Who is the woman in the Ukrainian military uniform?
As Russia continues its full-scale invasion into Ukraine, videos and images have been circulated on social media. One of them is images of a woman in military uniforms. It was claimed she is the wife of the Ukrainian Vice President who voluntarily joined the frontline with troops to fight against the Russian invasion. The claim has been widely shared on social media in recent weeks. After running Google Reverse Image Search, however, we find out the claim is false.
Social Media Claim
At the end of February, seven images of a woman in the military uniform had been posted on social media. It was claimed the woman is the wife of the Ukrainian Vice President who voluntarily joined the frontline with troops to fight against the Russian invasion.
Below is a capture of the claim on February 27 said: “The wife of Ukrainian Vice President and many girls voluntarily dedicate their lives to defend their homeland. Wish peace in your country soon to end the bloodshed.”
The same images and claims were also posted on a Facebook page and below are the capture of the claim posted on March 05.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began an investigation into the above-mentioned claim by running Google Reverse Image Search which led us to find out the truth below.
The images of the woman who was claimed as the wife of the Ukrainian Vice President had been published by various media after she was killed in the frontline battle against the Russian invasion.
The woman is Iryna Tsvila who is a poet and literature professor. She was killed on February 24 when she was in a battle to defend Kyiv from the Russian invasion, according to a report by Tribune de Genève on March 07.
Tribune de Genève | ARCHIVED LINK
The French media ELLE also published a story about Iryna Tsvila, saying the Ukrainian poet lost her live north of the capital Kyiv when her battalion tried to expel attack from Russian tanks. Her husband was also killed in the battle, leaving their five children parentless, according to ELLE.
Who is iryna Tsvila?
Iryna Tsvila, 52, is a poet and literature teacher before becoming a public activist and photographer in 2014, according to the U.K.-based media Daily Mail.
She voluntarily joined in Ukrainian military in 2014 when the war in Donbas broke out between Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists.
Is there Vice President in Ukraine?
Based on its constitution, Ukraine has no post of Vice President. The executive power is executed by President and Prime Minister. The current Ukrainian President is Volodymir Zelenskyy, and his Prime Minister is Denys Shymhal.
Please read our previous article: រូបថតចាស់ត្រូវបានអះអាងថាជាភរិយាមេដឹកនាំអ៊ុយក្រែនចូលរួមប្រយុទ្ធក្នុងសមរភូមិប្រឆាំងរុស្ស៊ី
CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found out the claim mentioned above is false. The woman in military uniform is not the wife of the Ukrainian Vice President. She is Iryna Tsvila, a poet and literature teacher who voluntarily join frontline with Ukrainian troops to defend her homeland against the Russian invasion.
