Video Game Clip Shared As Ukrainian Ghost Of Kyiv Shooting Russian Jet

A user generated clip, using the video game 'Digital Flight Simulator' (DCS), is going viral on social media as an Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter shooting down a Russia jet. The description of the video states that it was made in tribute the unknown 'Ghost of Kyiv', a fighter pilot who purportedly shot down six Russian fighters.

It remains unclear if this individual exists or if this pilot is an urban rumour.

The clip is short, at about 22 seconds, and shows two jets in the sky. Towards the end of the clip, one fighter is shot down.

The clip and the accompanying claim can be seen below. It has nearly 43,000 views. It carries the caption,

"#BREAKING Verified footage of a MiG-29 of the Ukrainian Air Force shooting down a Su-35 fighter jet of #Russia's Air Force over Ukraine's."

Though Ukraine has not confirmed the existence of the 'Ghost of Kyiv', its Ministry of Defence shared this clip on Twitter in one of these tweets. However, users of Twitter have called the tweet out, stating that it is from a video game.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the commencement of military operations in Ukraine after months of troop buildups along Ukraine's border with Russia and Belarus, and weeks of diplomatic posturing between it and the West.

A global wave of condemnation for Russian actions and sympathy for Ukraine has followed.

FactCheck

Using relevant keywords and keyframes from the video, BOOM found a video on YouTube that had the exact same clip. It was uploaded by a YouTube user 'Comrade_Corb'.

The description of the video states:

This footage is from DCS, but is nevertheless made out of respect for "The Ghost of Kiev." If he is real, may God be with him; if he is fake, I pray for more like "him."

Several other DCS videos are also available online. These videos have graphics, a gameplay and sound-effects that are similar to the video in question.

While this is just one video, more such videos can be found here.

DCS is a free-to-play combat simulator, which is free to play, and can be used to model scenarios using aircraft, tanks, ground vehicles, articles and ships. It is an open sandbox: users can generate their own versions of gameplay within the framework of the game. Users can also play various existing scenarios like the Korea War, the Second World War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War.

It's official website can be found here.

This is not the first time that video game clips are being share as military action from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Read BOOM's fact checks below -

Also Read: All The Videos And Images Being Falsely Linked To Russian-Ukraine Conflict