No, This Video Does Not Show Russian Air Forces Fighting Against Wagner Forces

We found that the visuals have been created using Arma 3, and do not show a real incident.

Fact-Check | The video has been created using Arma 3 and is not real as claimed.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video of missiles being fired towards a fighter jet is being shared on the internet with users claiming that it shows Russian Air Forces fighting against the Wagner troop.

An archive of the post can be seen here.

The video had recorded more than 5,67,000 views on Twitter at the time of writing this report.

(More archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)

Why is the claim being shared?: The Wagner forces led by Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a revolt against Russia, which saw the forces taking control of the city of Rostov-on-Don.

• The forces then marched towards Moscow, which was later halted.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin had threatened 'brutal action' against those taking up arms against the country.

What is the truth?: It is a virtual game simulation created using 'Arma 3' and not a real incident as claimed.

How did we find out?: On performing a keyword search, we found the same video uploaded on a YouTube channel called 'Battle POPs.'

• The video was uploaded on 31 March.

• It was titled, "Russia's Elite Air Force vs Ukrainian SAM Missiles Combat | MilSim Arma 3."

• The description of the video said, "this video is a virtual game simulation."

The video has been created using Arma 3.

• In the 'about' section of the YouTube channel, it said that it was a "military simulation channel."

Previous instances of game simulations being shared as real: The Quint has fact-checked similar claims where social media users shared videos created using 'Arma 3' as real incidents. You can read our stories here, here, and here.

Conclusion: It is clear that a virtual game simulation video is being shared as real visuals of Russian Air Forces fighting against the Wagner troop.

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