An image of Ukrainians holding wooden guns has sparked claims that Russia’s invasion is fake

• A photo of Ukrainians training with wooden guns has sparked wild claims over social media.
• The image aired briefly on Fox News was misconstrued 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 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.”

—Brian James (@BrianJamesESQ) February 26, 2022

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.

Numerous media outlets, including Insider, have reported for weeks that Ukrainian volunteers had used wooden replicas of guns to train against a Russian invasion. 

However, the false claims about the photo continued to abound on social media as of Monday evening.

“Fox News putting out fake news too cardboard weapons really come on,” wrote one Twitter user who posted the image, calling for media outlets to “stop scare mungering people.”

“More fake news entertainment to keep the public terrified!” wrote another user.

“For those not aware, there is so much fake stuff being shown on TV about the Ukraine war, it’s getting ridiculous,” a Facebook user wrote alongside the photo, per AP. “Kyiv is NOT under attack by Russians.”

Fox News did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Fighting in Ukraine is set to enter its sixth day on Tuesday as Russian forces look to take major population centers in the country’s east, south, and north, including the capital of Kyiv. According to local media reports, Ukraine — which has enlisted and armed civilians — claims to have killed over 5,300 Russian soldiers and destroyed hundreds of military vehicles.

Reuters reported that satellite photos from Maxar Technologies released on Monday showed a Russian military convoy north of Kyiv that stretches for at least 40 miles, Reuters reported.