Social media accounts have been posting a series of footage, claiming to be recent, documenting the recent military escalation between India and Pakistan.
First: A photo of a burning plane accompanied by the following description: “Pakistan shot down two Rafale aircraft belonging to the Indian Air Force.”
Kashif verified the image via Google Images search and found it to be old. DNA India published a photo of the burning aircraft on 2 September 2024, in a report titled: “Indian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet crashes in Rajasthan, pilot safe.” The website quoted police as saying that the fighter jet crashed in the Barmer district of Rajasthan after experiencing a critical technical glitch during a routine night training mission.
Newsflare also published a video documenting the plane’s fire, accompanied by the following headline: “India: MiG-29 fighter jet crashes during night training in Rajasthan; pilot escapes using ejection seat.”
Second: A video clip of missiles falling was attached with the following claim: “Pakistan responds with all its might (to the Indian strikes).”
Kashif verified the video via the Invid tool and found that it is old. Quds News Network on X published the video on 1 October 2024, with the following description: “Press coverage: Iranian missiles hit their targets in occupied Palestine.” Al Masirah Channel account also published the video on X on the same date, with the following title: “From the violent Iranian bombardment of the Israeli enemy entity.”
Third: A video clip of a plane being shot down, accompanied by the following text: “The moment an Indian plane was shot down.”
Kashif verified the video via reverse image search using the Invid tool and found it to be old. The TikTok account “muhammadirfan1786” posted the video on 28 April 2025. By tracking the account, Kashif’s team found that it was posting a video from a video game, not a real one.
Kashif examined the video in detail and found several telltale signs that it was from a video game, not real footage. These include the shape of the shells fired at the plane, the shape and speed of the empty bullet casings flying, the shape of the anti-aircraft system, and the nature of the explosion and crash of the plane.
Returning to the Arma 3 videos posted by the Warriors Club and Restarts YouTube channels, it became clear that there was a similarity in appearance and movement between the circulating video and the videos from the game.
Fourth: A video clip of planes being shot down was attached with the following title: “Watch how Pakistan shot down Indian warplanes.”
Kashif verified the video using the Invid tool and found it to be old. The ARK TRON channel, a YouTube channel specializing in producing videos simulating military operations, posted the video on 19 April 2025, with the following description: “Su-27 fighter jets entering the city.” The channel explained in the video description that it is a virtual military simulation, produced using the games ARMA 3 and ARMA Reforger.
Fifth: A photo of a plane crash attached with the following description: “Pakistani TV: The Pakistani army shot down two Indian Rafale fighter jets.”
Kashif verified the image via Google Images tool and found it to be old. The Times of India published the circulated image on 21 May 2021, in a report titled: “Indian Air Force pilot killed in MiG-21 crash near Moga in Punjab (India), investigation opened.”
The Indian Army announced on 7 May 2025, the launch of a military operation against “targets” in Pakistan and the Azad Kashmir region under its control. The Army’s media office stated that the operation targeted nine areas, stressing that “Pakistani military installations were not targeted,” which led to an exchange of fire between the two sides.
India said its missile attacks on Pakistan came after receiving intelligence indicating the possibility of further attacks against the country. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on April 22 after gunmen opened fire on tourists in the Pahalgam area of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 people and wounding others. The Pakistani government denied responsibility for the attack and accused India of waging a disinformation campaign against it.
The Pakistani military announced that it shot down five Indian fighter jets during the attack, while New Delhi denied this. On 7 May 2025, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Pakistani military’s director of public relations, announced that the death toll from the Indian missile attacks had risen to 26 and 46 injured, noting that the missiles damaged mosques and health clinics.