Image shows Russian military in Syria, not Niger

An image circulating on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) claims to show the Russian army taking a base the US built and paid for in Niger, while US soldiers look on. But the picture was actually taken in Syria in 2020.

Using reverse image search, Full Fact was able to trace the image back to this one on the Getty Images website, which has the caption: “US soldiers stand along a road across from Russian military armoured personnel carriers (APCs), near the village of Tannuriyah in the countryside east of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on May 2, 2020.” 

The photo was used in several news reports that year. Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, both Russian and American forces have intervened in the region, with the Russians backing Syrian government forces, while the Americans support local Kurdish fighters. Incidents between US and Russian forces in north east Syria escalated in 2020.

Have Russian troops taken a US base in Niger?

Russian troops were reportedly deployed to an airbase in Niger, where American soldiers are located, in May 2024. A senior US defence official told the Reuters news agency on the condition of anonymity that Russian forces were present at the base in the west African country’s capital Niamey, but were not mingling with American troops, in a situation that was “n​​ot great but in the short-term manageable”. 

It comes after the US agreed to withdraw its just over 1,000 troops who had been countering regional jihadist activity, and to close down its drone base near Agadez, in the Sahara desert. 

The US $100 million (£80 million) military base was built six years ago, and has played a key role in the US and French strategy to combat jihadists in West Africa. Following a coup last year, Niger’s relations with the US and France have deteriorated, and the military leaders have sought closer security ties with Russia. 

We often see miscaptioned images and videos that don’t show what they claim to. For tips on how to verify content before you share it, read our guide.

Image courtesy of Plato Terentev