When war goes viral: How old videos and video games are used to manipulate the public

In recent years, since the outbreak of the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran, a familiar pattern that has long circulated within the disinformation ecosystem has resurfaced: old footage, clips from video games, videos taken out of context, and AI-generated content are being presented as “evidence” of current military or political events

 

Author: Ana Anastasovska

 

In times of war, geopolitical tensions, and global uncertainty, social media platforms become fertile ground for the spread of manipulative content. Videos that appear dramatic, shocking and “exclusive,” showing explosions, military strikes, mass protests, clashes between armies, or alleged frontline footage, spread particularly quickly. However, a large portion of these videos have no connection to the events they claim to depict.

In recent years, since the outbreak of the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran, a familiar pattern that has long circulated within the disinformation ecosystem has resurfaced: old footage, clips from video games, videos taken out of context, and AI-generated content are being presented as “evidence” of current military or political events.

This type of manipulation relies not only on false information but also on triggering an immediate emotional response. Its goal is to make viewers react before they verify the facts.

 

Such content often uses realistic graphics, sound effects, and dramatic editing to create the impression that it is authentic combat footage. This is where the power of manipulation lies: visual credibility replaces fact-checking. In many cases, it is enough for a video to be posted with a short description and an emotional headline for it to be widely shared. Audiences rarely check the original source, when the video was recorded, or whether it is a digital simulation.

Old footage presented as new conflicts

In addition to video games, a common technique is the reuse of old videos and presenting them as new events.

Such was the case with a video of an anti-war protest in Poland, which was misused to spread false claims related to the war in Ukraine. The video shows black body bags arranged in front of a stage, with a Polish inscription in the background reading: “The worst day of peace is better than the best day of war.”

The post that shared the video claimed that these were the bodies of Polish soldiers brought back from the front line in Ukraine. In reality, the video is from an anti-war protest held in Warsaw, where fake black body bags were used as part of a performance.

In another example, an old video of a protest in Istanbul was presented as a current reaction to the attack on Rafah. Fact-checking by Truthmeter.mk showed that it was actually footage of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Istanbul in October 2023.

In one case, a video of a prisoner exchange was presented as the “surrender” of Ukrainian soldiers, promoting a narrative of a Ukrainian military collapse. In another example, old footage was misused to claim that the Israeli army was evacuating fighter jets out of fear of an attack.

A similar technique was also used with a video showing children in cages, which circulated as alleged evidence following Hamas’ attack on Israel, although the footage had been published before the attack itself. Additionally, a video from a hospital in Egypt dated 2013 was presented as footage from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

This technique works because audiences most often react to the context they are given, rather than to the footage itself. When a video is published alongside a current crisis or conflict, viewers automatically assume that the footage is related to the ongoing event. Manipulators exploit precisely this psychological shortcut: “If it looks relevant, then it is probably true.”

Computer-generated “evidence” of war

Additional patterns of visual manipulation include computer-generated videos, which are increasingly presented as authentic war footage. In one case, a CGI-generated video was circulated as evidence that a Russian missile had destroyed a weapons depot. Although the footage visually resembled a real strike, analysis by Truthmeter.mk showed that it was digitally created content rather than documentary footage from the battlefield.

This type of manipulation is becoming increasingly common due to advances in AI tools and CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) technologies, which make it possible to rapidly produce realistic explosions, combat scenes, and “breaking news” content. Researchers warn that such videos are particularly dangerous during armed conflicts, as they exploit the audience’s emotional response before viewers have time to verify the authenticity of the material.

The manipulation lies in the context, not the video

In most of these cases, the video itself is not fake. What is false is the context attached to it. The old footage may be genuine. The video game actually exists. The protest did take place. However, when such content is deliberately linked to a different war, country, or event, it becomes a vehicle for disinformation.

This is precisely why modern disinformation campaigns increasingly rely not on fabricating new material, but on recycling existing content and assigning it new meaning.

Why are these narratives spreading precisely now?

Armed conflicts such as the war in Ukraine or the crisis in the Middle East generate an enormous demand for rapid information and visual “evidence.” In such an environment, emotions override verification, algorithms prioritize sensational content, and users often share posts before reading them carefully.

Disinformation networks exploit this dynamic to spread fear, deepen polarization, erode trust in the media, and promote geopolitical narratives. Particularly effective are messages suggesting direct war between NATO and Russia, global escalation, covert attacks, or “hidden truths” that are allegedly being suppressed by the media.

How to recognize this type of manipulation

There are several warning signs:

• The video has no clear source
• There is no precise location or date
• The footage looks “too cinematic” or overly polished
• The same clip appears in different contexts
• The post emphasizes urgency and shock without providing concrete evidence
• There is no confirmation from relevant media outlets or official sources

The public should be especially cautious with videos that trigger strong fear, suggest major military escalation, or claim that “the media is silent.”

These contents most often do not originate from a single central source.

They are spread by:

• Anonymous social media accounts
• Telegram channels
• TikTok profiles
• Facebook pages focused on geopolitical content, or Facebook profiles promoting anti-EU and anti-NATO rhetoric
• Party-affiliated or ideologically driven media outlets
• As well as users who unknowingly share unverified videos

In their spread, algorithms on social media platforms play a particularly important role. Research on the TikTok platform shows that short videos with strong emotional content gain visibility much faster, regardless of whether they are accurate or not.

In addition, disinformation networks often take old videos, re-upload them with new descriptions, translate them into multiple languages, and distribute them simultaneously across different platforms.

In this way, a single old clip can, within hours, become “evidence” of an entirely new conflict.

What is the purpose?

The goal is not always for people to fully believe a specific video. More often, the aim is to create confusion, generate fear, increase distrust in the media, deepen political polarization, or promote a particular geopolitical narrative.

In some cases, the objective is also the so-called “flood the zone” strategy, saturating the public space with so many contradictory videos and narratives that audiences eventually stop distinguishing between what is true and what is not.

How can this type of manipulation be recognized?

There are several warning signs:

• The video has no clear original source
• There is no precise date or location
• The same clip appears in different contexts
• The footage looks overly “cinematic”
• Dramatic headlines are used
• There is no confirmation from relevant media outlets

Effects of visual versus textual disinformation

A study published in the journal SAGE Publications shows that videos taken out of context have a particularly strong impact on highly polarized issues such as the war in Ukraine. The authors of the study conclude that video-based disinformation is often perceived as more credible than textual manipulation, because visual material creates the impression of “direct evidence” among audiences.

According to the study, videos represent a “plausible form of deceptive evidence,” especially when old or unrelated footage is recontextualized as part of a current conflict. Researchers warn that this effect is even stronger in environments with low trust in the media and high political polarization.

 

This article was produced in 2026 for the project Prebunking at Scale, with support from the European Fact-Checking Standards Network.

 

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