Video Showing How To Drive Military Tanks Is Over a Year Old
The Claim
A video shot in Ukraine shows people how to operate abandoned or captured Russian military vehicles.
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Emerging story
Social media users, particularly on Twitter, are circulating a video which shows how to drive abandoned or captured Russian military vehicles. Users claim that the video was recorded in Ukraine, amidst the current Russian invasion in the country. The video has garnered over 7 million views and has been shared over 50 thousand times.
Misbar’s Analysis
Upon investigating the claim, Misbar found it to be misleading. Following the video's original source on TikTok, it was revealed that the video, in its two parts, was posted on February 16, 2021, by the Russian Youtuber and Tiktoker Nastya Tyman. The two relevant videos can be seen below, as taken from TikTok.
A few days later on February 23, 2021, Tyman posted the video on Instagram with the caption, translated from Russian, congratulating military forces on the national Russian holiday “Defenders of the Fatherland.” The holiday is observed on the 23rd of February every year and honours the achievements of military forces and veterans. Tyman, recently posted the same video on her Tiktok account again, without any reference to the current situation between Ukraine and Russia, which is likely how the claim began to spread.
Based on these findings, Misbar’s team confirms that the claim is misleading. The video was not shot in Ukraine during the ongoing invasion and is over a year old.
