Russia's UK embassy uses Command & Conquer screen to warn of Syrian extremists

Remember a few years back, when the UK's ITV mistook an Arma 2 video for footage of the IRA shooting down a helicopter? Or more recently, when Iranian news agencies confused Medal of Honor gameplay with a real-life battle? To be fair, given the relative authenticity of the clips involved, those were understandable(ish) mistakes. But the tweet from Russia's UK embassy warning of extremists in Syria acquiring chemical weapons? Not so much. 

If that image rings a bell, it's likely because it's a shot of Bomb Trucks from Command & Conquer: Generals, viewable in all its original glory at the Command & Conquer Wiki. What led the embassy to use a 13-year-old videogame screen to illustrate a presumably serious tweet is anybody's guess, although it at least had the good grace to add “Image used for illustration purposes only” to the bottom.   

Naturally, the internet has responded in the only way it knows how: with illustrated ridicule.

Thanks, Eurogamer.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Latest in RTS
Earth vs Mars screenshot - Martian troopers vs Earth light tanks
Relic's new project is a 'smaller indie-style' game about a martian invasion of Earth
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition promo art
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition DLC promised last year is cancelled: 'We announced content before it had been built, and we now feel that announcement was premature'
Tempest Dynasty faction
The first multiplayer demo for my most anticipated RTS, Tempest Rising, is out now
Former Age of Empires developer says the RTS genre's stuck in a rut: 'you're still playing the same game'
Creeper World IXE
Creeper World IXE breaks the RTS mold and adds a dash of Noita's alchemy to the gooey war
A large blue factory complex in Industrial Annihilation
Planetary Annihilation successor has a bumpy landing on Steam, and the backers aren't happy: 'So bare bones that it's basically an asset show without a game'
Latest in News
'For too long, Apple has operated a walled garden around its products': The EU forces Apple to open its closed system to third parties
Abstract image with a wireframe humanoid face on a digital art background
The 2012 source code for AlexNet, the precursor to modern AI, is now on Github thanks to Google and the Computer History Museum
Shadow of Mordor's beloved nemesis system exists because the publisher threw a tantrum about second-hand sales
Silent Hill f transmission trailer screenshots
Silent Hill f is not messing around – now it's been banned in Australia
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 22: A view of Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California, United States on August 22, 2024.
'Google must divest the Chrome browser:' DOJ renews call for Google to sell Chrome, and Android could be next
Victory screen of Big Rigs showing infamous "You're Winner" message under a three-handle gold trophy
One of the worst games ever made is coming to Steam, but we won't know how cruel this joke is until we see the price tag