The claim

The press photos of Annalena Baerbock of the car wreck, which was supposed to have been hit by a landmine, were faked because the car doors were installed incorrectly and the car tires including rims and springs were missing.

Our conclusion

The HALO Trust organization, which is investigating this mining accident, confirms that this is the car that exploded on site in March. However, the car was moved on site several times after the explosion and car parts were also taken from locals.

Is Annalena Baerbock actually standing in front of the car that got caught in a landmine in Ukraine in March and exploded?

On her second trip to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited the HALO Trust demining project near Kiev, which is partly supported financially by Germany.

HALO Trust is an organization that deals with the clearance of landmines and other explosives such as IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). Its goal is to protect human lives and restore livelihoods in war zones, both during and after the war. ( Source )

The ARD capital studio describes Baerbock's visit as follows:

“The German Foreign Minister stands somewhat stunned next to a completely destroyed car wreck. As she explains, a vehicle that hit a mine on a dirt road not far from the capital Kiev in March - shortly after the start of the war - the two occupants were killed. Even four or five meters high, in the branches of the tree above, there are still pieces of rubble to be discovered.”

Source: Tagesschau

The claim

The published images and videos were analyzed in more detail on social networks, with the theory being put forward that the vehicle shown not hit by a mine. Rather, it was said to have been set up - like a stage - for Baerbock's visit. This thesis is supported by the following apparent evidence:

  • The doors of the car were swapped.
  • There would be no visible explosion crater on the ground.
  • There are no visible burn marks in the paint.
  • The nature around the wreck would have grown back remarkably quickly.
  • Despite the demarcation of the minefield as a visible danger zone, many civilians are standing very close to this dangerous place.
  • The left front wheel is missing the spring, damper, suspension, rims and drive axle. It looked as if these vehicle parts had been dismantled.
  • Cars hit by landmines would look different.
Annalena Baerbock next to a car wreck in Ukraine / Photo: Michael Fischer/dpa (marking arrows were added later)
Annalena Baerbock next to vehicle wreckage in Ukraine / Photo: Michael Fischer/dpa (marking arrows were subsequently added by a user)

Reversed car doors?

We at Mimikama took a closer look at the pictures and found that the doors of the car (see picture) were NOT swapped.

Screenshots: Comparison of interior view of car doors / recesses (doors / cars)
Screenshots: Comparison of interior view of car doors / recesses

On the right of the picture you can see two car doors without panels from the inside. The edges of the cutouts go outwards in both photos. In the press photo (left) this edge goes inwards as the picture shows the outside of the door. So this proves that the doors were not installed backwards.

The removed tires

Our research team was also surprised that the front wheel, including the spring, damper, suspension, rims and drive axle, was missing. That's why we asked HALO Trust directly and received the following answer:

The HALO Trust team firmly rejects the claims that Baerbock's images were staged to attract media attention. The images and video were taken directly on site on the forest path near Velyka Dymerka, Ukraine, where the explosion occurred on March 12, 2022. It was only a few weeks after this explosion that the HALO exploration team was called to the scene of the accident.

Pictures were taken in May and early June as well as in July 2022

These pictures were taken there in May and early June 2022 (see pictures 1-4 below), in which the wheels on the wreck were still there and in which the explosion crater can also be clearly seen. Images were again taken by HALO Trust on July 20 and 21, 2022 and these show that the car's wheels were removed at this time. (Image 5 and Image 6)

The HALO Trust team says locals repeatedly moved the wreckage and also removed parts before, during and after the team's investigation. The fact that the doors were not installed upside down is also confirmed in their email. However, it may be that doors and/or the roof had to be cut open during the rescue attempt, however this information is not clear as HALO Trust was not on site at the time. However, the visible damage to the rear is consistent with the crater and, according to HALO, is typical of mine damage to cars.

The fact that the wreckage was no longer in the crater was because the car was thrown several meters through the air in a landmine explosion and was later moved by locals.

The plants around the car wreck

The fact that there are plenty of plants around the vehicle wreckage can be explained by the fact that the explosion took place in March 2022 and the press photos and press videos were only taken now. There are months between the explosion and the images that have now been taken. Nature had plenty of time to develop again.

Conclusion

Annalena Baerbock was directly on site on the forest path near Velyka Dymerka/Ukraine, where the explosion occurred on March 12, 2022. The car was not a dummy, but the exact car that was hit by the mine. However, from the day of the accident to date, the car has been moved on site several times and locals have removed usable vehicle parts.

Baerbock: Further help with mine clearance for Ukraine

Author: Elke Haberl, mimikama

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )