What was claimed
A clip shows Russian warplanes destroyed in recent Ukrainian drone strikes.
Our verdict
This is not genuine footage. The clip was very likely created using artificial intelligence.
Social media clip supposedly of ‘destroyed Russian warplanes’ is very likely AI
A clip is being shared on social media with claims it shows “destroyed Russian warplanes”, but this is not genuine footage and was very likely made using artificial intelligence (AI).
The video shows damaged military aircraft, with debris scattered on the ground. One post sharing the clip says: “1/3 of Ruzzia’s [sic] strategic bombers destroyed overnight and countless other jet fighters and airfields damaged and inoperable. Ouch”.
It is being shared after Ukraine claimed it used 117 drones to launch a series of surprise strikes on Russian warplanes on 1 June.
Ukraine said at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed and others were damaged, and BBC Verify reported that satellite and drone footage showed 12 destroyed or damaged aircraft on Russian bases. Russia also confirmed Ukrainian attacks in five regions, and the BBC has shared what appears to be drone footage showing Russian warplanes bursting into flames.
But the clip circulating on social media is not real, and shows clear signs it was made using AI. For example, three people appear towards the end of the clip [58 seconds] but their figures blur, merge and distort as they move. One of the planes seen in the clip [27 seconds] appears to have cockpits at both ends, and does not have a rear end with engines and a tail. The planes also appear to be overlapping each other.
Ukraine and Russia met for a second round of peace negotiations in Istanbul on 2 June but no ceasefire was agreed—the details of the ceasefire proposals from both sides have not been made public. However, the countries have agreed to exchange all sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war, as well as those aged under 25.
This is not the first time we’ve seen clips and images almost certainly created with artificial intelligence being shared online as real scenes from conflicts. We’ve written a guide with tips for identifying content made using AI.
You can find more of our work fact checking claims relating to the Ukraine-Russia war on our website.
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This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as altered because this clip was almost certainly made with AI.