FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show a Ukrainian Pilot Shooting Down A Russian Jet?

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows a Ukrainian fighter pilot shooting down a Russian jet.

Verdict: False

The footage stems from a video game. The content of the video is not real.

Fact Check:

A large Russian military convoy is threatening Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv as the invasion enters its sixth day, according to the Associated Press. Approximately 136 civilians have been killed since the start of the war, including 13 children, as shelling in the country intensified, The New York Times reported.

The video, which has been viewed over 14,000 times, shows two jets flying in the sky above before one is hit by a projectile. The caption of the post claims the video is “crazy footage of a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 shooting down an enemy Su-35 fighter jet.”

The video does not show genuine footage of a dogfight between Ukrainian and Russian fighter jets. A reverse image search revealed the video is from a game called Digital Combat Simulator, a “sandbox” military simulation game, according to its website. The video first appeared on YouTube with the title, “GHOST OF KIEV | dogfight between Ukrainian MiG29 and Russian Su27 simulated in DCS World.”

“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,’” reads the description of the YouTube video. (RELATED: Does This Video Show A Russian Fighter Jet Being Shot Down In Ukraine?)

A spokesperson for Eagle Dynamics, Matthias Techmanski, told Reuters that the video was from DCS and that they “are not responsible for its distribution, nor do [they] endorse such content.” The “Ghost of Kyiv” is alleged to be a Ukrainian fighter pilot who has reportedly shot down several Russian jets, though this is likely untrue, according to Task & Purpose.

Check Your Fact has debunked several videos claiming to show combat between Russia and Ukraine, including footage that allegedly shows ground troops fighting in Ukraine.