A video of Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi is going viral on social media (here, here, and here) with the claim that he admitted to losing over 250 Indian soldiers in a conflict with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and alleged that Pakistan tracked Indian troop movements using Chinese satellites. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: The video shows Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi admitting to losing over 250 soldiers in a conflict with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
Fact: The viral clip is edited. The line about the Indian Army losing over 250 soldiers and Pakistan using Chinese satellites is not part of General Upendra Dwivedi’s original speech, delivered on 26 July 2025 during the Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations in Dras. It was digitally added. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check also issued a clarification on 29 July 2025, stating that the viral video is a manipulated deepfake and that General Dwivedi made no such statement. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
After closely reviewing the viral audio multiple times, we noticed that the voice saying, “The Indian Army suffered heavy losses, with 250 soldiers killed along the Line of Control (LoC), as Pakistan tracked Indian troop movements using Chinese satellites,” did not match Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s original voice. The clip features two different voices, and there was also a mismatch in Dwivedi’s lip-sync, indicating possible manipulation.
We then performed a reverse image search using key frames from the video, which led us to an extended version published on the YouTube channel of The Print on 26 July 2025, titled “Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi’s full address on 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations.” We reviewed the full video and found that the viral clip was taken from the 3:30-minute mark. In the original speech, General Dwivedi says (translated from Hindi to English): “During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army once again displayed the same indomitable courage and determination by targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, thwarting its aggressive attacks, and securing a decisive victory. We gave peace a chance, but Pakistan responded with cowardice, and we answered with courage and valour.”
While addressing the event in Dras, Kargil, General Dwivedi spoke about Operation Vijay and Operation Sindoor, highlighting the Indian Army’s decisive response to Pakistan’s actions and its unwavering commitment to national security. At no point in his speech did General Upendra Dwivedi mention the loss of over 250 soldiers in a conflict with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. This confirms that the line claiming such a loss was digitally added to the viral clip and is not part of General Dwivedi’s original speech.
Additionally, we found an X post by PIB Fact Check dated 29 July 2025, which debunked the viral video. It stated that a manipulated video is being circulated online, falsely showing Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi admitting to losing over 250 soldiers in a war with Pakistan. PIB clarified that this is an AI-generated deepfake video and that General Dwivedi has made no such statement.
To sum up, this viral video of Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi admitting to losing over 250 soldiers during Operation Sindoor is digitally altered.
