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.

. @mod_russia: Extremists near Aleppo received several truckloads of chemical ammo. pic.twitter.com/scCEMXRvwHMay 12, 2016

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.

@RussianEmbassy @mod_russia Evidence of Fascists in Ukraine violating Minsk Protocol pic.twitter.com/6kn7YrL3dcMay 12, 2016

Thanks, Eurogamer.

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.