2015 Explosion In China Viral As Russian Air Strike On Ukrainian Power Plant

A video showing two massive explosions is being shared as a chain reaction started by Russian air strikes on a power plant in Ukrainian city Luhansk.

BOOM found this claim to be false; we traced the video to an incident in 2015 in China's Tianjin, when a warehouse containing hazardous goods caught fire and exploded.

The video is being circulated on social media and WhatsApp in the backdrop of Russia invading Ukraine and launching air strikes across the country.

Also Read: Russia Starts 'Military Action' In Ukraine, Air Raid Sirens Sounded in Kyiv

We found the video being circulated on Twitter with the caption, "Ukraine explosion fires started by Russian airstrike set off chain reaction at Luhansk power plant. #RussiaUkraineConflict #Russia #Ukraine #Airstrike #Luhansk #powerplant #WWIII #WorldWar3 #VladimirPutin"

The video had garnered over 260,000 views in just two hours, and had been retweeted over 2,000 times. Click here to view an archive.

While the video was eventually deleted by Twitter, we found the exact same video being shared with the same caption on Facebook. Here is a link to the post.

We also received the video on BOOM's helpline number, with users asking us if it is indeed from a recent Russian air strike in Ukraine.

Also Read: Sensex, Nifty Crash 3% As Russia Launches 'Military Operation' In Ukraine

Fact Check

BOOM did a reverse image search of some keyframes from the video, which led to a series of links about a couple of explosions that took place in the Chinese city of Tianjin in 2015.

One of the link was a YouTube video uploaded by BBC News on its verified channel. We checked out the video and found it to be the exact footage going viral as Russian air strike in Ukraine.

The caption of the video read:

"Footage of two massive explosions in the Chinese city of Tianjin, taken by a stunned eyewitness, captured the fear and terror of those who saw what happened. Dozens of people died and hundreds were injured when a warehouse owned by a company specialising in handling hazardous goods caught fire and exploded. City officials say they still did not know what materials were at the warehouse at the time of the fire, or what caused the blasts. Eyewitness Dan van Duren filmed the moment of the explosions, before he and others fled to avoid the danger."

According to the caption, the viral footage was taken by an eyewitness named Dan van Duren.

We also found several news reports about the blast. An article by the New York Times read, "Thunderous, fiery explosions at a warehouse containing hazardous goods traumatized this northeast port city late Wednesday, killing at least 44 people, injuring at least 400, shattering glass on scores of high-rise buildings and causing other extensive damage. The force of the blasts registered on earthquake scales and was felt miles away."

The New York Times article also contained another footage, which showed the same blast from a different angle.