Claim: A massive explosion in the video shows Russia attacking Ukraine.
Fact: Footage shows a volcanic eruption that occurred at Mount Etna in Italy earlier this month.
A Facebook user shared a video depicting a massive explosion, and the caption accompanying the footage claims it shows Russia attacking Ukraine: “According to reports, Russia has fired a nuclear-type ballistic missile at Ukraine. May God have mercy.”
Russia and Ukraine’s drone attacks
On 10 June, Russia launched its largest air attacks on Kyiv, killing three people. The strikes hit residential buildings and a maternity ward in the southern city of Odessa. The overnight attack involved 315 drones, out of which 277 were intercepted and downed, according to Ukraine’s air force.
The airstrikes were in response to Ukraine’s operation “Spider’s Web,” which took 18 months to plan and included 117 drones that targeted “at least 40 Russian warplanes at four military bases,” on 1 June.
Russia launched an estimated 1,451 and 78 missiles on Ukraine in early June 2025, according to Reuters.
Posts alleging that the video in the claim shows Russia attacking Ukraine likely began circulating after this attack.
Fact or Fiction?
Reverse-searching keyframes from the video reveals it is not related to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Several social media posts linked the footage to a volcanic eruption at Mount Etna, an active volcano in Italy, which occurred in early June 2025. One Instagram account, “projectnews964,” posted the same video (archive), which matches the footage in the claim. The description of this video [translated into English via Google Translate] stated: “While tourists were in its vicinity, Mount Etna erupted again, spewing a thick cloud of ash over the Italian island of Sicily. Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe. Currently, it poses no immediate danger to people or property, making it a tourist destination that receives thousands of visitors from all over the world, accompanied by specialised guides.” This suggested that the video is not linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Then, a keyword search led to a longer video (archive) by Sky News on YouTube from 2 June, titled “Tourists flee from smoke and ash as Sicily’s Mount Etna erupts” Until timestamp 0:09, the visuals from this report match the footage in the claim, confirming that it depicts a volcanic eruption at Mount Etna.
A red alert issued for aviation authorities said the smoke cloud from the volcanic eruption had a height of approximately 6.5 km, according to The Guardian. The authorities reportedly stated that the eruption posed no danger to the population.
“Mount Etna is the highest Mediterranean island mountain and the most active stratovolcano in the world. The eruptive history of the volcano can be traced back 500,000 years and at least 2,700 years of this activity has been documented,” according to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Virality
The Facebook post received 10,300 likes.
It appeared on Facebook here and here.
Conclusion: The video does not show Russia attacking Ukraine with a nuclear-type ballistic missile, but a volcanic eruption that occurred at Mount Etna in Italy earlier this month.
Background image in cover photo: Reuters
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