This moving video is currently circulating on social media.
The clip is said to show a Ukrainian soldier saying goodbye to his family in tears.
But the clip is taken out of context – instead of a farewell, the video shows a reunion.
The video does not come from Ukraine and is not created in the current war context.
The clip went viral as early as 2018 – and does not show a farewell, but a soldier who sees his newborn son for the first time following a six-month deployment abroad.
According to numerous uploaders, the clip was created in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Another indication that the video does not come from Ukraine: the man’s uniform reads “US Marines” – the name of a branch of the US Army.
The case makes it clear that in the context of the Ukraine war not only videos of combat operations are manipulated and taken out of context – but also clips that go to the heart.
In connection with the war in Ukraine, countless fake videos are circulating on social networks.
How do we check videos for manipulation in the editorial office? It is important to look at the details. The individual frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We take a close look at each image and enlarge individual sections. Indications of a fake are, for example: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or editing errors. The general rule at stern is: Seriousness before speed. We always double check facts and material thoroughly before publishing them. For this we work with the cross-editorial “Team Verification” together with RTL, NTV, RTL2, Radio NRW.