A photo of two Ukrainian men holding wooden replica guns has sparked claims that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is staged or fake after it was aired briefly on US television on Saturday.
The photo, which appeared during a Fox News broadcast about Ukrainian civilians taking up arms against Russian forces, was reposted by social media users claiming that the fighting and destruction depicted in media reports were 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 was taken during a defence drill in the city of 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 also states that the photo was taken on February 19, five days before President Vladimir Putin declared a military assault on Ukraine.
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