Footage of Russian attack on Kyiv shared with false claims it shows Iranian drone strike on Bahrain

Footage of a drone strike on a building has been shared on social media with false claims it shows a recent Iranian attack on Bahrain. But it actually predates the recent conflict in the Middle East and shows a Russian attack on Ukraine.

In the video, a drone can be seen moving through the night sky before hitting a high rise building, causing an explosion. It’s been shared with captions claiming that Iran hit a building housing US officers in Bahrain.

Although it’s true that one person was killed and several injured in an Iranian attack on a residential building in Bahrain, the clip being shared on social media wasn’t filmed in Bahrain—it actually shows scenes in Kyiv. The footage was shared on YouTube on 9 January with the caption: “We are publishing footage of a Russian drone striking a residential building”.

The building was one of several locations struck by a Russian missile during an overnight attack on 8-9 January 2026, in which four people died and at least 25 were wounded. The same building can be seen in reporting of the attack by the BBC, Reuters and AP.

One version of the claim also includes another clip, which does appear to be genuine footage of the aftermath of the strikes in Bahrain. It matches verified footage of buildings damaged by the attack on a residential building in the Seef neighbourhood.

Miscaptioned footage is common on social media, especially during breaking news events. It’s important to consider whether what you are seeing comes from a trustworthy and verifiable source before sharing.

You can find more of our work debunking misinformation circulating on social media since the outbreak of the current conflict in the Middle East here.