Locating the Venezuelan-affiliated Vessel Reportedly Pursued by American Maritime Authorities
Kumar Malhotra
Image source
The distinctive yellow-fronted residential building visible behind assisted us locate the footage.
We are verifying video footage and photographs circulated earlier today that purport to show the aftermath of a alleged car bomb blast that Russian officials state killed a high-ranking soldier in Moscow.
Russian authorities stated that Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov was inside the car that detonated and that he later died to his injuries. An investigation is currently ongoing.
The initial step to verify the site of where the images originated was based on social media reports indicating the blast happened on Yasenevaya Street in the southern part of the Russian capital.
We used panoramic mapping services on digital map platforms and the Russian search engine Yandex Maps to corroborate the unique yellow hue of a nearby apartment building seen in the footage.
Locating additional buildings, streetlights and the road configuration confirmed where the pictures were captured.
We also checked that the video clips were new and that the images had not been digital alteration.
