Russian Embassy uses video game image as 'illustration' of chemical weapons
Account also showed weapons seized in Egypt last year in post about Turkey
The official Twitter account of the Russian Embassy in the U.K. used a screenshot from the video game Command & Conquer: Generals as an "illustration" for chemical weapons in a post Thursday about Syrian extremists.
. <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a>: Extremists near Aleppo received several truckloads of chemical ammo. <a href="https://t.co/scCEMXRvwH">pic.twitter.com/scCEMXRvwH</a>
—@RussianEmbassyThe tweet was roundly mocked, with users responding with screencaps and GIFs from other video games
<a href="https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy">@RussianEmbassy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a> Evidence of Fascists in Ukraine violating Minsk Protocol <a href="https://t.co/6kn7YrL3dc">pic.twitter.com/6kn7YrL3dc</a>
—@dsic.<a href="https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy">@RussianEmbassy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a> Real drone footage of Baghdadi's secret hideout: <a href="https://t.co/pddHg1jo6T">pic.twitter.com/pddHg1jo6T</a>
—@EliteRaspberrie<a href="https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy">@RussianEmbassy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKINGNEWS?src=hash">#BREAKINGNEWS</a> : IS/extremist have built spatial war vessel and want to invade earth <a href="https://t.co/5dam8DHvY6">pic.twitter.com/5dam8DHvY6</a>
—@Uncle_SamCoco<a href="https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy">@RussianEmbassy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a> An column of Russian tanks were defeated by an unit of ISIS spearmen this thursday. <a href="https://t.co/LcW1gf26m1">pic.twitter.com/LcW1gf26m1</a>
—@rfcapa<a href="https://twitter.com/jason_">@jason_</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy">@RussianEmbassy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a> Who did they find crazy enough to go behind enemy lines to get that footage? <a href="https://t.co/hQHaHaP7y0">pic.twitter.com/hQHaHaP7y0</a>
—@ZinkugelAir war over <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash">#Syria</a> intensifies, Asad regime struggles to defend major cities. <a href="https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy">@RussianEmbassy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a> <a href="https://t.co/hv3AeFtYB1">pic.twitter.com/hv3AeFtYB1</a>
—@blakestilwell<a href="https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy">@RussianEmbassy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a> new pictures of base fortifications <a href="https://t.co/P0JZUChGww">pic.twitter.com/P0JZUChGww</a>
—@chriseatersIn response to all the fun being had at its expense, the embassy invited people to read the disclaimer on the screenshot: "Image used for illustration purposes only."
<a href="https://twitter.com/richardtron">@richardtron</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@mod_russia</a> care to read the disclaimer?
—@RussianEmbassyThis wasn't the first time the account for the U.K.'s Russian Embassy has used an image of dubious origin. This tweet was also posted Thursday.
Russia will continue to fight nazism (By <a href="https://twitter.com/Amb_Yakovenko">@Amb_Yakovenko</a> for RT)<a href="https://t.co/tkXKm3Fcg5">https://t.co/tkXKm3Fcg5</a> <a href="https://t.co/zLuvNJFOac">pic.twitter.com/zLuvNJFOac</a>
—@RussianEmbassyThe image of zombie Nazis is (obviously) not real and is a promotional photo from the Norwegian horror movie Dead Snow.
On a more serious note, the account posted this photo on Tuesday in a tweet referencing a Russian Ministry of Defence statement that "armed combatants and ammo keep coming to Syria via Turkey."
.<a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia">@Mod_Russia</a>: armed combatants and ammo keep coming to Syria via Turkey <a href="https://t.co/hRxqvFt5bW">pic.twitter.com/hRxqvFt5bW</a>
—@RussianEmbassyThe photo is from the Facebook account of the Egyptian army and shows a weapons cache seized from ISIS-linked jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula in 2015.