ENGELS, RUSSIA – AUGUST 7: RUSSIA OUT A general view at the entrance to Engels-2. (or Zngyelse). … [+]
A Russian military base located hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border was the scene of an explosion in the morning hours of Monday. Engels-2, one of Russia’s largest airbases and home to the 21st & 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiments, has been used to launch many of the Kremlin’s air strikes against Ukraine. The base also has bombers belonging to Moscow’s nuclear trio.
Many videos of explosions were shared widely on social media. They are often captioned using speculation, rather than concrete facts.
Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin press secretary) responded to questions from the media, saying that he didn’t possess such information. While I saw the reports in media, I do not have any specific information. Sorry, I cannot comment. You should contact the defense ministry.
Baza on Russian Telegram, which frequently posts information regarding the government and military of Russia, confirmed the news about the explosions. According to reports on the social media platform, a drone was found on the base’s runway – which suggests that Ukraine may have carried out a raid on the military facility.
An unknown drone attacked an airport in Saratov. Baza said that two people sustained injuries. According to preliminary information, an unidentified aircraft struck the runway at the local airport on December 5. Due to this, 2 aircraft were destroyed. 2 people sustained injuries and were taken into the hospital.
Are Synchronized Attacks Possible?
An explosion took place at Dyagilevo, near Ryazan. It was a small city located less than 150 miles away from Moscow. The explosion was reported to have involved a fuel truck. It is thought that both acts were synchronized acts sabotage.
At this time, nothing has been confirmed.
It is notable, however, that news reports of explosions are common and there is some speculation that it may be the result of an attack from Ukraine. Even though Moscow may have imposed restrictions on media outlets, it highlights the fact that information is flowing freely in today’s social media age.
It is quite an improvement on how news was managed in Soviet times.
“Prior Gorbachev’s glasnost” (i.e. Alexander Hill, a professor of military history at Calgary University explained that the Soviet Union would have likely been sparing in information under such circumstances before mid-1986.
Social media has enabled anyone in Ukraine or Russia to offer nearly instantaneous reports in a way previously not possible – making it even harder for any regime to conceal that such explosions occurred.
Roger Entner, a technology analyst at Recon Analytics and a social media pundit said that smartphones have made social media recording easy. While dictatorships attempt to suppress and change the truth, it is still out there. The truth is faster when all of us are interconnected.
Let’s find out the Facts
The truth can travel around the globe in an instant. As quickly as misinformation spreads on social media, so can the truth.
“Please remember the bother that initial and inaccurate reports can cause – as the recent case of the probably Ukrainian air defense missile hitting Poland confirms,” added Hill, who specializes in Soviet military and political history.
Two people were killed by a Ukrainian missile last month when it crashed into Poland. Initial media reports did not reflect this. Even though news agencies did correct their reporting, social media rarely updates its coverage. This allows speculation to quickly become fact even when it’s wrong.
It is easy to share the news via social media in a hurry, but without verifying facts. There are many questions you should ask, such as if drones were used and their launch location.
For now, speculation – not actual facts – is what is making the rounds online.
“Russia will come out with more – but it is only reasonable that they find out exactly what might have happened first,” said Hill. “However, let’s face it – the Ukrainian side is hardly open with information either.”
Keep in mind that wars are won by the first casualty.
