Computer game footage of a downed helicopter has been falsely captioned on social media as showing authentic footage from the frontlines in Ukraine.
The low-resolution clip appears to show missiles directed toward a helicopter, which can then be seen plummeting toward the ground and exploding upon impact.
Users shared the clip via social media falsely claiming that it showed downed NATO helicopters inside Ukraine.
Examples of the clip erroneously shared online can be viewed (here) and (here).
One individual who retweeted the post questioned on Twitter: “Is this fake news? Did Congress declare war without telling U.S. citizens?” (archive.is/wip/0YnjL)
Another said: “If true let's see if NATO has the bottle to escalate matters to the next level.” (archive.is/wip/k5FBi).
The clip does not show authentic footage from the war in Ukraine, however, and instead depicts Arma 3 computer gameplays. Arma 3 is a realistic military tactical shooter video game developed by Bohemia Interactive.
Reuters found a higher-quality version of the same video uploaded to YouTube in April 2022 with a description noting that it shows Arma 3 footage (bit.ly/3EJCO3q), archived (archive.is/wip/V1EzS).
A side-by-side comparison between the YouTube video (L) (timestamp: 39s) and the clip circulating online (R) (timestamp: 25s) can be viewed (ibb.co/rm4F4Gg).
The style of the clip closely resembles other videos of the simulation shared on YouTube, viewable (bit.ly/3Zfbnqq) and (bit.ly/3L4wFCX).
A spokesperson for Bohemia Interactive did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At the end of 2022, Bohemia Interactive published a press release and video outlining how to detect Arma 3 video game footage shared online, including unnatural particle effects and poor resolution quality. (bit.ly/3ELBLzG), (here).
Reuters has previously addressed miscaptioned clips shared online purporting to show footage from the war in Ukraine (here), (here).
VERDICT
Miscaptioned. The clip shows a game play from Arma 3, not authentic footage from the war in Ukraine.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.