FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A Russian Boat Blown Up By An Anti-Tank Missile?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows a Russian boat being hit by an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).

Verdict: False

The video shows footage from an open-world military simulator video game. It does not depict actual footage of a Russian boat being sunk.

Fact Check:

Ukraine has received billions of dollars of military aid from multiple countries, uncling nearly $9 billion as of Aug. 3 from the U.S., according to BBC News. Some of the aid included artillery for soldiers, which also featured single-shot NLAW anti-tank weapons and Javelin missiles, Forbes reported.

The Facebook video, viewed more than 259,000 times, shows a Russian inflatable boat being shot at by ATGMs. “Russian patrol boat full of soldiers BLOWN UP by American ATGM,” the post’s caption reads.

However, the footage actually shows gameplay from ARMA 3, a military-style video game published by Bohemia Interactive. A reverse image search reveals the video first appeared on YouTube July 7 with the title, “Russian patrol boat full of soldiers BLOWN UP by American ATGM – SIMULATING | arma 3; Milsim.” The video’s title identifies the footage from the game, while the Facebook post lacks such a disclaimer.


The user, Milsim Studio, has also posted other ARMA 3 videos based on the conflict in Ukraine. The channel’s videos have previously been used by social media users falsely claiming to show the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Ukrainian Forces Destroying Eight Russian Tanks?)

This is not the first time clips from the video game have been misidentified as real war footage. Check Your Fact previously debunked a video in August claiming to show Russian ships being sunk by a Ukrainian drone.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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