An image shared widely online purports to depict a huge fireball erupting from a Russian power plant — located 450 miles (720 km) away from Ukraine — which purportedly indicates recent strikes related to Ukraine’s ongoing civil war. Journalists and fact checkers caution that its source and veracity must be carefully assessed.
What The Claim Says
A post making rounds on social media purports that a Russian power plant located deep within its territory was hit, sparking an enormous fireball. This is meant to suggest Ukraine or its agents had launched an attack that hit Russian energy infrastructure far outside Ukraine’s borders; “450 miles from Ukraine” serves to emphasize this range.
What Have Fact-Checkers Found?
Fact-checking outlets highlight numerous red flags:
This image appears in a recent article entitled, “VERIFYING IMAGINE OF FIREBALL AT RUSSIANPWP450 MILES FROM UKRAINE,” as confirmed by BBC News fact-checkers (SEPE and SEPE.gr).
Reverse image searches connect photographs or similar visuals with earlier incidents and locations – such as previous strikes against Russian infrastructure but not exactly where claimed. For instance, an unrelated image from 2024 showing a fire at a gas facility was mis-used to provide details of a 2025 drone strike attack.
AFP Fact Check No independent confirmation from credible sources confirms that a power plant fire and strike occurred exactly where claimed and when suggested.
“450 miles” seems inconsistent with numerous strikes that occur closer to Ukraine (for instance, attacks near Kursk nuclear power plant which is approximately 38 miles from Ukraine). Reuters WHY IT MATTERS WANT
Imagery like this holds immense power in an age characterized by propaganda, deceit and information warfare — they could be leveraged to:
Project Capabilities and Deterrence (Ukraine: that it can strike deep into Russia; Russia: to demonstrate Vulnerabilities).
Influence internal and external audiences about the war’s dynamics.
Beguile, mislead and heighten perceptions of reach and vulnerability.
What remains unverified
Unanswered questions include:
Location and impact details for the fire-ball image: Which power plant, region of Russia; whether this incident happened recently or was archived.
Cause of Fire: Was it due to a hostile strike, an internal accident, maintenance failure or another noncombat factor?
Timeline of Image Capturing and Reporting (TTC): Provide information regarding when an image was captured versus any reported incident or claim that may have taken place.
Verification from independent satellite imagery or on-site inspection by reliable open-source intelligence analysts.
Based on available information, this image’s claim that it depicts an attack on a Russian power plant located 450 miles from Ukraine remains unverified. While it could depict real fire damage under these conditions, its link to any targeted strike cannot be proven conclusively. Users and media outlets should treat this image with extreme caution, seek corroboration from trusted sources before amplifying unverified claims.
Why it matters for audiences.
For audiences in Pakistan, the Middle East or elsewhere who follow global conflict dynamics, this case serves as a timely reminder:
Verifying imagery and claims in conflict zones is of vital importance.
Images can quickly become misattributed or recycled for different uses, exposing themselves to potential manipulation or misuse.
Critical media consumption, particularly when related to wartime narratives of escalation or capability.
Overall, while the image of a fireball may be striking and plausible visually, its context, authenticity and source attribution remain uncertain. Therefore, until independent verification can take place, we should treat it as possible but unconfirmed evidence of deep strikes against Russian infrastructure.