Did Indian CDS Gen Anil Chauhan ‘Admit’ To Losing 7 Jets During Operation Sindoor?

A video purportedly showing Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan acknowledging that seven Indian jets were lost during Operation Sindoor and admitting that India urged for a ceasefire with Pakistan has gone viral on social media platforms. 

In the video, the CDS is allegedly heard saying, “…they do run us up in war and this will be giving examples of Operation Sindhoor which still continues. It’s important to acknowledge here that although we lost seven Indian jets  we went airborne again after just three days and that alone shows our resilience. Our preparedness level has to be very high in 24X7X365 days. Again coming back to the same point  that an officer today needs to be much more well read so that we can contribute to this particular aspect of securing a nation.” 

 “As was said earlier that they run us up in war and this will be  giving examples of Operation Sindoor which still continues…And in the same spirit it must also be said our Hindu ideology stands for peace. Yes we did ask for a ceasefire not out of weakness but because we did not want South Asia to suffer the horrors of an all-out war. Peace after all is the higher path. I’ve actually given you a number of examples..,” he purportedly says. 

Such posts can be seen here and here.

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Fact Check/Verification

A keyword search for “CDS,” “seven jets”  and “ceasefire” on Google did not yield any credible reports carrying the alleged admission by General Anil Chauhan.

We then conducted a reverse image search on the keyframes of the viral video which led us to a YouTube post by PTI News, dated July 25, 2025, featuring the CDS in the same backdrop as seen in the viral clip. 

“Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said Operation Sindoor is still ongoing and stressed that India’s military preparedness must remain at the highest level year-round. Speaking at a seminar in Delhi, he underlined the need for future soldiers to be info, tech, and scholar warriors. The CDS also emphasised that there are no runners-up in war, and constant vigilance is crucial to national security,” its description stated. 

Around eleven minutes into the video, General Chauhan can be heard saying, “Again coming back to the same point that an officer today needs to be much more well read so that we can contribute to this particular aspect of securing a nation. As was said earlier that there are no runner ups in war and this will be giving examples of Operation Sindoor which still continues.”

“Our preparedness level has to be very high in 24X7X365 days. We are living in that kind of environment and it’s only scholar warriors that can ensure this readiness by thinking differently, connecting the dots across this complete kind of a spectrum. I’ve actually given you a number of examples. Initially when we said that we thought that no scholar warrior should be a single gentleman actually..”

Notably, the remarks  about “seven Indian jets” and  “ceasefire” have been interspersed in this segment of the speech, to falsely attribute them to the CDS. 

His address was also live streamed on the YouTube channel of ANI, whose watermark is seen in the viral clip, on July 25, 2025. The above mentioned segment can be seen at the counters of 20:18 minutes in the live streaming, further confirming that the viral clip is manipulated.

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The official X account of the Integrated Defence Staff also shared visuals of the Chief of Defence Staff at the Capstone Seminar. The post, which also highlighted excerpts from his address, too, did not mention the allegations made in the viral claim.  

Notably, General Anil Chauhan had earlier acknowledged that India did suffer losses in the air during the first day of the recent conflict with Pakistan. However, he did not specify the number of Indian jets lost, and said that Pakistan’s claims of shooting down six Indian Rafale jets were “absolutely incorrect.”

PIB Flags Viral Video

The government’s PIB Fact Check also called out the “manipulated video being shared online, falsely showing Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan admitting 7 jet losses and saying India asked for ceasefire.” Labelling it as “deepfake/AI generated,” it clarified, “CDS General Anil Chauhan has made no such statement” 

Signs Of AI Elements In The Video

On carefully examining the viral clip, we observed several anomalies, including frequent distortion of fingers, blurriness around the mouth and teeth, and an extra smooth texture, all pointing towards the presence of AI elements in the footage. Additionally, at the 1:28 mark, the top portion of a dice appears to collapse, and the mic is seen hanging mid-air. The audio also mispronounces the term “runner-ups” as “run us up.” 

A comparison between the keyframes of the viral clip and live streamed video by ANI shows multiple discrepancies. For instance, the name tag of General’s uniform and the insignia seemed to be distorted in the viral clip. The CDS is seen wearing a ring in his right hand in the ANI video which is absent in the viral clip.

Additionally, the watermark of the news agency is also distorted in the viral clip. 

In the viral clip, the CDS is purportedly seen delivering the entire statement while facing in the same direction. However, in the ANI live stream, his hand and facial gestures are different. 

Manipulated Videos Of Indian Officials On Equipment Loss Shared As Real

Newschecker has debunked multiple such manipulated videos falsely claiming to show Indian ministers or military officials “admitting” to loss of defence equipment during the recent conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad. 

For instance, a deepfake video of External affairs minister S Jaishankar admitting that India lost three Rafale fighter jets during Operation Sindoor went viral in the first week of July.  Another manipulated video falsely showing Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh admitting that India lost two S-400s during the recent conflict with Pakistan has also surfaced in the recent past. 

Also Read: Dhankhar Questions PM Modi Govt Over Farmers’ Protests In Last Speech As VP? Here’s The Truth Behind Viral Video

Conclusion

Hence, the viral posts claiming that CDS Gen Anil Chauhan has admitted that India lost seven jets during Operation Sindoor were found to be incorrect.

Sources
YouTube Video By PTI News, Dated July 25, 2025
YouTube Video By ANI, Dated July 25, 2025
X Post By PIB Fact Check, Dated July 25, 2025