claim in a Jan. 19 tweet, with a quote from Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. (RELATED: No, Firefighters In LA Are Not Fighting Wildfires Using ‘Handbags’)
Oplysningerne er falske, siger forsvarsminister Troels Lund Poulsen:
”Der er ingen danske soldater, der er blevet dræbt i Ukraine. Det er en falsk historie, som kører i russiske medier – sandsynligvis for at miskreditere Danmark. Det ser jeg meget alvorligt på.
— Forsvarsministeriet/Danish MoD (@Forsvarsmin) January 19, 2025
“No Danish soldiers have been killed in Ukraine. It is a false story that is being circulated in Russian media – probably to discredit Denmark. I take this very seriously,” Poulsen said.
GeoConfirmed, an organization that geolocates videos in Ukraine, also refuted the claim.
GeoConfirmed Investigation – Danish F-16 instructor killed?
We were asked if we could confirm the story about the killed F-16 instructor called Jepp Hansen/Jeppe Hansen/Jepp Hanssen/Jeppe Hanssen in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.
We can’t because it’s another example of Russian… pic.twitter.com/C9PAiwFphe
— GeoConfirmed (@GeoConfirmed) January 19, 2025
“The entire story of the killed F-16 instructor was completely fabricated – a deliberate and calculated disinformation campaign designed to spread false information about a purported incident involving a Danish F-16 instructor in Ukraine and put pressure on the support by Denmark to Ukraine by influencing the narrative,” reads part of the tweet.
The origin of the claim comes from Russian state media and spread by pro-Russian social media accounts, according to the Kyiv Post.
