#FactCheck: Old Ukraine Blast Video Falsely Shared as Iran Strike on Israeli Nuclear Site
Executive Summary
A video showing a massive fire and explosion is going viral on social media. The clip shows a large plume of smoke followed by a sudden blast. It is being shared with the claim that it depicts Iran attacking a nuclear reactor in Israel amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. However, research by CyberPeace found that the claim is misleading. The viral video is actually from 2017 and shows a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in Ukraine.
Claim:
On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), a user shared the video on March 21, 2026, with the caption:“Israel’s nuclear reactor was targeted with Fateh and Khyber missiles. Well done Iran! The whole world is with you.”
Fact Check:
To verify the viral claim, we extracted keyframes from the video and conducted a reverse image search. During this process, we found the same video uploaded on March 23, 2017, on a YouTube channel named “null.” According to the upload, the video shows a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in Balakliya, Ukraine. Using these clues, we performed a keyword search and found a report published on March 24, 2017, by Global News.
According to the report, a major fire and explosion broke out at a large military ammunition depot in Balakliya, located in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. The incident resulted in one death, while nearly 20,000 people from surrounding areas were evacuated to safer locations.
Conclusion:
The claim that the video shows Iran attacking a nuclear reactor in Israel is misleading. The viral footage is actually from 2017 and depicts an explosion at an ammunition depot in Ukraine.
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Introduction
With the advent of the internet, the world revealed the promise of boundless connection and the ability to bridge vast distances with a single click. However, as we wade through the complex layers of the digital age, we find ourselves facing a paradoxical realm where anonymity offers both liberation and a potential for unforeseen dangers. Omegle, a chat and video messaging platform, epitomizes this modern conundrum. Launched over a decade ago in 2009, it has burgeoned into a popular avenue for digital interaction, especially amidst the heightened need for human connection spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic's social distancing requirements. Yet, this seemingly benign tool of camaraderie, tragically, doubles as a contemporary incarnation of Pandora's box, unleashing untold risks upon the online privacy and security landscape. Omegle shuts down its operations permanently after 14 years of its service.
The Rise of Omegle
The foundations of this nebulous virtual dominion can be traced back to the very architecture of Omegle. Introduced to the world as a simple, anonymous chat service, Omegle has since evolved, encapsulating the essence of unpredictable human interaction. Users enter this digital arena, often with the innocent desire to alleviate the pangs of isolation or simply to satiate curiosity; yet they remain blissfully unaware of the potential cybersecurity maelstrom that awaits them.
As we commence a thorough inquiry into the psyche of Omegle's vast user base, we observe a digital diaspora with staggering figures. The platform, in May 2022, counted 51.7 million unique visitors, a testament to its sprawling reach across the globe. Delve a bit deeper, and you will uncover that approximately 29.89% of these digital nomads originate from the United States. Others, in varying percentages, flock from India, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and Germany, revealing a vast, intricate mosaic of international engagement.
Such statistics beguile the uninformed observer with the lie of demographic diversity. Yet we must proceed with caution, for while the platform boasts an impressive 63.91% male patronage, we cannot overlook the notable surge in female participation, which has climbed to 36.09% during the pandemic era. More alarming still is the revelation, borne out of a BBC investigation in February 2021, that children as young as seven have trespassed into Omegle's adult sections—a section purportedly guarded by a minimum age limit of thirteen. How we must ask, has underage presence burgeoned on this platform? A sobering pointer finger towards the platform's inadvertent marketing on TikTok, where youthful influencers, with abandon, promote their Omegle exploits under the #omegle hashtag.
The Omegle Allure
Omegle's allure is further compounded by its array of chat opportunities. It flaunts an adult section awash with explicit content, a moderated chat section that, despite the platform's own admissions, remains imperfectly patrolled, and an unmoderated section, its entry pasted with forewarnings of an 18+ audience. Beyond these lies the college chat option, a seemingly exclusive territory that only admits individuals armed with a verified '.edu' email address.
The effervescent charm of Omegle's interface, however, belies its underlying treacheries. Herein lies a digital wilderness where online predators and nefarious entities prowl, emboldened by the absence of requisite registration protocols. No email address, no unique identifier—pestilence to any notion of accountability or safeguarding. Within this unchecked reality, the young and unwary stand vulnerable, a hapless game for exploitation.
Threat to Users
Venture even further into Omegle's data fiefdom, and the spectre of compromise looms larger. Users, particularly the youth, risk exposure to unsuitable content, and their naivety might lead to the inadvertent divulgence of personal information. Skulking behind the facade of connection, opportunities abound for coercion, blackmail, and stalking—perils rendered more potent as every video exchange and text can be captured, and recorded by an unseen adversary. The platform acts as a quasi-familiar confidante, all the while harvesting chat logs, cookies, IP addresses, and even sensory data, which, instead of being ephemeral, endure within Omegle's databases, readily handed to law enforcement and partnered entities under the guise of due diligence.
How to Combat the threat
In mitigating these online gorgons, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. To thwart incursion into your digital footprint, adults, seeking the thrills of Omegle's roulette, would do well to cloak their activities with a Virtual Private Network (VPN), diligently pore over the privacy policy, deploy robust cybersecurity tools, and maintain an iron-clad reticence on personal disclosures. For children, the recommendation gravitates towards outright avoidance. There, a constellation of parental control mechanisms await the vigilant guardian, ready to shield their progeny from the internet's darker alcoves.
Conclusion
In the final analysis, Omegle emerges as a microcosm of the greater web—a vast, paradoxical construct proffering solace and sociability, yet riddled with malevolent traps for the uninformed. As digital denizens, our traverse through this interconnected cosmos necessitates a relentless guarding of our private spheres and the sober acknowledgement that amidst the keystrokes and clicks, we must tread with caution lest we unseal the perils of this digital Pandora's box.
References:
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Introduction
Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming platforms have become a significant part of Indian entertainment consumption, offering users the ability to watch films, web series, and short-format videos directly online. These platforms operate on a subscription-based model, allowing for creative freedom, but they also lack clear accountability. On certain platforms, some content has been criticised for focusing on sensational or sexually explicit themes, particularly targeting young viewers seeking risqué entertainment. Such applications lack strong age verification mechanisms and offer ‘user access’ with minimal restrictions, which raises serious concerns about exposure to obscene content. This has triggered serious concerns among regulators, civil society organisations, advocacy and parental groups about the accessibility of such material and its potential influence, especially on minors.
Blocking order issued by the Ministry of Broadcasting and Information (MIB)
On 23rd July 2025, the Government of India, invoking powers under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, has issued a ‘blocking order’ against 25 OTT platforms. A total of 26 websites and 14 mobile applications of the said OTT platforms were on the list, including several prominent OTT platforms for alleged distribution of obscene, vulgar and pornographic content in some cases. This regulatory action follows previous statutory advice and repeated warnings to the platforms in question, some of which continued to operate through new domains and disobeyed Indian laws and regulations.
This action was taken by the Ministry of Broadcasting and Information (MIB) in consultation with Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Department of Legal Affairs, industry bodies and experts in the field of women rights and child rights.
The list of OTT Platforms covered under the said ‘Blocking Order’
The list includes - Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, NeonX VIP, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, ShowHit, Jalva App, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hitprime, Fugi, Feneo, ShowX, Sol Talkies, Adda TV, ALTT, HotX VIP, Hulchul App, MoodX, Triflicks, Ullu, and Mojflix.
The government has explicitly directed Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) to disable or remove public access to these websites within India.
Recent Judicial and Centre’s Interventions
- To refresh the memory, last year in March 2024, the Ministry of I&B blocked 18 OTT Platforms for Obscene and Vulgar Content.
- In April 2025, the Apex Court of India heard a petition on the prohibition of streaming of sexually explicit content on over-the-top (OTT) and social media platforms. In response to the petition, the Apex court stated, ‘It's not our domain, the centre has to take action and highlighted the need for executive action in the matter. The apex court has also issued notice to the Centre, OTT platforms, as well as social media platforms in response to a petition seeking a ban on sexually explicit content. (Uday Mahurkar & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors. [WP(C) 313/2025])
- The following recent blocking order dated 23rd July 2025 by the Ministry of I&B is a welcome and commendable step that reflects the government’s firm stance against illicit content on OTT platforms. Kangana Ranaut, Actress and politician, while speaking to a news agency, has appreciated the government's move to ban OTT platforms such as Ullu, ALTT, and Desiflix for showing soft porn content.
Conclusion
The centre’s intervention sends a clear message that OTT platforms cannot remain exempt from accountability. The move is a response to the growing concern of harms caused by unregulated digital content and non-compliances by the platforms, particularly in relation to illicit material, and broader violations of decency laws in India. However, the enforcement must now go beyond issuing orders and require a robust measurable compliance framework for OTT platforms.
In today’s fast-paced era, when subscription-based content platforms place vast libraries at users' fingertips, the government's action is necessary and proportionate, marking a decisive step toward safer digital and healthy regulated environments.
References
- https://www.newsonair.gov.in/govt-bans-25-ott-websites-apps-over-vulgar-and-pornographic-content/
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/big-shots-ullu-altt-desiflix-mojflix-and-20-other-ott-apps-banned-what-governments-ban-order-says/articleshow/122918803.cms
- https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/centre-bans-ott-platforms-ullu-altt-desiflix-for-obscene-content-8947100
- https://foxmandal.in/News/sc-takes-note-of-obscenity-plea-issues-notice-to-ott-platforms/
- https://www.morungexpress.com/kangana-ranaut-calls-banning-ott-platforms-for-soft-porn-content-a-much-appreciated-move
- https://www.livemint.com/news/india/do-something-supreme-court-to-centre-ott-platforms-on-obscene-content-pil-netflix-amazon-prime-ullu-altt-x-facebook-11745823594972.html
Executive Summary:
A viral image circulating on social media claims it to be a natural optical illusion from Epirus, Greece. However, upon fact-checking, it was found that the image is an AI-generated artwork created by Iranian artist Hamidreza Edalatnia using the Stable Diffusion AI tool. CyberPeace Research Team found it through reverse image search and analysis with an AI content detection tool named HIVE Detection, which indicated a 100% likelihood of AI generation. The claim of the image being a natural phenomenon from Epirus, Greece, is false, as no evidence of such optical illusions in the region was found.
Claims:
The viral image circulating on social media depicts a natural optical illusion from Epirus, Greece. Users share on X (formerly known as Twitter), YouTube Video, and Facebook. It’s spreading very fast across Social Media.
Similar Posts:
Fact Check:
Upon receiving the Posts, the CyberPeace Research Team first checked for any Synthetic Media detection, and the Hive AI Detection tool found it to be 100% AI generated, which is proof that the Image is AI Generated. Then, we checked for the source of the image and did a reverse image search for it. We landed on similar Posts from where an Instagram account is linked, and the account of similar visuals was made by the creator named hamidreza.edalatnia. The account we landed posted a photo of similar types of visuals.
We searched for the viral image in his account, and it was confirmed that the viral image was created by this person.
The Photo was posted on 10th December, 2023 and he mentioned using AI Stable Diffusion the image was generated . Hence, the Claim made in the Viral image of the optical illusion from Epirus, Greece is Misleading.
Conclusion:
The image claiming to show a natural optical illusion in Epirus, Greece, is not genuine, and it's False. It is an artificial artwork created by Hamidreza Edalatnia, an artist from Iran, using the artificial intelligence tool Stable Diffusion. Hence the claim is false.
