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BBC Verify Live: Video captures explosion at Ukraine tower block after reported Russian strike

December 8, 2025
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Originally posted by: BBC.com

Source: BBC.com

  • Smoke seen rising from claimed drone command centre in Cambodiapublished at 11:38 GMT

    Kayleen Devlin
    BBC Verify senior journalist

    A frame grabbed from the video that shows information around the screen and cross hairs targeting a white building in the middle. Smoke can be seen issuing from the building in the footageImage source, X

    We are examining footage circulating on social media following renewed violence on the Thailand–Cambodia border, which has prompted thousands of civilians to evacuate the area.

    One video appears to show a building, identified on Google maps as a casino, being hit in a Thai air strike.As the BBC reported earlier today, a spokesperson for the Thai army said the casino had been used as a “command centre for drones”.

    We’ve not found previous versions of the clip online, and the location seen in the video matches a site inside Cambodia close to the Thai border.

    We also ran screenshots through our deepfake-detection tool and found no strong indicators that the footage had been manipulated.

  • Explosion at Ukrainian apartment block seen in verified videopublished at 11:23 GMT

    Emma Pengelly
    BBC Verify journalist

    This screengrab from the verified video shows a large fireball erupting from close to the block of flatsImage source, Telegram/SUMY GO

    We’ve been looking at footage of a large explosion at a block of flats in north-eastern Ukraine’s Sumy region. Officials say the blast was caused by a Russian drone attack.

    In a verified video there is a loud blast and a fireball erupts at a high-rise block in the city of Okhtyrka in Sumy region. The clip first began circulating on Telegram at around 00:30 local time this morning (22:30 GMT).

    We’ve confirmed it was filmed near a main road leading into the city by matching street furniture and buildings in the video with street-level images on Google Earth. Daytime photos of the damaged building posted by the region’s emergency services also match this location.

    At least seven people were injured according to Sumy regional head Oleg Grigorov.

    Elsewhere Ukraine’s emergency services also reported damage and injuries from Russian drone attacks in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv and Kyiv. One person was killed in Dnipro, officials said.

    Damage to the tower block is seen in this image including black smoke marks and mangled balconiesImage source, Telegram / Emergency Service of Sumy region

    Image caption,

    The emergency services shared a daylight picture of extensive damage, including smoke marks and burned-out windows, at the tower block in Okhtyrka

  • Video showed smoke over Benin’s Cotonou after Sunday’s attempted couppublished at 11:08 GMT

    Kumar Malhotra
    BBC Verify senior journalist

    A screengrab from one video showing smoke rising over CotonouImage source, X/zarGEOINT

    We’ve been examining video and images from Benin after reports emerged of a failed military coup yesterday.

    Social media posts show military vehicles on the streets and smoke rising after apparent explosions in the west African nation’s largest city, Cotonou.

    We have verified one image showing smoke rising over the city to have been filmed near the Togbin military barracks in the city’s west.

    Benin’s President Patrice Talon announced on Sunday that the coup plot had been defeated, after rebel soldiers had appeared on state TV earlier in the day to say they were suspending the constitution.

  • Welcome to BBC Verify Livepublished at 10:44 GMT

    Rob Corp
    BBC Verify Live editor

    While diplomatic efforts to find a way to end the fighting in Ukraine continue – there’s full live coverage of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s talks in London here – attacks from both sides were reported overnight.

    We’ve verified footage of an explosion near an apartment block in Ukraine’s Sumy region – we’ll bring you more on that shortly.

    With the resumption of border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia our team has been adding to the BBC’s reporting by verifying new footage that emerges.

    We‘re continuing to check videos being posted online from the area including one clip claiming to show a Thai air strike on a reported command and control centre inside Cambodia.

    Housing Secretary Steve Reed has admitted the rate of building new homes in England will have to speed up if the government is to meet its manifesto pledge. We’ve been tracking Labour’s performance as it aims to get 1.5 million new homes built by 2029.

    And we’re monitoring what’s happening in Benin after an apparent coup attempt was thwarted yesterday. We’ve been looking at flight-tracking data which gives an idea of the forces seemingly mobilised to put down the attempt.

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