Tracking a Venezuela-linked Tanker Reportedly Pursued by American Maritime Authorities

Emma Pengelly

Source

A uniquely yellow-fronted apartment block in the background assisted us verify the video.

We are checking video footage and photographs posted this morning that purport to show the aftermath of a reported car bomb explosion that authorities in Russia state killed a high-ranking military officer in Moscow.

Officials in Russia stated that Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was in the car that exploded and that he later died to his wounds. A probe is currently ongoing.

Our starting point to verify the site from which the images originated relied on social media reports indicating the blast occurred on Yasenevaya Ulitsa in the southern district of the Russian capital.

We used panoramic mapping services on Google Maps and the local mapping service Yandex Maps to match the unique yellow colour of a nearby residential complex seen in the footage.

Identifying additional buildings, lamp-posts and the street layout confirmed the exact location the footage were taken.

We also checked that the video clips were recent and that the images had not been digital alteration.

Scott Best
Scott Best

A geospatial analyst with over a decade of experience in terrain modeling and environmental data visualization.