NEW DELHI: The press information bureau (PIB) fact check unit on Thursday debunked a social media claim that an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet had crashed during landing due to pilot error. They stated that the video being circulated was footage from a video game.The fact-checking unit warned that the video was being circulated by Pakistani propaganda accounts and called the claim fake.“Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a video with the claim that an IAF MiG-29 fighter jet crashed during landing due to pilot error,” PIB Fact Check said in a post on X, adding, “Beware! This claim is #Fake.”
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The unit said the footage was from War Thunder, a military combat video game featuring aircraft, land and naval vehicles.The video circulating on social media shows a fighter jet crashing while attempting to land, followed by the pilot ejecting and parachuting to safety. The footage was presented online as an actual IAF MiG-29 crash by certain accounts based out of Pakistan.PIB Fact Check urged users to report suspicious content related to the Government of India through its official channels.The claim is part of a recurring pattern of propagandist accounts circulating unrelated military accidents and video-game footage are circulated as evidence of recent events.