FACT CHECK: Was A ‘Large Part’ Of The Russian Navy ‘Eliminated’ Recently?

A video shared on Facebook claims a “large part of the Russian Navy was eliminated” recently.

Verdict: False

The Russian Navy has not suffered any major losses in the past few months. Ukraine has not claimed to have eliminated a large part of the Russian Navy recently.

Fact Check:

Russia is reportedly expanded its nuclear submarine fleet at a rapid pace following elevated nuclear threats, according to Newsweek. New “special-purpose” submarines would now carry the “Poseidon” super-torpedo, the outlet reported.

The Facebook video’s embedded preview, viewed more than 51,000 times, claims that “22[%] of the entire [Russian] Navy eliminated in one day.” The video’s caption reads, “In the middle of Hell- A large part of the Russian navy was eliminated in one night!”

There is no evidence 22% of the Russian Navy was eliminated in a single day. If a large part of the Russian Navy had been eliminated in such a short time span, media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. Neither the Ukrainian Defense Ministry nor the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff has released statements confirming the destruction of so many Russian ships.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has claimed the destruction of 18 Russian naval vessels since the war started in February 2022. Ukraine has not claimed any new naval losses since January, according to a previous Check Your Fact article.

Ukraine did attack a Russian naval base March 22 with drones, according to Naval News. A video of the attack was posted on Twitter by the account Militaryland.net.

????Ukrainian night attack on Russian naval base at occupied Sevastopol using drone boats.#UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/04HxCde07i

— MilitaryLand.net (@Militarylandnet) March 22, 2023

“Ukrainian night attack on Russian naval base at occupied Sevastopol using drone boats. #UkraineRussiaWar,” the tweet reads. (RELATED: Does This Video Show NATO Helicopters Being Shot Down In Ukraine?)

Misinformation regarding the status of the Ukraine war has circulated online since its start in February 2022. Check Your Fact recently debunked a photo allegedly showing a Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine.