Photo of Soldiers During a Simulation Exercise Does Not Prove That the War on Ukraine Is Fake
The Claim
Photo of Ukrainian soldiers carrying paintball guns proves that the war is staged and fake.
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Emerging story
Social media users shared a screenshot of a Reuters tweet showing Ukrainian soldiers carrying paintball guns and claimed that the photo proves that the war is fake.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading. Although the picture does, in fact, show paintball guns, it does not prove that the war on Ukraine is fake.
Training Simulation Exercise in Ukraine
After conducting a reverse image check, Misbar’s team found that the image was taken by the photographer Zohra Bensemra for Reuters in April 2022, and shows soldiers during a simulation exercise. The image was shared with the following description: “Members of the territorial defence force attend a training simulation for raiding a building occupied by enemy forces as they prepare for new assault, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, outside an abandoned building in Sumy, Ukraine April 15, 2022. Picture taken April 15, 2022.”
Photo Description: Alamy also shared different photos from the same simulation exercise on the same date and location, April 15, 2022.
Origins of the Claim
On May 16, 2022, Reuters tweeted the link of an article reporting that Ukraine has repelled Russian incursion in the Sumy region and used the circulating image in their tweet. Although the article explains that the photo was taken during a training exercise, the tweet has misled internet users.
Photo Description: A screenshot from the archive version of the article.
