TikTok video shows Russian soldiers parachuting into Ukraine.
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No, this TikTok does not show Russian soldiers invading Ukraine
If Your Time is short
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A video of soldiers in uniform parachuting over fields quickly generated comments from users who believed they were seeing live the Russian invasion into Ukraine.
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The video was first shared on Instagram in 2015.
A TikTok video that was shared as Russia began its assault on Ukraine quickly accumulated comments from those who believed they were seeing the invasion happen in real-time.
In the video, three soldiers are shown parachuting over fields. The video has no caption and does not include any text that would suggest when or where it was taken. The person making the video is heard speaking in a language other than English. The video was shared in the early morning on Feb. 24 leading many to believe it depicted the current Russian attack on Ukraine.
"Bro is recording an invasion," said one commenter.
"Just stumbled across Russian war tactics," said another.
One comment with thousands of likes said: "I can't believe I’m watching a war on tiktok."
TikTok identified this video as part of its efforts to counter inauthentic, misleading or false content. (Read more about PolitiFact's partnership with TikTok.)
Featured Fact-check
The video, which had been liked nearly 2 million times as of Feb. 24, is not of the Russian invasion.
It is more than five years old, shared on Instagram Aug. 25, 2015. The TikTok and Instagram accounts that posted the video have the same username.
NBC News said the video depicts a training exercise, but did not specify where it happened.
TikTok removed the video, but not before others shared it — sometimes with claims that it depicted the Ukraine invasion, as one journalist pointed out on Twitter.
Claims that this video depicts Russian soldiers invading Ukraine are False.
Our Sources
TikTok post, Feb. 24, 2022
NBC News, "On TikTok, livestreams show protests — and attract scams," Feb. 24, 2022
Ben Collins’ Twitter posts, Feb. 24, 2022
Ben Collins’ Twitter posts, Feb. 24, 2022
Instagram post, Aug. 25, 2015
Barstool Sports, "Watch: Russian Paratroopers Are Going Viral Online For Taking TikToks Of Themselves Descending Into Ukraine," Feb. 24, 2022
New York Times, "What’s happened so far during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine," Feb. 24, 2022
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No, this TikTok does not show Russian soldiers invading Ukraine
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