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The Kremlin Is Standing By Footage of Russian Troops in Syria the Internet Says Is Fake

Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

The Kremlin has denied accusations that military footage it used to showcased the Russian airforce in Syria was a repurposed U.S. clip from 2013.

The footage appeared during an interview by U.S. director Oliver Stone during his latest program, "The Putin Interviews." The president told Stone that the video depicted a Russian attack on Islamic State militants, but researchers and viewers said that the clip was "almost identical" to U.S. military footage shot in Afghanistan. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the footage had been given to Putin by the Russian Defense Ministry. 

"[Claims that the footage is American] are not true. I can confirm that these materials come from a report from the Ministry of Defense which was given to the president," Peskov said. "Statements [to the contrary] are incorrect and irrelevant."

Oliver Stone is yet to comment on the claims.

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