Op Sindoor: Image Shows Pak’s Attack on India’s S-400? No, Claim Is False!

This image shows Ukraine's attack on Russia's S-400 air defence system from 2024.

Fact-Check: This image is old from 2024 and shows Ukraine's attack on Russia's systems. 

(Source: The Quint) 

Following India's Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, the latter responded with Operation Bunyan al-Marsus, claiming it had targeted several Indian military sites, including airbases and S-400 air defence systems.

The claim: A photo has gone viral which claims to show Pakistan's destruction of India’s S-400 system.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false. The picture shows Russia's S-400 missile defence system that was destroyed by Ukraine in 2024.

What we found: After performing a Google and Yandex reverse image search, we located the image in a video released by Warthog Defence on 24 May 2024.

• Warthog Defence is a verified YouTube channel based in the United States of America that specialises in military news, insights, and narrative content.

• The channel reported that Ukraine utilised US-provided ATACMS missiles to eliminate a Russian S-300/S-400 air defence system in Donetsk in 2024.

• We additionally found the image shared featured in reports by the Ukrainian media organisation LB.ua and Militarnyi from May 2024.

• These reports noted that the photo depicted the damaged Russian 96L6E radar, which is a component of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system, after a Ukrainian attack on 22 May 2024 in Donetsk.

• The precision strike allegedly eliminated two S-300/400 launchers, harmed one launcher, and resulted in the destruction of both the 96L6E radar and the system's command post.

Did Pakistan destroy's India's S-400?: The Hindustan Times and India Today reported on 13 May about Prime Minister Modi's visit to the Adampur air base which showed the S-400 system.

• This trip was a definitive counter to Pakistan's assertions that it attacked the base and eliminated an S-400 air defence system.

• Similarly, Press Information Bureau (PIB)'s fact-check unit also debunked this claim stating that the assertion was 'fake' and any reports of destruction or any damage to an S-400 system are baseless.

Conclusion: An old and unrelated image has gone viral to falsely claim that it shows Pakistan's attack on India's S-400 air defence system.

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