FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Ukraine Shooting Down 4 Russian Helicopters?
A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows Ukrainian land forces shooting down four Russian helicopters.
Verdict: False
The footage comes from an open-world military simulator and is not related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Fact Check:
Since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict in February 2022, Russia has reportedly lost 35 helicopters and 17 aircraft, according to Radio Free Europe. The Ukrainian military estimates this number to be higher, claiming Russian forces have lost 121 aircraft and 127 helicopters, Interfax Ukraine reported.
The 30-second Facebook video shows helicopters being fired upon as they fly over an unknown location, though the caption claims it is just outside of the Ukrainian city of Kherson. One helicopter is struck by a missile at the end of the video.
“In the Kherson direction this morning calculations of air defense of the Land Forces of Ukraine skillfully liquidated four K-52 helicopters…” reads part of the text accompanying the Facebook video. (RELATED: Does This Video Show A Russian KA-52 Helicopter Being Shot Down?)
The video is not real footage of the conflict. A reverse image search revealed that the clip actually shows gameplay from ARMA 3, a military-style video game published by Bohemia Interactive. The video was posted March 21 on YouTube by user Norov titled “Attack Helicopters shot down by Anti-Air Systems – Arma 3 Military Simulation.”
[embedded content]The Facebook video’s quality has been downgraded and lacks the Disclaimer that the footage is from ARMA 3. The YouTube video states in its title and description that the video is a military simulation from a video game and does not imply it is real footage.
This is not the first time footage of ARMA 3 has been passed off as genuine footage of the war in Ukraine. Check Your Fact has debunked several videos claiming to show Russian helicopters and other military equipment being destroyed by Ukrainian anti-air fire.
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