An old photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is doing rounds on social media platforms claiming that he has donned the military uniform and is set to join the Ukraine defence troops in the ongoing attack on the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shocked the world on February 24, 2022 morning announcing his decision of a 'military operation' on Ukraine after weeks of military buildup near its border. In response to the attack, Zelensky called on citizens to fight and said the government is ready to give weapons who are ready to defend their country from Russian invasion.
He also requested Russians to raise their voice against Putin's decision to send military forces into Ukraine.
The caption with the photo reads as, "This is the President of Ukraine Zelensky. He took off his clothes and put on a military uniform to join the troops in fighting to protect the Ukrainian homeland. He is a true leader."
Click here to view the post.
Click here to view an archive of the post.
Also Read: "We Are Hiding...": Indian Students In Ukraine Desperate To Go Home
Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse image search on Google and found a similar photo in a Reuters article published on December 10, 2021.
The caption with the photo reads, "Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with the country's service members at the combat positions near the line of separation from Russian-backed rebels on the Day of the Armed Forces in the Donetsk region, Ukraine December 6, 2021. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo".
We also found the picture on international photo agency Getty Images' website. The image can be seen below.
The photo is captioned, "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the front-line positions of Ukrainian military in Donbass, Ukraine on December 06, 2021."
We also found several photos of Zelensky from the same date during his Donbass visit on Getty's website. Zelenskiy can be seen not wearing a military uniform in any of those photos but wearing a bullet proof vest. Additionally the Ukrainian president has visited the same region in a similar outfit in June 2021.
A search for the details from Zelensky's visit led us to a Ukrainian news agency Interfax's report published on December 6, 2021. According to the report, "President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, December 6, visited the front-line positions of the Ukrainian military in Donbas, the presidential press service reports." It also added that the statement said, "During his working trip to Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the front-line positions of the Ukrainian army in the zone of the Joint Forces Operation and congratulated the military on the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
Also Read: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Animated Clip Shared As Russian Airstrike Over Kyiv