FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show ‘Hundreds’ Of Russian Military Vehicles Being Destroyed?
A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows hundreds of Russian military vehicles being destroyed in a matter of minutes.
Verdict: False
The footage is from a military-based simulation game. Ukraine has not claimed to have destroyed hundreds of vehicles on Nov. 5.
Fact Check:
Ukraine has claimed to have destroyed thousands of Russian vehicles and killed tens of thousands of Russian troops between Feb. 24 and Nov. 7, according to The Kyiv Independent. Oryx, a military analysis website that tracks material losses in the conflict, has visually documented 7,671 Russian vehicle losses since the invasion started.
The Facebook video, viewed more than 23,000 times, appears to feature Ukrainian soldiers destroying “hundreds” of military vehicles. The video’s title reads, “Victory! Ukraine Forces Destroyed Hundreds Of Russian Military Vehicles In Minutes.”
Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found the video was posted to YouTube Nov. 5 with the same title. The Facebook video shows footage from ARMA 3, a simulation-based video game published by Bohemia Interactive.
“⚠ It’s Arma 3 Gameplay video ⚠,” reads part of the video’s description. (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Fire Twitter’s Policy Chief Live On Air?)
Furthermore, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed 85 destroyed Russian vehicles and other equipment on Nov. 4, the day before this video was posted. There is no evidence of hundreds of Russian vehicles being destroyed in a matter of minutes, however.
“Now, can I get an encore? Do you want more?”
Jay-ZTotal combat losses of the enemy from Feb 24 to Nov 4: pic.twitter.com/EFEP727Kqk
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 4, 2022
Misinformation around the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not new. Check Your Fact recently fact-checked a video claiming that video footage from the war was staged.
