Fact check: Russian Su-34 aircraft shot down in Kyiv by “Ghost of Kyiv” is false says USA Today

The image shows a U.S. B-17 aircraft that crash-landed at an airfield in Papua New Guinea

The claim: An image shows a Russian Su-34 aircraft shot down in Kyiv
A rumor that a mysterious Ukrainian fighter pilot dubbed the “Ghost of Kyiv,” shot down six Russian jets has circulated widely on social media. The story is unverified, but some social media users claim an image shows one of the jets.

A Facebook post shared March 6 shows a black-and-white photo of an aircraft in the middle of a forested area.

“Su-34 shot down by Ukrainian Fighter Ace over Kiev,” reads the caption of the post. “pUtIn iS sCaReD.”

The post generated over 3,000 interactions in less than a week. But the claim is false, as independent fact-checking organizations have reported.

The image shows a U.S. aircraft that crashed at an airfield in Papua New Guinea. It was taken in 1944.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.

Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that an image shows a Russian Su-34 aircraft shot down in Kyiv. The image shows a U.S. B-17 aircraft that crash-landed at an airfield in Papua New Guinea. It was taken in 1944 by the U.S. Army Air Force.

source yahoo.com