Image of caskets inside plane was released by Pentagon in 2005
The photograph pre-dates the 2022 full-scale war in Ukraine
(Reuters) - Contrary to some social media captions, a photograph of caskets inside a plane with American flags draped over them is unconnected to the war in Ukraine and was released by the Pentagon in 2005.
One user shared the image on Facebook with a caption that reads: “Patriot missile battery operators being sent home from Kiev” (here).
An online search reveals that the photograph is viewable via the photograph platform Getty Images.
Per the description, the image was released by the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Security Archive on April 28, 2005, and shows caskets that held the remains of crew members whose helicopter crashed on a training mission in Kuwait (here).
The photograph featured in 2005 news reports (here), (here).
VERDICT
Miscaptioned. The photograph pre-dates the 2022 full-scale war in Ukraine. Per Getty Images, the photograph was released by the Pentagon in April 2005 and shows caskets that held the remains of crew members that died in a helicopter crash in Kuwait.
