A video doing rounds on social media claiming that Russian soldiers are using outdated weapons in their country’s invasion of Ukraine has attracted over 2.2 million views, 883 comments and over 7,000 likes.
The seven-second clip, however, shows soldiers with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) uniform, with the caption claiming that it was the Russian military.
"Russian soldiers using weapons that have been in a cupboard since Soviet times," the caption of the TikTok video posted on Facebook by Widnes Bouncy Castle Hire, an entertainment website based in the UK, read.
The video, posted on Sunday, March 13, had a second caption "#russian" and "#ukraine."
A reverse search of the video’s keyframes and images details that a longer version of the video was posted on YouTube on February 22 by a page dubbed Kenyan Bites.
The page indicates that KDF officers were scampering for safety after their Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) failed to launch. The soldiers can be heard narrating how the incident was a close shave. A majority are heard speaking Swahili too.
The clip elicited mixed reactions on the Facebook post. The uniform, nonetheless, resembles that of Kenya’s military.
“This is not a propaganda video but a symbol video. You have to recognize the difference if you want to draw attention to fake and propaganda,” a Facebook user responded.
“They try to sell us the idea that Russia is not advancing, in 26 days Russia should have already taken Ukraine, a territory the size of France and Germany together, with cities of one million, two and three million people, they must pass on the wrong idea,” another comment read.
“The original video has been around for years,” a sample of a response reads.
Others noted that the uniform does not resemble that of the Russian forces. Initially, they wore all-red uniforms but changed colour depending on the regiment. The green uniform is said to belong to the 3rd regiment of Vasiliy Bukhvostov or the Ground Forces.
On the other hand, the Kenya Army uniform has aiguillette decorations, lanyards, medals and a variety of belts based on an individual's unit and rank.
Kenya Army’s main wear is the jungle camouflage dress depicted in the viral video. However, the video shared over the years has claimed to show soldiers from Ghana and Nigeria, detailing that it is an old clip whose authenticity cannot be traced.
KDF has not yet responded to the video. Claims that the video is of Russian soldiers is, therefore, false and misleading.
On March 3, the European Union (EU) warned Kenyans against posting fake news on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. EU urged individuals to verify the information they share on social media before
The EU called on the media to exercise similar vigilance - adding that some of the information was being reported in various media outlets in the country.
Original video that has been manipulated online over the years
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