A claim has been shared by a pak-based handle asserting that Russian Intelligence has arrested an Indian diplomat on the charges of espionage, alleging that the individual was covertly working on behalf of the CIA. The claim was also shared by various pak-based handles in November 2024.
An X handle with the name PSYWAR Bureau shared an image and wrote: “Russia Intelligence has arrested a diplomat on charges of espionage, alleging that the individual was covertly working on behalf of the CIA”
Not only this, but we found that the claim went viral in November 2024. Various Pak-based handles shared it on X at that time.
Fact-Check
To validate the authenticity of the viral claim, the DFRAC team searched some keywords on Google and found that no media reports had been published supporting the above claim recently. Additionally, no updates or tweets were available on the X handles of MEA India and MEA Russia.
Moreover, our team fact-checked this claim in November 2024 and discovered that there was no evidence available at that time too.
Contrary to this claim, media outlets like WION News and Firstpost reported that INS Tushil, the latest multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia, on Monday, Dec 9th, 2024. Interestingly, it has turned out to be a beneficial step towards strengthening the diplomatic ties between both nations.
Conclusion
DFRAC’s Fact-check clearly shows that the above viral claim is completely fake since no evidence is available supporting it. Indeed, News implying that INS Tushil has been commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia is dominating the headlines in the mainstream media which has turned out to be a beneficial step towards strengthening the diplomatic ties between India and Russia
Analysis: Fake