A Russian tank destroyed in recent fighting is seen on a road to Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 15. On Friday, April 22, 2022, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming a photo of a woman in a military uniform shows a “Ukranian beauty” who “blew up 52 invading Russian tanks.” (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:
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CLAIM: Photo of woman in a military uniform shows “Ukrainian beauty” who “blew up 52 invading Russian tanks.”
THE FACTS: The woman in the photo is a military doctor, not a combat soldier, according to news reports, posts on her Facebook account and messages from her mother. A misrepresented photo of a trauma doctor in Ukraine is the latest example of false propaganda and disinformation that have overwhelmed social media in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine over the past seven weeks. The widely-shared photo showed a young woman in a camouflage jacket decorated with medals and pins, including one with a Ukrainian flag. Twitter posts touted her as a combat hero, responsible for destroying Russian military vehicles. “This Ukrainian beauty blew up 52 invading Russian tanks,” read one tweet that was shared more than 9,000 times. “Retweet if you think she’s a HERO,” another Twitter user added. But the...
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