Did PM Modi Avoid a Question About Aircraft Losses During Operation Sindoor? No!

The question journalist Helle Lyng asked PM Modi in Norway had nothing to do with the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict.

Fact-Check | The question journalist Helle Lyng asked PM Modi in Oslo had nothing to do with alleged aircraft losses faced by India during the conflict with Pakistan last year.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

A video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Norway is being shared with the claim that it shows him avoiding a question about alleged aircraft losses faced by India during the conflict with Pakistan in May 2025.

What did the post say?: The post by Pakistan-based news outlet Pakistan Economic Network was shared on X (formerly Twitter) on 19 May with the caption, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not respond to a question from a foreign journalist regarding reported aircraft losses during the recent India–Pakistan tensions. The question was raised by Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng, who later shared a video of the moment on social media."

A post on X claiming that PM Modi avoided answering a question about aircraft losses during the India-Pakistan conflict in May last year. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

You can view other archives of similar claims shared by X accounts here, here, and here.

What are the facts?: The claim is misleading.

• The video is recent and was taken during PM Modi's joint press appearance alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on 18 May in Oslo.

• But the question asked by journalist Helle Lyng was not about alleged aircraft losses faced by India.

How did we find out the truth?: We searched for Lyng's social media handles and found the original video of the incident shared by her on X on 18 May. In it, she can be heard asking PM Modi, "Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?"

• The video was shared with the caption, "Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, would not take my question; I was not expecting him to. Norway has the number one spot on the World Press Freedom Index, India is at 157th, competing with Palestine, the Emirates and Cuba. It is our job to question the powers we cooperate with."

• Neither in the original video nor in the caption does Lyng mention anything related to alleged aircraft losses faced by India during Operation Sindoor.

• The video was shared by several other news outlets, including CNN and Al Jazeera, but none of those videos or the captions alongside them mention anything related to alleged aircraft losses during the May 2025 conflict.

• A review of the entire press appearance posted on the official portal of the Government of Norway also did not feature any question related to alleged downed Indian jets.

Screenshot of the press appearance uploaded on the official portal of the Norwegian government. 

(Source: regjeringen.no)

• A simple Google search with keywords such as "Norway journalist Helle Lyng questions PM Modi aircraft losses Pakistan conflict" did not display any result pointing towards a question on aircraft losses.

Conclusion: The question journalist Helle Lyng asked PM Modi in Oslo had nothing to do with alleged aircraft losses faced by India during the conflict with Pakistan last year.

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