At a glance
- The Ukrainian media "Observer Network" has two major doubts about the report that "13 students were killed at the Kharkiv State Cultural Institute": (a) the picture marked as "destroyed student dormitory" in the article has appeared at least on February 27, and there is a large discrepancy between the building and the appearance of the student apartment; (b) an Indian student who died in the gunfire mentioned by the author has been reported to have died two days ago, earlier than March 3.
- Taliban criticize Russian military action against Ukraine? Will the drug trade with Moscow be cut off? The news is untrue. The Taliban have not criticized Russia's military operations in Ukraine; moreover, there is no evidence of a drug trade between the Taliban and Moscow.
- Was Karazin State University in Kharkiv bombed? Combined with Google Maps, live video, testimony and other information, the economics department building of Karazin National University was indeed bombed, and the police station building opposite it was also badly damaged.
Event background
On March 4, a news circulated on social platforms that according to the Ukrainian media "Observer Network", russian troops bombed the student dormitory of the Kharkiv State Cultural Institute on the night of March 3, killing 13 people.
Mincha "13 students of the Kharkiv State Cultural Academy were killed" reported suspicious points
There are many doubts in the articles of the Ukrainian media "Observer Network" reporting on related events. First, images labeled "destroyed student residence halls" in the article — verified by a reverse search — appeared online at least On Feb. 27. Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported in the early morning of the 27th that a shell from Russia hit a 9-story building located on 40a Buchmy Street, resulting in the death of a woman, accompanied by pictures called "student dormitory buildings" by the "Observer Network".
The picture in the Press release published on February 27 was cited by the Observer Network as a picture of the student dormitory building that was attacked. The Observer Network said the dormitory building that was attacked was located in the Hvardiitsiv-Shyronintsiv neighborhood. A document released by the Kharkiv State Cultural Institute shows that the school does have student apartments No. 2 in this neighborhood. By targeting Google Earth to the student apartment, comparing the appearance of the dormitory with the appearance of the destroyed building posted on the website, it was possible to see that there were large differences in the color of the façade and the construction of the building.
Address of Student Apartment No. 2 National Institute of Culture
Google Earth: Kharkiv State Cultural Institute No. 2 Student Apartment Ukrainian Media "Observer Network" There is another doubt in this article. The author mentions a series of victims killed in the March 3 firefight, including an Indian student. The student, named "Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar" (Навн Шекхарапа Г'янагудар), studied at Kharkiv Medical University.
However, a public search shows that on March 1, local time, indian media NDTV reported that an Indian student at Kharkiv Medical University was shot and killed. The student's name matches the name of the Indian student mentioned by the Observer Network who was shot and killed by Russian troops on March 3.
NDTV reported on the headline screenshots about the specific details of Gyanagoudar's death, and NDTV cited two different sources, offering two different accounts. Gyanagoudar's friend claimed that he was lining up at the grocery store when he was shot dead by Russian troops. The Indian student coordinator in Kharkiv said Gyanagoudar died in an airstrike while in his apartment near the Governor's Mansion. Regardless of the truth of the cause of his death, the Indian media and the Ukrainian media report contradict each other.
In addition, according to the information provided by the respondents, Gyanagoudar's residence is close to the Governor's Building. According to public information, the Governor's Building is now used as a teaching building for the "Engineering and Pedagogical Academy of Ukraine". Google Maps information indicates that the academy is about 9 kilometers on foot from the place where the students were killed in the "Observer Network" article, "Kharkiv State Cultural Institute No. 2 Student Dormitory", and does not belong to the same area.
Google Maps: The "Governor's Building" is about 9 km away from the Student Apartment No. 2 of the National Institute of Culture. In response to the death of "international students killed in attacks", on the evening of March 3, Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Tkachenko, left a message on his personal telegram channel, confirming the "bombing" and accusing the Russian military of committing the incident. While the Russian side seemed to express dissenting opinions, the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on March 4 that Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "neo-Nazis" in Ukraine "controlled" thousands of foreigners, including students.
At present, there is no further news about the online transmission of "13 students of Kharkiv Academy killed", and the "surging Mingcha" will continue to pay attention to this.
Taliban criticize Russia's military action against Ukraine? Will the drug trade with Moscow be cut off?
The Taliban, which has criticized Russia's military operations against Ukraine, is considering imposing sanctions that will cut off drug trade with Moscow.
After verification, the image in the Twitter screenshot was first posted by Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Afghan Interim Government, at 15:02 Beijing time on February 25, 2022.
The Afghan interim government is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and is concerned about the real possibility of civilian casualties, the statement said. The Afghan Interim Government has called on both Sides to exercise restraint, saying that all parties need to stop taking positions that could lead to increased violence. In addition, the Taliban, for their part, uphold a "foreign policy of neutrality" and call on the parties to the conflict to resolve the crisis through dialogue and peaceful means. Notably, the statement did not mention the Afghan Taliban's criticism of Russia's military operations in Ukraine and related remarks that it would cut off drug trade with Moscow.
In summary, the Taliban have not criticized Russia's military operations against Ukraine; moreover, there is no evidence of a drug trade between the Taliban and Moscow.
Is this video of the Kharkiv National Police being bombed? Was the Karazin National University building destroyed?
Yesterday, some Weibo netizens said that this video is the scene of the Kharkiv Ukrainian State Security Service and the National Police Station building being hit by missiles and burned.
The building on the roof of the building in the distance in the video was verified to be very similar to the appearance and surrounding environmental characteristics of the collapsed building in a video released by the BBC on 2 March. However, the BBC explained that the video showed the scene of the missile attack at Karazin National University in Kharkiv. Karazin State University, also known as the National University of Kharkiv, was founded in 1804. According to the QS World University Rankings 2021, Karazin State University ranks 477th, making it the number one institution of higher learning in Ukraine.
Screenshot of the BBC video report. Donnacha Beachain, an associate professor of political science at Dublin City University, also corroborated this claim on social media platforms. Beachain said he has visited the building many times and that he has a friend who once studied and taught here.
Beachain responded on Twitter. Search for the keyword "Office of Security Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv" on Google Maps to show that the Kharkiv Police Station is adjacent to the Kharkiv Fountain Square in the south, across Zhon Myronosyts Street, and the Economics Department building of Karazin State University is across the street from it on the west side of the police station.
Google Maps: The environment around the Kharkiv Police Station. Looking at the Street view of Zhon Myronosyts Street in Google Maps, we found that the building on the west side of the police station building in the distance was the building that was hit by a missile and collapsed in the online video. In summary, the police station suffered heavy losses in this attack, and the building of the Department of Economics of Karazin University also suffered a lot of fire and has been destroyed.
Google Maps Street View: The police station building on the right, the red-framed building in the distance is the department building of the Department of Economics of Karazin National University.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Gu Wanquan Text Editor: Dong Siyun Caption Source: Visual China Photo Editor: Zhu Xuan
Source: Author: The Paper