As Russian troops invaded Ukraine, an image of a food truck was shared thousands of times in social media posts that claimed it shows members of the Sikh community offering free food to people affected by the conflict. However, the photo was shared in a false context. While there have been reports by Indian media outlets about a Sikh humanitarian organisation offering support to people who have fled war-torn Ukraine, the image of the food truck shows a Sikh community initiative in Canada.

“Sikh Community Initiative in Ukraine ‘Guru Ka Langar’,” reads a Hindi-language tweet from February 26, 2022.

It has been shared more than 4,000 times.

In Sikhism, Guru Ka Langar is a community kitchen that offers free food to those in need.

The photo shows people eating in front of a food truck featuring the words “Free food” and "Guru Nanak's Langar GoodBye Hunger".

Russian missiles and shells rained down on Ukrainian cities after President Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale ground invasion and air assault on February 24.

The same image was shared alongside a similar claim on Twitter here and here; and on Facebook here, here and here.

However, the photo has been shared in a false context.

Whilst Indian newspapers have reported here and here about Sikh volunteers providing food and aid to people fleeing Ukraine, the image was actually taken in Canada before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Toronto food truck

A reverse image search found the photo in a 2018 tweet that said it was taken in...

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