FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Two Russian Helicopters Being Shot Down In Kyiv?

A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows two Russian helicopters being shot down over the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Verdict: False

The footage comes from an open-world military simulator. The footage has nothing to do with the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Fact Check:

The Ukrainian military claims to have destroyed 97 Russian aircraft, 121 helicopters and 24 aerial drones as of March 21, according to The Wall Street Journal. The country’s air defense forces, most of it left over from the Soviet collapse, have proven to be effective in the conflict, the outlet reported.

The 10-minute Facebook video shows multiple helicopters firing on an unidentified city as ground troops and anti-aircraft artillery attempt to down them. “Two helicopters of the Russian Military were shot down near Kiev,” the caption reads. (RELATED: Does This Video Show A Russian Fighter Jet Being Shot Down In Ukraine?)

A reverse image search found that the footage actually depicts gameplay from ARMA 3, a military-style video game published by Bohemia Interactive. The video was posted March 4 on YouTube with the title “Two helicopters of the Russian Military were shot down near Kiev | ARMA 3: Military Simulator.”

The Facebook video and the YouTube video share the same title, though the Facebook post removed the words “ARMA 3: Military Simulator.” The YouTube channel that originally posted the video, called “Milsim Studio,” has published several videos depicting combat in ARMA 3, including simulations of Russian jets and tanks being destroyed by anti-artillery fire.

Several videos of gameplay footage from ARMA 3 have been misattributed to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Check Your Fact recently debunked a video that claimed to show a Russian KA-52 “Alligator” helicopter being destroyed.

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