Video shows Russian drone striking Ukraine, not Indian drone intercepted by Pakistan

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As fighting across the border between Pakistan and India escalated in early May 2025, social media users claimed a widely circulated video depicted Pakistani forces shooting down an Indian drone. 

The claim spread across several platforms, including YouTube (archived), TikTok (archived), X (archived) and Reddit (archived).

@combatreport0 Indian Rafale jet shot down by Pakistani J10c #newvideo #war #indiavspakistan #latest #new #foryou #news ♬ original sound – سعدی علی

Either intentionally or unintentionally, these users miscaptioned the footage, however. In reality, the video appeared on the internet on or around April 29, 2025, and depicted a Russian drone exploding over Ukraine, not an Indian drone Pakistani forces shot down. We know this based on the following observations.

First, users cropped the primary clip people were posting — which shows a black object flying down from the sky before exploding — to eliminate Russian text on top of the footage. Users also cropped the length of the clip so viewers can’t hear the voices speaking Russian in the background of the footage. The TikTok video linked above played music over the footage, which drowned out the background voices. 

Second, the video first appeared online in a Russian Telegram channel, captioned: “An epic dive by a Geranium on a target somewhere in Ukraine during a recent raid. We are confirming the location [translations sourced from Telegram].” Commenters on the video suggested the strike happened somewhere in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

(Telegram Channel @Voenacher)

The full video, with multiple angles, is viewable here (archived):

Later on April 29, another message to the Telegram channel confirmed the strike’s location and offered another angle of the strike, captioned: The arrivals were from April 26 of this year. As a result of the strike, the logistics center in Dergachi, which was used in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was destroyed.”

(Telegram Channel @Voenacher)

The location of Google Maps pin above, 50°05’01.8″N 36°08’40.9″E, does indeed feature details that match the video. For example, a prominent chimney to the right of where the drone exploded appears on the map near the explosion site, as seen from above and on Google street view imagery from 2015, although from a slightly different angle. The same electrical lines and poles are also visible.

(Google Earth and Telegram Channel @Voenacher)

It is unclear, as of this writing, whether — or to what capacity — Ukrainian forces used the location as a “logistics center.”

A “Geranium” (or a Geran drone) as the video’s caption refers to, is a modified Iranian-produced suicide drone. The black, triangular shape of the drone seen in the video matches the appearance.

(Getty Images)

Lastly, no forces, Ukrainian or otherwise, appeared to have shot the drone down before it made contact. For reference, this is what an intercepted Geran drone looks like as it falls to the ground in flames.

In sum, the footage does not depict Pakistani forces shooting down an Indian drone. Rather, it shows a Russian drone falling outside Kharkiv, Ukraine.