Retired General and MSNBC Contributor Posts War Footage from Ukraine — Except It’s From a Video Game
Screenshot via Twitter
Retired four star general and MSNBC contributor Barry R. McCaffrey quickly deleted a tweet on Monday after he was informed by critics that what he appeared to think was actual war footage was just a snippet from a video game.
The tweet, originally published on Monday, has been captured as a screenshot by numerous Twitter users, including National Journalism Center program director Becket Adams.
“Russian aircraft getting nailed by UKR missile defense,” McCaffrey wrote. “Russians are losing large numbers of attack aircraft. UKR defense becoming formidable.”
The tweet of a plane being shot down, however, was from the video game Arma 3. In the video’s description, it clearly says the game’s name. Arma 3 is an open-world military shooter game that launched in 2013. The original title for the short clip is “Russian MiG-29’s Get Shot Down By Air Defense System,”
i, uh, have some concerns. of all people, you’d think a retired general with four combat tours and three purple hearts under his belt would have *some* idea regarding what this stuff really looks like. the video was clearly animated.
— Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) May 16, 2022
Barry McCaffrey, retired 4star general, Clinton appointee and Trump Russia collusion hoax peddler tweets Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) video game footage and tries to pass it off as video evidence of Ukrainian Air superiority over Russia. (Deletes tweet)
pic.twitter.com/5h2oLUY7hQ— Rising serpent 🇺🇸 (@rising_serpent) May 16, 2022
“I, uh, have some concerns. of all people, you’d think a retired general with four combat tours and three purple hearts under his belt would have *some* idea regarding what this stuff really looks like. the video was clearly animated,” Adams tweeted after sharing a screenshot of the tweet.
Some users also pointed out, posting more screenshots, that the animated footage appeared to be retweeted at one point by The Washington Post columnist Max Boot.
The 79-year-old McCaffrey often appears on MSNBC to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He has pushed for the U.S. to continue supporting Ukraine in their efforts and called Russia’s position a “strategic botch” during those appearances. McCaffrey has also made headlines in recent years for his opposition to former President Donald Trump, whom he’s called a “fundamental threat to our democracy.”
