Fact Check: Video game simulation shared as Azerbaijani MiG-25 shot down by Armenian defence forces

A video is being shared on social media with a claim the video is of an Azerbaijani MiG-25 that was shot down by Armenian defence forces in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
“An Azerbaijani MiG-25 was shot down by the Armenians, using the ‘Shilka’ weapons system. In Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani pilot did more than one maneuver to strike the ground defenses of the Armenian air defence forces. A fierce war is in progress, ” the caption read.

Here’s the link to the above post.
More such posts can be seen here, here and here.

FACT CHECK

English

വസ്തുതാ പരിശോധന: പ്രായമായൊരു മനുഷ്യന്‍റെ വൈകാരിക ചിത്രം റഷ്യന്‍-ഉക്രൈന്‍ യുദ്ധവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടതല്ല

Mar 10, 2022

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NewsMobile fact-checked the video and found the claim to be false.
We extracted keyframes of the video using InVid Toolkit. We then put those keyframes through Reverse Image Search and found the same video on Facebook dated September 26, 2020. However, no captions or claims were attached to the video.

This told us that the video is at least two weeks old.
Further search led us to the same video uploaded on YouTube dated August 22, 2020. The video description read “A-10 Thunderbolt Warthog Thunderbolt CRAM Sius ARMA3 Arma 3 Please subscribe to the channel ♪♪♪ S”

Based on the description, we ran a keyword search and found that ARMA 3 is an open-world, realism-based, military tactical shooter video game developed and published by Bohemia Interactive.
We also compared the social media video to the simulation video of the game (above YouTube video) and found that both the videos were same.

This proves that the video in circulation is a simulation video and NOT real.
We also looked for reports on the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and found reports by Ruptly and Reuters about ‘Alleged Armenian drone shot down in Nagorno-Karabakh’ dated September 30, 2020, and October 2, 2020, respectively.

It should also be noted that Reuters report shows the video of an alleged Armenian drone being shot down in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and not the other way round, as claimed in the social media posts.
Hence, based on the above fact check, we can say that while there are reports of military firings in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the video in question is NOT real but a simulation video of a game.