On May 14, 2025, India blocked access to the X social media accounts of Turkish public broadcaster TRT World and Chinese state-run Global Times in its territory. The reason was allegedly the publications of these media outlets about the losses of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the recent escalation of the conflict with Pakistan, including reports of five aircraft shot down, including three French Rafale, one MiG-29 and one Su-30MKI. The decision of the Indian authorities is seen as an attempt to limit the dissemination of information that undermines the image of the army amid the escalation in Kashmir.

The conflict between India and Pakistan escalated after a suicide bombing in Pahalgam, in the Indian part of Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, in which militants killed 26 tourists. India blamed Pakistani militants for the attack and on May 6 launched missile strikes on nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan as part of Operation Sindoor. Pakistan responded with mortar attacks that killed three civilians, according to India. The climactic battle took place on the night of May 7-8, which CNN called “one of the largest in modern history.” The battle involved 125 fighter jets that never left their own airspace. Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian aircraft, while India confirmed the loss of only two.

TRT World and Global Times have been actively covering the conflict, publishing stories about Pakistani air force victories. Global Times, citing Pakistani sources, claimed that Chengdu J-10C fighters armed with PL-15E missiles shot down three Rafales in the Bhatinda, Akhnoor and Awantipura districts. TRT Global reported the first combat use of the PL-15, emphasizing its superiority over the Meteor missiles used by Indian Rafales. These stories provoked a sharp reaction from New Delhi, which, according to Reuters, denied the losses, accusing the media of “propaganda.”