Govt debunks Pak claim that IAF MiG-29 crashed during landing due to pilot error

​Pakistani propagandists run video game footage as IAF crash

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.”

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.