Old video of Russian attack on Kyiv falsely linked to France unrest

This article is more than one year old.
Published on July 11, 2023 at 07:23
3 min read
By Clara IP, AFP Hong Kong

A video of burnt buildings has been shared hundreds of times in social media posts that falsely claim it shows Paris after riots in the French capital and across the country that were triggered by the fatal shooting of a teenager by police at a traffic stop in June 2023. But the clip in fact matches an AFP photo and video of a shopping mall that was destroyed in Ukraine's capital Kyiv after Russian shelling in March 2022.

The video of damaged cars and razed buildings was shared nearly 1,000 times after being posted on Twitter here on July 5, 2023.

"Paris has never looked so beautiful..." reads the video's Japanese-language caption, apparently referencing week-long violent protests that broke out in Paris and other French cities after a police officer shot and killed 17-year-old Nahel M., of Algerian descent, during a traffic stop on June 27.

The shooting rekindled long pent-up frustrations and accusations of systemic racism among France's security forces, and the outpouring of anger saw thousands of buildings and vehicles torched or damaged.

A screenshot of the false tweet, captured on July 7, 2023

The same footage was also shared hundreds of times on Twitter alongside similar claims in Chinese and English.

But the clip is unrelated to the unrest in France.

Russian shelling in Kyiv

A reverse image and keyword search on Google found there were similarities between parts of the video and an AFP photo from March 21, 2022 (archived link).

The photo's caption reads in part: "Smoke billows after a Russian attack on the Retroville shopping mall and residential district of Kyiv on March 21, 2022."

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video used in the false tweet (left) and the photo (right), with similarities highlighted by AFP:

A screenshot comparison of the video used in the false tweet (left) and the AFP photo (right)

Similar scenes of destruction can be seen in an AFP video uploaded to YouTube on March 21, 2022 (archived link).

According to an AFP report, at least six people were killed in the attack on the shopping centre in the northwest of Kyiv.

The 10-storey building was hit by a powerful blast that pulverised vehicles in its car park and left a crater several metres (yards) wide.

Parts of the video that was falsely shared on Twitter also match Google Street View imagery of the Retroville shopping centre in Kyiv that was uploaded in 2020 (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the false tweet (left) and the Google Maps street view imagery (right), with similarities circled by AFP:

Screenshot comparison of the video in the false tweet (left) and the Google Maps street view imagery (right)

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