Following a Venezuela-linked Oil Tanker Reportedly Pursued by the US Coast Guard
Kumar Malhotra
Image source
A uniquely yellow-colored apartment block visible behind assisted us locate the footage.
We are analyzing video footage and photographs shared this morning that show the scene of a reported car bomb blast that authorities in Russia say killed a senior soldier in Moscow.
Russian authorities confirmed that Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was inside the vehicle that exploded and that he later died to his wounds. An investigation is currently ongoing.
The initial step to check the site of where the pictures were from was based on social media reports saying the explosion happened on Yasenevaya Ulitsa in the southern part of the Russian capital.
We used panoramic mapping services on digital map platforms and the local mapping service Yandex to match the unique yellow colour of a adjacent residential complex seen in the footage.
Locating other structures, lamp-posts and the street layout verified the exact location the pictures were captured.
We also checked that the videos were recent and that the visuals had not undergone digital alteration.
