FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Recent Fighting In Ukraine?
A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows recent fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Verdict: Misleading
While the footage appears to have been filmed in Ukraine, it predates the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Fact Check:
The Facebook video shows a compilation of clips appearing to show combat in Ukraine. One clip shows a soldier firing an assault rifle from behind a covered position, while another clip appears to show an armored vehicle being hit with an explosive device. “Ukraine vs russia live BBC news,” the caption reads, seemingly attributing the footage to British news outlet BBC.
The videos predate the current conflict in Ukraine. A reverse image search found that all of the footage was shared between 2020 and 2021 by Alex Kopeykin, a Ukrainian videographer. The videos can be found on Kopeykin’s Pixabay page. (RELATED: Does This Footage Show Destruction In Ukraine?)
The first 17 seconds of the video is from a January 2021 clip uploaded by Kopeykin to Pixabay. The footage showing an armored personnel carrier with soldiers riding on top is from another January 2021 clip, while the video of armored vehicles moving along a dirt road was uploaded in September 2020. Several of Kopeykin’s videos include the tag “Ukraine,” suggesting the videos were filmed in the country.
The clip showing a man firing a rocket-propelled grenade was uploaded to the page Jan. 8, 2021. Another video showing a man, who is wearing a full-face covering, firing a rifle was also uploaded on the same day. All of the videos are attributed to Kopeykin with no mention of BBC News. None of the aforenoted videos appear on the news outlet’s social media pages or website.
“This video was filmed in 2018 and does not refer to the real events in any way,” said Kopeykin in an email to Check Your Fact. “Filmed at the training ground during training. It can be downloaded for free and without a license.”
Several videos and images have been misattributed to the current conflict in Ukraine. Check Your Fact recently debunked an image claiming to show Kyiv in the aftermath of a Russian bombing campaign.
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