Facebook posts
Facebook posts
stated on May 19, 2022 in a Facebook post:

Video shows “Russian tank column totally destroyed by attack helicopter.”

False

No, this isn’t a real video of Russian tanks getting destroyed

If your time is short

  • Another clip from the video game Arma 3 is being mischaracterized. Social media posts claim it shows Russian tanks getting destroyed. That’s wrong. 
 
See the sources for this fact-check

It can sometimes be difficult to discern what information on social media about the war in Ukraine is credible, and what’s not. 

A recent Facebook post shared a video featuring combat scenes and alleged that it is footage of a “Russian tank column totally destroyed by attack helicopter.”

But like other such clips that have come before it, this video isn’t real — it’s a video game simulation. 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

We’ve previously fact-checked claims that took snippets from  Arma 3 and presented it as footage of Russia attacking Ukraine and China trying to attack Taiwan. 

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Because this video looked similar to the clips used in those false claims, we searched YouTube for “Arma 3” and some of the key words in the Facebook post — “tank column” and “attack helicopter.”

That led us to a March 13 post of the same video that appears in the Facebook post, only this one is clearly labeled as a “military simulation” and notes that it’s from the Arma 3 game. 

The claim that a video shows a Russian tank column totally destroyed by an attack helicopter is wrong. We rate it False.

 
Our Sources

No, this isn’t a real video of Russian tanks getting destroyed

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on January 7, 2026 a press briefing

stated on January 14, 2026 a statement

Social Media
stated on February 14, 2026 social media posts



stated on January 20, 2026 an op-ed


Donald Trump
stated on February 3, 2026 remarks in the Oval Office


Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 social media posts





Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on stated on November 17, 2025 in remarks at George Washington University:

Donald Trump
stated on February 2, 2026 an interview with Dan Bongino