Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the provision of Western military and financial aid to the country has faced repeated scrutiny. Amidst this, a video showing water being sprayed from a pipe, creating a mist-like spray that pedestrians delight in, using it to cool themselves off is widely shared on social media. Sharing this video, many users claim that these water sprinklers were installed in Kyiv amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
The video is shared on Facebook with a caption: “Kyiv has a fancy new mister system throughout the city! How is Ukraine in the middle of a war nicer than the United States?”
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be MISLEADING.
Conducting a reverse search of keyframes from the viral video, we found an Instagram image dated August 12, 2019. The image showcased similar water sprinklers set up along a footpath. While the post lacked specific information about the picture, it identified the location as Khreshchatyk, primary street of Kyiv, Ukraine
Searching further, the NM team traced a website displaying an image of the identical cooling system, dated September 25, 2019, with a caption: “New structures emerged on Khreshchatyk Street, dispersing water to both refresh pedestrians and hydrate flowers concurrently. Summer time.” There are many news articles from 2019 and 2020 carrying visuals of Kyiv’s water sprinklers.
in July 2021, several months prior to the Russian invasion, a vlog video had highlighted these sprinklers for their role in maintaining a comfortable environment for pedestrians on the footpath during the scorching summer heat.
Another Russian news report, dated August 2017, features an image of a water dispenser cooling frame in a park in Kyiv. Remarkably, these misters or sprinklers seem to remain operational even in the aftermath of the invasion. Further evidence supporting their continued use is evident in photos captured on June 21 of this year, available on the Getty Images stock photo website.
Thus, it is confirmed that water sprinklers or misters have been installed in Kyiv since 2017, NOT amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
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