Viral image
Viral image
stated on May 22, 2022 in a Facebook post:

Video shows a “Russian pilot” escaping from jets and a Russian aircraft getting hit by a missile.

False

This is a video game, not combat in Ukraine

If your time is short

  • This is from a video game. 
 
See the sources for this fact-check

Amid the war in Ukraine, a spate of video game footage is being packaged as showing actual combat in the Eastern European country. 

One such video shows firefights in the sky as helicopters and jets dodge enemy weapons.

“Russian pilot escapes from jets – Russian SU-25 hit by Missile,” reads the title of the clip recently shared on Facebook.  

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.)

RELATED VIDEO
See Figure 1 on PolitiFact.com
 

We found the clip on YouTube by searching for the words in the title. On that platform, it was clearly identified as coming from the video game Arma 3. 

On Facebook, however, it’s causing confusion.

We rate claims that this shows real combat in Ukraine with Russian jets False.

 
Our Sources