Comparable Facebook posts incorrectly connected to video to Putin’s inauguration, while posts from 2023 declared it revealed the Thai royal anthem sung at a Moscow church.
Some Facebook users appeared to think the video revealed the choir honouring Putin.
“Putin has actually executed His Majesty King Bhumibol’s viewpoint to establish his nation and it has actually established beyond expectations!” one remark read.
“My heart thinks about the Russian individuals as family members. I like you Putin,” another composed.
Old Phuket video
A reverse image search on Google discovered the video in a short article from 2016 which stated it revealed an event at a church in the Thai province of Phuket — not Moscow.
Thai paper Khaosod released the video in a report from November 2016 about the Holy Trinity Church in Phuket commemorating Thai King Bhumibol (archived link).
Bhumibol passed away the previous month following a seven-decade reign and was revered by Thais as a sign of unity in a politically disorderly nation.
He stays extensively loved in Thailand and was revered as the nation’s ethical authority.
AFP verified the video was shot at the Holy Trinity Church in Phuket by comparing the video to Google Maps images from inside the church.
Below is a screenshot contrast in between the YouTube video (left) and Google Maps images from inside the Holy Trinity Church in Phuket (right), with resemblances highlighted by AFP:
On the other hand, keyword searches discovered a YouTube video that determined a priest seen in the video as Dad Oleg Cherepanin (archived link).
A Google look for the priest discovered his profile on the Russian Orthodox Church’s site, which states he is dean of the Patriarchal Parishes in Thailand (archived link).
Different report here and here call him as parish priest of the Holy Trinity Church in Phuket (archived links here and here).
A representative for the Orthodox Christian Church Structure in Thailand verified to AFP that the video reveals an event in memory of the late Thai king at the church on November 4, 2016.
AFP formerly fact-checked false information about Russia-Thailand relations here.
