This Is Not the First Female Fighter Pilot in Ukraine
The Claim
The photo depicts Natasha Perakov, the first Ukrainian female fighter pilot who was killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Emerging story
Social media users have shared a viral image purporting to show Natasha Perakov, the first Ukrainian female fighter pilot who died after being seriously injured during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The image is old and was first uploaded online in 2016.
Using Google Image Reverse Search, our team found that the viral photo belongs to Olesya Vorobey, a Ukrainian soldier winner of the beauty contest of “Glory of the Heroines!” held in 2016 in Luhansk.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the competition was dedicated to women who have served in eastern Ukraine. The Ministry’s website has mentioned that Vorobey has served in the Operational Command West unit of Ukraine’s armed forces. Misbar's team did not find any evidence that Vorobey was a fighter pilot and died after an injury during the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, Ukraine’s first female fighter pilot was Nadiya Savchenko, who is now a politician.
