Millions of Russians saw this 'shooting incident in Kiev' on state television at the beginning of the war.πΊπ·πΊ
What? Where? When? Who? And what is this bizarre audio...? ππ€
Investigate! π 1/β¦
#OSINT π
#Verification π₯
#GeoLocation π
#HowToOSINT π§
What? Where? When? Who? And what is this bizarre audio...? ππ€
Investigate! π 1/β¦
#OSINT π
#Verification π₯
#GeoLocation π
#HowToOSINT π§
On Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Facebook and the Russian platforms Telegram and VKontakte, a disturbing 44-second video has been circulating since the end of February.
The short video was filmed from the window of a flat. 2/...
The short video was filmed from the window of a flat. 2/...
β‘οΈ What do we see?
We see a man sitting in the street, and another man threatening him with a firearm π¨, while a car approaches (1).
A third man with a firearm gets out of the car (2).
The man who was already standing there hits the victim with the butt of his gun (3). 3/..
We see a man sitting in the street, and another man threatening him with a firearm π¨, while a car approaches (1).
A third man with a firearm gets out of the car (2).
The man who was already standing there hits the victim with the butt of his gun (3). 3/..
Then the car driver kicks the victim (4), who then runs away (5).
Then, for three seconds, we see no one on screen, but we hear four loud bangs (6). 4/...
Then, for three seconds, we see no one on screen, but we hear four loud bangs (6). 4/...
Then we see the victim, apparently injured, lying on the ground (7).
The first man approaches (8) and the car driver also approaches and appears to be filming with his mobile phone (9).
Then the fragment stops. π 5/...
The first man approaches (8) and the car driver also approaches and appears to be filming with his mobile phone (9).
Then the fragment stops. π 5/...
The video was shown in Russian news broadcasts on Russia's main TV channel, Perviy Kanal, on 27 February.
This is what the newsreader said before the images were shown: "The authorities in Kiev continue to organise panic by arming everyone uncontrollably..." 6/...
This is what the newsreader said before the images were shown: "The authorities in Kiev continue to organise panic by arming everyone uncontrollably..." 6/...
"... Uncontrolled and uneducated citizens occupy residential intersections, control the streets and empower themselves to conduct counterintelligence and track down saboteurs. Here you can see how one of these so-called controllers shoots an unarmed citizen." 7/...
(This visual investigation was a joined effort with journalists @Techjournalisto, @akhmxt, @ArchitMeta and me. Thanks, guys. π Follow them for more #OSINT for #FactChecking.) 8/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta β‘οΈ Where?
By comparing satellite imagery from Kiev (left) with the footage (right), we found the location of the footage.
The recording was made from a flat in a residential area in the Dniprovskyi district of Kiev πΊπ¦:
google.com/maps/place/50%β¦
Geolocation. β 9/...
By comparing satellite imagery from Kiev (left) with the footage (right), we found the location of the footage.
The recording was made from a flat in a residential area in the Dniprovskyi district of Kiev πΊπ¦:
google.com/maps/place/50%β¦
Geolocation. β 9/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta β‘οΈ When?
Most versions of the video were uploaded on 27 Feb. The oldest version of the video we found on #Telegram gave the 'creation date' as 27 Feb 2022 at 12:54pm in the metadata. π
βοΈThis is not conclusive evidence that the recording actually took place at that time. 10/.
Most versions of the video were uploaded on 27 Feb. The oldest version of the video we found on #Telegram gave the 'creation date' as 27 Feb 2022 at 12:54pm in the metadata. π
βοΈThis is not conclusive evidence that the recording actually took place at that time. 10/.
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta The metadata may have been manipulated or it may be a copy of the original recording.
What we do know for sure is that the recording was made at that time or before. β 11/...
What we do know for sure is that the recording was made at that time or before. β 11/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta β‘οΈ Who?
We see two armed men: one who is already present at the beginning (left) and one who is getting out of a car (right).
They don't wear army uniforms. They seem to be wearing something like camouflage clothing or a bulletproof vest over their civilian clothes. 12/...
We see two armed men: one who is already present at the beginning (left) and one who is getting out of a car (right).
They don't wear army uniforms. They seem to be wearing something like camouflage clothing or a bulletproof vest over their civilian clothes. 12/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta If the images date from 27 Feb or a little earlier, it is quite possible that these are armed civilians.
On 24 Feb, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, the Ukrainian military announced via Twitter that you only needed a passport to get weapons. 13/...
On 24 Feb, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, the Ukrainian military announced via Twitter that you only needed a passport to get weapons. 13/...
https://twitter.com/ArmedForcesUkr/status/1496881323700535308
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta On 25 February, according to a Ukrainian government source, 18 000 weapons were already distributed in the Kiev region: businessinsider.com/video-ukrainiaβ¦
The men in the video appear to be wearing an armband on their left arm.π14/...
The men in the video appear to be wearing an armband on their left arm.π14/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta This may indicate that they are part of the reserve component of the Ukrainian army, the Territorial Defence Forces.
During the mass mobilisation civilians can join voluntarily. On photos of this battalion we can see that they often wear a yellow armband. 15/...
During the mass mobilisation civilians can join voluntarily. On photos of this battalion we can see that they often wear a yellow armband. 15/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta They may be members of the Territorial Defence Forces, but we cannot be sure.
The quality of the video is too poor to identify the persons or the weapons. 16/...
The quality of the video is too poor to identify the persons or the weapons. 16/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta β‘οΈ What don't we see?
A few things stand out when we watch the video in detail. All is shown except for the moment when shooting takes place.
Then we hear shots, but we do not see what happens. Only after three seconds, we see the victim lying on the ground. No blood. 17/...
A few things stand out when we watch the video in detail. All is shown except for the moment when shooting takes place.
Then we hear shots, but we do not see what happens. Only after three seconds, we see the victim lying on the ground. No blood. 17/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta We cannot find any other footage of the incident.
We also tried in vain to find eyewitnesses. π«€ 18/...
We also tried in vain to find eyewitnesses. π«€ 18/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta β‘οΈ What do we hear?
We hear a woman's voice behind the smartphone camera in Russian: "That guy just came out."
In itself, there are many Russian speakers in Kiev, so the language is not surprising.
Of what the armed men shout, we can only understand "Faster!" 19/...
We hear a woman's voice behind the smartphone camera in Russian: "That guy just came out."
In itself, there are many Russian speakers in Kiev, so the language is not surprising.
Of what the armed men shout, we can only understand "Faster!" 19/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta π¦Throughout most of the video, we hear birds chirping.
The sound of bullet casings falling (0:18) is very clear and distinct, as if it had been recorded at close range. The sound of the approaching car is muffled.
The audio perspectives do not seem to match. 20/...
The sound of bullet casings falling (0:18) is very clear and distinct, as if it had been recorded at close range. The sound of the approaching car is muffled.
The audio perspectives do not seem to match. 20/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta Sound designer @mistercw looked at the spectogram of the video for us. π
A spectogram is a visual representation of the sound in which the pitch or frequency (y-axis) is plotted against time (x-axis). π21/...
A spectogram is a visual representation of the sound in which the pitch or frequency (y-axis) is plotted against time (x-axis). π21/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw As an illustration, the #spectogram of a siren π¨ is shown below.
The orange lines show the sound at different frequencies. The thickest line is the basic sound, the other lines are the secondary sounds. We can also see cloudy black, which is the ambient sound. 22/...
The orange lines show the sound at different frequencies. The thickest line is the basic sound, the other lines are the secondary sounds. We can also see cloudy black, which is the ambient sound. 22/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw If we look at the spectogram of the video under investigation, we can see the voices, the bang with the butt of the gun, and the shots. Below is the sound of the entire 44-second video. 23/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw The red dotted line, below on the spectrogram of the video, indicates a crucial feature. Above that line, the spectrogram is mostly black β¬οΈ.
It is not cloudy (as in the siren) and so there no noise. 24/...
It is not cloudy (as in the siren) and so there no noise. 24/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw The red dotted line shows there is no sound above 12kHz.
"Even if the audio has been subsequently converted to a lower quality it means that no pitches have been recorded above twice that frequency (24kHz)."
Important: this recording cannot contain pitches above 12kHz. 25/...
"Even if the audio has been subsequently converted to a lower quality it means that no pitches have been recorded above twice that frequency (24kHz)."
Important: this recording cannot contain pitches above 12kHz. 25/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw π¦ Birdsong has a higher pitch.
When recorded at 48 kHz, high frequencies (20 kHz and higher) are clearly visible.
The spectogram below shows the recording of blackbird song at 48 kHz. We clearly see tones above the red line of 12 kHz. 26/...
When recorded at 48 kHz, high frequencies (20 kHz and higher) are clearly visible.
The spectogram below shows the recording of blackbird song at 48 kHz. We clearly see tones above the red line of 12 kHz. 26/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw In the video we investigated, these high frequencies are not reflected: above 12kHz it is black β¬οΈ, although we do hear high-pitched bird chirping... π€ 27/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw The high frequencies that we would expect are therefore completely absent.
Why is that importantβοΈ
"From this we can conclude the recording was made at a lower sample rate (probably 24 kHZ) or was afterwards converted to this lower sample rate." 28/...
Why is that importantβοΈ
"From this we can conclude the recording was made at a lower sample rate (probably 24 kHZ) or was afterwards converted to this lower sample rate." 28/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw However, if we zoom π into the spectogram from 18:1 to 23:5, we see that there are peaks above 12 kHzβοΈ
We see these peaks during the loading and firing of the weapon and when the shells come down. 29/...
We see these peaks during the loading and firing of the weapon and when the shells come down. 29/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw What does it all mean?
"The peaks above 12 kHz during the firing of the weapon off-screen show that this part of the recording was not affected by the same recording process."
βοΈ"The sounds of the weapon were not part of the original recording. They were added later." βοΈ30/.
"The peaks above 12 kHz during the firing of the weapon off-screen show that this part of the recording was not affected by the same recording process."
βοΈ"The sounds of the weapon were not part of the original recording. They were added later." βοΈ30/.
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw Is this video fully staged? Or was the sound of the shots added to real footage for dramatic effect? Were rubber bullets used?
We cannot answer these questions with the information we have been able to gather so far. 31/...
We cannot answer these questions with the information we have been able to gather so far. 31/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw Conclusion: The video was shot in Kiev and dates from 27 February or earlier. It could be that we are seeing members of a reserve component of the Ukrainian army or civilians who were given weapons. (1/2) 32/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw Russian TV claims that 'you can see one of these so-called controllers shooting an unarmed civilian'. However, there is no evidence for this, because we do not see the shooting itself. Moreover, the audio of the gun violence was added to the video afterwards. (2/2) 33/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw What have we learned? π©βπ«
1) Audio analysis can reveal manipulation. π
2) #OSINT can only bring you so far. Without eyewitnesses or other footage a lot of questions remain. π«€
3) International investigation between journalists is the way to go. π 34/...
1) Audio analysis can reveal manipulation. π
2) #OSINT can only bring you so far. Without eyewitnesses or other footage a lot of questions remain. π«€
3) International investigation between journalists is the way to go. π 34/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw If someone (living in Kiev?) has more info about this video: all info (which we can try to verify) is welcome in DM. π 35/...
@Techjournalisto @akhmxt @ArchitMeta @mistercw You can read my full article (in Dutch) here (@Knack) for FREE. π36/...
knack.be/nieuws/factcheβ¦
knack.be/nieuws/factcheβ¦
@Techjournalisto used this example in this great read: techjournalism.medium.com/telltale-signs⦠37/...
@Techjournalisto Did you learn something from this #OSINT for #FactChecking?
Follow me (@brechtcastel) and check out my channel on #YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCMBPtβ¦ π
Older π§΅π§΅underneath this tweet:
Follow me (@brechtcastel) and check out my channel on #YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCMBPtβ¦ π
Older π§΅π§΅underneath this tweet:
https://twitter.com/brechtcastel/status/139068840541619814538/END
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