The Press Information Bureau has fact-checked several false claims made by Pakistani handles sharing an image of a fallen aerial vehicle and claiming that Pakistan has shot down an Indian drone.
Did this Indian drone really get intercepted in Pakistan❓
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 8, 2025
Pakistan-based handles are sharing an old image claiming that the Pakistan Army has intercepted a UAV drone that fell in Gujranwala, Pakistan.#PIBFactCheck
✅ The image being circulated is from the Ukraine-Russia… pic.twitter.com/XdY1D9ZmuQ
Pakistan handles has been sharing an image of a fallen UAV, and a video claiming that Pakistani forces have intercepted an Indian drone in Gujranwala, Pakistan. Several of these handles seem to be handles supporting various political leaders and have been relentlessly sharing propaganda images and videos.
However, as PIB pointed out, the image is from 2022, from a news report about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The image of the fallen drone was not even directly related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but a representational image. The actual drone was shot in Sana’a, Yemen. The Newsweek article only used it for representational purposes, to show how shot down drones look like. It was taken from Getty Images.
It is notable here that Pakistan has activated propaganda handles making relentless false claims, after Indian missiles hit deep inside Pakistan, targeting terrorist infrastructure. In an embarrassing display, when Pakistan’s Defence Minister was asked by a CNN anchor if he has any evidence to support his claim of downing five Indian aircraft in retaliation, he answered, “There are social media posts.”
