FACT CHECK: Does This Movie Show Ukrainians Destroying The Russian Vehicle?

A video shared on Facebook claims to show a Ukrainian anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) destroying a Russian vehicle.

Verdict: False

The video, taken in Syria, predates the Ukrainian conflict by several years.

Fact Check:

Ukraine claims Russia has lost 790 tanks and over 2,000 armored personnel carriers as of April 18, according to The Kyiv Independent. One weapon the Ukrainians have employed against Russian armor is the Stugna-P, a Ukrainian-developed ATGM, Business Insider reported.

A video shared on Facebook claims to show such a weapon in use. It shows a missile that appears to be remotely guided hitting and destroying an armored vehicle. “Ukrainian ATGM operators are almost supernaturally good,” the post’s caption claims. The video was also viewed over 300,000 times on Twitter. (RELATED: Does This Video Show A Russian Fighter Jet Being Shot Down In Ukraine?)

The video predates the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. A reverse image search revealed a longer version of the video was posted to YouTube in May 2017 by user Mark Iraq titled “FSA blowing up Assad BMP with TOW in Northern Hama.” The FSA is a reference to the Free Syrian Army, a Syrian opposition group made up of different factions, according to DW.

The Facebook video edits out the weapon’s set up and the FSA fighters yelling out, “Allah Akbar” after the vehicle is destroyed. The Arabic watermark visible in the original footage was also edited out.

This is not the first time combat footage from the Middle East has been misattributed to the conflict in Ukraine. Check Your Fact recently debunked a video that claimed to show combat between Russian and Ukrainian forces but actually showed U.S. Marines fighting in Afghanistan.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases