A photo of Ukrainians training with wooden guns has sparked wild claims over social media.
The image, which aired briefly on Fox News, was misconstrued by social media users as a sign that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is fake.
The photo was taken before the invasion, when Ukrainian civilians trained with replica weapons.
A photo of two Ukrainian men holding wooden replica guns has sparked baseless claims on social media that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is staged.
The photo appeared during a Fox News broadcast on Saturday about Ukrainian civilians taking up arms against Russian forces. It was then reposted by social media users, some of whom claimed the fighting depicted in media reports was exaggerated or false.
One Twitter user's post of the photo received over 1,880 retweets and 4,000 likes. In a separate tweet on Monday, the same user wrote that "Putin never actually invaded in the first place."
The image of the two men with wooden guns was taken during a drill in Kharkiv before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, per the Associated Press.
"Two men with rifle cutouts take cover behind a corner during the territorial defence drill for civilians given by Azov Regiment veterans under the slogan 'Don't Panic! Get Ready!,'" read the caption on Ukrinform. The caption states the photo was taken on February 19, five days before Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a military assault on Ukraine.
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