FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A Russian Battalion Being Destroyed In Kherson?
A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows a Russian naval infantry battalion being destroyed in Kherson.
Verdict: False
The footage is from a military-based simulation game.
Fact Check:
Russia withdrew from Kherson City last week after a Ukrainian counteroffensive, according to NPR. Poland and NATO have claimed a recent missile strike that landed in a small village in Poland was the result of an air-defense missile launched from Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.
The Facebook video, viewed more than 31,000 times, claims to show a Russian naval infantry battalion being destroyed in Kherson. The video shows a battle occurring between what is assumed to be a Ukrainian force and a Russian one.
This claim, though, is false. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found the video was posted to YouTube Nov. 9 with the same title. The Facebook video shows footage from ARMA 3, a simulation-based video game published by Bohemia Interactive.
“DISCLAIMER: All videos on this channel are Arma 3 game simulation! They do not reflect reality and are the product of the author’s imagination! This channel is not for propaganda purposes!” reads the video’s description. (RELATED: Does This Video Show ‘Hundreds’ Of Russian Military Vehicles Being Destroyed?)
Russian marines of the Russian Pacific Fleet’s 155th Brigade did take heavy casualties during assaults on a town in the Donetsk Oblast, according to Meduza. The brigade’s commanders denied that they took heavy casualties, while the Russian Defense Ministry said the brigade’s losses did not exceed 1 percent of personnel, the outlet reported.
Misinformation around the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not new. Check Your Fact recently debunked a video claiming to show “hundreds” of Russian vehicles being destroyed in a matter of minutes.
