An image of a woman in military gear wielding a gun is being circulated on social media platforms with the claim that amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the wife of the Vice President of Ukraine is fighting for her motherland.
Facto News found that the claim is misleading, the woman is indeed a Ukrainian soldier but she is not the wife of any Vice President.
A Twitter user, Aarav Gautam, shared the image with the caption that reads: “This is the wife of the Vice President of Ukraine. She is fighting for her Motherland. Massive Respect! 🙌🇺🇦❤ #UkraineWar #StandWithUkraine”
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
The image along with the misleading claim is viral on Twitter, posts by several users can be accessed here.
The image is also viral on Facebook, a page by the name, One Khabar, shared the woman’s image along with the same misleading claim.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
FactO Check:
On searching news reports about the wife of the Vice President fighting the war, we found there is no executive post of Vice President in Ukraine.
According to a U.S Dept of State document, “Ukraine is a republic with a presidential-parliamentary system of government. The constitution provides for a directly elected president, a prime minister who is appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament, and a unicameral parliament (Verkhovna Rada).”
To get into the details of the viral photo, we conducted a reverse image search on Google which directed us to the website of Alamy, a stock photography agency. Though the website has not mentioned the name of the woman but has described her as a Ukrainian female soldier.
According to the website, the image is from a rehearsal of the military parade on the occasion of 30 years of Independence Day of Ukraine.
(Source: Alamy/Screenshot)
Conclusion:
With the above findings, it is evident that the claim along with the viral image is misleading.