FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Ukrainian Artillery Destroying Russian Battleships?
A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows three Russian battleships under attack by Ukrainian artillery.
Verdict: False
The video is not genuine footage of Russian battleships under artillery attack. The footage is from ARMA 3, a military-style video game.
Fact Check:
The Ukrainian military claims to have destroyed 15 Russian ships since the Russian invasion began in February, according to Ukrainska Pravda. Russia lost the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, the guided missile cruiser Moskva, to Ukrainian anti-ship missiles in April, NBC News reported.
The Facebook video, viewed more than 12,000 times, shows artillery pummeling Russian ships. The Facebook video is captioned, “Ukraine Artillery Units Destroyed 4 Russian Heavy Battleships.” (RELATED: Does This Video Show A Ukrainian Person Smoking A Cigarette In Body Bag?)
The video does not show genuine footage of Russian battleships being sunk. The footage actually shows gameplay from ARMA 3, a simulation-based video game published by Bohemia Interactive. The video first appeared on YouTube June 29 with the title, “Ukraine Artillery Units Destroyed 3 Russian Heavy Battleships | Milsim ArmA 3 S9.”
The video description partially reads, “This video is a simulation created by ARMA3.” The Facebook post does not feature such a disclaimer for the video. The user, RTS Battle Zone, has also posted other ARMA 3 videos based on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.