An old photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is making the rounds on social media platforms, claiming that he has donned a military uniform and is preparing to join Ukraine’s defence forces in the ongoing attack on the country. After weeks of military buildup near Ukraine’s border, Russian President Vladimir Putin shocked the world on February 24, 2022 morning, announcing his decision to launch a “military operation.”
In response to the attack, Zelensky urged citizens to fight and stated that the government is willing to provide weapons to those willing to defend their country against Russian invasion. He also asked Russians to speak out against Putin’s decision to send military forces into Ukraine.
The caption for the photo is as follows: “This is Ukraine’s President, Vladimir Zelensky. He stripped naked and put on a military uniform to fight alongside the troops to protect the Ukrainian homeland. He truly is a leader.”
BOOM conducted a Google reverse image search and discovered a similar photo in a Reuters article published on December 10, 2021. The caption for the photograph reads, “On the Day of the Armed Forces in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, December 6, 2021, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with the country’s service members at combat positions near the line of separation from Russian-backed rebels. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/File Photo/Handout via REUTERS “.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the front-lines of Ukrainian military in Donbas, Ukraine on December 06, 2021,” the caption reads. On Getty’s website, we discovered several photos of Zelensky taken on the same day during his visit to Donbas. In all of those photos, Zelenskiy is wearing a bulletproof vest rather than a military uniform. In addition, in June 2021, the Ukrainian president will visit the same region dressed similarly.
A search for information about Zelensky’s visit led us to a report published on December 6, 2021, by the Ukrainian news agency Interfax. According to the report, “President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky visited the front-line positions of the Ukrainian military in Donbas on Monday, December 6, the presidential press service reports.” The statement also stated, “During his working trip to the 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.”