FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A Russian Desert Base Being Destroyed?

Elias AtienzaMay 30, 2022

A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows a Russian desert base being destroyed by a strike from a Bayraktar TB2 drone.

Verdict: False

The video footage is from a military-style video game. It is not genuine footage from any ongoing conflict.

Fact Check:

The Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude attack drone, according to the manufacturer’s website. The drone has been used to great effect by the Ukrainian military in its war against Russia and has been dubbed “the most celebrated drone of the age” by Forbes.

A Facebook video, viewed more than 55,000 times, allegedly shows footage from a Bayraktar TB2 drone attacking a Russian base in the desert. The nearly six-minute video shows the drone destroying several targets within the base. “Russian Desert Base and Infrastructure hit by Bayraktar TB2 Drone,” the post’s caption states, though it does not state the location of the alleged strike. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Russian Helicopters Being Struck By Anti-Air Missiles?)

The footage is not genuine. A reverse image search found the footage stems from ARMA 3, a military-style video game simulator created by Bohemia Interactive. The video first appeared on YouTube May 15 where it was shared by user MiLSiM with the same title featured in the Facebook post.

[embedded content]The YouTube video’s description and title, however, include a Disclaimer identifying the footage as being from the video game. “This is not a real video, these are footage from the game!” reads part of the description. The words ” MILSIM ARMA 3″ are featured in the video’s title. Other videos on the user’s channel likewise include such Disclaimers.

ARMA 3 clips have been misidentified as genuine war footage since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict. Check Your Fact recently debunked an ARMA 3 video that some social media users shared alleging it was real war footage of Russian helicopters being shot down by anti-air missiles.